Stroller Suits, Frisco Attire, and Being a Furry On Halloween

This is a recap-ish of the latest podcast episode. You can listen to the episode below before or after you read. That’s because I tend to expand on topics from the pod as well as straight-up write about things that we did not discuss. The choice is yours in how you want to proceed!

Hello! I hope you all had a fun Hallo-weekend!

It goes without saying that much of the recent pod covered the spooky holiday and the menswear-friendly costumes we donned this year! We’re always about making do with what you already have (no single-use costumes here!)—while trying our best to be a bit creative and whimsical. MJ and his partner Eden swapped clothes to do Jesse and Jane (crop top!), while Spencer cobbled together a witty political costume from what he had in his car after his original idea suffered a “catastrophic failure” on the way up to LA. It’s worth listening to him recount it on the pod.

Because we had two days to celebrate Halloween (Friday and Saturday), I brought back a familiar and formally attired pal: the Tex Avery Wolf from Red Hot Riding Hood. The only change was that I wore my SuSu tux rather than the Fugue one (which MJ now owns)— and added a pair of “awooga” eyes, to go with the hammer I’d hit myself with. But for the holiday proper, I did something similar but new, a sartorial take on Wile E. Coyote, certified genius.

I wasn’t alone in being inspired by the recent animated-live action hybrid film (which was a hoot, let me tell ya), as TikTok had plenty of variations. However, most dressers went for a scrappy, steam/desert punk-esque take on the obsessive carnivore, leveraging coveralls, workshirts, and goggles. I obviously had to do it my way, leaning into the arrogant side of this “certified genius.” Nothing says that more than wearing a proper suit on Halloween, namely my trusty brown DB, complete with tan/cream accents to express his fur colors. Of course, I had to add ears and bring a whiteboard sign so I could communicate properly, though real heads know Wile has a Frasier-esque voice (only in the Bugs Bunny cartoons). It was a fun, simple look, flanked by my girlfriend, who sent up the Road Runner in blue-and-orange athletic gear. She and I aren’t beating the furry allegations any time soon!

*MJ is the first of us to wear a cropped tee!*

Untitled — *Yes, I’ve done this costume before, but it’s too good not to repeat!*

*For Halloween proper, I dressed as a different carnivore— Wile E. Coyote, genius.*

*I played up the “genius” part by dressing in an English country/hunting outfit. Yes, it’s a very Ethan outfit, but I find it more interesting than wearing a jumpsuit and mask!*

*Spencer takes “shopping your own closet” to another level by literally stumbling across an old sack suit in his garage that he’s **never** worn. It looks great!*

*As for me, I’ve been rather taken with another “suit”. No, it’s not a fursuit but a Stroller Suit!*

The pod also gets into a few other fun topics that aren’t spooktacular but are still firmly menswear-related. MJ goes over yet another packing list, since he’s been traveling for work again! This time around he breaks out some of his more fun items, like the yellow rain jacket and a hapi coat. These items contrast with one of the safest shoes that still hold a special place in our hearts: the Nike Killshot II. Spencer also goes into his archive, or rather, his garage, and pulls out a suit he’s never worn. He initially intended to sell it years ago because it didn’t fit, but now, with a few tailor tweaks, it’s set to become a new mainstay in Spencer’s active wardrobe. He’ll be the only one in the SaD crew with a proper 3PC suit! As for me, I’ve done both: buying new things (novelty Trafalgar braces) and styling something “new” from my existing wardrobe.

If you listen to the pod, you’ll find that I spent some time in the pod fawning over the Stroller Suit. Generally speaking, this is the daytime equivalent of the tuxedo’s relationship to White Tie: the dinner suit and stroller are meant to be semi-formal compared to a full tailcoat. There’s just something interesting about its intentionally restrained combination of a black jacket and striped (or checked) grey trousers, worn over a white shirt, silver tie, and perhaps a hint of dove grey or champagne in a waistcoat. Of course, as the inspo photos below show, plenty of dressers have done variations, mainly through the color (or pattern) of the shirt, tie, and waistcoat. Stroller Suits, and by extension Morning Dress, is fussy and jaunty all at the same time, creating a rather interesting expression of what it means to be formal. This rings especially true today, where for many, “formal” attire no longer means a tailcoat or tux, but simply a suit (or jacket) with a tie.

