Chicagoist: Whatcha Wearin'?

BlueFairlane

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 07:01:27 -0600

Fashion Blogger Smackdown!!!! I'll get my popcorn.

V

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:44:51 -0600

I wasn't referring to Maxwell with any of that Spook. I was replying to Monica and referring to her chicago style site, The Midwasteland.

monica

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:35:26 -0600

Tis true, Tankboy. The Sartorialist did precede me but was never my personal inspiration. I was always more inspired by The Facehunter. V, I didn't really mean I photographed like The Sart. He is one in a million. I meant Sartorialist as a general term. And just like I will never photograph like The Sart or Garance Dore, Maxwell won't photograph like me and so on and so forth. I have to say yes and no to your comment that "the photos on midwasteland match the demeanor of the midwest". I have about 300 things to say on that point but they would take a really long time to write. So I'll save my breath and just say that this feature has a ways to go if it wants to inspire people, like street style should, but I don't think that it can't be done.

irishman1

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:26:51 -0600

Balvenie Scotch 15 Year Single Barrel Nice! I might have to check that out.

Spook

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:20:15 -0600

Irishmen, thanks for not breaking any stero types buddy! You left me hanging so I had to resort to walking into Sams like a common uninfomred plebian off the street! But the good fellow was kind and recommended the Balvenie Scotch 15 Year Single Barrel for about 64 bucks with taxe. It seemed that the crowded liked it.

Spook

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:13:37 -0600

Wow some body is mighty gassed up and full of themself, "thus far" that is. I'm willing to bet that Mr. "approachable mix of people-people you'd run into at the record shop, a house party, a small gallery opening with friends.", is nothing more than a wanna be art student- from Iowa- who wouldn't know the East Coast if some one smacked him with a pastrami sandwich from the famously great Carnegie Deli.

V

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:36:22 -0600

Nah- I don't think your site is really Sartorialist style. Some posts maybe (like GenArt openings). Sartorialist has a certain formality to the style of fashion he photographs, which I feel like Maxwell is trying to mimic with the subjects he's shown (thus far). I feel like midwasteland profiles an approachable mix of people — people you'd run into at the record shop, a house party, a small gallery opening with friends. That's not in ANY way a negative comment, quite the opposite. The photos on midwasteland match the demeanor of the midwest. Maxwell seems to be trying for the buttoned up formality more often found on the east coast, which I think maybe is why people aren't responding to it. It's just not OUR city.

Spook

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:33:18 -0600

I think our boy Maximo should take his spiral note book and park himself outside the Urban Outfitters in Wicker Park.Even there, he could find less vanilla subjects. But then he would have to explain what he's doing to all his fellow co workers reporting for their shift

Tankboy

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:31:23 -0600

Don't worry Monica, you've already been mentioned as a local predecessor to this new feature ... but even you have to admit that The Sartorialist preceded your own efforts!

monica

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:22:14 -0600

V, If by Chicago Sartorialist you mean The MidWasteland(http://www.themidwasteland.com) wannabe then maybe. :) I do commend the effort, Maxwell, but the subject is a little boring. I don't see one thing on him that I find intriguing or would want to photograph myself. I also agree w/ maeveywavey. The paragraph doesn't make sense to me. Not hatin'. Just sayin'.

Stealth

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:00:41 -0600

also, i wish we could see his leather messenger bag better. it looks nice. It looks brown and it looks like leather. I can tell you 60 places to get one of those.

JD84

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:41:52 -0600

Read my mind!

