The Basic Wardrobe

Playboy's apparel editor

A Guy Much Smarter than anyone in this office once said that the joy of discovery is surpassed only by the joy of being discovered. We've just finished looking over the fall fashion forecasts and have been gratified to read such stirring syntax as: "Biggest single trend of '55 in men's clothing is the natural slim line from head to heel" and "The clean, straight cut completely replaces the rippling roominess of yesteryear's apparel — puts your full-cut clothes among the family antiques." Hear, hear, say we. For some time now, we have subscribed to the theory that there are certain basic tenets of style and cut in men's clothing that are unchangeable. The stress — for us — has always been placed on natural and casual lines geared for constant comfort and ease in any situation. But it's pretty sad when certain clothing manufacturers and their (continued from preceding page) advertising agencies can dictate – subject to periodical change – just what does and what does not constitute that elusive phantom known as high fashion. And if you're the guy who just laid out 75 bills for a balloon shouldered worsted in a splash weave, then you have our sympathy – 'cause, as the man said above, it belongs "among the family antiques."

(The women, of course, go through the same nonsense every season. Such pontifical couturiers as Balmain and Dior are anathema to any babe who can't afford a complete wardrobe turnover once a year. Few of them can – at least not on their own money.)

Accordingly, playboy forthwith attempts to outline the man's basic wardrobe – in good taste, we promise you, not just this season or next, but at least as long as the fabric shows any signs of life. Achieving it at reasonable cost is not difficult. If you're interested, look straight ahead.

Suits

Whether you're still on campus or firmly ensconced in a downtown broker's office, we're sure that you've come to recognize the qualities of a good flannel. You'll want at least one singlebreasted suit of this perenially tasteful fabric, in a choice of shades that includes medium, oxford or charcoal gray, or a rich dark brown. You shouldn't have to pay more than $80 for the suit, and if you can add two – one gray, one brown – you have the nucleus of a sensible town-and-country, work-and-play wardrobe that should serve you well. Add as soon as possible at least one tweed suit, a rugged herringbone or diagonal in gray and white, brown and white, or black and brown, loomed of Shetland wool. Styling, of course, dictates a natural shoulder, three buttons, raised edges and seams, flap pockets and a deep center hook vent in the back of the jacket. Stay away from side vents simply because they seem faddish and are apt to disappear from the scene. Trouser lines should be clean hanging and slim proportioned without pleats in the front. As an extra economy feature, the jacket alone of your tweed suit serves perfectly as a sports jacket with a pair of black flannel slacks.

Shirts and Ties

Shirt fabrics that will fit well with your basic suit wardrobe include both cotton oxford cloth and cotton broadcloth, woven of either domestic materials or imported Egyptian fibers. If you prefer a lighter weight shirting, you might choose India Madras or Batiste, or possibly one of the newer blends of dacron and cotton that launders easily, dries rapidly and requires little pressing. Assuming that you wear a clean shirt every day, a practice we recommend, then a minimum of seven to ten shirts would be necessary. We know a guy who has thirty seven of the damn things in his dresser drawers, and sends out his laundry once a month. Your supply should come somewhere in between. Monograms on shirt pockets are strongly recommended, and for those who get lost easily, possibly the address and phone number should be included as well.

Colors in men's shirts are reaching new heights of horror these days: witness such shades as mint green, fiesta yellow, fuzzy peach, and, if you're thirsty, there's something called cognac and rum — not to drink, but to put on your aching back. Well, we suggest that you stay with the tested four: white, blue, tan and gray, in solid shades or interesting, tasteful stripes. You can find plenty of variety in collar styles, too. There's the bat-wing monoplane roll, the spread eagle push pull, the Barrymore waterfall – and even the tabless tab, which faintly reminds us of the loveless love that Billie Holiday used to sing about so well. Anyway, they're all pretty jazzy, but you might do better if you made your selections from the button down, the round, the English tab, or the short square point for dressier occasions. Cuffs should be barrelshaped and buttonable but it certainly isn't a mortal sin if you prefer the French variety. When worn, cuff links should be reasonably small and neat. There is no reason to pay more than

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$5.50 for any shirt in your wardrobe, except the dacron and cotton jobs, which cost as much as $12.50 but save considerable laundry expense in the long run.

