TheCreativeRoutine

1980’s Prep, French Worker Jackets, and Sexy Sweaters

ALEXANDER’S STYLE

I’ve always felt that I have a highly disproportional amount of stylish friends, most of which actually aren’t involved in fashion. It’s always been a great thing, having a reservoir of steezy people I can feature on my blog. One of my favorite personal styles, as far as friends go, has to be that of self-described prep Alexander Lavelle. I’ve featured him on the site in the past, here and here. I love his style because it’s always a pleasure to see what’s he wearing when I run into him on a daily basis. And that’s one of the true hallmarks of a stylish person.

To an extent, Alex’s style has been definitely been influenced by contemporary European menswear. Just ask the Hermès scarf in his closet. But at his root, he’s an old soul, a traditional prep. Think Brooks Brothers, Vineyard Vines, and Ralph Lauren. But you can’t forget about vintage Abercrombie & Fitch or vintage Ralph, and vintage a dozen other long-standing brands you’ve probably never heard of. Much of Alex’s closet is composed of family pieces passed down over time. For the shoot we went through his closet and combined some of his favorite heritage items for a true vintage prep feel: circa late ’80s-mid ’90s.

shirt by jos a banks, pocket square by armani collezioni

Most of the garments in this look are items handed down to Alex from his uncles and father. His blazer and trousers are late ‘80’s era prep, Anderson Little; they’re gifts from two separate uncles. His watch is a vintage Pulsar given to him from his father. It’s one of my favorite pieces in this look. If you need any reminder, refer back to the cover photo of this article. Nothing more needs to be said.

did you catch those elbow pads?

I don’t think it can be questioned though which item I dig most. As we were going through Alex’s closet to prep for the shoot, I ran across this accessory and immediately asked about it. I’m talking about his early 90’s vintage, red Ralph Lauren Polo Bear tie. It’s one of those undeniably cool items, especially since he can say that it came from his dad. This is one of the reasons why family heirlooms are so important. Heritage is the rage in menswear right now. What’s more heritage than the very items that your father and grandfather wore when they were your age? Raid your family attic, and see how much stylish, free clothing you can find. Talk to your dad about his older pieces. Back to the visuals.

the kind of ‘90’s polo bear that would make ghostface killah proud. braces are from jos a banks.

i couldn’t help but feature these vintage ray ban wayfarers passed down from alex’s dad’s high school days in the early ‘80’s

PATRICK’S STYLE

Patrick’s style is smart. Modern, flirts with preppy, and with great attention to fit and tailoring. He has a handful of thrifted items, but only one is featured in this post. It’s a gem though. (Second-hand clothing - thrifted, inherited, or otherwise — doesn’t have to be a thing of extreme habits. Your entire closet doesn’t have to be filled with thrifted goods to utilize their genius. Learn how to integrate them into your existing clothes, and discover some cool gems that’ll give you stories for when you inadvertently show them off.)

also boots by billy reid…

Patrick picked up this vintage French work jacket while in Paris. And when I say vintage, I mean it. Think 1950’s. A quality find like this is as good as one-of-a-kind. And that’s part of the appeal of thrifted/vintage pieces, the personalized feeling finds often have.

The rest of his outfit is not thrifted, but dope nonetheless.

I love the repeated color tones of Patrick’s outfit. It’s very fitting that he complements his vintage French work jacket with red, blue, and white accents on his polo collar, socks, and belt. That’s attention to detail, the kind of thing that can elevate your steeze.

polo by fred perry, belt by timberland, pants by natural selection

Patrick’s always been a master of layering. With weather like in a city like Nashville’s you can really never tell what to expect. Winter days can take you from 60 degree highs to freezing very quickly. Tips like smart layering can help anyone survive the unexpectedness of winter chills. Check out the dope black leather jacket and scarf that Patrick threw on to complement his outfit. Raisin’ the stakes, a single layer at a time.

leather jacket by orthodox, scarf by banana republic

EVAN’S STYLE

There’s an entire Tumblr dedicated to sexy sweaters. It’s pretty cool and has some interesting designs on it, which is great. Internet sweaters are cool and all, but no lifestyle change has brought me across more sexy sweaters than my increased exposure with thrifted and vintage goods. There’s a thrift store in Nashville’s Hillsboro Village (that is sadly going out of business) that always would keep a rack full of sexy sweaters. The sweater Evan wore for the downtown shoot would have fit nicely on the rack.

sweater by impact

Evan’s style is simple and classic. Not very over the top (aside from his sweater arsenal haha) or complicated. It’s very everyday and natural. But he pays enough attention to the basic rules, as well as overall fit to pull off his looks nicely. And as a college student, he also saves a fortune on a collection of sweaters that would make Coogi and Dr. Huxtable jealous.

Personal style doesn’t have to be ostentatious. I played soccer for 10 years growing up. And one pair of shoes that looks just as good on the indoor soccer court as it does on the streets of Pitti Uomo is the Adidas Samba. Sambas are as classic as they get, almost no-brainer stylish. I thought they were dope when I was 8 years old running around scoring goals. Not much has changed about my opinion.