Disturbing Trend: Cracked Out Couture A short article in the March edition of GQ lauded the new men’s line from French fashion label Balmain.  Apparently the good people at GQ feel that the collection of tatty rags that was recently released “deserves the hype”. Emperor’s New Clothes anyone? For all of the fashion bloggers drooling over the clothes pictured above, and the Russian oligarchs that can actually afford to purchase them (the model can neither afford food or the clothing he is wearing), I am going to break it down.  That $300 number you see is actually, get this, a disgusting, torn, stained out of a WalMart 5-pack T-Shirt that I wouldn’t even use to polish the chrome on one of my classic cars because I would be afraid the car would catch a disease and die. The jeans, which are equally objectionable, can be purchased for a mere $1,440. Gentlemen, I implore you to use common sense.  If something is expensive, it should look expensive (but not flashy).  The Bootstrap Gentleman does not necessarily have the funds to spend excessively on wardrobe, so all purchases should be made with care. If you are spending over $1,000 on any piece of clothing it should be made of fine fabrics with even better construction.  Like bespoke suits, handmade shoes or vicuna overcoats, the piece should be something that is timeless and meant to last for decades. Don’t be sucked in by couture culture, or you could end up like the poor fashion victim above: dirty and broke. Unless of course you do want to look like the love child of Amy Winehouse and Sid Vicious.  In which case, you have bigger issues than a stained t-shirt. Bootstrap

Disturbing Trend: Cracked Out Couture

A short article in the March edition of GQ lauded the new men’s line from French fashion label Balmain.  Apparently the good people at GQ feel that the collection of tatty rags that was recently released “deserves the hype”.

Emperor’s New Clothes anyone?

For all of the fashion bloggers drooling over the clothes pictured above, and the Russian oligarchs that can actually afford to purchase them (the model can neither afford food or the clothing he is wearing), I am going to break it down.  That $300 number you see is actually, get this, a disgusting, torn, stained out of a WalMart 5-pack T-Shirt that I wouldn’t even use to polish the chrome on one of my classic cars because I would be afraid the car would catch a disease and die.

The jeans, which are equally objectionable, can be purchased for a mere $1,440. Gentlemen, I implore you to use common sense.  If something is expensive, it should look expensive (but not flashy).  The Bootstrap Gentleman does not necessarily have the funds to spend excessively on wardrobe, so all purchases should be made with care. If you are spending over $1,000 on any piece of clothing it should be made of fine fabrics with even better construction.  Like bespoke suits, handmade shoes or vicuna overcoats, the piece should be something that is timeless and meant to last for decades.

Don’t be sucked in by couture culture, or you could end up like the poor fashion victim above: dirty and broke.

Unless of course you do want to look like the love child of Amy Winehouse and Sid Vicious.  In which case, you have bigger issues than a stained t-shirt.

Bootstrap