Al·der·man: a member of a city legislative body
Mens·wear: clothing for men (duh!)
Al·der·mens·wear: a swagged-out addition to Chronique covering style and savoir-faire at City Hall.
Public service is just that: A service to the public, to help them learn about their affairs. And having covered the elected officials at City Hall for some five and a half years, yours truly has decided to expand his coverage to the sartorial realm. You’re welcome!
First things first: New glasses. I forget the name of the shop, but the frames came from a South Congress boutique. Cheap, too: Around $14, I recall. (They kinda feel it, too, after wearing them for a month, but such is life.) A trip to NOW Optical Outlet and some $40 later, ta-dah – how ya like me now? I love you Gene Rogers, but we are in a recession, ya dig?
Moving on down: Forget where the shirt came from – probably Ross or TJ Maxx. At 6’2”, I’m in the sweet spot of sucktitude between a regular and tall fit, the former coming a tad too short in the arms, the latter way too long in the length, but this Nicole Miller is one of the better fitting dress shirts your boy has. The tie is a $1 find from a Catholic thrift store in New Bruanfels right outside Wurstfest grounds, where Ms. Aldermenswear usually procures a grip of vintage dresses for around $2 a pop. Normally, this skinny number would be too slim for a man of my girth, but keeping it centered with the tie clip, and echoed in the thin lines on the shirt, somehow it works. (The old-ass tag on the tie reads “Cotton Imported from Italy.” Ooh la la!)
Another thrift store joint is the camel hair jacket, via Savers. I love the contrast between it and the burgundy slacks (which photographed a little darker in the picture), some slim-fitting Dockers copped on their website for half-off on Black Friday, or Cyber Monday, or Terror Tuesday, or whatever. Shoe-wise, some desert boots from the Bass outlet store, where getting your grown-ass-man-on never felt so good.
But enough about me …
Matt Curtis is the mayor’s Communications Director, an unsung behind the scenester, and a pretty dapper dude to boot; Holler at the French cuffs on the shirt. But one interesting rule of thumb he shared with me: the only item he splurges on isn’t shirts, isn’t suits, but ties – as with so much desk sitting, cheaper weaves can rustle against the wood and begin to fray, he says. His tie today, featuring the dimple of a champ, comes courtesy of his girlfriend. And we’d be remiss not to mention the swagged-out overcoat, which Curtis says he’s worn maybe twice since rocking it at the Obama inaugural in D.C.
Matt’s dark suit comes from a mythical place Aldermenswear’s been hearing about for years, a secretive spot unbeknownst to mere mortals, where all the cool kids at City Hall cop theirs. This is undoubtedly a topic we’ll return to in future installments.
This article appears in January 14 • 2011.