Photo by Muffy Aldrich
The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Men in Embroidered Pants?

Photo by Salt Water New England

49 comments:

  1. Yes yes yes. Shorts too. Absolutely.

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  2. Going to get blowback here too.....under 30, especially an undergrad, heck in grad school, go for it....

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  3. Time and place. I still regret not buying the cords with martini glasses and TGIF embroidered on them in the Georgetown University Shop in 1982. Back then they were more rare and that added to the eclat. They are probably best worn with oysters on the Cape.

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  4. One of my favorite pair of trousers is my GTH baby blue embroidered with red lobsters. I wear them when I want to embarrass my daughters (which I do with glee). That's what parents are for. : )

    The Concord Diaspora

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    1. Fantastic! Nothing like a daughter eye roll to make my day.

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  5. My 50+ yo old husband wears critter shorts and doesn’t take himself seriously. He also wears Leatherman belts. Summer is for fun.

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  6. Or at a salad bar. I don't lack much for fashion courage myself, but embroidered pants are at the ragged edge for me.

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  7. Possibly for boys under 12.

    For grown men and teenagers? No. Never. Not even on ties.

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    1. First day exploring New England prep culture, Kenneth? Heres a clue. GTH pants aren't for "boys under twelve." Historically they have everything to do with middle-age and upward. And they have nothing whatsoever to do with "fashion," like most everything else here.

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    2. Not at all, patronising Anonymous, I know New England and its culture very well.

      In my experience, successful and confident men have their own style. They leave manufactured cultures such as "Prep" and "Trad" to the marketing men who sell the "lifestyle" to the gullible wannabes.

      A classic example is Ralph Lauren. He was born in the Bronx to Belarussian parents and dropped out of City University. He's not Prep, just a brilliant businessman who has made billions of dollars out of selling it to the masses.

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    3. My goodness! Do I sense a touch of anti-you-know-what here in Prepdom. I sincerely understand that Ralph (even the name, for God's sake) will never pass in the rare air of Marblehead and Falmouth, to dismiss him as merely brilliant due to selling Prep to the masses is to miss the point. The masses purchased his merchandise because there was and is something unique in the American Prep Style, something timeless and reassuring. I, for example, am the son of immigrants and a Jew, but I like Ralph's closing because it is simple, handsome and clean; I really don't know from "Prep" or "Trad"; I went to City College. And, I believe, at age 64, I am successful and confident. So, where, Ken, does that leave me? Am I just another Jew trying to pass into your world?

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    4. I agree with Ken, but am a little more willing to tolerate the ties. Embroidered pants/shorts can be whimsical, if worn at the right place and time. But, more often than not, they come across as trying too hard. And especially on men over 20, they are yet another example of the perpetual adolescence we see more and more.

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    5. Ken, the aspirational "lifestyle" people you mention are generally the ones who are so fretful about the age of males who wear GTH pants. They don't really understand the culture at all, and can't get past their own mass-market aesthetic and squeamishness. So incredibly boring.

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    6. Anon 1:19, how does your "tolerance" come into play here? If this isn't really your and Ken's sartorial bailiwick—for likely very good reasons—there are plenty of things for you and your friends to wear that will be more acceptable in your milieu.

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  8. Why not? Have some fun! Exactly who does it harm to wear silly pants?

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  9. I'd love to see more photos of pants like these. Love the lobsters and have seen a few ducks. Are there others?

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    1. My husband's collection of embroidered shorts currently includes crabs, seahorses, lobsters, four leaf clovers, and frogs. All worn with ribbon belts with an equally diverse assortment of critters and motifs.

      I agree that they are fun and appropriate in the right setting (shorts in summer, embroidered corduroys at a casual holiday gathering, etc.).

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    2. My husband has martinis, pirates (can’t remember which one) sharks, crabs, flags, various fish. Not the same category but my son had a blue button down with pheasants that I put on him at every chance when he was a toddler

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  10. Yes, but in moderation.

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  11. Yes, more pic's and of the ladies as well. Summer time attire and whimsy! PA

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  12. This gentleman shows the key to making GTH pants work. Solid shirt, subtle belt, classic boring shoes.

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  13. Yes! Summer and holidays, shorts and pants; I do not see much in women's embroidered clothing anymore- I would certainly wear them if I could find them! The man in the picture looks like he could be my dad at a salad bar. Lisa

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  14. For kids? Yes! For grown men? Please, no.
    AnnZ in metro dc

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    1. Completely agree. It comes across as trying too hard.

