#claudethector

Let’s start from your top most layer and work out way down. A fresh overcoat can make your entire outfit since it’s the first thing people see in the winter months. I use mine to elevate my outfits whether I’m making a bodega run or taking my lady to brunch. The trick to getting a good one is to make sure it matches everything and nothing at all. No Man Walks Alone has a Doppiaa coat that’s double breasted with a brown and rust colored houndstooth pattern. I own a custom one just like it and I’m constantly being stopped and complimented on it.

You’re going to need some pants under that coat so you don’t get arrested. Instead of chinos, try a pair of corduroy trousers this winter. No Man carries a pair from Blue Blue Japan that are dope. They’re indigo dyed so they’ll take on a different patina as they age and the color will go with literally everything you own. Corduroy will also add texture to your wardrobe.

As the temperature drops, you’re going to need some nice knitwear. Luckily for you, No Man carries Inis Meain. Specifically, a sweater in an burnt orange alpaca and silk yarn that will help round out this outfit we’re putting together. Now when you take that overcoat off, you’re not wearing your college sweater under it.  

You’re going to need a boot. But not just any old pair you got from the department store. You need a pair built by people who can at least pretend they like you. That’s one reason I like this pair from Viberg. They’re built to last and look better as they age so that maybe one day you can pass it on to your kid who’ll wonder why you’re giving them a pair of old boots that don’t fit them.

Everyone remembers the A-Team, right? They were a bunch of white dudes and Mr. T, who went from town to town righting wrongs, all the while figuring out new ways to pimp their ride to take down small town goons.  I could go through each member and break down why you should add a little of each one’s wardrobe to your closet but Murdock was my favorite.

Murdock as played by Dwight Schultz is a former army pilot that saw combat in Vietnam and lost his mind. That’s it. That’s the character. More importantly for us however, Murdock is a sterling example of choosing the right kind of uniform and sticking to it. I remember him rocking a bunch of silly disguises on the show, but it was his every day outfit that I find myself copying a lot. That outfit consisted of some kind of casual button up shirt worn open with a tee layered underneath with khaki trousers and a pair of chuck taylors. Rounding it out was some kind of dad hat with a leather bomber jacket. It’s so simple and sensible and these days I find myself wearing a variation of it a lot.

No discussion about Howling Mad’s outfit of choice can be had without digging into that iconic bomber jacket. It was perfectly distressed leather with a custom patch on the back of it. The patch was a roaring tiger with the words “De Nang 1970” emblazoned above it. It’s the kind of piece that #menswear enthusiasts would go nuts over today. It clearly came from the character’s personal experience and it looked well worn to boot. I can imagine many an early 2000’s blog calling it a piece that can be passed down.

The show was entitled “A.I” a move which fooled people into thinking it was going to be on some futuristic Jude Law and Haley Joel Osment tip. The real meaning however, was “Authentic Identity”. That theme alone, would’ve  corny in less able hands. In the last few years, many have tried to capture the essence of Black male masculinity by either; playing up the respectability aspect by putting a bunch of Black dudes in suits, or by having us wear “flower crowns” in order to convince white people that we play well with others. How well Boateng achieved the goal of embodying individualized Black male masculinity in this particular show, is a discussion for another day. The way that Boateng has grown to represent different aspects of what it means to be both Black and male however, is unquestionable.

I first encountered Boateng all the way back in the late 90’s. My uncle was reading some article about how his original brand “Boateng” was failing at the time. I was probably 17 years old, and I couldn’t care less about fashion--I needed all my loot for comic books and video games--but the picture that accompanied the article struck me ‘cause he was dark-skinned and well put together. It just wasn’t a combination I saw a lot back then. Fast forward to 8 years later, and I’ve started diversifying my loot purchases past comic books, to include J. Crew. Early 20’s Claude was out here buying new clothes at an insane pace and spent time online just trying to learn more about fashion history in general. The one thing that I kept running into was that nobody looked like me, nobody was Black like me. I reached back out to my uncle, a fashion head in his own right, and asked him about  the Black people who were doing big things in the world of fashion and tailoring. That’s when I learned how dope the dark skinned dude in that picture all those years ago really was.

