JON CARAMANICA GOES SHOPPING: Full-On Menswear Nerd Edition

The Critical Shopper is back this week in today's Thursday Styles, and Jon Caramanica has made his way deep into the lair of a particular sub-species of New York Gentleman, the Dandy. Our shopper visits Fine and Dandy, the tiny Hell's Kitchen home of an online store devoted to what was once referred to as "men's furnishings". Along with ties and belts, the stores specializes in more arcane accessories like sock garters and hand crocheted boutonnieres. It is apparently a treasure trove of men's accessories that more ordinary folks have relegated to bygone eras. Caramanica brings along fellow Times writer Ben Ratliff, and the duo is impressed by the attention to sartorial details that even the style-conscious had previously tuned out,

What if this were your life? Those people exist, or more specifically, existed. The walls are covered with them: crumbling black-and-white photos of varsity teams and one array with the descriptor Eminent Judges and Lawyers of New York.

And yet, even this fashion conscious shopping pair couldn't quite commit to the full dandy look. A wool tie, some socks and pocket squares are a good start, but not quite enough to join the club.

Critical Shopper: Anti-Casual Friday Headquarters By Jon Caramanica (NYTimes)
Fine and Dandy 445 West 49th Street, Hell's Kitchen