It’s clobberin’ time!

Do you guys remember this essay? I wrote that during my peak #menswear moments, fresh from watching Kingsman a few times with my friends. I was elated that modern menswear was finally embracing elements from vintage- namely, the double breasted suit. It felt great to have something new and mainstream that bolstered my style journey; it wasn’t going to be relegated to Gatsby comments any longer.

Now the Kingsman hype has passed and it seems that Matthew Vaughn is trying to get us excited about it all over again with a prequel: The King’s Man (a title that makes no sense, unless it refers to how Oxford is best friends with King George). I’ll admit that was a bit excited when I first saw the trailer but that was years ago. The film was supposed to come out at the end of 2019 and thanks to the Pandemic, it was postponed again and again (similar to No Time To Die) before finally coming out this past December.

By this point I was no longer excited. I was tired. I just wanted to see the damn movie (which wasn’t even scored by Henry Jackman, but thank god the score references his main theme for continuity)! The only reason I really wanted to see it was because it took place around WWI, which has been seeing a bit of a revival lately due to Wonder Woman and 1917. Unlike those movies, this one features civilian clothing which means suits. Since this was the period before suits got more standardized in the 1920s, I was interested in seeing their interpretation—especially since it also involved a real life collection you can purchase on Mr. Porter.

As you’ll hear in the preview below (full episode available for patrons), the movie isn’t that great. The tone goes everywhere and it simply lacks the charm of the first Kingsman film. I did like the goofy historical fiction, which actually keeps me intrigued for a sequel (as I’ve always wanted an MCU of historical figures).

To my surprise, the costuming was quite good! Oxford and his son Conrad are dressed immaculately in conservative three button suits, contrast detachable collar shirts, and geometric ties; there’s even a few instances of a riding/paddock jacket and jodphurs. Even the casual attire is nice, with a big emphasis on leather aviation jackets and chunky nits. The only “bad” look is the actual Kingsman suit, which looks rather silly as you’ll soon see in the photos I’ve included below.

It’s not as inspiring as The French Dispatch, but still worth a dumb watch.

I’ve also included a few of our recent streams here for your viewing pleasure. The first one simply has us going through a bunch of holiday gift guides, poking fun at the typical recommendations, and openly wondering what we would want to get from Christmas. I know we’re well past Christmas, but it’s always nice to know what to buy next!

The second is probably my favorite. You get to watch Spencer and I look through eBay. It’s probably boring, but it does show you exactly how we look through vintage online. We aren’t terribly specific with our search terms, but we let our taste guide us. I actually did buy something I saw while I did that stream!

Spencer, MJ, and I also had a candid conversation with our Twitch chat where we talk about our New Year’s Menswear Resolutions. I actually don’t have very many on my end—I’ve actually gotten a lot of what I want clothing wise! Perhaps 2022 will be a year of further curation and a bit more experimentation (but what else is new). What will be the real test is when I get to make a big change like Spencer and move out of my parent’s house.

I wonder what I’ll eventually give up to my friends. Or I’ll just end up having multiple racks in an apartment to hold all of my clothes. The latter is probably the most realistic path for me.

There’s also a fun AMA I did; technically it was hosted on IG Live, but I was also on Twitch (so I could save it for later). It was right after my podcast follow up with the New York Fashion Geek, where it was actually a really fun time. Reg actually asked me some interesting questions about my past during his pod and it spurred me on to have an open dialog with my followers. I’m still surprised at how much people still don’t know about me despite me being a very open person!

The last stream is the one where the Discord guys and I talk about Bookcore, a term coined by Die, Workwear to describe the current mood of a select few in menswear. It’s a philosophy that touches upon the mindset that I’ve been trying to push on the blog and podcast: its not about formality, but about the specific pieces that are conducive to the life you lead. Bookcore isn’t even about combining workwear or gorp with tailoring— it just makes sense for the character you are, specifically one that goes to an independent book store.

We’ll have to touch upon this in the future!

Don’t forget to support us on Patreon to get some extra content and access to our exclusive Discord. Catch us streaming on Twitch every Wednesday and Saturday or watch the clips on Youtube (like our rundown of SadHead Sunday, where you guys get to submit your fits for discussion).

Oh and don’t forget, we do a podcast every two weeks!

Buh-bye!

 EthanMWong | StyleandDirection

The Podcast is produced by MJ.

Big thank you to our top tier Patrons (the SaDCast Fanatics): Philip, Shane, Austin,  Audrey, James, and Jarek