You probably know a guy who knows a guy who has that outrageous Hawaiian shirt with blue flowers and pink flamingos, and who wears it every second day of his life - to all those board meetings, job interviews, and distant relative’s funerals. Damn, you might even be that guy! That’s alright, I understand. We’re all friends, and we all have our weaknesses. You have to know that there’s no judgement here… Hmm, maybe there’s a little bit of judgement, but that’s not the point.
The point is that if you’re a forward-thinking apparel retailer, you’d get this straight away. People like that Hawaiian Shirt Guy is THE biggest opportunity of yours. The fact that he wears that bloody thing (it could be a knit with a reindeer or a wrinkled velvet blazer) for most of his life endeavours, shows that he simply lacks a better alternative.
That’s when you come around, a knight in shining armour, a spiritual guide, a professional with the exceptionally well-curated range of clothing aimed to help those in need and despair. And that finally brings us to the topic of this discussion. Let’s talk about the Perfect Gentleman’s Wardrobe and anything considered to be a true Menswear Essential. Should be fun.
The Mackintosh Coat
One day sometime in the early 1800’s somewhere in Scotland a guy named Charles Macintosh got so sick of all that rain, that he was like: “Screw that, I’m making a raincoat!” He was a serious fellow, so, naturally, he did make one. And everyone was like: “Wow, Charlie-boy, well done, buddy! Now we’re all going to be nice and dry! Cheers to that!” Soon enough, every cool gentleman out there was wearing one of those raincoats, tenderly calling it ‘Mac’.
Now here’s the question; the answer to which you would need to get from your prospective client: “Are you one of those guys? No? If not, now is a good time to fix that.”
See, having a good fitting Mac in your wardrobe not only maintains the level of your dryness, it is a raincoat after all, when it’s miserable and wet outside, but also significantly improves the level of your coolness. It is THE best way to look sharp without seeming like you’re trying too hard. It's slightly bell-shaped construction gives you additional room for comfort and the simplicity of design allows to combine it with different patterns.
The styling options are limitless. Push up the sleeves for a more casual look, wearing it with your raw denim jeans and a turtleneck. Or put it on top of your suit and wear it as a classic overcoat. You could also button the top button of your raincoat and leave the rest unbuttoned to show a bit of the t-shirt finishing the look with good chinos and a pair of simple sneakers.
The Mackintosh coat compliments any outfit quite effortlessly. Dress it up, dress it down; it’ll work perfectly for almost any occasion. Also, let’s not forget that it is a demi-seasonal item, which means you could wear it all year around.
The only thing I’d urge you to be cautious about is the choice of colour. Although nowadays you’d be able to find a Mac in all the variations imaginable, I tend to consider natural palette (grey, khaki, and beige) to be the most suitable and also the easiest to match. Stick to the classics; that’s the easiest and best way.
By Vlad Tichen
Stylist, Men’s Style Blogger
www.badwearsgood.com
@badwearsgood
(Imagery by Max Lemesh)
