Suit Buying/Renting, Vintage Rendezvous and Valentine’s Day 2025

After our big pod (and my big blog) on the “Death” of Personal Style, it felt right to get back to lowkey, casual discussions. This is a new era for the pod damn it, and we’re going to stick to it! So enjoy a new pod where Spencer, MJ, and I talk about the stuff we were up to…especially when menswear is concerned. You can listen to the pod below and scroll through the photos!

11:56 – “Woah, where’s the big topic?”
14:43 – Start Menswear Talk/Johnny Two Shirts
30:42 – Suitsupply
39:38 – Suit rentals
50:12 – Vintage Rendezvous/Buck Mason x Lee
1:01:42 – Spencer’s Shopping

Serhan & Suit Supply

*The key to helping friends get into menswear is letting them try on your clothes.*

It always makes me happy when I see someone start getting into menswear. It’s actually been quite a long time since that happened, as at this point, my friends are either existing menswear guys (enthusiasts and industry) or simply have no desire to catch the superfluous sartorial sickness. In all honesty, the latter is probably the better move.

That’s why my friend Serhan surprised me. I met him as a friend-of-a-friend who would join our trivia team on occasion. But through the course of nearly two years, he’s become one of my good friends who does more than just help us win trivia; he’s come out to plenty of cocktail nights…where he’s come to meet some of my menswear and vintage friends. At some point, Serhan started asking my compatriots and I questions about menswear, asking questions about details as well as levels of formality. I wasn’t too surprised; Serhan is a creative guy who, despite his STEM job, loves to collect and make zines. He’s exactly the type of guy I write my blog for!

One fateful night at 4100 (an infamous Silverlake Bar), Serhan ended up trying on Jack’s 40s jacket and was intrigued. He told us that he was interested in getting a Navy DB blazer to wear with jeans. Jack and I convinced him instead to simply get a navy DB suit.

Untitled — Serhan looked great in a proper suit! Thank goodness Suit Supply has been good lately (and available RTW) as there wouldn’t be any other way for him to try classic cuts in person without just hunting for vintage.

Over the course of a month, Jack and I took Serhan through various offerings at Suit Supply (because J. Crew’s short length and inharmonious buttoning still leaves much to be desired). The experience was actually educational for both of us. I hadn’t been to Suit Supply in a long time and I was surprised that a lot of their stuff was finally leaning more classic, not just with wide lapels but with jackets with broader shoulders, room in the chest, and most importantly, a decently high-rise trouser with straight to full legs. This is no doubt because wide fits have been trending lately, but when you consider the fact that Spier & Mackay, Ring Jacket, and Drake’s are all in the mid-rise, slim fit mode, it really makes Suit Supply look like the best choice out there for a beginner (other than buying vintage RL).

We put Serhan in as much as he could: cream suits, houndstooth odd jackets, knit polos. He was into it! By this time, he had already built his own inspo folder which was full of Japanese magazines and a few images of the typical fare (Drake’s, The Anthology). Serhan was locked into a full cut, which meant that MTM was the move; he’s also a tall guy, so RTW wouldn’t have worked out. We were in good hands with Jack, who has manipulated the Suit Supply MTM program to get garments that evoke the vintage he enjoys in his off time. The final suit was a DB with double pleated trousers, cut from a nice navy 4-ply that is perfect for living in LA.

Serhan has already worn it a few times both as a suit and as an odd jacket (which was mainly what he wanted). And as you expected, he’s gotten even more intrigued since buying the suit. Serhan has now acquired straight leg jeans, chinos, and loafers (penny and horsebit). He’s even currently waiting for his next suit: a khaki cotton SB for those casual ivy vibes.

Oh, a few other friends were also around during Serhan’s process, which means that he may have some friends join him on the 4-ply train. James was looking at getting into a grey 70s inspired number (I am intrigued to see how Jack accomplishes a flare) and Scott decided to use SuSu for his wedding suit (likely a DB to stand out), but the order will come later. On that latter note, I actually had to take the other groomsmen to get fitted for rental suits from the Black Tux (because they all need to match). Thankfully for me, as best man, I was allowed to wear my own navy suit…which will be my own navy 4-ply from Suit Supply! My beloved Crispaire from Hall & Madden is just too small in the shoulders and sleeves— it was time to update my DB for my late 20s/early 30s body!

