Ten classic menswear pieces that will never go out of style

It's more than a little fair to say that, sartorially speaking, the focus on this blog does generally fall on the female side of the spectrum. This is understandable, given that I'm a gal myself and the vast majority of those who enjoy wearing vintage fashions in this day and age are women as well.

However, there are plenty of members of the opposite sex, too, who also delight in sporting both timelessly classic and distinctly yesteryear styles, and in honour Father's Day on Sunday, I thought that today would be a marvelous time to devote a post to all the chaps out there who fall into this category.

This is a topic I've thought about covering before, but it wasn't until I received a Facebook comment from a fellow in response to my post last February about Ten investment worthy vintage wardrobe items (in which he asked me what some of my suggestions on this topic would be for gents) that I really started to put the gears into motion, so to speak.

Though I will readily admit that I know more about women’s wear, both past and present, I (humbly) have a fair bit of knowledge about menswear too, and greatly enjoy talking about men’s fashion and style, be it yesteryear or current. In the case of the latter, there are - in my opinion - far less dapperly attired fellows out there than there once was. Of course it can be said that elegant style has declined across the board for both men and women (amongst the general public, I mean), and I don't wish to pick on or single out men in any way here.

Quite the contrary, instead of bemoaning trucker hats, baggy pants, and athletic shoes being worn in non-athletic settings, I'm here today instead to focus on ten classic garments and accessories which I feel can go a tremendously long way towards turning any man's wardrobe - be he a fan of vintage styles or not - from merely so-so or nice into show-stoppingly fantastic.

I should preface the following ten items by saying, point blank, that I like a smartly dressed man who looks as though he's ready to run a company, hop on his yacht, or set up a campsite in the woods. I've always been very specific when it comes to my favourite kinds of styles and garments for chaps, and I make no bones about that fact (certainly most men have their favourites when it comes to what they like to see us ladies wearing, too).

That said, while my personal preferences no doubt factor into today's selection, they're by no means the only thing dictating the items of clothing in the spotlight this fine Friday morning. Some of these items are investment pieces there's no doubt about that, but they'll pay you richly in well dressed style dividends in no time at all, I assure you.

And so, without further ado, may I present...

{A wonderful wool (or cashmere and wool) overcoat}

{A sharply tailored three-piece suit}

{Gorgeous silk ties }

{A well cut vest}

{A handsome leather strap watch}

{Well cut dark denim jeans}

{Shawl collar cardigans}

{A vintage or vintage appropriate hat}

{Forzieri shoes}

{A very cool little side note about this particular pair of Forzieri shoes: they're the exact same style Nucky Thompson is wearing in the opening scenes of the intro on the TV show Boardwalk Empire.}

{A great blazer}

{To learn more about a specific image, please click on a photo to be taken to its respective source.}

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I spent a good long while thinking about this topic and brainstorming various possible selections before narrowing my list down to just ten. I wanted to go with pieces that had a vintage look to them, but which could easily be found in today's market and which would appeal to a wide range of guys.

These items needed to exude taste and quality, but not be so off-puttingly expensive that they'd be completely out of reach for those without a trust fund. These are fashions that any chap can - and should - consider adding to his closet. This list is by no means a complete "what's what" of a well stocked wardrobe for a smartly attired gentleman, but it's a great jumping off point for those with a passion for dressing with classic sophistication and an eye towards detail and quality.

While this blog will always veer more towards vintage ladies wear, it's thoroughly fun to shift the focus onto men’s fashion sometimes, especially in honour of Father's Day and well dressed men everywhere this week.

I'm very happy that I received the Facebook comment that I did (thank you, Kevin!), as I loved putting together this post, daydreaming about stocking Tony's closet with some of these amazing pieces, and reflecting on the way that - just as for us gals - there are certain classic wardrobe items that will really and truly never go out of style.

Borrowed from the boys

As someone who adores being called (and thinks of themselves as) a girly-girl, I've not spent a lot of time throughout my life in outfits that would generally be described as having a tomboy or menswear vibe to them. I've always thought there was something blessedly special about being a girl, and I relish the fact that I can wear clothes that help to highlight my womanly curves (of which I've got plenty to go around) and extremely feminine nature.

