Catalog Conundrum: Paul Fredrick

As the holiday season approaches, the flow of catalogs into my mailbox has picked up over the past couple of weeks. Some of them are regulars, while others I haven't seen in a long time. It got me thinking about how some of the men's clothing sellers tend to stay below most people's radar, and the sometimes odd niches they occupy on the spectrum of design and taste.

[Acknowledgment is due to the fine lady site Jezebel, as this is more or less a blatant ripoff of their "Today In Catalogs" feature, only guyish.]

Paul Fredrick is an excellent example, so I've chosen it to inaugurate this occasional feature. They offer a full range of men's clothing, but when I look at the catalog I can't help but wonder who would actually buy it. The styles tend to be just a little too colorful or excessively fashionable for the average guy, but not fashion-forward enough for cutting-edge types. Prices are on the high side of moderate, though they do tend to have sales.

And I do have to wonder why they chose that particular spelling of "Fredrick," since it's technically incorrect. I like to imagine that the company was started by three friends: Paul, Fred, and Rick.

Quallty? I don't have any idea, really. I bought a tie from them maybe 11 or 12 years ago, and since I don't need to wear ties very often, it has not seen much use. I think I still have it, but if I were to go look in my closet, I suspect it would look too wide, since wider ties were more in style back when I bought it.

But let's face it, you're really here to see what sort of craziness I was able to dig up on their site, so I won't keep you waiting any longer. How about we start with these fugly suede loafers, in three rather, uh, distinctive (and some would say un-masculine) colors. WTF? But then the designer thought, "these shoes aren't quite jazzy enough... I know! We'll add a metal bit detail." Yeah, that'll do it.

Not a loafer guy? Not to worry. Did you see the piece in last week's Times style section about wingtips? Somehow they overlooked this pair. I know, right? What hipster isn't going to want to walk around in two-tone brown leather and purple suede wingtips? And don't forget the matching belt.

I was under the impression this sort of crime against style had been outlawed in this country. Guess I was wrong.

It seems like every men's catalog on the planet has employed this Obamaesque model.

This sportcoat is almost normal-looking, but then there's the suede trim on the pocket edges. Huh?

This striped dress shirt has the stripes on the collar and cuffs going against the traditional orientation. They call it "continuous pattern." Can I suggest a different name? "Oops, we made this shirt wrong." The curved spread collar, here called the "varsity spread" (and sometimes referred to as the "Pat Riley"): unless you are Pat Riley, no one will take you seriously if you wear this. And this one? Paulie Walnuts, all the way.

This whole ensemble is so full of fail, I don't even know what to say, except my eyes hurt...