Rule #2:
A good pair of jeans can revolutionize your wardrobe.
Alright.
Remember back in the good old days when bleaching your hair was "in"?
Yeah I wish I could forget it too. Now the same is with faded jeans. A
good dark wash is bringing sexy back, just like Justin Timberlake
valiantly attempted. This time, you for sure will be successful. Not
that you weren't JT, Backstreet just kidnapped your identity past,
present and future and refuses to give it back. Anyway, NO FADE, NO
FLEUR DE LIS on the pockets (or elsewhere), NO WHITE STITCHING, AND
DEFINITELY NO BEJEWELED ANYTHING (The last was in case if you were on
the wrong side of Buckle. Or even in Buckle. What are you still doing
in there?!? Get out!!! Before they get you.) Simple and sleek will take you a million miles and go with everything.
Now at this point, I should mention of my strategy here. I am inherently biased against my own fashion tastes, however, my goal is to provide the simplest, classiest advice to get you (or a loved one, or a "friend of a friend", it's alright we all have one of those) to a place where they are fashionably safe and can eventually explore their own identity.
With that out of the way, lets go back to work.
Jeans do not have to be expensive to look good or to last long. If you have time to wait you can shop around something good that will match fit, taste and price will come along.
Here are some things to seek out in a pair of jeans:
Appropriate Fit
A pair of jeans should look good, they should fit a certain way in certain areas while other areas have room for flexibility to accommodate taste and comfort.
The first and most important area of fit is the waistband. The waistband should be snug but not tight. It should press into the skin just a little bit but not be so tight as to cause pinching. Remember, jeans upon first wash will "stiffen" or flex back to their original shape and even shrink just a tad, but remember, upon first wear, they will naturally relax again. On the side of looseness, you should wear your belt as an accessory, not as a necessity. Remember, the fit of the rest of the pant is dependent up on the waist size, you increase the waist, everything gets bigger, and same vice versa.
Second, working our way down, the crotch should not be bigger than the rest of the fit of the pant. When you stand, take one point in the leg of the pant, pinch the extra fabric until at that point the fabric has no slack around your leg (preferably somewhere along your thigh), then pinch the excess fabric out of your crotch. If there is significantly more fabric in your crotch than the rest of the pant, the crotch is too long.
Third, length your jeans should just barely touch the floor when worn without shoes. Jeans should never drag on the ground when worn with shoes. You're not a bride, so don't make yourself a train.
Style
This is all up to you. However, I will provide more ground rules for you.
Darker wash is better for the more dressy you want to be, usually. I will say in colors other than denim, that could change in a hurry.
Simpler design = better. Elaborate stitching, jewels, crosses, etc...can date the pant and decrease how long it can match current styles.
When it comes to the actual fit of the pant, I always say as a rule, the slimmer the better, especially in the opening (fancy term for how much the bottom of the leg "flares", bell bottoms would have an enormous opening, while skinnies would have a small one). I say slimmer the better because you don't want the bagginess of your pants to out do the fit of your shirt.
Skinnies: not everyone likes them, but they can be done fashionably. Don't listen to the haters.
How many?
Well, you should have enough jeans to have one to wear and one to wash at the same time plus one just in case if you spill something in your crotch, or make a failed attempt at crotch pot cookin' or something like that. How often should you wash your jeans? When there are noticeable spots that are lighter or darker than the rest of the jean, or they smell (pretty common sense guys). Jeans do not have to be washed upon each wear. There are even jeans which are raw denim that should never be washed (Nudies).
To maintain their fit and prevent shrinking or warping, wash and then do not machine dry. Lay them flat to dry. Do not wring them. But you can dry them if you'd like, they will shrink a little upon the first wash and then there after they will shrink back to towards their original fit.
As I have said, a man can change his whole fashion state by two things, his shoes and his jeans. Don't be afraid to try something new!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Better Fashionably Late
Alright all you cool cats, I may be a little slow upstairs, but I finally came around to what I should write about. Fashion for guys. Duh. I moonlight as a consultant, sometimes for as little as free lunch, so I figured why not help out a world of guys who don't know a hounds tooth from a herringbone. (No, neither are actual parts of animals.)
So let's get started shall we?
Rule #1:
Keep it simple.
The thing that was the most revolutionary for me is when I simplified my wardrobe. You aren't a woman (I thank God every day that I don't have to pass another human being through my legs). Fashion is another one of those areas to be grateful for. Twelve pairs of shoes are not necessary. Twelve pairs of jeans are not necessary, seven suits are not necessary (but that is really how many I have, don't judge). But here is what is necessary: staples for your wardrobe. Which brings us to our next rule.
