Monocles.

[John in Covina]

Prussian aritocrats, soldiers of fortune, warlords, tyrants and dictators come to mind, so you'd be in good company.

 

[Veronica Parra]

... call me a poseur if you must (sigh).

There's a world of outmoded accoutrements that you could add to your wardrobe. Codpieces, for instance.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

There seems to be a current running thru the FL now that anything old, "of the period", Golden Era-esque, etc must be stylish by default. Not true. Every decade has had both good and bad style. We should all strive to discern what is and what isn't based on our own tastes (making some allowances for personal eccentricity).

Now before everyone starts writing and whining, let me say this: I intend no disrespect to anyone who espouses all or any part of the aforementioned look. I just want the FL to be successful and to help instruct as many men and women as possible how to return to, or at least consider returning to, a manner of more stylish dress...all within the confines of today's society norms. To do anything else may get you high marks as a re-enactor, but on the street I fear it will pass only as buffoonery. And that, dear readers, is what I hope we're all fighting against.

I thought we were here to hang out and have fun discussing things.....as opposed to being a training school for a different look.

Following like a sheep...still makes you mindless even if the trend you follow is 50 years old and those kind folks at the Fedora Lounge told you to dress that way.

Wear a monocole if you want! Wear flip flops if you want! Wear a leather Indy jacket if you want!

In short....as long as you are thinking about how you want to look, and following that....you are then following your own heart and style. Kudos.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Heck... you need more courage to wear a monoce around town than you do to wear a hat wot wot!

 

[luvthatlulu]

Oh, good Lord...

Someday in the future, and I hope I'm not around to see it, the Devo flower pot hat is coming back, too!

 

[BegintheBeguine]

By Jove, it's a monocle!

Heck... you need more courage to wear a monoce around town than you do to wear a hat wot wot!

That look becomes you., Matt Deckard. Of course it's not a loupe even though it has a cord.

 

[Veronica Parra]

Of course it's not a loupe even though it has a cord.

Yes, it definitely isn't a loupe: it doesn't have a handle. And monocles can be worn with or without a cord/ribbon.

 

[reetpleat]

Heck... you need more courage to wear a monoce around town than you do to wear a hat wot wot!

Probably true, but at least you don't have to worry about drunk jack asses, or slightly better, drunk girls taking it off your head to try on.

Mateo

 

[reetpleat]

The coolest thing about a monocle, is that you can register grat suprise by staring forward in amazement and opening your eye wide and letting it fall out.

And of course, you can still shake your fist and yell Hoooooogaaaan!

On that note, Werner Klemperer was pretty cool. He had a long broadway career befor the sitcom job.

Speaking of which, whoever thought that a sitcom about prisoners of war in a germ na camp would be a good idea. Crazy like a fox I guess.

 

[Veronica Parra]

You can see an antique loupe in the link below. The lens width is about 1.5 inches.

http://cgi.ebay.com/One-glass-loupe...ryZ48559QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Now I want a monocle

In the original post, reetpleat said nothing about a handle, only a cord or chain. Now I have a headache. Where's my BC?

 

[Veronica Parra]

Which raises a question: is a monocle a reading lense that is meant to be used intermittently, like a pair of reading glasses? Or is it meant to be worn all day, like a pair of eyeglasses?

 

[Harp]

Which raises a question: is a monocle a reading lense that is meant to be used intermittently, like a pair of reading glasses? Or is it meant to be worn all day, like a pair of eyeglasses?

Marc Chevalier would know the answer....

 

[Veronica Parra]

If it's meant to look stylish it can be worn at any time and for any length of time.

A caveat: antique monocles almost always have prescription lenses.
If you buy an antique one, make sure to have the lense replaced with one that suits your eye strength. Otherwise, you'll end up destroying half of your vision for the sake of being stylish.

By the way, since the very round, very convex lense in a monocle is unusually shaped, it will cost you a pretty penny to have a new lense made for an antique frame. Might be cheaper to buy a whole new monocle instead.

 

[HadleyH]

Or you can go for the "Charlie" look.

Go for that look Doran.
Top hat and monocle, perfect.

 

[Haversack]

Doran wrote: "I have been thinking about wearing a monocle. As I often shave my head completely bald and wear a suit and black tie, I am thinking it would look stylish. No one wears them at all anymore. Or am I wrong? I have seen a few on e-bay ... any advice?"

May I draw your attention to the Billy Wilder movie, _1, 2, 3._? It is a subversive cold war comedy set in Berlin just before the wall went up. In it, there is a minor character called the Count von Droste-Schattenburg played by the German actor, Hubert von Meyerinck. He has something of the look it sounds like you are after: bald head, monocle, dark suit, (it may be a stroller).

For any who have not seen this movie, the sartorial scramble towards the end of the movie where they turn the young East German Communist into a West German "pushing young particle" is particualarly funny from a clothing point of view.

Haversack.

 

[Alan Eardley]

I don't believe this thread...

Alan

 

[Haversack]

Veronica Parra wrote: "There's a world of outmoded accoutrements that you could add to your wardrobe. Codpieces, for instance."

Now codpieces admittedly are not currently a part of everyday mens' clothing, in their day they served a practical purpose. When mens' individual woolen hose began to be joined together towards the end of the 14th C., a way was needed to to cover the area in front while still allowing access for calls of nature. The codpiece was the result of this need. Originally, it was just a flap sewn to the hose at the bottom and tied to the waistband at the top. It opened like the fall-front of 18th C. trousers. It wasn't until later in the 15th C. that it began to be emphasized.

Haversack.

 

[Veronica Parra]

Now codpieces admittedly are not currently a part of everyday mens' clothing, in their day they served a practical purpose.

Yes indeed, and monocles also served a practical purpose. They still do, if the wearer genuinely has a vision problem in one eye. Otherwise, they're outlandish at best and pretentious at worst.

 

[Fletch]

Wear a monocole if you want! Wear flip flops if you want! Wear a leather Indy jacket if you want!

In short....as long as you are thinking about how you want to look, and following that....you are then following your own heart and style. Kudos.

OTOH, if you wear a monocle, flip flops, AND a leather Indy jacket, you really MUST top it all off with a fez.

Forget the codpiece. Please. For the love of all that's holy.