Settle something once and for all: can I wear a baseball cap with a suit? My style friends are split on this.
A group of style friends? In my mind I'm picturing you guys having bi-weekly meetings at the mall that are run with Robert's Rules of Order, mobbing out during Black Friday with Yakuza levels of gangster. Here's the deal: Baseball caps are like sweatpants. Some designers make them very luxe, and very expensive, but they're still at the very bottom of the casual-to-crushing-it spectrum. Yes, a cap can look cool with a suit, in the right moment, when being dressed up isn't expected. Like hitting up brunch with your date. Otherwise, for a guy who suits up out of office-decorum necessity, avoid the look. And whatever you do, don't wear it low like you're trying to hide from people, DiCaprio-style. You're just drawing more attention to yourself. I SEE YOU, LEO.
What do you think of the Balmain by H&M collaboration? Is it real Balmain?
I like to think of this column like a barber shop: a safe space you can say or ask anything but it’s gotta be real. So with that, let’s get real. You already know that at this price, and because it’s H&M, you’re not dealing with the fanciest fabrics or Old-World craftsmanship. You can’t make a luxury sport coat for $100. Hell, a suit from Isaia or Zegna might use horn buttons that cost a hundred dollars by themselves. (And suits can get much crazier.) But H&M can make a cool blazer for a hundred bucks. And I think a lot of these collaborations birth some cool clothes. To answer your questions in reverse order: Is it “real” Balmain? Yeah, sure—it’s real Balmain design. It nails the aesthetic: brass-buttoned, ultra-skinny, military-inspired. It doesn’t have the quality of the real deal, which is why straight-up Balmain sells for what it does. Also, I thought the collection was awesome. It’s cool that these larger-than-life designers, titans of their craft, step down from their thrones and make something that everyone can afford. Imagine if that happened in other industries? What if Tesla made a car at a Ford Focus price point? Or Daniel Boulud collaborated with Denny’s? How do you say "Grand Slam" in French?
My dry cleaners always treat me well, take care of my clothes, and don't charge me when I leave them there longer than I'm suppose. Should I be tipping my cleaning guy?
I tip my tailor, my cobbler, and my leather cleaner, because I do a steady stream of business with them, and I want them to know I appreciate them taking extra care. (I don't tip my dry cleaner, only because I don't dry clean my clothes—maybe I'll hit that in another column.) So yeah, tip away. That said, I never tip with money. It feels condescending, in my opinion. “You missed your daughter’s ballet recital so I can wear these Chelsea boots tomorrow. Here’s a five spot—thanks!” I like to tip with a gift: a nice bottle of wine, maybe a gift certificate to a good restaurant. Wrapping it is key. Presentation is half the battle in letting someone know you appreciate 'em.
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