Androgynous styles or modern male fashions rarely (save perhaps for ties and bowties - both of which can make excellent headbands) appeal to me, even though I do think they sometimes look stellar on other women (especially those with willowy figures). When we inject mid-twentieth century fashion into the picture however, that's something of a whole 'nother ballgame.

It's not so much that I wear vintage styles with a distinctly masculine vibe to them, but rather, the idea of doing so doesn't put me off in the way that modern menswear inspired looks sometimes do. Assuming a yesteryear lass was sporting the typical hairstyle and make-up of the time (most 40s and 50s looks being so inherently feminine thanks to elements like curls and red lips), you could pretty much have dressed her up in a potato sack and she'd still look more feminine and beautiful than a good many modern day women in off-the-moment-trendy high street and designer fashions alike.

Not of course, that every woman needs to look overtly feminine to be fashionable. Each of us has the right to dress and look a much like our gender (or the other) as we'd like. I merely mean that because dressing in styles, colours and garments that are typically perceived being highly womanly are important to me, I'm more drawn to a period in time when even ladies in tomboy, menswear, or highly casual looks retained a sense of femininity to their appearance.

It can be fun however, to venture outside of one's usual clothing comfort zone, sneak over to the other side of the closet (or department store) and take a style guy cue from the fellows. A point which was certainly not lost on the following group of 1940s and 50s gals.


{A teenage girl relaxes - cigarette in hand - in an oversized men's plaid shirt and pair of cuffed jeans.}


{Love the collection of 1940s stuffed animals that are residing on this high school student's bed as she does her homework.}


{In a scene that's nearly as old as the telephone itself, a teen chats away to a friend while wearing a loose fitting sweater, jeans and loafers.}


{Two gals in cute hairstyles and fun causal wear cut a rug surrounded by their friends who are enjoying cokes and a bite to eat.}


{While I've never been the sort who could do so (concentration = silence in my books), this lovely 40s girl seems to have to trouble listening to the radio while doing her homework.}


{Proving that you can raid the boy's dresser any time of the day or night, this lass sports a pair of men's pajamas in addition to her adorable rag curls.}


{It's short tweed pants - and short hair - for this teen as she voraciously bites into a large sandwich.}


{Saddle shoes, blue jeans, and ribbed white bobby socks - rarely doesn't it get more 1950s causal meets boy's wear inspired than this iconic look.}


{Three 1940s teens relax outside their school in a wardrobe of jeans, baggy sweaters, and an oversized button front shirt for the friend in the centre.}


{Though - based on the footwear in the hanging shoe storage bag - I think she's standing in her own closet, I highly suspect that this young woman snuck over to her brother or father's to borrow that man's shirt - and possibly even those glen plaid trousers!}


{All images above are from the online Life magazine achieve. To learn more about a specific photo, please click on it to be taken to its respective page.}

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While masculine looks can easily drain some of the overt appearance of femininity from a lady, at times they can also - almost paradoxically - heighten a girl's appearance and make her seem overtly womanly - as though her feminine side is going into overdrive to compensate for the mannish threads she's sporting.

There's no denying the practicality that menswear and ultra casual styles posses. For various sports, outdoor activities (camping, hiking, etc), and DIY chores around the house and yard (such as mowing the lawn or painting the fence) - not to mention the driving part of long road trips - they can be both practical and appealing. They can as well, be rather cute (especially if you seek a girly detail or two into the picture, such as pink and white saddle shoes with cuffed vintage jeans) and very often convey a sense of youthful vitality.

Depending on your own personal style, there may be other times, too, when you want to toe the line between the genders with your fashions, and that's totally cool. Style after all, is what you make of it - not what it makes of you - so if looks like those in the vintage photos today are calling your name, by all means go for it!

There's inspiration a plenty to be found from 1940s and 50s lasses who - rather brazenly at the time - dared to borrow from the boys and let a casual vibe shine through (at least part of) their wardrobe.