In Character: Krusty the Clown

How do you make an angry, substance-abusing clown seem at least 7% more kid-friendly? Bright, crazy clothes. Here’s how Krusty (or, if you’d rather, Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofsky) half-heartedly sells his persona. —erica

A YMC shirt just business-like enough to keep Sideshow Bob Mel in line. 

A blue bowtie, made by Forage, not the Krusty Korporation.

Cheap Monday pants—as green as the hundred dollar bills he uses to light his cigarettes.

Get all the “In Character” action you can handle here.

Weather Vain: Montreal, Quebec - 86 and Partly Cloudy

Like just about everybody else, I have a soft spot for Montreal—and not just because of the copious amounts of pork product, even. Here’s what I’d want to wear if I was in Canada’s second city today. —erica

Clockwise from top left:

+ One of the so-rad pouches Baggu made for Of a Kind—to keep you from feeling weighed down strolling the Plateau.

+ A second pop of neon—because why not?—brought to you by Annie Costrello Brown.

+ A summery plaid Rachel Comey dress that feels very eating-oysters-with-friends-at Liverpool House.

+ The sort of sandals (c/o YMC) that feel so French-speaking in a Madeline way.

+ Bring on the big, fat Karen Walkers. In these, you could lounge around Cafe Olimpico drinking iced coffee and reading all morning long.

For more dressing-by-the-forecast, head this way.

Of a Kind

How strikingly, ridiculously, distractingly perfect are these YMC canvas boat shoes? Oof. —erica

In Character: David the Gnome

Try not to get mad at me: You will not find this 399-year-old gnome’s iconic (and ginormous) hat below. You will, however see the other components of his woodland-dweller’s ensemble, which is almost as memorable as his hypnosis and acupuncture skills were impressive. —erica

A bright blue YMC sweater that hangs on his six-inch-tall frame.

Muddy-brown Left Field pants that can take a little dirt (and keep Lisa from doing too many loads of miniature laundry).

A sort of slimmed-down leather fanny pack from Ally Capellino that keeps his hands free for riding Swift.

For more “In Character” madness, click here.

In Character: Paddington Bear

When this bear arrived at a railway station by lifeboat (?!), he didn’t even have shoes—those wellies came as a Christmas gift years later. But no matter: Dude was slick—polished enough to convince the Browns that he was an upstanding citizen worthy of a place at 32 Windsor Gardens, despite the fact that he was a complete disaster at tea. Here, his “Please take care of this bear” essentials. —erica

A big red Stella McCartney hat—a gift from Uncle Pastuzo.

A bright blue YMC duffle coat substantial enough to keep him warm on his voyage from deepest, darkest Peru.

A boxy brown suitcase from Want Les Essentiels de la Vie with room for countless jars of orange marmalade.

Lots more where this came from: Click here to delve into the “In Character” archives.

Next Level: Men’s Chambray Shirts

If you’re a dude between the ages of 20 and 40, there’s a good chance that you own this J.Crew number. And you should! It’s useful! But now that it’s part of the guy uniform, you have to, you know, expand your denim shirt horizons. These are four ways to go, depending on how adventurous you’re feeling. —erica

LEVEL I: Go dark. Yes, it feels like a small change, but this simple Our Legacy shirt somehow makes a big statement.

LEVEL II: Thanks to two little tweaks—yellow buttons and a pullover cut—this YMC take feel surprisingly unexpected.

LEVEL III: STRIPES. The plum ones ones on this Wood Wood shirt are straight-up rad—like the color of spilled Merlot.

LEVEL IV: To really shake things up, get rid of some of the chambray altogether, opting for this boxy Cheap Monday button-down with loud flannel sleeves.

We do these roundups weekly! Do a deep-dive into the archives.

Of a Kind

Ok, everything about this look from YMC, one of those lines that makes me seriously consider a move to London, but especially the sweater with its pops of leather. —erica

In Character: Screech Powers

Though Screech hasn’t had the 21st century impact of his geek-style contender Steve Urkel—here’s looking at you, Kayne—he deserves credit. He always dressed loudly and enthusiastically, even when it would have been a whole lot easier to try to blend in (and Lisa Turtle would never take notice either way). —erica

A zany-print short-sleeve shirt by Warriors of Radness that’s tough enough to take some locker beatings.

Slouchy gray trousers by Kris Van Assche that allude to his billionaire destiny.

In-your-face YMC sneakers. Because Screech was all about mixing patterns.

In Character: Sally Albright

The thing about Sally Albright is that she is buttoned-up, proper, and polite—until she isn’t. And her wardrobe is the same, full of ultra-preppy sweaters, khakis, and collared shirts that are somehow more alluring than anything so tennis club ought to be. She looks like the very best version of herself—all doe-eyed, pink-lipped, and big-haired—in the Harry-come-running NYE scene when she’s done up in navy, in that polished, good-girl way of hers. So, if you’re still looking for something to wear on Friday, we suggest forgoing the black and silver, the sequins and glitter—but the teary lashes and furrowed brow are only allowed after half a bottle of Champagne. —erica

A big, YMC cable-knit sweater that could have been swiped from any number of well-groomed exes.

Slim pleated Organic by John Patrick pants—hold the cuffs.

A just-left-of-center dark blue strapless dress by Allsaints Spitalfields that says you will not be anyone’s colsolation prize.

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