While we can talk about our own outfits at the 2017 Spring Outing, it’s great to let other people have the spotlight.  Even though most of the day was filed with disneybounding (or dapper bounding), there were a few individuals who really knocked it out of the park, pun intended!

Yes, yes I know that I said we were going to stop Dapper Day streetstyle pictures, but this was different.  Instead of seeking out random people to photograph, we simply made conversation with some cool people! If the vibes were right, I asked them to take a picture.  Its something a bit more intimate and personal, which was a huge contrast to chasing people around for a two second picture and never seeing them again.  Also, I wasn’t pressured to follow the crowds and spend time just taking pictures instead of hanging with my friends!  Either way, I was blessed to catch up with some old pals and make some new ones!

I also went live during Dapper Day and talked to some cool people.  You can watch at your own risk here, on the Dapper Day Facebook.

Because I wasn’t running around dividing my time between rides and pictures, it was honestly the most chill dapper day that I’ve ever attended.  Unfortunately Spencer wasn’t able to join us until the afternoon, so it was only Jeremiah and myself for most of the day.  We still went on all the rides we wanted and got to experience the expo! I didn’t spend too much money, but I definitely walked out with some great 1930’s ties and a Camoshita suit for only $75.  That suit is definitely going to be featured in it’s own blog post soon!

Here are some of the best dressed people we saw during the weekend!

Benny Reese 

The king of vintage suits (pre 1965) was present at the expo, selling his huge inventory of suits, shirts, and ties.  Benny always dresses impeccably, utilizing colors and patterns as he sees fit! The best part is that his entire outfit is full vintage, proving that old school suits weren’t simple greys and blues; the Golden Era definitely loved color as much as the dudes at Pitti Uomo.

Just look at his outfit: it’s all shades of brown!  It looks like a fall color palette, but it’s actually perfect for the hot SoCal weather thanks to the fabrics. His houndstooth jacket is unstructured and made from cotton and his pleated trousers are gabardine, which as we learned before, is lightweight and drape-y.

Like Blake, Benny also wears a belted-back, 4×2, triple patch pocket, double breasted jacket.   I’m telling you guys, this is why you go vintage: all of these details (including the fabric) are missing from even the best bespoke tailors.  Back in the 1930’s, jackets like these were common place! I’d wear one of these bad ass jackets with both my true vintage outfits and my modern ensembles.

Louis Gregory

Louis is the man behind the vintage pop-up Louis & Gregory. I’ve photographed him a few times at the expo and I’m glad I took the time to sit down and get to know him a little better!  Like me, he isn’t always in cleanly tailored suits and still has a passion for streetwear; his day job is fixing rims which is hardly the profession for wearing suits.  However, he still loves an opportunity to dress up in his thrifted sartorial pieces, whether they are true vintage or old Ralph stuff from the 80s and 90s.  It was a pleasure to have the chance to catch up, talk style, and photograph him and his wife!

You can follow him personally here and see the stuff he posts for sale here.  He’s located in LA so I definitely recommend messaging him if you want to get something for yourself!

Saturday

Louis’ first outfit for the expo was killer. We talk about guys doing “great gatsby looks” but this one of the few that I’ve seen that was actually done well.  He’s wearing a vintage designer (totally forgot the brand) black linen DB with white buttons.  For those of you wondering how to wear black jackets,  this is one to get.  The summer fabric and white buttons help the jacket become more than a boring suit-like jacket and turn it into something you can dress up with white striped summer trousers or dress down with white denim or chinos.   It also helps that his DB is designed fantastically, with wide set buttons and wide peak lapels.  

This should show you that you don’t always have to wear a spearpoint collar to wear a collar bar! The regular collar makes his outfit a bit more modern, but it definitely works with his personal style which is modern-meets-vintage.  The use of the blue polkadot tie and contrast collar is definitely giving me some Polo Ralph Lauren vibes.

He finished it off with some Polo Ralph Lauren stripe trousers (they’re pleated!)  and clean brown and white spectator shoes. Gatsby style done right, without any tacky boaters or clip-on suspenders in place.