Stealth

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:22:18 -0600

LOL. Spook, if I had made reference to it any other way, how many people do you think would have understood what it was :) I love this line: The raised jacket collar adds more height and proportion to the wide jacket, creating a more balanced look. Yeah, I'm sure that's what the guy was thinking when the wind was whipping down his no-t-shirt-wearing neck, straight down to his sockless ankles..."If I turn my color up, I'll created a more balanced look. Oh, and I won't turn blue from the cold either."

irishman1

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:50:52 -0600

I have nothing against the idea either. But you cannot tell me that showing two, frat looking, dime a dozen white dudes is the "idea". Spice it up! Yo Spook! I haven't forgotten about your Irish Whiskey request. Maybe try this one: 2008 Midleton Very Rare Irish Whiskey 750ml at $144.00 Or try: John Powers Irish Whiskey 80 at $27.99 (I like this one)

dustindeed

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:37:54 -0600

i have nothing against the idea of this feature but the people chosen thus far and the writing have been terrible. standing out in the loop with an ill-fitting, black wool coat? are you kidding? stand at the washington and wells el-stop and you'll see thousands of 20 and 30-nothings in oversized, black wool coats...often accessorized with bad loafers and black 180s.

Spook

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:45:49 -0600

stealth, I like you. So can you please refrain from refering to those cool steam punk/vintage shirts- of which I have a few that I purchased from New Orleans - puffy shirts from Seinfield? Why let that moronic narcassistic show and the sheep who watch it ruin an amazing fuctional cool cotton shirt? I now dread wearing it in Chicago because some idiot is gonna comment about it being a "puffy shirt"

Spook

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:36:08 -0600

At my ex girl friend's sister's wedding I wore a pen stripped dark blue suit, a botton down white dress shirt sans a tie and brown fry biker boots, my ex wore an Indian Saris with tight black fashion jeans and red high heels. We looked dashing!

Stealth

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:35:16 -0600

yeah, what jmagic said...

Rachelle Bowden

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:34:27 -0600

i read this post 3 times today and i just noticed.. i think? .. that he is smoking? bleh. also, i wish we could see his leather messenger bag better. it looks nice.

Stealth

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:33:12 -0600

C'mon, don't do this. Time Out Chicago already wastes ink on this "feature". It's pretty pointless, especially when the subject is basically wearing a shirt, pants nad shoes that are all nothing special. If he was wearing johdpurs and the puffy shirt from Seinfield, maybe he's be worth stopping and interviewing. But seriously, this is just pants and a shirt, nice though they may be.

jenniferexacto

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:14:24 -0600

where did he get the pants? must have.

maeveywavey

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:09:13 -0600

This column is confusing to me. It feels like a paragraph torn from the middle of a full-length article on fashion in the Loop. I feel a little disoriented when I read these posts.

welsey

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:06:34 -0600

Is Jim single??? I love the tall guys! Well, I wish he could have stood still for a photo! The blurriness of these makes it a little difficult to evaluate totally, I like the cut and color of his pants but I'd like to know more about the material. That's the most interesting part of his outfit for me, although the collar on his jacket is also intriguing but again, I'd like a better look. As long as someone else has already mentioned Sart, having larger photos available like he does to get a better look at individual pieces would be nice. But don't get me wrong, I am still very excited about this column! I'll have to step my Euro-dressing game up next time I go out in the hopes of becoming briefly internet famous (assuming you'll be photographing chicks too).

Ingrid

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:33:56 -0600

I was at a wedding this summer and the groom and all of his groomsmen wore black suits with black chucks...it was an outdoor wedding and a very cute look.

Spook

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:30:30 -0600

jMagic, see you done gone and made me feel/look weak! I guess it was all that abuse I took on that other poste that made me sorta give Jim a pass. Yes I do believe that I spy a Banana Republic catalogue in his back pocket where a model is wearing the exact combo! Busted!

mrarey2008

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:29:22 -0600

Considering that much of the "hipster" style is an emulation or outright adoption of trends from bygone eras, I think it would be worth it. :)

that_girl

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:27:16 -0600

someone should've snapped my husband on our wedding day... he had a great tux on, black jacket, black shirt, silver tie and crimson vest... and all-black chucks. because all he ever wears is chucks, and i acquiesced to letting him wear some at the wedding :) also, this guy looks like every other schmoe out there, except for maybe the coat, which i do like.

