I love going to Dapper Day even if I’m only there for a few hours. That’s usually how the last couple of times have been as there is no way in hell I’d walk around Disneyland while wearing my tailoring. I love my leather “dress” shoes, but not that much! The Expo is just fine.
I’m not going to lie— the Fall 2023 Expo definitely snuck up on me. I wasn’t sure I was going to go to this one, let alone have people to go with. But thankfully I had a free Saturday evening. And so did Spencer and Michael, a SaD Discord member and a newly canonized member of my IRL friend group. Michael and I made the trek down to Spencer’s where we carpooled and got to experience the Expo on the tail end of Saturday.
It was fun to walk around the space, take a few fit pics, and check out a few of the vendors, particularly the vintage sellers and repro designers. It was because of the previous Expo that I found a rather excellent navy rayon sportshirt that I’ve really been enjoying ever since I bought it. Swanky’s (the brand) was there yet again but they were sold out of the white one. However, Spencer was still able to walk away with something from them: a brown guacho pullover (you can read about the style here) that he ended up wearing the next day to the Rose Bowl Flea. Spencer also bought a pair of black western pants, made from a Japanese cotton twill by Finicky Fox Clothing. I had actually met them when they were selling shirts a flea market; they have since expanded to include western pants, Hollywood waist trousers, and a nice assortment of womenswear. Michael lucked out with some 1930’s ties, each for under $15.
I didn’t buy anything…unless you count the Piranha mug from Trader Sam’s, the tiki-themed eatery where we spent the rest of the evening. It was my first time there and so I felt like I had to commemorate the occasion!
As you probably expected, the gang and I leaned into vintage tailoring for Dapper Day. As much as I like making up my own outfits and context, I’ve begun to appreciate the few times when an external theme (or dress code) is presented (more on that later).
For this Fall Dapper Day (which wasn’t really fall because it was nearly 80F), I decided to send up an Old Ethan outfit which also references an easy 1930’s formula: wide fit navy suit, striped shirt, brocade tie, and a grey fedora (my “new” commission from Wellema). It’s easy and accomplishes my POV of being a contemporary interpretation of vintage. I will say that this fit is more “early 1930’s advertisement” than it is Esquire Man. It’s still too hot to wear sweater vests and tweed, but maybe some Dapper Day I’ll be able to do it…
The shirt actually is not my trusty reverse stripe spearpoint from my Ascot Chang days. This one is a dobby/multistripe point collar that is early 2000s Calvin Klein. Since I don’t work at AC anymore (and the LA shop has closed), I decided to go back to thrifting shirts and these have been great for my 1930s-obsessed self. They aren’t too spread and they look great, especially considering how rare multistripe shirts are (and how common they were in the 1930s as well as the 2000s).
It was a good fit that made me feel like I was The Teenage Gentleman again. There was even an exploding pocket square!
Everyone else looked great too! I say “everyone” as if there was a lot, but in reality it was just a few of us. MJ wasn’t even here!
Michael rocked a women’s RL suit the “Ethan way” with a striped shirt and geometric tie as well as purple socks and black penny loafers. He looked so cool and made me want to call up Dave over at Fugue and get started on my next order (maybe next year).
Spencer used Dapper Day as an excuse to get “formal”, which really just means he wore a tie. He went for a bit of a war time, sportswear look that almost exudes a bit of Oppenheimer themed soberness. This is especially apparent thanks to not only the western fedora but the grey flannel sportcoat and olive wool tie (most likely a military tie). A webbed belt and khaki chinos references militaria, but this is subverted at the end (or ground) with wingtips.
We were later joined by two others at Trader Sams: Nguyen (who you know) and Grace (who is new). Nguyen was kitted out in a very elegant fit that utilized a black/white houndstooth jacket, jaunty neck scarf (under a bold sweater), and slick charcoal grey cavalry twill trousers. That’s some inspiration for a fall Going Out Look, when a severely unbuttoned shirt will just leave Californians shivering.
Grace was actually the star of the evening, as she wore a cheese-inspired “suit” with an martini olive headband, the latter of which was made by her sister (who was vending at Dapper Day). She effectively was dressed as a charcuterie board. And everyone loved it— she was asked for photos everywhere we went! Food can be a good subject for cinematic dressing. It was definitely a fun way to get a little bold at Dapper Day without resorting to referencing IP.
Now enjoy some photos and videos from the event we [try to] attend every year. They just need to bring back the museum outings!
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Always a pleasure,
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a little bit of rest 