Sunday

Louis definitely went with some Boardwalk Empire vibes with this amazing 6×3 pinstripe suit.  6×3 double breasted suits weren’t uncommon, but their popularity was always overshadowed by the traditional 6×2 or 4×2 configuration.  Having a suit like the one Louis has is hard to come by in a good cut and fabric, so I’m very jealous that he has one!  It definitely brings to mind some of the early 1920s suits which as I’ve explained, were very weird.  

I’m definitely digging his friend’s ensemble, because he clearly dressed for the spring event! Not only is he wearing a linen suit (with point collar shirt and collar bar, kudos), but he even has a sunflower tie! Great job.

One of the best things about meeting people who love menswear is the attention to detail.  See how the yellow block stripes of the tie anchor in the light, gold pinstripes?  And notice how Louis is wearing a contrast club collar shirt with light stripes on the body of the shirt, effectively making this a tripe stripe outfit.  I do wish more people took cues from this, since many guys are often too scared to go with some crazy pattern (and color) mixing.  When you know how to do it right, it looks killer.

His suit may not be Ralph Lauren this time, but his shoes definitely are!  Love the pop of green.  Might be too much for some, but I can dig it.

Juliano

Juliano recognized me while I was wandering around the expo.  I thought he recognized me from my Dapper Day Menswear Basics Video, but he actually knows me from Instagram!  Juliao actually works for the acclaimed custom clothier Becket & Robb (which started in Utah of all places).  As a MTM specialist at the San Francisco store, Juliano is responsible for measuring his clients and ensuring that each of the little nuances of the body are jotted down for great fitting custom suit.  The guys from Beckett & Robb are sources of great inspiration (Derek, Jason, and Curtis come to mind), and Julian is no exception.

On the first day, Juliano wore an unstructured summer-weight double breasted jacket with patch pockets. It was extremely soft and I was instantly envious.  Like most  sartorial experts in hot weather, he wore some white pants and sockless suede tassel loafers.  We even sorta matched that day! 

On the actual dapper day, he suited up with a tropical-wool grey pinstripe suit.  This time he didn’t match us and went with flapped pockets. I will give him bonus points for the ticket pocket though! The cloth was so soft, I was actually envious of him even though I was already in an extremely comfy gab suit. 

We all love to mix patterns here on Street x Sprezza and Juliano does it well.  Like Louis before him, Juliano went for triple stripes: pinstripe suit, repp stripe tie, and striped contrast club collar shirt.  Super dope.

We talked a lot on both days, both about the menswear industry and our personal style! Juliano noted that a lot of the guys at B&R like to dress in a pseudo Italian way while he prefers going English, which is apparent with his club collar and ticket pocket. It’s always nice to meet guys who are not only extremely passionate about menswear, but are genuinely nice people.  He told me that I should come up sometime to get fitted in SF!  I’m definitely down for it, but it’ll be hard since I’m used to paying pennies for my thrifted clothes!

Tyler and Artemisa

Since you can’t wear costumes (or cosplay) into the Disney parks, most people prefer to disneybound (or dapper bound) by wearing similar clothes or colors as their favorite character to “be them” on the day.  Most of the time it’s done much too flamboyantly and isn’t really a repeatable outfit.  Tyler and Artemisa bounded on Dapper Day but they were the absolute best that I’ve ever seen.  He wears a 1930’s three piece, single breasted peak lapel suit cut in a nice green with a cream spearpoint shirt, vintage red knit tie, and 40’s green felt fedora.  Can you guess who he is?  He’s Robin Hood and his girlfriend is Lady Marion!

His outfit is a testament to a couple of things.  Firstly, it proves that vintage suits are not boring and that they existed in a variety of colors.  Vintage guys also loved having fedoras in different colors other than shades of brown and grey.  Basically, Tyler is wearing some of the rarest pieces I’ve ever seen because I have not seen a suit or fedora close to these colors until I saw them on Dapper Day.

Secondly, it shows you that disneybounding can be done in a tasteful way.   You don’t need to wear clip-on suspenders and brightly colored shirts. If you want to dress up like a character, you can still use classically tailored garments and styling to get same desired effect.  You should always apply the same rules of menswear and style to your disney-inspired outfit! Perhaps next Dapper Day, the guys and I will make a “dapperbound” utilizing full vintage pieces.