Because we recommend conservative suits and shirts in the basic wardrobe, we feel it necessary that the well-attired man burst forth with colorful originality in his choice of neckwear. Attractive, un usual color blends form the backbone of his tie collection, which should number at least twenty-five for the simple reason that neckties get dirty if worn too often, and no one has ever evolved a satis-factory method of cleaning them. Bold and colorful rep stripes – in black, yellow, red, navy, green and brown – go well with almost anything, or you can choose a wide variety of rich silk foulards printed in small, neat patterns. The width of these should average about 21/2 inches. An inexpensive yet good-looking tie is the hand-blocked English wool challis that sets you back only $2.50. Popular knit ties in the darker shades are a perfect compliment to the sports-jacket-and-slacks combination. The variety of neckties available is almost endless: choose what appeals to you, keep the pattern neat and orderly and the cost under $4.00 each.

Shoes and Socks

The wrappings that go around your feet should be selected as diligently as your Scotch whiskey. For a number of years, business men clung closely to the staid old gartered hose, mainly, we suppose, because their legs got cold or else they were afraÈd to flash a calf in the client's office. Bah! We prefer socks that measure about eight inches up from the heel and hug the ankle with their own elasticity. As with shirts, you should plan on making a change every day in the week, so allowing for the laundry, you'd better have on hand at least ten pairs. Good-looking wool dress hose are available in the classic 6x3 rib in solid black, gray, navy, dark green, brown and maroon. If you wish, you can pick up several pairs of the more exclusive (i.e. expensive) Scottish Tattersall wool hose for sports wear, or full-fashioned English Argyles that look good in an Austin-Healey. If you prefer, cotton lisle or nylon offers a less expensive, non-shrinkable hose that goes well with your business suits. More exotic blends of cashmere and nylon, or lamb's wool and cotton, serve well at almost all occasions. Again, if you go for patterned hose, make sure that they are neat and conservative.

No man really needs more than five pairs of shoes on his wardrobe floor, and we've known people who have gotten away with no more than two. It's best, however, to figure on three pairs of dress shoes and maybe two pairs for casual country loafing. Of course, you should never wear the same shoes two days in a row. For office or after-six, a good pair of cordovan brown, plain-toe bluchers and a pair of Scotch-grain wing-tips give comfort and service in good proportions. For your gray suits, you'll want something in black, either plain or wing-tip — makes no difference. You might make sure that your shoes have five-count 'em – five eyelets instead of the one-two-or three-eyelet jobs currently being palmed off on us. Keep your shoes in a good state of polish and repair at all times. Since you'll probably have to pay in the vicinity of $20 for each pair, we're sure you can see the long-range economy involved here. For active leisure, a pair of soft leather moccasin loafers (without the tassels), costing around $12, and a pair of white buckskins, circa $15, should round things out nicely.

Sports Apparel

The well-dressed man should select his sports attire as carefully as his more formal duds. The field is crowded, the market active, making careful choices doubly important. Select sports jackets of distinctive, hand-loomed imported tweeds that can be found in such interesting patterns as herringbones, small houndstooth checks, plaids and diagonals. All borrow heavily from the traditional styling of your suit jackets – three buttons, narrow notch lapels, stitched 1/8 inch edges and seams, soft natural shoulders, flap pockets and hook vent. Coupled with a pair of worsted dark gray flannel slacks with adjustable back strap and no pleats, these combinations add a smart variety to your basic wardrobe. You should pay no more than $55 for the jacket, and you'd be wise to add several to the fold. The slacks run in the vicinity of $20 and make sure they have that tapered, leggy look. Another good companion to your jackets or sweaters is washable poplin slacks in a natural shade of light tan, costing no more than $14.

For easy living, a lot of men we know prefer the sport shirt over all others. If you agree, then you'll want several that are both comfortable and good-looking. Authentic Scottish Tartans of light-weight, washable flannel – available in Black Watch (navy-black-green), Camp-bell Dress (green-white-blue) or Mac-Donald (red-green) – are probably the most expensive of the bunch ($17.50), but these same patterns can be had in gingham for only $14.50. In the same price range are shirts of Swiss woven Lanella and Viyella, soft and washable, in solid colors or Tartan plaids. Houndstooth and Tattersall checks and Glen plaids, tailored the same as your dress shirts, contribute a distinctive touch to any man's wardrobe. We suggest you purchase several.

