OTC: Behind DC’s Velvet Rope

OTC — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:21:00 +0000

On Monday Fashion Washington, The Washington Post’s luxury lifestyle magazine hosted a private party to celebrate its one year anniversary. It was also FW’s chance to flex a little fashion and eco star power as it also awarded Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau the honor of being DC’s Most Fashionable.

From 7:00-10:00 that evening, the recently opened Masa 14 was ground zero for many of DC’s best dressed and most fashionable. OTC was there to check it out and report back to you.

Celebrity blogger Scott “The Sartorialist” Schuman was there to schmooze and do a special book signing for the attendees. His official book signing began at 10:00 p.m. and by the time I got there a crowd was already gathering outside Masa 14.

I chatted with Scott for a while and asked why is it that Europeans in particular always seem to pull together great, classic looks that are always in style. Without hesitating he replied, “American men have too many choices. We have all these brands and labels that just pile up and encourage American guys to “be” a certain look. Who am I today? Am I a Ralph safari guy or an Abercrombie pretty preppy boy?”

He noted that Europeans – Italians in particular – “tend to have a single, classic silhouette with a few variations in color, fabric and cut. Milan, style-wise, is deep but narrow, so you have this amazing depth of knowledge and style and everyone tends to refine a common look.”

“American men also have an issue with fit. We are so focused on getting something right now that we forget to make sure all the details fit – basically we are pretty lazy about looking good.” That said, Scott was wearing Ralph Lauren Purple Label head to toe – and it fit just fine.

He added that “American guys need to utilize and appreciate tailors – that is a big failing of ours.” Lastly, Scott pointed out that we should not necessarily try and be Europeans; American style, especially the American Preppy/Ivy League look, is our heritage when it comes to fashion. We should be proud of it.

Philippe and I compared our Kobold dive watches. Of course, while I am a huge fan of my New Arctic Diver, Philippe was wearing the watch he designed with Kobold – the Large Soarway Diver – a portion of the purchase price goes to help fund his organization Earth Echo.

He was a very nice guy – look forward to a more in depth discussion with Philippe in the coming weeks.

It was a great event that really did highlight a fashion community on the rise – no complaints about that!

Here are a couple of shots from the FW party:

With Scott Schuman

With Philippe Cousteau

General shots from FW’s night out:

Stay tuned for more red carpet reports, as I’ll be in Las Vegas shortly and covering the opening of John Varvatos’ new store at the Hard Rock Cafe.

The Gin

OTC — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:22:00 +0000

Being focused on style has to me always been a holistic thing. Clothes are but one part of life; an important one to be sure, but still just part of the big picture. How you live your life matters too; what you do for a living, how you treat others, how you give back to your community or just to society in general.

These are big things worth considering every now an then, though contemplating your place in the universe can be little daunting. For example, when I started Off The Cuff, I was fearful that it would be seen as a vapid site devoid of actual societal benefit. I wanted it to matter and hopefully transcend the banality of “fashion.” To that end I like to think I have succeeded in building a place that fosters discussion and debate on the role of style and culture, personal expression and the appreciation of craft and culture.

How one presents oneself to the world says a great deal about an individual, as do their accessories, home, and interests. This last point is often the most telling as it can have little to do with outward appearances. There are endless examples of well dressed gentlemen who can barely string together a simple sentence and whose cultural interests go no further than the NFL draft pick. Equally, we all know of the scruffy nondescript fellow who turns out to be an Ivy League bred millionaire.

Hopefully this site has not focused so much on the packaging that it has neglected the contents, as it were. Style without substance is boring and unremarkable. Unique people and unique things are what often make life interesting and worth exploring.

Anyway, the point of this apparently random musing is to draw attention to what I consider an excellent example of craftsmanship and dedication to excellence.

The Gin and Tonic.

Or, more specifically, the Hendricks and Tonic. The G&T is perhaps my favorite cocktail. Crisp, refreshing, and calming, it is to my mind the perfect pairing. The G&T also has a rich and meaningful history as a medicinal delivery vehicle and drink of choice for blue-blazered lawn parties. And while I would never label myself

a connoisseur of alcoholic libations, I simply find Hendricks to be the prefect gin.

Perhaps its the unique bottle and charming label (I’m not totally immune to such things) or maybe it’s the cucumber-infused contents. It could be the cultish following Hendricks enjoys – I always enjoy asking the bartender if he carries Hendricks and the knowing nod back if, in fact, he does.

Whatever the reason, it’s been a longtime favorite that I’ve been meaning to share with you. The cocktail has been enjoying a renaissance of sorts recently and I wanted to be sure that I put in a plug for the classic G&T…..make that a classic H&T.

Off the Cuff » Entertaining

OTC: Behind DC’s Velvet Rope

The Gin