A few years back, infographics made a timid entrance in the world of menswear. This phenomenon which seemed marginal in the beginning is today on its way to an impressive growth in popularity, with many new schematics, diagrams, illustrations and flow charts flooding onto the web each month.
This very literal avalanche of catchy illustrations is nonetheless not that shocking a phenomenon. Infographics as a format is filling a gap between the two extremes of #menswear --- between minimalistic, picture heavy micro-blogging pages (Tumblr & co), and more traditional blogs / websites like Parisian Gentleman, who take the opposite approach, with a bigger text-to-image ratio.
Two radically different approaches, but complementary nonetheless. Infographics on the other hand, is the missing link, and perfectly adapted to those always in a rush, or those less passionate out there, who seek the maximum amount of information in the least amount of time possible.
As you might have guessed, here at PG, infographics is not our cup of Italian Ristretto, as we still believe in the written press, whatever its format.
Yet, we would be lying if we said we don't appreciate the creativity of some infographic-centric websites, who enjoy a well deserved and sizable audience (particularly on Facebook, where the format pretty much acts as a giant magnet).
Of course, in this ocean of "Do's and Don’ts", not everything is worth your time. Many infographics provide lackluster advice at best, and completely disposable knowledge at worst.
That being said, here is a little selection of the most interesting / practical nuggets of concise information we could get our hands on. Hopefully, this will satisfy your need for the occasional dose of well-curated illustrations.
- How to shine your shoes :
- How to match your shoes and your suit :
- How to tie a scarf using the Ascot knot (double wrap version):
- How to knot a bow tie :
- How to recognize and name fabrics, colors and patterns :
- How to recognize and name different types of vests :
- Which shoes and suits to wear in which circumstances :
- How to coordinate suits with shoes, depending on the occasion (aka the "Shoe Matrix") :
As you can see, some infographics have their uses; especially for newcomers to the sartorial scene.
We must also mention another particularly rejoicing phenomenon that is on the rise on the internet. The development of the sartorial subculture has given birth to a growing number of comic strips and vignettes by talented illustrators, poking gentle fun at the quirks and obsessions of our little world... this gives us a chance to laugh at ourselves and at our occasional excesses, portrayed here in a very playful yet accurate way...
You'll find the translation below the image :
"iSprezz' notice : your outfit is only 56% nonchalant. For more sprezzatura, please pull your pants 0.59 inches up, and show the small blade of your tie. Furthermore, you should be more spontaneous in the folding of your handkerchief. Please see the detailed tutorial on spontaneous handkerchief folding."
"If I may risk an advice old chap, you should ditch the belt, they cut your silhouette in half. Consider wearing suspenders for the vertical line !"
"Can you believe it ? Last month Patrick brought in an ignoramus who poured himself a glass of champagne... to drink !"
"The nerves of some people !"
Sources :
