The Art of Style by Kit Mills 045: the Velvet Overground

alternate title: Some Velvet Midtown

Midtown Manhattan is not the most interesting place in New York for fashion. Or for food. Or for much of anything, really. However, if you spend a lot of time there you’re bound to see some stylishly-dressed people hidden amid all the map-clutching tourists shuffling out of Penn Station, and the sea of navy blue suits hustling back to the office after a quick lunch at Au Bon Pain. I’m a Midtown office person and this is my life. 

So, it’s always a tiny delight to see someone with a certain amount of panache around these parts. I saw this character strolling down the sidewalk in the most Midtown of all Midtown places—right in front of Madison Square Garden. A maroon velvet coat paired with a fedora has a pretty high potential for looking straight-up ridiculous, but this gentleman pulled it off.

The length of the coat was another variable that could’ve gone awry, but combined with the basic black slim-cut jeans tucked into leather boots it looked cool instead of costume-y. The sobriety of most of his outfit somehow both highlighted and toned down the prominence of the coat—it was noticeable, sure, but it looked natural.

And the hat… oh, the hat. Please don’t wear a fedora unless you know what you’re doing. This guy knew what he was doing—the hat looked proportional, its warm grey color suited the maroon, and the flat brim lent it a bit of somber elegance that a checker-patterned trilby from Target can’t give you. If you’re gonna dance with Death and wear a hat anyway, make sure your hat of choice fits your head, and make sure it adds something (and by ‘something’ I don’t mean ‘fabric on your head’) to your look. Good luck.

Follow The Art of Style by Kit Mills.  For more of Kit’s work, check out their website.