The Vintage Man: Fall Fashion Inspiration

One of the things that I really appreciate about my boyfriend, Brian, is that he likes dressing up almost as much as I do. While he doesn't spend as much time thinking about or shopping for clothes as I do (at least, I hope; no one should, really), he has a pretty distinct vision of how he wants to look, which I think is kind of unusual for guys. To say that he's a bit of a retrophile is a serious understatement, and his love of all things vintage is one of the things that gave me the confidence to delve as deeply into vintage as I have, and to wear what I want with pride.

Not only did he want to dress up 30s style, with the boater, bow tie, and suspenders, he even picked out my outfit to match.

That is the face of a man who is not afraid to rock a serious Hawaiian print.

In the car on the way to Randolph Street Market a few weeks back. Brian's brother has a car that I always call an El Camino, but which is not an El Camino.

We sometimes type up stories on his vintage typewriter.
I already did my fall fashion inspirations, and I was curious about what his were. He had a pretty succinct description.
"Oddly enough, the cab drivers and longshoremen from classic Film Noir. They aren't the main characters but they give those films their character, grit, and authenticity. It's not the flashy, flamboyant style of a '40s star (which is great, but a bit impractical). It's simple, classic, durable clothing with a bit of a tough edge."

Marlon Brando and other cast members from On The Waterfront, 1954.

I know Bogart was a star, not a background character, but do you know how hard it is to find images of background characters from film noir? I think Brian may literally be the first person to take them as a fashion inspiration.
Obviously he's a bit more practical than I am. I also think it's funny that his fall shopping list is about half as long as mine.
• Brown bomber jacket (He actually already thrifted one for something like $8)
• Fresh raw Levis blue jeans
• Navy surplus chukka boots
• Round 30's sunglasses
• Brown felt fedora
• Surplus wool sweater with elbow and shoulder patches
• Shirts - printed patterns, no button collars, non slim cut
I'd set up a list of options from online shops for him, but I know that's not how he does things. Chances are he's doing to thrift most of this stuff, which is a skill that I need to learn from him.

So, do any of you have a significant other who dresses in vintage or enjoys vintage style? If not, is that something that you would enjoy?

Edit 8/27: So, Brian was not a fan of one of the photos that I used and requested that I swap it out with one that's a little more flattering. On the bright side, he did say he'd let me take more photos of him in the future, which is pretty great.