On Urban Safari with The Uptown Dandy

My Urban Safari Ensemble

Recently, I've been catching up on back issues of Japanese men's style magazines like Men's Ex and Leon. It seems that the safari jacket is making something of a comeback - if it did in fact go anywhere. Similar to the double-breasted paradox, I'm often left wondering whether I'm 10 years ahead of the curve or 10 years behind it. Here's a page from Leon praising (I would assume its praise) the virtues of the Safari jacket:

Nowadays, just about every brand carries some kind of safari jacket, but I like the added benefit of a little authenticity. I'm sure Banana Republic makes an excellent safari jacket that can withstand the hustle and bustle of the upper east side, but, if I was ever actually going on a real safari, could the BR jacket handle the wear and tear of the African brush? Who knows (I'm sure some of you may even be thinking, who cares?)

Once upon a time, Abercrombie & Fitch was an outfitter that provided rugged outerwear for adventurers like Teddy Roosevelt. I'm sure they still make a safari jacket, but the Then it hit me - I didn't need to find a good safari jacket because I already owned one. Years ago, I picked one up at Holland & Holland, and, as some of you may know if you're familiar with the company, it doesn't get more authentic than that. After looking through a closet or two, I was able to find the jacket in basically unworn condition.

It was about 85 degrees here on Columbus Day in New York City, but the crisp fall weather will be coming along any day now, so I thought I'd plan ahead and try to come up with something to wear with the jacket. Here's what I was leaning towards:

Sticking with the safari motif , I matched the khaki-colored cotton safari jacket with another Holland & Holland item, a thick cable-knit mock turtle neck sweater - a cashmere/kid mohair/merino wool blend, it feels heavy but wears well in relatively balmy weather.

I thought the cream and khaki colors would work well with a darker earth tone, so I thought I'd pair the coat and sweater with a dark green cashmere scarf, also from Holland & Holland.

Finally, in keeping with the green accessories, I thought I'd top the outfit off with a nice green cap from Beretta, another venerable purveyor of hunting goods - going all the way back to the 17th century. The cap is a shade lighter than the scarf, but it also has a red check pattern that I've always liked.

All in all, I think this would work well with a pair of jeans, and perhaps a pair of loafers or suede brogues. But, as I'm sure you already know if you've visited this blog before, anything in brown would probably do for me. . .

Anyway, see you out in the wild!