Boateng is a self taught tailor that started working at 14; the age where I finally got my friends to agree that Wolverine could take Superman. He was the first tailor to show at Paris Fashion Week, which the same year Biggie’s first album dropped,1994. He also managed to open his first Saville Row boutique the year before Jay dropped “Reasonable Doubt”. The most impressive aspect of all his accomplishments, is the amount of self assurance he had to have possessed to pull all of it off. It’s one thing to strike out on your own, and another thing entirely to do it in a space where no one else is Black like you. Boateng had the ability to climb high, have it all crumble around him, and still came back to do things like run Givenchy. The ability to persevere, and do it in style, is the epitome of what it means to be Black.

The double breasted suit is underutilized, and the specific type Reggie wore throughout “48 Hours” is rarer still. Double breasted suits are described by their button closures. Most double breasted suits have 6 buttons in the front, and two of them button, though no man in his right mind should button the bottom one.

A 4x1 suit, like the one Eddie Murphy’s Reggie Hammond wore, has 4 buttons on the front of the jacket, but only 1 button is used to close it. That functional button is placed lower on the suit, and using it to close the jacket gives the impression of a longer silhouette. When paired with a wider lapel, the wearer is gifted with that v-shape we all want to have in a suit.

One rule for this list. Every wrestler on this list has to be a participant in one of the WWE’s events this weekend. Those two events are NXT New York and Wrestlemania proper. This means you won’t be seeing non active members like The Rock, Steve Austin or Shawn Michaels on this list. One more thing, women wrestlers will also be featured. For the first time ever, 3 women wrestlers will be headlining this year’s Wrestlemania and there are many more women blazing trails in the squared circle as of late. There’s no way we’re leaving the ladies off of this list. With all that said, let’s start.

1. Charlotte Flair: Charlotte is the real life daughter of one Ric Flair but her athleticism is easily far superior to her father’s. Shedid manage to keep the parts of her father’s character that we’re the most entertaining though. This includes the “wooooos” and of course the beautiful robes her father made famous.

2. Finn Balor: While Finn Balor’s usual entrance gear of tights, leather jacket and abs is just fine, he really takes it up a notch when entering an arena as his alter ego, The Demon (don’t ask). The demon represents Finn digging into a part of himself that can operate past the limits he regularly operates on and his smoke filled entrance and war paint serves to get into his competitors’ heads. An instant classic transformation.

3. Asuka: Asuka is known as the Empress of Tomorrow to WWE fans and has lived up to the moniker during her tenure. She was the undefeated NXT women’s champion (no one was ready for her). She subsequently relinquished that belt because she got tired of beating up all of those ladies and moved on to the main roster where she went on to be the winner of the first all women’s Royal Rumble match. She also manages to do it all in style by coming to the ring in a series of intricate robes punctuated by her collection of kabuki style masks.

4. The Usos: This one is kind of a cheat but who cares?! The Usos are the definition of glowing up. At the start of their tenure, The Usos were presented as the embodiment of their Samoan heritage for a new generation. They wore bright colors and their high flying in ring style was crowd pleasing for younger wrestling fans. A couple of years ago, they decided it was time for a change. They turned heel (the bad guys) and updated their entrance music to a more in your face trap beat. They even mastered going back and forth in their promos just like the great rap acts of the 90’s. Best of all, they ditched the neon duds and started wearing all black to the ring with crisp Nike Air Force Ones. The Usos are now streetstyle gods and Smackdown Tag Team Champions.

5. Velveteen Dream: It occurs to me now that I have to explain the Velveteen Dream to people...uh...he’s kind of like Prince but he wrestles...Velveteen Dream spent most of last year stealing the show at every NXT event. His ability in the ring is equaled, if not surpassed by his ability to get in his opponents’ heads with his choice of ring gear. Whether it’s putting their likenesses on his tights a la Jake the Snake Roberts or dressing up like a black Hollywood Hogan, the fans are always entertained and he’s always the center of attention.

