Sharp Stylings #26: Aloe Blacc

We can learn so much from yesterday’s fashion icons.  And living in a post-Mad Men world means we can even enjoy aspects of current male fashions! Every Friday, I’d like to start your weekend off right with a little style inspiration from either then or now. Hopefully, my fellow Mod enthusiasts will find the whole or some detail of the whole to appreciate and maybe even adopt.
 
Lest you think I'm just about Mod dudes wearing suits 24/7, I thought I'd spend today on a casual style I seldom see Mods in. Usually, when I think of casual Mod wear, I can't get Fred Perrys out of my head. But take a look at new soul artist, Aloe Blacc, here rockin' the vest look:

Taken from Brooklyn Vegan, which has other great shots at their site.

Guys, sometimes slim pants, nice shirt sans tie, waistcoat, and a hat can be all you need to strut out on the street for grocery shopping. In the case above, Blacc does a great job mixing and matching dark pants, light grey vest, and a baby blue shirt with the hat to match his pants. And notice what makes Blacc's vest even more sharp here: it buttons up high on the chest with a higher gorge. If you're going to try this look, shoot for vests with a higher gorge.

Sure, the shirt could look nicer with a button-down collar, but that's not the point here. This is just a nice, sharp look that's a step (or two) up from the standard short-sleeve polo, jeans, and sneakers (trainers) Mods tend to be content with. And no tie required! Most photos I found of Aloe Blacc show him in different casual waistcoat combos and I'm all for it.

And if you're not familiar with Aloe Blacc, who started getting major attention with his cover of The Velvet Underground's 'Femme Fatale,' you need to check him out in the below video, sporting a slick, earth-toned, vest-motivated outfit. Plus, the kid in the video, actually sporting a pocket square in his own vest, will put some of you dancers to shame. (Speaking of which, excuse me while I study both these guys' dance moves!)