The Modern Gentleman's Blog » General

Bi-Annual Risk / Reward Sale: On Now

davidmacfaddenelliott — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 22:44:18 +0000

The bi-annual Risk / Reward Sale increases its discount by one percentage point each day. 31% today. 32% tomorrow. 33% wednesday…See the sale

Currently included in the sale are sport shirts, shorts, neckwear, blazers, outerwear, khakis, and just about everything else. But as the sale price decreases, so does inventory, thus, the Risk/Reward.

New Summer Sippers at Wingtip’s Private Bar

davidmacfaddenelliott — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:31:10 +0000

Notes on three recent cocktails from Wingtip Bar Manager Brian MacGregor:

The Boothby: a San Francisco classic created by local bar legend Cocktail Bill Boothby, this is the West Coast answer to the manhattan, we start with equal parts bourbon and sweet vermouth, add a dash of bitters and top it off with some sparkling wine.

Ferdinand’s Draw: Pilsner, Suze, nothing else. A complex layering of flavors rarely found in such simplicity.

Wingtip Grog: If ever stuck out at sea and needing a classy remedy to freshen you palate look no further than this blend of Denezin Rum, Lemon peel syrup, lime juice and angostura bitters. Simple, refreshing and ever so good.

In the Window: Vespa SS90

davidmacfaddenelliott — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:51:04 +0000

We just picked up a new scooter for our favorite seated mannequin. The lucky plaster man now sits atop an incredibly rare 1965 Vespa SS90. The idea behind this bike was to create a slimmer profile, with more power. The lean, fast concept didn’t catch on at the time, and only 5309 units were produced.

The scooter arrived courtesy of San Francisco restorationists Bello Moto. Unfortunately, it’s not for sale. (Although Bello Moto does have an enviable range of scooters that are for sale.)

Length: 1650mm
Weight: 81.7kg
Engine: V9SS, single cylinder; maximum power, 5.87 HP at 6000rpm; forced air cooling
Tires: 3×10″
Gas Tank: 5.6 liters
Gearbox: 4 speeds, selector on left handlebar
Top Speed: 95.2 km/h

Below is a vintage ad for the SS90, in which a guy demonstrates exactly why this is such a cool motor vehicle.

Now On Display: The Works of John Schreiner

davidmacfaddenelliott — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:27:34 +0000

At Wingtip, we have taken Bank Of Italy founder A.P. Giannini’s bank vaults and repurposed them in a variety of ways: As a fitting room, as a repository for customers’ clothing measurements, as a shop for watches, cufflinks, and ties. And now, in the lobby vault, above the copious amount of silk neckwear, we have hung our first art show.

In the lobby floor vault, we are currently displaying a series of collages/assemblages by John Schreiner, which he created from his own compulsive collection of aftershave-scented bric-a-brac.

From bowling to cocktails, and fathers to sons, the images in Mr. Schreiner’s work evoke an American masculine tradition, seen through the confused and fascinated eyes of a boy. It’s almost as if this imagined artist/boy snuck into his father’s closet and stole a few commonplace reminders of manliness: A Beeman’s gum wrapper, a dry cleaning claim tag, and a razor blade–which he then took to the spines of his parents’ magazines, jaggedly slicing out anyone in underwear or a good-looking suit.

The result is nostalgic at first glance, masculinity atomized. But pick apart the juxtapositions and the pieces are subverted with dark streaks. If this youthful perspective is so innocent, why does the blade in “Under There” turn paper into blood? And is the woman in the image above really a bombshell, or is she the effect of the man’s cocktail-tinted-eyes? (The name of the piece, “Cocktail Fantasy,” suggests the latter.)

Try to unravel the artwork yourself, in our vault, during regular business hours.

– John Schreiner Bio —

A long time professional in the arts, John Schreiner has a BFA in Graphic Design from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Working in the television industry, John honed his skills in layout, composition and color. Earning three local Emmy awards, he has created the visual identities for several television stations.

A history enthusiast and lifelong packrat, John has compiled and saved compelling visual images and objects all his life. This has been a source of minor frustration to his beautiful yet understanding wife, Ingrid. Combining his love for images and composition, John’s true passion has become collage.

These collage/assemblage works are made entirely of vintage materials and found objects [left: "Pinups and Pulltoys," 2012]. John uses the Old School approach to his art, almost always, without using photo reproduction or computer enhancements. Each piece is unique and completely one of a kind.

Through the juxtaposition of antiquated photographs, advertising images and found objects, John creates works that are both strange and familiar. The artist calls these compositions “nostalgic surrealism”.

His work has earned a “Best In Show” award at the Las Vegas Art Museum and has been exhibited at Gallery 21 in North Beach and The Sebastopol Center for the Arts. He also exhibits regularly at the City Art Gallery in San Francisco.

The artist is available for personalized commission work.

Style Tips from Jack Donaghy

davidmacfaddenelliott — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:18:53 +0000

In the 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross, Alec Baldwin, as the salesman Blake, taught his counterparts to “Always Be Closing.” From 2006 to present, on the TV show 30 Rock, Baldwin brought Blake’s brass-balled attitude to Kabletown CEO Jack Donaghy, who ruled the network with an iron fist, albeit with a soft spot for his hapless protege Liz Lemon (Tina Fey).