6. The New Day: If I told you that Vince Mcmahon had decided to put 3 black wrestlers into a faction that started out as wrestling church choir directors, you probably would not believe me, but it’s true! If I also told you that those three wrestlers (Kofi Kingston; Big-E and Xavier Woods) turned that awful gimmick into one of the most popular tag-teams in the company, you also would not believe me, but that is also true. They did through excellent in ring performances, a cereal call Booty-O’s, and a copious amount of pancakes (I’m serious). The bow on top of the entire package has to be their complimentary ring gear which is full of easter eggs for long time fans of the groups antics. The New Day are the answer to that old trivia question “What if The Fabulous Freebirds were three black guys that love pancakes?”

7. Ricochet: If you have not seen Ricochet wrestle, you’ve been living incorrectly until this point. The man is a human pinball machine. His nickname, “The One and Only” is absolutely perfect befitting a man that moves as if he’s a Streetfigher character in the ring.While his entrance attire is usually nothing more than a t-shirt or hoodie on NXT or Monday Night Raw, he usually ups the ante for special events with special capes that make him look like superhero he is.

8. Aleister Black: Could not talk about Ricochet and not include his current tag team partner. The striking man from Amsterdam came to the WWE ready made to reach the top and has already been the NXT champion. His aura reminds me more of the feeling The Undertaker brought to his entrance. Black sports a black vest with spikes as he rises from the floor like a vampire and his signature music gets you ready to watch someone get roundhouse kicked in the face!

9. The War Raiders: The best way to describe the War Raiders is to say that they are the most athletic vikings you’ve ever seen. Calling the curent NXT Champions intense is an understatement. Their ring gear reflects that. They’re a great call back to The Road Warriors’ entrance gear and they’re also somehow pushing the envelope forward with the aesthetic.

10. Last but not least is a woman that needs no introduction, Ronda Rousey.”The Baddest Woman on the Planet” has been a revelation in the WWE. She currently has a stranglehold on the Raw Women’s championship and will be headlining Wrestlemania along with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. Her entrance gear harkens back to her hero Rowdy Piper. She often comes out with the signature leather jacket; t-shirt; and kilt combination. The entire presentation along with her signature scowl is the perfect prelude to an armbar.

Boys like myself that grow up without fathers in their lives are never short on father figures. When I was about 7 years old mine was a kindly ESL teacher named Mr. Martin. Mr. Martin did more than just teach me the English language. He was the person that introduced me to comic books. It was such a great gift to a young boy with an overactive imagination. I loved learning about the colorful cast of characters and I also loved reading the letters page. The letters page was where I first met Stan Lee.

Young me didn’t think of Stan as a savvy entrepreneur and I didn’t know about the enmity that some creators like Jack Kirby had for him. At the time he just seemed like the coolest boss in the world and the Marvel bullpen seemed like the greatest place in the world to work. As I got a little bit older, Stan would be the person whose voice I became familiar with as he introduced several of Marvel’s Saturday morning cartoons. He was such a great ambassador for the genre. His enthusiasm rubbed off on me and would lead me to unabashedly spread the word about comics amongst my peers way after they’d lost interest in what they thought was just kids stuff.

My true appreciation for Stan didn’t start until I read Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe. That’s where the complicated nature of his relationships with the other creators that worked with him first came to light for me and also how I started to realize that his role as Marvel’s liaison in Hollywood started to impact his personal style. The glasses and well tailored suits were perfect for making the right impression on Hollywood’s elite and the laid back sweaters he wore to introduce the aforementioned cartoons when I was a child were perfect for conveying the vibe of the kindly old man that was super enthusiastic about the story you were about to watch.

Upon immigrating to the States, my mother and I found ourselves living with my uncle on Long Island. My father wasn’t in my life meant, so I was always searching for a male role model and my uncle became the first of these surrogate fathers for me. To this day I mimic many of his behaviors and one of my favorites was the way he prepared his clothing the night before work. How he carefully pressed his shirts and lovingly ironed the crease into his pants.

Most of all I loved watching him shine his shoes. Every night, he'd take a brush to his shoes and once he buffed out all the dirt, he'd apply multiple layers of shoe shine until his shoes gleamed. I thought it was the coolest thing my seven year old self had ever seen. He took notice that I was enthralled with the process and one day he sat me down in his lap and showed me how to buff his shoes and how to apply the shine just like him and from that day on it became our thing. To my memory, it was the first time a man had ever taught me how to do a “manly” thing.