Sid Mashburn spent the past half-decade trying to make a suit for those who can't spend four grand—and he's finally cracked the code.
Sid Mashburn talks about men's tailored clothing with deeply held conviction. Born in Brandon, Mississippi, he swears he dreamed of working in a gentlemen's shop when he was in junior high, and he clocked his first shift as soon as he earned his driver's license. In a way, that's when he first began formulating the suits you see on this page. "When you work in those stores, you pick up the biases of the older guys around you," Mashburn says. "A suit jacket with natural shoulders, that was like breathing. And a full canvas"— that means the middle layer of a jacket's fabric floats instead of being fused to the outer layer—"that is non-negotiable. Unless a jacket has a full canvas, it won't break down the way it should. It'll never become your jacket."The Perfect Dress Shirt
The Editors, GQ Magazine, Photo: Jason Pietra
Ready to take the guesswork out of your mornings? Start with Black Label dress shirts by Ralph Lauren. While all the other office drones are in boring blues and stark whites, these shirts will show you're a man apart, thanks to a range of striking solids (like icy French blue) and patterns (lavender stripes). The smaller-than-normal collar won't swallow your slender ties, and even when you ditch the jacket, the silhouette will keep you looking lean and tucked in. It's the most off-the-hook off-the-rack shirt money can buy.
The Editors, GQ Magazine, Photographs by Tom Schierlitz
You probably love the feel of your summer tees, but sometimes they just look so blah, right? Well,it doesn't have to be that way. T-shirts with real style are out there, if you know where to look. We called in hundreds and tried them all on till we found the best you can buy.
A Big, Bold Graphic
T-shirts call for simple graphics, not intricate ones. This is your chance to get all Rothko. Note the shorter sleeves and how the tee hits just barely below the waist. That's how a good tee fits.
When you get a new tee, yank on the collar a bit. You don't want it choked around your neck.
Saturdays NYC
$40
Learn to suit up properly and everything else follows.
The Editors, GQ Magazine, Photo: Simon Burstall
Whether you're an office guy who needs to look sharp for the competition, or a creative type who dresses up because he likes to, the suit is the basic building block of looking good. It's a timeless, ever adaptable, sometimes maligned, but never improved uniform. Consider the roots of that word: uni, as in a universally good idea to save your ass from the danger of too much choice; form, as in the opposite of formless, sloppy, or unfocused. We'll get to the specifics of lapel widths and armholes and vents and how to do it right, but let's first agree that this is where dressing like a man begins. Get the basics down and then you can lose yourself in perfecting the details—what the ever dapper Tom Wolfe once approvingly called the sartorial "mania for marginal differences." And that's when things get interesting.
What does Nick think makes the perfect pair of swim trunks? We asked him.
By Sean Hotchkiss, GQ Magazine
The beach can be a war zone... don't kid yourself. And you'll need the right equipment for battle. Enter street style's favorite soldier Mr. Nickelson Wooster, and the fine folks at Orlebar Brown. They've collaborated on a sick camo swim trunk, and it's for sale starting today, exclusively at Park & Bond. Wooster met with the O.B. team at Pitti Uomo last year, and worked on the first plans for the "unorthodox" suit, which features a custom camouflage print in a range of colors.
What do you think of Nike’s NFL uniforms?
Matthew Sebra, GQ Magazine
Nike wants you and your favorite NFL players to operate at peak performance levels next season, whether that means increasing field position or buffalo wing intake, and have unveiled their full lot of field, sideline and practice wear today. Taking over the reigns of outfitting the league's 32 teams, the brand showed off its Elite 51 football uniforms that take Nike's passion for incorporating the most advanced sports technology into performance apparel to the next level.
We’re hitting our local Target to pick up these essential summer pieces. We suggest you do the same.
Matthew Sebra, GQ Magazine
You may know The Webster as Laure Heriard-Dubreuil and Milan Vukmirovic's home for the latest and greatest goods in the fashion game. As one of GQ's favorite independent menswear emporiums, the store's edited selection of high-end pieces make it a destination for any Miami-bound man. Teaming up with Target, another (and slightly larger) retailer that knows a thing or two about good design, the duo will soon be bringing their aesthetic to the masses as part of The Shops at Target initiative.
Leading Mannequins: How a Stylist Dresses Hollywood Stars
Mark Anthony Green, GQ Magazine, Photograph by Eric Ray Davidson
1. No belts with suits. "It adds bulk."
2. Don't buy your suit too big. "If you're too comfortable in a suit, it probably doesn't fit."
3. Not too tight, either. "Especially in the crotch."
4. You should be able to fit two fingers under your shirt collar. "If you can fit more, it's too big."
5. You can mix prints if they're in the same color family. "You can get away with a lot this way."