During 30 Rock‘s run, Donaghy dispensed reams of contemporary wisdom, and though he was self-assured in every facet of his life, he was especially fastidious with his appearance. So, with the series finale of 30 Rock airing tonight, it’s time to look back at some of Jack Donaghy’s most quotable advice on men’s fashion.

On wearing a striped tie with a striped shirt

On the importance of a good haircut

On evening wear

On personal style

Profile in the Robb Report

davidmacfaddenelliott — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:35:19 +0000

Kind words from the Robb Report:

“The San Francisco–based men’s luxury retailer formerly known as On the Fly has opened a new 21,000-square-foot store and private club in the historic Bank of Italy building in San Francisco under the new name Wingtip. The opulent two-story retail space is decorated with antique furnishings and game tables to complement the architectural details of the century-old building.”

Read the rest at RobbReport.com

Gentle Swagger: A Visit to Wingtip

davidmacfaddenelliott — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:18:51 +0000

Over at Gentle Swagger, blogger Andrew Hudson posted some flicks and a recap about his visit to Wingtip last week to get fitted for a shirt by Erik, our Bespoke consultant:

“Tuesday I went into Wingtip again to get started on the custom shirt I’m having made. It was a fun, informative experience. If you’ve never actually worked one on one with a tailor before, definitely try it at least once, just to pick up some of the jargon. Do you know what a gusset is for? Or the advantages of different types of cuffs? The answers turn out to be fascinating. Gussets reinforce delicates points on the shirt and, on the tail, keep it from untucking. On the cuff, I ended up going with an off-center buttoned mitre. The off-center to give the end of the cuff a slightly wider, unbuttoned look.”

read the rest at Gentle Swagger.

Now Offering In-Store Pickup

davidmacfaddenelliott — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 18:38:34 +0000

Love to shop online but hate to wait for shipping? We are now offering the option of In-Store Pickup. Just select Pick Up @ Wingtip on the Shipping Options page during check out and we’ll notify you when your order is ready.

Sport: Black and Orange Parade [PICS]

davidmacfaddenelliott — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 21:59:53 +0000

What a gift!

To give a city known for fanatic costuming and a fan base known for wearing black-and-orange a parade on Halloween is surely more than kismet. These are the baseball gods piercing through the fogs of San Francisco on a drizzly October 31st that will not soon be forgotten.

Here are a few pics for the 10 or so San Franciscans who couldn’t skip work to see the parade today.

[Show as slideshow]

Tom Wolfe: 5 Reasons to Wear a White Suit (Beyond Labor Day)

davidmacfaddenelliott — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 17:22:41 +0000

You might think the white suit is something you wear once, in the dog days of summer, before retiring to its closet for the other 364 days of the year. But author Tom Wolfe, who has spent decades surveying America and reporting back to his readers with radiant prose and sharp commentary, wears his to work–even, rather especially, after Labor Day. Wolfe adopted the look in 1962, had all but branded it by the 70s (pictured left), and is still spotted wearing it today. (A 2008 appearance is pictured below.)

With his latest book, the sprawling, Miami-set novel Back To Blood just released, here are five reasons Wolfe has donned the trademark look–and none of them is dress code-related.

1. Just to say G.T.H.

“It started back in 1962, when Wolfe was living in New York, making $130 a week as a reporter for the New York Herald Tribune. A product of Richmond, Va., Wolfe had ordered a white silk twill suit that left him hot and bothered during the summer. So Wolfe wore it during the winter. ’It created such resentment,’ says Wolfe. ‘I loved it.’” (“Tom Wolfe, in ‘Full’ flower” USA Today, 12/2/1999)

2. To Get Noticed

“On arrival in [New York], he felt he needed a trademark, so he adopted the suit and a homburg hat, an outfit that his father, an agronomist and gentleman farmer in the Shenandoah Valley, had worn in the golden summers of his Virginian youth.

“Most of all, [the suit] gave him something to write up to. As he is fond of pointing out: ‘If most writers are honest with themselves, this is the difference they want to make: before they were not noticed, now they are.’” (“Dances With Wolfe,” Tim Adams, The Observer 1/19/2008)

3. To Get the Scoop

“‘I found early in the game that for me there’s no use trying to blend in. I might as well be the village information-gatherer, the man from Mars who simply wants to know. Fortunately the world is full of people with information-compulsion who want to tell you their stories. They want to tell you things that you don’t know. They’re some of the greatest allies that any writer has.’

(The Paris Review Interview, George Plimpton, Paris Review Spring 1991)

4. To Let It Do the Speaking For You

“[The suit] has done me so much good. Not long after I published my first book, I quickly found I was terrible at being interviewed. But then I’d read the piece and it would say, ‘What an interesting man; he wears white suits.’ And so it was a good 10 years where the suits were a substitute for a personality. (“10 Questions for Tom Wolfe,” in response to David Royce’s question, “Do you ever get tired of being known for your white suits?” Time Magazine, Thursday, Aug 28, 2008)

5. To Look Good at the Gym

“‘Tom Wolfe wears a white suit, even at the gym.’ Someone who saw him at the New York Sports Club at 86th and Lexington, ‘walking slowly on the treadmill … in a white button-down and long pants‘ told us this at last night’s National Book Awards. Was he wearing white sneakers? ‘I was afraid to look for too long.” (“Daily Intel” column, Jessica Pressler, New York, 11/18/10)