It’s quite odd that I’ve become rather taken with the Stroller. After all, I’m not much of a formal dresser (in regard to historical/conservative menswear attitudes) despite my predilection for wearing a jacket and tie 80% of the time. But after years of wearing separates and slouchy suits with casually coded pattern mixing, it’s high time I relished being intentionally stuffy. Friends have joked about when our “white tie party” will happen (we have done a lot of themed shindigs), and on a related note, I’ve found myself earnestly looking at Stroller suits, becoming ever more enamored with the black jacket-and-grey-striped-trouser ensemble. The compulsion finally took over, culminating in me wearing a Stroller-inspired look to a friend’s birthday, pairing my dark navy DB with glen plaid trousers and a glen plaid tie. And you know what? I liked it!

It is ironic that I wore a daytime semi-formal look to an evening soiree, but who cares. Menswear is best done with whimsy! Still, the navy-grey/silver ensemble reads as “cocktail attire” to most. The best part is that I didn’t have to buy anything new to pull it off; in the spirit of honesty, though, I’ve added “vintage grey striped trousers” to my eBay watch list (no bids have been sent yet). Overall, I find doing this a look a hell of a lot more fun and interesting than simply wearing a navy blazer with grey slacks (menswear heads call this “security guarding”), even if the Morning Dress/Stroller combo is meant to be more formal. I guess the jaunty effect of plaids and stripes does a lot of the lifting!

Time will tell if I ever do a proper Stroller, or let my interest in Mess Jackets lead me to go full Tailcoat with Morning Dress and White Tie…

*I haven’t bought one yet, but I did make a Stroller-inspired outfit!*

*Something I **have** purchased is a few Trafalgar suspenders. You know, the ones with the fun designs!*

*I blame my latest rewatch of Frasier. Niles just looks so good in these fun braces!*

Thank god SF was chillier than LA; I finally got to wear a sweater!

*I also had the opportunity to wear a sleek-yet-fun outfit for a wedding.*

The final big topic was recapping my recent jaunt to San Francisco for a wedding! I last covered the foggy city in 2018 with Spencer, but my most recent trip was a solo one in late 2019, shortly before the pandemic took hold. It was nice to make it back up for the weekend, but the festivities left me with very little time to re-explore. As such, I opted not to do much menswear-ing. I didn’t do any vintage shopping on Haight or commissioning at Tailor’s Keep on this trip (though I did manage to go to AB Fits, which was cool). Something to do next time!

Instead, I took an afternoon walk through Golden Gate Park, ate some egg tarts, and made sure to peruse a few bookstores, namely City Lights (I bought Cat Town by Sakutarō Hagiwara), Green Apple Books (near the park), and Now Place, a fantastic zine/print store that just celebrated its one-year anniversary. In between, I spent my time with friends, both at the wedding reception (an intimate affair at a local Italian restaurant) and at a couple of bars. I can’t think of a better way to spend a weekend, though it’s clear that I should come back and give SF proper attention.

It goes without saying that I got a few fits off, despite this trip having my lightest packing list to date. My arrival/Friday outfit was simple: my M-43 fatigues, beloved Miniature Tigers merch tee, and a navy jacket. Those fatigues returned on Sunday (our only free day), when I took advantage of the slightly cooler Bay Area weather and paired them with a proper button up, necktie, and my latest acquisition: a vintage RL yellow cotton V-neck sweater. Thanks to Tintin, I had always wanted one of these (or at least a sweater vest) to properly show off my collar points and tie, but for years I had to make do with a lambswool crewneck in a more muted mustard hue. Shout-out to that random PCC Flea vendor for coming in clutch!

Of course, the real star of the weekend was my wedding reception attire. Convention would have led me to don cocktail attire or something trad, but I guess I was bolstered by the last nuptial celebration where I fully embraced the spring/summer theme. It also helped that the groom, one of the nicest dudes (and most talented photographers) I’ve ever met, is also quite a stylish guy; he even asked to make sure I was getting kitted out for his union.

And so, I took the opportunity to dress a bit bolder than usual, going for a pseudo western/late 60s look by pairing my black flared jeans with a DB and rocking that damn Western bow tie that I’ve been obsessed with; I told you my adoration for it was real! The outfit feels quite contemporary, especially when you consider similar looks from Matty Matheson (who pulls off the western-tux look with aplomb), though I also think it’s a natural extension of the Hobie Doyle, OTGW, and a general embrace of the dandy side of westernwear. I wore that look the entire day and loved every second of it.

Anyway, that’s it for me this week! Still doing my best to keep my promise to write just a tad bit less. I hope you all had a stylish Halloween!

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