No man (big or small) on campus would think of being seen drinking the brown October ale in anything but a crested mug, slacks, dusty white bucks, Èport shirt and a sweater. Your choice in the latter item of apparel runs to three neck styles and it might be a good thing to have one of each, just to play safe. V-necks are by far the most popular, but the crew necks and turtles are also worthy of attention. Neither requires a shirt underneath. A good soft wool sweater in a dark, solid color should set you back no more than $10, but if you really feel loaded, there's a fellow in Vienna, name of Bernhard Altmann, who turns out a cashmere job that runs as high as $32.50. A good lightweight alpaca pullover with full sleeves and a crew neck costs just about as much, but again, you don't have to pay that kind of dough if you stay with Australian wool or even the American variety. Colors should be limited to biege, black, navy, gray, dark brown or maroon. Another favorite for campus sportwear is the cable-stitched tennis pullover with a V-neck, knitted of white lamb's wool, with red, blue and black stripe trim.

Hats and Coats

Our feelings about the wearing of a headpiece have been stated before. In order to keep your head in some of the colder northern climes of these United States it cannot be denied that a hat – at least during the winter months – is as much a necessity as the outercoat, muffler and gloves. It gets goddamn cold without one. Truly the hat is a useful piece of felt that deserves the discriminating attention of any playboy, all the more today because the hat itself is going through an interesting stage of evolution that offers many noteworthy variations.

There are four basic styles: the standard fur felt Fedora, the low-crown porkpie, the Tyrolean and the small-brimmed Homburg. The basic wardrobe, however, demands no more than two of these. Favored by the smartly turned-out executive is the snap-brimmed standard felt, found these days with a tapered crown that runs from 53/8 to 51/2 inches in height, and a brim, narrower and trimmer than before, that is only about 21/4 inches wide. Be sure that you crease the top of the hat but leave the front pinches out. Stay with the more intelligent shades of dark brown with black band, tan with dark brown or pearl gray with black; side bow prefered over the come-lately back bow. You should pay no more than $10 or $15. The pork-pie, age-old campus cut-up, is still cherished in the neighborhood of the Administration Building and Kissing Rock, and retains its remarkable popularity with tweeds and flannel combinations. The shaggy Tyrolean, with the high tapered crown, rope band and feathers, is a favorite of the sophisticated suburban set, those who take their commuting ease in the club car and week-ends on the golf course. The Austrians discovered it first, but we think it's sure to be a permanent part of the well-appointed American male's wardrobe. The small-shaped Homburg needs little introduction to those who have seen Ronald Colman or Jimmy (not Johnnie) Walker. Here is all the elegance and dash that any vice-president in charge of media could hope for, but remember that you should be over thirty-five before attempting to wear one – then make sure you carry it off with the proper (concluded on page 42)Basic Wardrobe(continued from page 34) degree of aplomb.

Making a strong comeback in country club and motoring circles is the cap, last seen–with peak backwards–atop the head of Barney Oldfield as he roared down the old dirt track. After Barney, several notable Chicago gangsters took a warm liking to its form-fitting snug-ness, probably because it presented the head as a smaller target. Thence, it went rapidly into disrepute and oblivion. Today, however, the concealed-visor caps point up the smart trend to smaller shapes in all headgear. If you want a cap, choose one that is made from Shet-lands and tweeds in sports jacket patterns, with a very small front brim that gives a beret effect, and a back strap and buckle for head-size adjustments.

There's really no reason why the basicÈwardrobe should contain both topcoats and overcoats unless you live in a cold, cold climate. In our area, a collection of several good topcoats serve well in place of the more bulky, heavier overcoat. For town wear, we prefer a single-breasted natural shoulder model, with set-in sleeves, fly front, large flap pockets (including a breast pocket), one-half inch stitched edges and deep hook vent in back. The raglan sleeve topcoat with slash pockets and Balmacaan collar is even more versatile–perfectly suited to urban or suburban living. Both are available in imported wool tweeds or cheviots in a choice of handsome grays, blacks and browns. Neither of these coats should cost you more than $85, but more expensive tastes will rightfully turn to a camel hair or cashmere outer-coat, running between $150 and $200. For a perfect touch of Edwardian elegance, you might choose a Chesterfield with black velvet collar, of black and white herringbone tweed. No wardrobe should be without a weatherproof coat of Egyptian cotton poplin in a natural shade, with self-lining, military collar, fly front, raglan sleeves and slash pockets–costing but $27.50.

If you're troubled with frequent monsoons where you live, you might want to get the world-famous trademark of the British colonel and the American private-eye–the trench coat. This should be a double-breasted affair with a weather tight collar, shoulder straps, ringed belt, full lining and protective shoulder interlining. A slouch hat should always be worn pulled down over the forehead. Learn to talk out of the side of your mouth. Muffler and glove according to taste.