Navin

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:24:47 -0600

But that would violate the advertising demographic... Seems a good look for when it starts to get over 50 degrees reliably. Shoes are a big fail though, and even more so considering the lack of socks *shudders*. Maybe you can pull that off if you come home from busting drug kingpins all day to chill on your boat with your pet crocodile.

Spook

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:13:45 -0600

better, but still far far from home. Cool jacket,off white pants threatening/hinting at summer pre labor day white, sorta like I don't care what the scared ground hog said, I'm wearing the lightest spring

jmagic

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:10:20 -0600

meet Jim. Jim shops at Banana Republic, and occassionally hits up the Gap or J.Crew (when he's jonesin' for tapered leg khakis!) Jim accents his ensemble with a black wool coat (but what makes his coat unique vs. the average dude is that Jim's coat is long, because Jim is tall!) Though it's winter, Jim is sans socks in his $300 loafers, but he uses foot powder so not to worry! show me a dude in a suit or something ... give me some day-glo nikes on a guy wearing a $800 suit. that's at least fashion-able.

jennaNL

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:46:33 -0600

His shirt doesn't even fit right. But I like the pant/shirt color combo.

HeaveMediaLisa

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:40:13 -0600

Ok, I figured it out. I don't like the syntax of these post. Too much "Jim wears this, Jim does that." It reminds me of a beauty pageant... "Contestant #37, Heather Francis of Baton Rouge, is wearing a purple chiffon number this evening. Heather enjoys softball, kittens, and chocolate chip cookies. Heather hopes to change the world one child at a time with her goals of being a teacher. Heather thanks her Mom and Dad for all their love and support, and Bobby for being a super cool boyfriend! Let's give a round of applause for contestant #37, Heather Francis!" Case in point. Then again, maybe it's just me. Heh, That was actually sort of fun to write.

V

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:24:13 -0600

After two days features, I think the gist of the column seems to be a Chicago Sartorialist. Which I don't mind, but I do hope more variety comes out of this. What Sartorialist has going for it is an attention to the details of dress. Things that one might pass over on a first look but are actually quite special below the surface. Also the poise to Sart's subjects often makes his photos. Yesterday's subject looked uncomfortably awkward and today's quite smug and cocky. To me this subject just looks like another dude going to work in Banana Republic clothes. Again though, I do think you have a great way of choosing subjects that work really well in their settings to create lovely photos, so I see a lot of potential in this if you venture outside the realm of expected dress. Hang out by furniture shop Orange Skin and wait to snap a photo of its owner, Obi Nwazota. (In my opinion the single most stylish male Chicagoan.)

mrarey2008

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:17:48 -0600

I think this is an interesting feature. One suggestion, as it evolves, is to not just stick with 20/30 somethings. From the time I was a kid I loved going downtown and seeing the older gentlemen in their bespoke suits, carefully preserved over the years.

BlueFairlane

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:13:50 -0600

I also think you're better off not cutting off the guy's legs in the photo.

Stile

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:07:31 -0600

WTF is this?

BlueFairlane

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:54:09 -0600

I agree ... this guy seems a little less affected than yesterday's guy. I'm waiting to see how extreme you're willing to go in the styles presented. Is this a guys only thing? Will it show ethnic fashion, or is it a whites only club? Will you feature examples of what you consider bad fashion, or fashion from people who just don't care and are comfortable with that? Will you have the 300-lb Ditka guy in the Bears jersey? This feature could get really interesting if you're willing to branch out and try the unexpected. The thing thing I can't get over is how much this guy makes me think of NBC5's Anthony Ponce.

Rob Christopher

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:53:46 -0600

is Jim not wearing any socks? Tsk tsk. Unless it's summer, bad idea.

JD84

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:45:43 -0600

Yesterdays one seemed a little, I don't know, it just wasn't for me. There was way to much thought put in to it. Today's entry seemed much more realistic from a regular dudes perspective.

happyfunball

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:44:44 -0600

I WANT to hate on this feature, but one of my New Year's Resolutions was to stop dressing like a 12 year old with ADD. So, I'm willing to see how this develops... Maybe I'll learn something.