Sean

Sean was a rep for the Brooks Brothers’ MTM program. I loved his green poplin suit and nice pattern mixing! The particular use of ginghams and dots is pretty contemporary, but I like that he turned things old school with the spectator shoes.  In my brief conversation with him, I learned that he’s worked in the MTM business for about 10 years and has knows some of the main players in Los Angeles tailoring.  Sean boasted that the Brooks Brothers MTM service was the best, so I might have to try it out sometime! Do you think they’ll make me a classic Sack Suit?

Tony and James 

In my circles, vintage usually means menswear from the 1920s-1960s, so imagine my surprise when I ran into these guys who are totally dressed like its 1972.  It’s even more of a shock to me since I actually met James a few nights ago and he was dressed in a 1960’s inspired suit with a 1950’s tie.  Talk about being versatile with your style! We talk about creating accurate looks whenever doing something vintage or vintage inspired, and these guys definitely did their research with this ensemble. Whether its the crazy plaid jacket with aesthetics-only latches, the leisure jacket with wide collar, or the gratiutious use of print disco-collar shirts, it’s all done with fine attention to detail.  These aren’t  1970’s inspired outfits; these outfits are straight from the 70’s.  Even though it isn’t super sartorial, it is fucking well done.

Adam

The first time I photographed Adam, he was wearing an immaculately tailored green norfolk suit. This time he killed it in this linen three piece suit.  My first thought (and Spencer’s as well) was that it was an incredibly rare vintage 1910’s suit, but its actually a modern bespoke commission! My main reservations about bespoke is the lack of knowledge of vintage detailing and construction, but this is nothing short of amazing.  The button stance is correct, the high rise is done well, and the double breasted vest is fan-fucking-tastic.  Love that he included patch pockets on this, since they are the ultimate pocket style.  I may just have to slide into his DMs and get the name of his tailor.

This Guy

No idea who this guy is but he had a great ensemble.  Blue is the best way to anchor down white, and this guy does it well!  I wish I got a full-body picture, but hopefully this picture does him justice.  Note that his jacket has two patch breast pockets and that its completely unlined.  This gentleman may vary well be wearing one of the best summer jackets in existence and if its vintage, it could be from the 1910/20s or the 1960s.  We’ll sadly never know.

Lily and Her Family

Lily is the mastermind behind Grand Soirees, a full service event design and coordination business in SoCal! She’s a huge fan of dapper day and vintage and never misses an opportunity to step out into the parks in style! You can see her lovely family (and well dressed husband in a DB) in the photo, all wearing nice pastels.  Family goals for sure.

Justin (the creator of Dapper Day) and I were talking when Lily and her family casually walked by!  We talked for a few minutes before leaving her to enjoy the rest of her Dapper Day with her family.  Don’t worry, we still got to have a picture with her! You can see the seldom photographed Justin Jorgensen in a perfect-for-the-occasion floral print suit.

Luisa

We finish off this article with the gorgeous Luisa.  I actually met Luisa at Dapper Day a few years ago (2014, I believe) and we’ve been friends ever since! She’s an incredibly fashionable lady and a wonderful person; it’s a pleasure that I’m able to photograph her!

I’m no expert on women’s clothing, but I’m assuming that her dress is vintage.  I love the subdued green as well as the fact that it has pockets!  It hope that she follows our lead and sticks her hands in the pockets any chance she gets.  Overall, it’s a lovely ensemble!

Big thanks to Justin Jorgensen, the creator of Dapper Day, for inviting me to be a host of his event and for giving me a complimentary ticket!  For those of you who don’t know, my Disneyland Annual Pass expired and I was honestly hesitant to pay the $160 for a 1-Day Park Hopper ticket.  I probably would have paid it anyway, but being invited to attend was awesome!

I hope you enjoyed this latest edition of the style at Dapper Day! I know that it wasn’t a lot of people, but moving forward, I think it’s important to have quality over quantity.  I am extremely honored that I was able to capture the images of these wonderful people and I hope to do it again next Dapper Day.  Again, I definitely don’t want to become a guy chasing people down but rather a blogger who simply catches up with friends and happens to document their style.

I also hope that this article proves that there are well dressed people at Dapper Day who execute their style well with love and confidence!

Always a pleasure,

Ethan W.

Street x Sprezza

Photography by Ethan W.