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My own favorite casual summer fit from past months.

I want to thank you all for support and interest and wish you the best upcoming fall season. Also remember to like on FB if you want notifications on new posts. I don't spam so you don't have to worry about me flooding FB feed.

If you have any kind of feedback - negative or positive, ideas, suggestions or any other questions please let me know by posting a comment or emailing me at thenordicfit<at>gmail.com. I'd be honored to hear your opinion!

Thank you all and warm regards,
The Nordic Fit

Suit Monday

Formal Monday wear. Navy suit, this time with black shoes. The quality of the pics is a bit on the worse side, but good for at least one thing: It shows the silhuette of a good fit. See how the fabric follows the body's natural line without wrinkles or pulls even when walking at a pace.

With the suit I picked an electric blue E. Marinella silk tie and a white cotton pocket square to go with the formal theme. The shirt is white.

As shoes I picked black plaintoe oxfords. Sleek but not too elongated, they go well with the leg width of the suit trousers.

Terracotta

Today's pictures are actually from last weekend, when I was testing my new fall jacket. A blend of virgin wool and cotton in a relaxed cut and unstructured shoulders. I decided to pair it with khaki chinos and a blue houndstooth shirt I've really grown to like lately.

The jacket is from SuitSupply and I'll admit, after a few uses I fear the fabric has some of the same qualities their cashmere blend knits have. The wool part of the fabric seems very fragile and it tends to leave some fibers on your shirt and trousers. That said, it is wonderfully soft and warm and has an amazing texture to it. Even looking at it makes you feel warm, and I think it will prove to be a useful piece in my wardrobe.

As you can see below, the fit of a 38S/48IT is bang on from the box. It is actually just as I remembered it would be from trying one Copenhagen fit jacket in NYC earlier, and only the sleeves will need some shortening. Oh, and I might change the buttons. The glossy greyish navy ones aren't really what I want from a rough and warm textured navy odd jacket. What this one needs is some dark brown unpolished horn buttons. Mmm.

Accessories that day included a nice terracotta knit tie and a silk pocket square from Berg & Berg with light blue and orange paisley pattern. A normal puff for a change, and no fancy folds or twirls. I really like how the colors and especially textures work and balance each other here.

Still had my tassel loafers that day. The day I put them into winter storage will be horrible, as they've probably grown to be my favorite pair of shoes. Also, always remember to press your trousers to give them te right shape before leaving home.

Saturday Brunch

A little weekend trip and a nice Saturday brunch. What more could you want? A cold beer maybe, but this is already a good start. Pardon for the blurry pics by the way, I only had my old iPhone to shoot these with and no editing software.

I finally got my grey wool cashmere blend patch pocket jacket from my tailor from a complete facelift. The shoulders got narrowed, waist taken in very little and sleeves shortened and taken in.

The tie is from Holliday & Brown, but in reality it's an E. Marinella. Love the feel of it, and the warm burnt red is perfect for the season. The flowers on it are olive and light blue. Pocket square is a plain light blue cotton square.

The trousers are my PRL navy cords. Someone asked me the color some days ago, and it's "Preppy Navy". Don't ask me from which year they are from, you never know for how long these eBay finds have been collecting dust in someone's closet. The belt is from Equus Leather, bridle leather in the color they call Australian Nut. Boots are Loake Litchfields, and while I like the color, not sure I'm that fond of the shape after using them a few times.

Tomorrow a nice and more of a late summer combo I had on last weekend.

Staying Warm

Today's pics feature my new jacket I got for the fall and perhaps early winter, if it doesn't get too cold too quickly. I will post a more detailed look with the same jacket on Sunday, so now I'll just go through other details briefly. The morning was cold, it was windy and I was a bit tired, so playing with a lot of colors wasn't something I really felt like. Therefore, this Friday's theme is grey and staying warm.

So, I went with light beige chinos from Tommy Hilfiger and a white button-down shirt from PRL. A word of praise has to be given to the chinos, as they are still fantastic and have seen a lot (A LOT) of wear and still remain in very good shape. Now, that's not really such a miraculous feat, but them being Tommy Hilfiger which I generally don't assosiate with super high quality, I think they've done very well.

The vest is cotton, and the scarf wool. The pocket square is a woolen round pocket square with a houndstooth texture and a dark grey border. Gotta say just looking at the jacket's nice fuzzy texture makes me feel warm.

So, have a good weekend everyone and check back soon, the next post is something I like a lot myself.

Navy on Light Brown

Today was probably the last wear for the jacket of my double breasted cotton suit, and this time on its own with navy Brooks Brothers chinos. The jacket is going to go under the scalpel now that it's season is about to end. I'm planning on tightening the sleeves and letting out the chest a bit (at least), however I suppose this sort of cotton will never settle quite as beautifully as wool would.

