RIP, Crybaby

I always thought Johnny Depp's looks would carry him through to the rest of his career, kind of like Paul Newman. But I guess not.

PS: Some assorted horrendous looks Johnny Depp has worn over the years.







God, what a nerdlinger. I guess he has been in a downworld spiral for years. It seems like that last photo is of a wax version of him, I don't know.

I definitely prefer the dandy/greaser look to the Chris Angel/Dave Navarro/90's steampunk gypsy look he currently fancies.

Remember when Johnny Depp wasn't really famous anymore and then after Pirates of the Caribbean he got a new lease on fame, kind of like Robert Downey Junior and John Travolta, even though they all make more sense in their ingenue years?

I Love Davie Bowie Forever

Fuck these modern times! Whatever happened to rock stars? We don't have them any more.

Inspiration: 60's Kids

How come yuppie/Park Slope kinda parents always dress their children, who are named Noah or Wyatt, in crocs and cargo shorts? Do kids demand crocs by name? These kids look like total slobs! How about dressing kids, as well as yourself, more like a child or tween from the 1960's? Peg legged pants, converse high tops or Keds, simple windbreakers or striped t-shirts, this is a look anyone can and should have.

This kid looks awesome, check out the old school Pepsi bottle matching his t-shirt. Speaking of which, the simplicity of the 80's Coke/Pepsi logos was so cool. Now everything has a pumped up, airburshed look. If you think my love of old crap doesn't extend to the old soda logos, think again. In San Francisco, we don't have bodegas, we have corner stores, which always had signs with the old soda logos on them. Maybe I will do a post about it someday on Little San Francisco, that blog I never update about San Francisco no one reads!

Peg legged pants, Keds, and a t-shirt. And a bouffant!




This is more 70's, but whatever.

Dandyism: Better than Cargo Shorts

Ever unpowdered, unperfumed, immaculately bathed and shaved, and dressed in a plain dark blue coat, he was always perfectly brushed, perfectly fitted, showing much perfectly starched linen, all freshly laundered, and composed with an elaborately knotted cravat.

- Barbey d'Aurevilly, "Du dandisme et de George Brummell

That Purple Rain poster was very hard to find a photo of, which is too bad because Prince's suit is epic and was clearly custom-made for him, though you can kind of see the metallic paisley and big buttons. Not that if you are reading my blog you haven't looked up close at that poster before anyway, and are also obviously well acquainted with the naked shower Prince poster too.

This image is too small, but trust me, this shit is graphic!

Once dandies were part of our culture, and though we have some modern day dandies, they are much more rare. It seems a lot of guys these days are attempting a modern dandy look, with rolled up skinny jeans and little oxfords, but what they don't know ---and all those seen in the photos above clearly do--- is that dressing like a dandy means nothing without an eye for quality, fabric, and fit. All of these we have certainly have lost the ability to recognize, but people were probably much more aware of when most clothing was handmade and meant to last. Black men of an older generation seem most likely to be dandies these days.

People can't afford bespoke suits, but you don't need bespoke suits to be a dandy. Anyone can starch a shirt. Austin Scarlett, a consummate dandy if there ever was one, amazed me on the first season of Project Runway with his morning ironing routine. The best thing about this look is the effort put into it. It's a perfectly studied flamboyance, as opposed to the flashy and trashy flamboyance I also heartily approve of. It's the opposite of what modern dressing is all about- throwing on some harem pants/pajamas/shants and a beefy tee featuring an off-color reference. Dandies do not wear wraparound sunglasses or flip flops. They tuck in their shirts. Today people don't really have any easy way of learning about clothing even if they wanted to. It's not like you can take a trip to your local department store. There is something intrinsic about the way a true dandy dresses. They have a deep understanding of what they are wearing, an understanding so few people seem to have. "Masculine" attire need not be broad and frumpy. Today's Men's Wearhouse style suits feature clingy legs and boxy blazers, but we can do better.

In conclusion, study the photos of these dandies. Look at the cut of their shirts, their well-coiffed hair, and the ease with with they wear these clothes. This tailored and covered up look is hella fine, but does not rely on conventional good looks to make it work.

Photo Key Which I am Usually Way Too Lazy To Do:

1. Man in the perennially blighted Mid-Market district of San Francisco

2., 3., & 4. Clearly Prince.

5. Katherine Hepburn

6. Fred Astaire in a dandy-inspired number

6. Frida Kahlo and family

7. Josephine Baker

8. Portrait of Una Troubridge

9. & 10. Oscar Wilde

11. Radclyffe Hall

12. Noel Coward

13. & 14. Andre 3ooo and also Big Boi but he's not the focus here, though his suit is cool too

15. Don Cornelius, who I couldn't find better photos of

16. Austin Scarlett outshines non-dandy Tim Gunn

17. & 18. These are the type of David Bowie photos I would paste on my locker in high school. Damn, this was good look for him.

19. John Waters

20. & 21. Marlene Dietrich

22. Yves St. Laurent

23. David Bowie

24, Quentin Crisp

PS: There is a show on Lifetime with Austin Scarlett and Santino from Season 2 where they road trip around and make dresses for non-fancy people and it's pretty amazing!