the cambridge man:

cambridgeshire: effortless superiority, bikes, & tweed. 

what always caught my eye in cambridge was a sort of 'scholastic rebel' attitude. in a several-centuries-old rainy english town, tradition and history are a big deal. but being academic forward thinkers, everything also had to be current and have personality. the result is an extremely well put-together, disheveled take on classic menswear.

the british and their sports created their idea of the perfect hero, the exact definition: effortless superiority. 

meaning that it's not enough to just win the cricket match, it has to look effortless. this is manifest in their style as well - it's not enough to be the best dressed, sport a three piece tweed suit, or $500 brogues, you have to look like you just tossed on what was lying on the floor because you were too busy rewriting your ground-breaking phd thesis. disheveled, slightly wrinkled, but spot on.

cambridge is literally permanently overcast. permanently. for light rain, or waging a classy battle against the elements, wools and tweeds prove indestructible. toss in a rumpled oxford shirt with a skull and crossbones tie and you're nearing that scholarly rebellious-ness.

no socks. your college rep tie. trim - as in english trim - suit. take your dad's old classy watch and toss on a nato band and a few manly bracelets (oxymoron, i know). loosen up the buttons on your oxford shirt, and finish it off with loafers that probably cost more than everything else combined. also don't forget the pocket square. effortless superiority.

and finally, my own mini-thesis on mens style. 

i learned that in cambridge, bikes not only have more rights to the road than cars, but they also outnumber anything else on the streets. this introduced to me a mostly unexplored region of a man's style. to explain, i'll use an example:

take two guys: both rocking a trim charcoal suit, leather satchel, leather-bottom shoes, a slim tie, and maybe even some striped socks. one guy's riding a sleek and minimal steel-frame single speed bike with cool white wall tires and a rich leather brooks seat. the other guy is on a lime-green 26,000 speed mountain bike with cobalt blue shock absorbers and carbon fiber mud flaps. 

i have nothing against mountain bikes, i actually really like them, but i am impressed by guys whose style is an extension of everything else they do. meaning that i think it's pretty impressive when your clothing style and your life style go seamlessly together - whether your slim-fit plaid shirts match the cabin you built with your hands, your boat shoes match the 1962 sailboat you restored, or the slim charcoal suit matches the bike you're riding to the cambridge union society café. find a way to make it all fit together, it makes the jump towards dressing better much easier.