*The rest of them will have to wear rentals (to match)…*

Spencer is Buying Clothes & Wearing Ties Again

*Spencer’s purchases from At The Front.*

One major update is that Spencer has been spending money! For those of you who don’t know, Spencer is probably the most frugal one out of the three of us, so it is indeed quite exciting to see him treat himself to some new duds. Though when you look through his purchases, it seems that, like me, he’s mainly buying the “same” items over and over again. When you know what’s Foundational to your style, you tend to stick with it (and again some Cultural Patina)!

Almost all of it is 30s-60s milsurp, gathered from various repro and miltaria-inspired brands. We have no shame for this; it can be really tough and expensive to find true vintage. And if Spencer’s previous purchases are anything to go on, they hold up well if you take care of them!

*Spencer also bought WWII chinos which he’s been wearing a **lot** lately.*

*He’s even been wearing ties lately. I’m so proud!*

Another big update from Spencer is that he’s made a return to wearing ties! He’s been fairly casual the past few years, only breaking out a tie for rare Occasions like Friendsgiving. For work, he’s pretty much “rugged ivy” as he wears OCBDs or sportshirts with a sportcoat and jeans or maybe a chino. Some people may still find that “dressy” but as Classic Menswear Adherants, that is still quite dressed down.

In one of our previous pods, Spencer did mention that he has been wearing wool trousers to work in order to change it up. And so it seems that his recent tie-wearing activity is an extension of that! With the stuff he typically wears, Spencer’s outits are firmly preppy and even trad, depending on how he styles it. Its no surprise that a few fits also call Mad Men to mind; it’s probably the best menswear show of all time.

I also kind of like the idea of “work attire”. It’s a bit of positive compartmentalization and motivation, where I believe that wearing an outfit you like that isn’t just the bare minimum helps you get locked in for work. Then again, I work remotely and I wear whatever I feel like, so don’t listen to me. And yes, even when I go into the office, I still wear a typical “Ethan Outfit”. It is a rare occasion for sure, but don’t worry— some of my coworkers follow me on the gram, so they are always treated to a fit check.

Vintage Rendezvous 2025

Speaking of buying things, the gang I went to Vintage Rendezvous, a vintage trade show put on by the Vintage Productions. It feels almost exactly like Inspiration LA just without some big brands (Levi’s, RRL), which is pertinent because Inspiration LA hasn’t had a show in years. LA needs more vintage shows that aren’t just flea markets!

Rendezvous is truly an epic place for vintage collectors, with all your favorite SoCal (and non-SoCal) dealers peddling their rarest wares: early jeans, WWII bombers, stenciled sweatshirts, senior cords, chimayo jackets and more. It was fun to take Serhan here just so he could get a tangible education in vintage menswear. I don’t think he’s the type of guy to go all in on vintage milsurp and workwear, but he at least was able to appreciate the details that modern pieces like to reference!

As you probably expected, everything was incredibly expensive, though to be fair, there were some deals if you dig hard enough (and if your taste isn’t pointed toward typical grails). I say that because I walked out of there with four 1930’s ties (in good condition, mind you) for only $40. I don’t need true Senior Cords anyway— I have my own!

Looking and touching but not buying (because everything was expensive).

Valentine’s Day 2025

Lastly, the boys and I discuss Valentine’s Day on the pod. I love that each of them leaned into the theme of the holiday with their fits! MJ says that he spent a night in but still dressed as if he was going out: a brown A-2 with a burgundy turtleneck. Spencer and his beau had an Italian dinner where he took the opportunity to wear a fun 50s/60s tie with woven fantasy scenes. How cute!

Being the resident single guy, I had a stag evening: the boys and I decided to go grab burgers and watch the latest Captain America film. Island’s burgers and fries always slap; I wish I could say the same for Cap. The film really was a rehash (but worse) of Winter Soldier. It’s a shame because I like Anthony Mackie as Captain America). We ended up discussing our misgivings of the film (as well as of the MCU as of late) over a night cap. Single guy activities!

And on the topic of rehashes, my outfit was actually a redo of an old outfit from 2019. It’s a pretty great recreation, mainly because I still own the same tie, sweater vest, and derbies; I may not have the exact same shirt and suit anymore but like I said before, I tend to buy the “same” things over and over. In that way, the idea of the fit is repeated and lives on: a grey suit with a 40s sweater vest, paisley tie, and suede shoes.

I found the fit when I was scrolling through my Flickr archive. I’ve been doing that a lot lately, using my plethora of fit picks the same way as my various inspo albums. It’s just a new way for me to act on Inspiration, but instead of the Inspiration being an Apparel Arts illustration or a modern editorial, its just me! And as much as I like to clown on “Old Ethan, it’s getting to a stage where “Old Ethan” now includes outfits that are pretty good. I guess in the end, I just dress like myself.