A dandy in autumn

December 19th, 2011 at 10:59am Ryan Darragh

Not just anyone, and certainly not everyone, can be a dandy. My own image of the contemporary dandy is quite specific: Richard Jeperson, investigator for the Diogenes Club. Perhaps you’ve heard of him? Although little is known of his background, he is perhaps as well known for his flamboyant 1970s dress sense as for his psychic investigative work on behalf of perhaps the most secret branch of Britain’s secret intelligence services. Along with his sidekick and fellow operative Vanessa, he has been responsible on any number of occasions for preserving the safety of Britain, and perhaps the world, in the face of supernatural forces beyond our understanding.

Oh, and also—he’s fictional. But that doesn’t keep him from setting the bar pretty high when it comes to dandy. No indeed, it does not, believe you me.

I like to think that Richard and Vanessa would both give their approval of Lexi Vargas’ Autumn Dandy ensemble. Richard would certainly find plenty to love, enjoy and admire, and Vanessa if nothing else would be quite envious of the scarf. Consider the near-embarassment of sartorial riches when you put the whole thing together: wool blazer, turtleneck sweater, dressy jeans, and coordinating knotted scarf.

The blazer includes a sculpted collar with lapels, cuffs, breast pocket, and jacket bottom. All are carefully textured to match wonderfully well with the jacket-layer base garment. I find myself admiring especially the texture artwork at the shoulders, which has a particularly realistic look and feel. The turtleneck has its own sculpted collar and cuffs, and can be worn quite stylishly on its own. Sculpted cuffs also accent the jeans, which can be worn with regular fit or low rise—both are included. You may, as I did, find the scarf a bit challenging to fit–it’s not integrated with collar, and I found it impossible to avoid a bit of “show-through” here and there in the back. In the end this was unobjectionable to me, but still it was a bit of extra work and may not turn out equally well on every shape. I think it’s a worthwhile trade-off for the greater flexibility of wear.

Choose from six distinct and different but equally muted autumnal colors that should work equally well in winter: Bamboo, Cadet, Coffee, Philox, Sienna (worn here), and Teal. Rather than bundled in a set, the clothing items are priced and sold separately, so you can mix or match, as you prefer. The jacket (L$190) includes the coordinating scarf; the sweater is priced at L$125, and the jeans are L$150. At Egoisme (Dominus 153, 107, 22); take the teleporter to Casual Outfits.

Disclosure: Seen in World: Yes | Review Copy: Yes | Friends List: No

Notes: On Ryan: "Ocean 2.0" skin by Simple Spad (Zoobong). "Boston" hair by Limer Fredriksson (MADesigns). Spencers shoes by Fallingwater Cellardoor (Shiny Things). Joyride glasses by myvegancookbook Bolissima (Adjunct).

Entry Filed under: Accessories,Casual,Dressy,Egoisme Haute Couture,Jackets,Jeans,Outfits,Pants,Sweaters