Admittedly one cannot offhand buy a chateaux, vineyard, or standing in society, but still, the fashion can be emulated at the very least. The usual stereotypical chic in France, among those who own vineyards is that of a shabby wardrobe, messy hygiene, and an almost wan expression that speaks of the ennui of the cultivated aristocrat who lives tending his vineyards. Other times aristocrats are photographed in their farm clothing, posing with their gloves presenting a sprig of the grape that fills the wine bottles in their cellar. The one consistency is that their lifestyles are restrained, dignified, and filled with the casual chic that shows a confidence in their standing in society and business. For all their affluence, ‘less is more’ is still as important in that set as ‘greed is good’ among the Wall Street set.
When a person isn’t born to the lifestyle, the usual way to go about it is to ‘fake it until you make it;’ or if they don’t even want to make it, at least look as though they’re already there. Fashion designer Jared Dye has created a line of male clothing that enables men to do just that. The demographics for this fashion are the men in their early twenties to their forties who seek to cultivate the image of the cultured, gentleman of leisure who own his own vineyard and has the means to run it. Their mission statement reads: “Embodying the pure elegance of the vineyard lifestyle, Vintage Grapes Clothier is a premier “luxury garment brand”. We stand for providing quality products, offering an extension of the “vineyard lifestyle” and inviting true gentleman to share-in “The Vintage Grapes Clothier Experience (”vineyard lifestyle“)”. The company is a recent one, founded in 2009 by Jared T.E. Dye, Vintage Grapes Clothier is, states Jared, “a luxury garment brand” based out of Fairfield, Connecticut. In addition, Vintage Grapes will also sell small household accessories as a sideline.
Furthermore, he states “The plush ”vineyard lifestyle“, is a lifestyle that few people gain the privilege of partaking in. It is a lifestyle lived typically only by the affluent. It is a lifestyle that has long reflected sophistication, great taste, status and success and due to these facts, has also long been a place where true Gentlemen take refuge to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Vintage Grapes Clothier aims to offer the ”vineyard lifestyle“ to the broader public.” The company website is at: vintagegrapesclothier.com and additional links to his Twitter page: www.twitter.com/vgclothier and Jared’s email: [email protected] will allow interested people to personally contact and discuss with him his fashions and other plans.
