One to never pass on an opportunity to give a reverential nod to the elegant dressing of a bygone age, Imran Khan was no different at the Katti Batti trailer launch. Clad in a Tom Ford suit, Zegna shirt, Kent Wang tie and Church’s shoes, he looked like he walked straight out of a Cary Grant mise en scène. But friends, I’m not going to leave it at that today — please allow me to spell it out to you why this is such a masterful look.
The blue-and-white stripes and the maroon played nicely off one another. That coupled with the subtle texture of the grenadine tie provided enough visual intrigue to the look. For the uninitiated, grenadine ties are woven from a high-twist silk yarn, so they have a slight texture as opposed to the regular silk ties. They typically come in solid colours, banking on their distinct texture to make the wearer stand out, perhaps.
Note also how the broad tie balances the wide lapels of the suit jacket. Yeah guys, the pesky logic of proportion comes into play when it comes to choosing a tie to go with your suit. If your suit has slim lapels, you go for a svelte tie. If it has wide lapels like Imran’s here, you go for something more substantial than the skinny tie.
All very well, but what took this look to stratospheric levels were the shoes. Friends, pay special attention to his footwear — they are not just ordinary brogues but ones with an interesting backstory. Wanna know?
They are called co-respondent shoes, and in the 1930s, a pair of these would be left outside a hotel room as a signal that adultery was being committed inside. At that time, a divorce required one partner to have been unfaithful, so hanging out those two-tone semi-brogues meant the person was gagging to be caught in the act. The term “co-respondent” was used to describe the third party in the ensuing divorce case — and that’s how those shoes got their name. And the flashy nature of the brogues made it easy to convince the court the wearer was an utter bounder!
But nowadays, the co-respondent shoes speak of the wearer’s style quotient, that he is a man of good taste and unparalleled knowledge of all things sartorial. Guys, I can’t recommend a pair of these enough. Throw them on with your sedate ensembles and they would decidedly perk up your look.
PS. Geeky tidbit: those shoes that Imran is wearing are a limited edition replica of a model Church’s had originally made in the 1930s.
PPS. Have you caught the Katti Batti trailer yet? Just how good is it looking, non?