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    2. Certainly it would come across as "trying too hard" to middle-class flyover state people with no intrinsic connection to this culture. But thank God for them...they keep catalogue companies in business, with their noses pressed up against the glass of something they're a bit intimidated by, however much they like to cosplay it in their spare time.

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    3. My but that was snarky.

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  15. About twenty-five years ago, a Ralph Lauren store had khakis embroidered with bees. I thought they were "cool." Didn't buy them. Wish I had.

    I wish Ralph Lauren would embroider khakis with the Polo bear. I would likely buy them.

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  16. Yes, but probably not here in Idaho.

    MaryAnne

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  17. Yes! Love them. Embroidered cords in the fall, embroidered khakis and shorts in the warm weather. To echo a comment from earlier, we women used to be able to find wonderful embroidered pants and shorts, but not much anymore. You can sometimes find them in capris or tiny little shorts for Sizes 0-4, but nothing for ladies "of a certain age." I have thought of buying men's pants and having them tailored, but I doubt it would work very well.

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  18. Yes! Yes! Critters and madras add some personality to the summer months.

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  19. I have 3...no, 4 pairs. One pair with a Christmas theme worn during the holidays. Two pairs with dogs and pheasants worn in the fall and one pair with football players worn during Saturdays in the fall and Superbowl. The Christmas, dogs and football pants are from Brooks which fit better than the pheasant pants from Ralph.

    I'm in my 60's and if anyone doesn't like them, they can GTH.

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  20. I had two pair of embroidered slacks: one pair was white with colorful sailboats on them and the other was Breton red with blue whales. Sadly, I parted with them a few years ago.

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  21. For the ladies try Talbots. Every year they offer an embroidered pant - this year it is cute sailboats. For the men, any age works.

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  22. I have two embroidered GTH pants – one is called the “Charleston Pant” from Orvis which I picked up about ten years ago. It’s an in-your-face pale lime green with flies (from fishing -- not the buzzing kind). I wear it out to summer dinner on occasion with a Brooks Brookscool Blazer, white shirt and sockless Alden cordovan loafers. Definitely an attention grabber, and the response from women – of all ages -- has been great. Many, many compliments.

    My second GTH pair features Calico Jack (skull with crossed cutlasses) on a greenish/blue pant from Castaway Clothing. Not as successful.

    Of course, GTH pants are considered eccentric to most, and should only be worn on appropriate occasions. Not an everyday pant, as it often takes devil-may-care courage to run around in these.

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  23. I was watching one of the Nature shows depicting colorfulness in the male of the species as a ‘come hither’ tactic. Yes, why not - sure gets my attention and a smile.

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  24. A friend of mine had a pair of khaki's custom embroidered like this for her Father. Each embroidery was unique and reflected their history...school logos, dogs, etc. She paid a pretty penny for all of the embroidery work that went into them but the memories conveyed were priceless for her Father and her family.

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  25. I knew a guy from Yale who had trousers covered with little wolf's heads.

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  26. Never understood going sockless while wearing loafers, especially while wearing shorts. It just doesn't look right. Boat shoes yes; loafers no.

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  27. "Sockless with loafers" - only if Weejuns and then only if well worn. No tassels.
    As for embroidered trousers I prefer to remain understated and not try to emulate Bud Collins or Clarabell.

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    1. Have you ever heard of Gucci loafers? They're the ones with the gold bit. A tad pricey, and not for everyone. Also, odd-looking with socks, though it takes all kinds.

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    2. Yes - Had a pair in the 70's -very comfortable but always more dressy with higher calf length socks.

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  28. I have a couple of embroidered cords and chinos from Vineyard Vines and Polo Ralph Lauren which I absolutely love and when I wear them have got compliments on the fitting colors and style. One has champagne glasses embroidered on black cords and the famous Ralph Lauren Polo image on the Khaki chinos which are great. Who said they are for preppies??!! I think if you are confident in your sense of style and manner you can carry off wearing them for casual occasions weekend outings etc. I would not wear them on formal occasions. BTW I also happen to love pink shirts on men coupled with a blue blazer and khakis or brown chestnut cords!! Absolutely classy!!! So men don’t be wimps. If you can carry them off wear and show them off. You will be unique and stand out. Don’t care what others say or think. Have the confidence to display your character! BTW I am a young granddad so there!!

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  29. Yes! I'd make my boyfriend wear lobster shorts if they came in his size (which they don't, apparently you can't be fat and preppy).

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  30. Wearing them in old New England, Nantucket, etc.? Sure.

    Wearing them in midtown Manhattan? No.

    Wearing them in Midwestern or west coast cities and towns? Absolutely not.

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