The light blue spread collar shirt lets the tie be the center piece of the show. The tie itself is an E. Marinella, my favorite brand when it comes to formal silk ties. I have six, and I love them all. They simple tie the most beautiful knots and the linings are from another world in how they feel. This particular one is my first one, bought a few years ago. The pocket square is navy with a colorful paisley pattern, and I really like how all the components work here with the greyish light brown of the jacket.

I will try posting a few more looks still this week, but my girlfriend is now back studying in another city and therefore I'm without my "cameraman", so we'll see.

September Kickoff

Monday needs a suit, even if it's not required. I kept testing my new grey one, and will give it a few more wears before doing any "final" alterations.

I love brown ties. For some reason they are simply it for me. Admittedly they work the best with navy, but it's not all bad with grey either. Especially when the shirt is light blue. This piece of candy is a 7-fold cashmere Briono I found from a Barney's at San Francisco for just 60 dollars. A rather ridiculous price for a tie that has the most amazing herringbone texture and is so soft to touch it cannot be described. The spread collar is just right for the tie, and the hues of brown and blue in the pocketsquare complement the overall combo.

As shoes I had my penny loafers again. I'm really just a loafer kinda guy, and now that the fall is starting to hit me in the face the suede tassel loafers just don't work that well anymore. At least not in the rainy days. The socks are dark brown wool.

So there we go and another month has started. From now on I'm probably going to be quite busy working and trying to write my Master's Thesis at the same time, but I'll try to post at least a few looks per week. Stay sharp and those of you in the South enjoy the rest of the summer while it still lasts.

Weekend Casual

Casual weekend combo from visiting my parents yesterday. I'm starting to fall in love with these corduroy trousers.

The button-down shirt is from Brooks Brothers and the knit a simple 20 euro piece from H&M. Usually it's pretty hard to find sweaters with a slimmer fit, but their stuff is just right. The quality isn't anything too special, but you cannot ask miracles for their prices.

The fit in these trousers is just perfect, and the fabric is very soft.

I love my penny loafers as a part of fall clothing, they just bring that hint of preppyness that I really like in my fall clothing. The socks are from Pantherella, and the purple heel is a nice touch here I think.

Fall 2012 Shoe Trends Part II - Longwing Gunboats

I don't own the rights to this picture.

Some time ago I wrote about heavy brogue boots and how they simply rock more than some puny fashion boots or some weak-ass Caterpillars. Now we’ll go through the ultimate street shoe, part of every connoisseurs wardrobe in places like NYC or London.

Tricker's Cordovan Longwings with Dainite soles. Picture from Frans Boone.

I must admit, it took me a while to get used to the heavy presence of the longwing brogue derby, AKA gunboat, but once it sank in, there’s no going back. My love for this shoe began a bit over a year ago, when I saw picture of one tough looking guy walking on the streets of SoHo in raw denim and Alden’s #8 (Horween Shell Cordovan color #8, a famous burgundy colored type of leather, made of a horse’s buttocks. More on that later.) longwings. After seeing the picture I was sold, but as it was a bit out of the boundaries of my own style I still haven’t bought a pair. Now, as there has been increasing discussion on how they are the smoking hot item to have this season, my trigger finger is itching more than ever.

Alden X Frans Boone. Picture from Frans Boone.

Now, there are plenty more butt-ugly longwings than there are good looking ones. To be honest, I only really approve of Aldens. Tricker’s tends to be well liked as well, and the quality is there, but I just don’t like their last shapes for longwings myself. Alden, however, is just perfect. The Barrie last has just enough sleekness not to be a total heavyweight or your grandpa’s shoe, but still retains that habitus to make other guys look puny, small and weak in their silly fashion shoes. Gunboats make a statement  few other shoes can make (when worn right).

Alden. Picture from arichinnerlife.tumblr.com.

When it comes to materials there’s a lot to choose from. Actually, this is one of the shoe types that can work in pretty much any color and material. Espresso calf, tan grained calf, navy suede, camel suede, black - almost anything goes. It can also be livened up with a natural welt as you can see in the picture below, and the soles can be pretty much anything. I would prefer Dainite soles, but the Finnish weather pretty much dictates my choice.

Alden X Frans Boone. Picture from Frans Boone.

Longwing Gunboats work best with jeans, and I would personally only use them with dark unwashed raw denim. I have seen many to pull it off with chinos of different colors, but I personally find this is a bit more tricky. Also the fitting colors vary much with the color of your shoe, so there isn’t too much advise that can be given here. More “street” items such as cameramans, parka jackets or military-inspired pieces such as M65s work well with this type of a shoe.

Alden X Frans Boone. Picture from Frans Boone.

So, to sum it up. If you want a shoe with some street cred, almost a commanding presense yet classical lines - get a pair of good quality longwing derbies. Furthermore, if your country has no massive piles of snow during winters and boots are not a requirement, gunboats have even more going for them. Pair them with the right items and you'll have a look that will rock the streets from New York City to Tokyo.

Read the first part here and leave a comment and let me know what you think. Will you be buying a pair of some brogue boots or perhaps a pair of longwing derbies?