I came to the conclusion about ten years ago that the world is a small place. My memory for faces has also shrunk the size of the planet. In 2004, I was having lunch with friends at the Bondi Icebergs Club and one of our party, who was a friend of a friend, looked familiar. After a bit of conversation, I discovered that we had met at a Club Med in Florida in 1998. Consequently, when I met Melbourne Crank via social media and discovered that we had worked for the same firm, I gave a chuckle but was not too surprised.
My first real interaction Melbourne Crank was on Twitter mid-July. I responded by agreeing with his tweet: “May we all catch up to countries like NL in short order.” We spoke about our nannies cargo biking our kids around. Not long after, I saw that he was in New York working and riding a Citibike. He looked sharp in various suits, shirts, trousers and sunglasses. He had referenced me in a tweet. I initiated a correspondence via email as I knew he lived in Melbourne. “Why not meet?” I suggested. We set up a meeting for my next trip to Melbourne.
The amazing thing about MC is that he doesn’t believe that he has a a good sense of style. He’s had to learn. He wrote:
“I’ve only fairly recently decided I need to dress like an adult. Partly having kids, [has resulted in this decision] and also I’m now firmly past that point where I can look good in a t-shirt.
Behooving Moving influenced me a little bit (and George Hahn), and I have since bought two books about style and read them. HAAHAHAHAHHA.
Yeah, I turned 40 and decided to ‘crisis out’ this year. I threw out all my ill-fitting, slightly busted or otherwise shitty clothes and have largely started from scratch. So really I’m just building up the basics at the moment. I’m a software engineer, so you could say dressing does not come naturally to me. It’s a journey of self-discovery.”
Very wise!
The two books that he bought were the following:
The Fundamentals of Style: An illustrated guide to dressing well (Style for Men Book 1)
by James Gallichio et al.
Link: http://amzn.com/B007O3167C
MC said that it was very succinct and it highlighted the many style mistakes that he had made previously.
And:
Dress Like a Man: A Style Guide for Practical Men Wanting to Improve Their Professional Personal Appearance
By Antonio Centeno et al.
Link: http://amzn.com/B00I0BYOVW
Which he deemed quite verbose but informative.
While thinking about men’s versus women’s fashion, I have come to realise that I like the simplicity and directness of men’s clothes. Generally speaking, men’s bodies are flat planes. Trouser, shirts, shorts, waistcoats, jackets, jumpers, cardigans and ties are all meant to lie on the flat plane of a man’s body. How to make an ensemble shine? Vary colours, material, cut. The drape of fabric enhances the shape beneath. Women’s clothes can be flashy or sparkly quite easily. But the subtle flash of a cufflink, a ring, beautiful sunglasses, briefcase/bag can elevate menswear to a spectacular level. Even the classic Australian thongs, shorts, t-shirt can become outstanding. For discussion in the summer!
It is unusual meeting someone in person for the first time whom you have only seen in photos. I suppose this happens when people who read my blog meet me. Someone commented recently, I didn’t expect you to have an American accent. The only detail that surprised me was MC’s height.
Men who are well dressed (ie. Not wearing lycra) and who cycle are sexy. Don’t argue.
Happy Cycling!
X Sarah
Bicycle from Spokes Bicycles, Abbotsford, VIC
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