Men's Second Style

The yacht club is a venerable institution among the monied classes. If nothing else, it provides an outlet for spending said money, drinking liquor, lounging about on hot lazy summer afternoons, and dancing away the evenings, as immortalized in Fats Waller’s 1938 song “Yacht Club Swing.” Not to mention providing a good place to keep one’s yacht, or yachts. I’m just hoping that upcoming regatta doesn’t turn into a three-hour tour. Please don’t let me end up on an island populated by the Skipper, his Little Buddy and the rest of their motley crew (although, in all honesty, I wouldn’t mind a weekend swapping style tips with Ginger Grant). Fortunately, you don’t have to maroon yourself on an uncharted desert isle just to be one of the Idle Rich. In swaffette Firefly’s new “SF Design Henley” outfit, you too can be Thurston Howell, III. All you need to provide is your very own Lovey.

The generously appointed set includes shirt, pants, pullover, blazer and prim boater hat. The shirt’s sculpted collar and rolled cuffs are included in smaller and larger sizes, so fitting should be at least a bit less of a chore (hey, I’m lazy, so I figure maybe you are, too). I’m always a sucker for a prim collar that falls naturally on top of a jacket being worn over the shirt itself. The V-neck pullover comes on both shirt and jacket layers, so it be worn either long or short, ending at the belt.

The blazer’s prim “jacket flap” (included in small, medium and large sizes) is a clever fix for the main problem afflicting longer jacket-layer jackets. The problem? Truthfully but indelicately: the longer the jacket, the more it appears to be riding up your crack. One solution many designers have used is to use the skirt layer for the jacket bottom; this approach presents its own fitting challenges, and it doesn’t satisfy everyone. An alternative that can work well for bulkier jackets or longer coats is an all-prim coat bottom, often with flexi sections for realistic movement. swaffette’s elegant solution is a simple prim “flap,” textured to match the jacket’s fabric, that bridges the gap, so to speak, and blends more or less seamlessly with the clothing-layer garment. (Other designers may well have used this method, too, but this is the first example I’ve seen.) The blend would likely be easier to spot on a light-colored item, but the edges are less noticeable on this dark blazer. On the whole, I think this works quite well–the flap hides your otherwise-obvious wedgie and adds a bit of realism in the process.

The individual garments are nicely textured, with some fabric artwork (the pullover, in particular) that appears to be photosourced as well as detailing I’d say is hand-drawn (the wrinkles and shading).  It’s all carefully blended and avoids the ironed-flat, “crispy” look–I still don’t have a better word–that photosourced clothing can have.  An embroidered crest decorates the blazer’s left breast.  The drop shadow under the blazer’s hem is especially effective against the much lighter pants; it’s deep and rich enough to be realistic without looking like an accidental smudge.

Perfect for boating, afternoons and evenings at the yacht club–even being marooned in style.  All permissions are Modify / No Copy / Transfer.  L$400 for the set at SF Design (Innisfree 134, 48, 537).