Here's the bones of a good wardrobe for a man:
Athletics:
One pair of athletic shoes are fine. These however never should be worn with long pants unless if they are on the way to the gym with your warm up pants or sweats (that do not match your jacket/hoodie, you didn't make the Harlem Globetrotters, so please stop dressing like you did and bouncing balls off of people's faces. It's rude.)
Shorts. Just make sure there aren't stains or holes and we'll be cool.
Work out shirts (These should be exclusive to this category, no wearing these with other categories and vice versa).
Good athletic socks. Nike Dry Fit are my favs but as long as my feet are cool and comfortable it doesn't matter what they are.
Best Dressed:
A dark suit is a must. Navy or charcoal grey are staples. Black and brown usually are not. Black is too formal and if you do brown wrong it can be too casual. It should be wool. If you paid more than $200 before tax and alterations you paid too much.
A belt. Don't skip it. You may as well not wear a suit, people will notice.
Dark unpleated slacks if you are thin. If you are heavier you already have your preference. (I know I worked at Men's Wearhouse for a number of years, I just can't pin you guys.)
A white shirt. I'll write about this later but if you shell out just a little extra quid it can make your life a whole lot easier. White is a wild card, it goes with everything. However, light blue or an ecru may be posed as substitutes or wing men to the white.
Nice black shoes. Nice=polish worthy. They should have a heel. The sole (the actual bottom that the leather is attached to should be no wider than 1/4", you're going to a business meeting, not hiking).
A tie. No logos, no pictures, no prints, preferably not polyester. Red, yellow, orange, or purple are great starter colors, stay away from black or navy solids. The pattern should not be abstract (no Jerry Garcia), and the pattern should say "Nice tie", not "Nice tie" (It's all in the italics). The thickness should be no more than 3 inches and no less than 1, that is unless if you are looking for an occupation as a clown then by all means. (And if so, this blog may not be for you.)
Socks, also an important detail that is often over looked. They should be long enough that they leave no skin showing beneath the bottom of your pant and your shoe when you sit. If any, it should be very minimal. They should be as dark or darker than the slack and preferably the same color (navy, charcoal, etc).
Casual:
NO TENNIS SHOES. Can you tell how strongly I feel about that? Maybe I should say it one more time just in case NO TENNIS SHOES. I used to classify tourists when I lived in DC by the name "Tennies" because they always wear tennis shoes. It's tacky.
Depending on your style your shoes can be canvas or leather or even hemp (I have a cool pair of hemp shoes). Unless if you know what you're doing and consider yourself fashion forward you should not wear "extreme" colors, i.e. anything fluorescent, extremely bright or interesting textures or looks like it may still be alive...yeah definitely don't wear those. They should be light and simple. Again, you are not hiking. You are going to work/doing errands/school, not Mount Everest.
You should own a button up. Solid colors or a plaid are good. Feel free to express yourself with colors. Be careful with too many colors in plaid though. You've mixed all of the sodas together before...yeah you don't want that in a shirt.
You should also own a nice T (or V neck, eh eh?) shirt. This means, no holes to be found anywhere. No discolorations in the arm pits, no stains from grease or anything colored. If it is dark and the seams or collar are lighter than the fabric, it is time to replace. This is optional but you are guaranteed to look classier if you are not a walking billboard for Aeropostale or American Eagle. Remember you PAID to wear a logo which in the normal advertising world they would have to pay to put anywhere else. If you want to pay for a brand name that is not the way you want to do it.
You should also have a belt. Casual belts should be leather and be brown or black and without studs.
You should have a jacket. Be brave and buy (and wear) something other than a hoodie, or your ski coat. Go look, don't buy unless if you find something that you really like. Pea coats are super easy and very nice looking (and warm).
Gettin' Dirty:
Whatever you want to wear except for you are not allowed to wear anything from casual or best dressed categories, other than that knock yourself out. This is a great category to wear your old stuff.
I will elaborate on these in greater detail in the future. Note that I didn't give you any details on quantity. This is where you customize. Figure out what your laundry/dry cleaning cycle is and slowly buy until you reach a point where you have a couple back up shirts/pants and so on that you can grab just in case if something happens. Other than that, you fill in the gaps.
So let's get started shall we?
Rule #1:
Keep it simple.
The thing that was the most revolutionary for me is when I simplified my wardrobe. You aren't a woman (I thank God every day that I don't have to pass another human being through my legs). Fashion is another one of those areas to be grateful for. Twelve pairs of shoes are not necessary. Twelve pairs of jeans are not necessary, seven suits are not necessary (but that is really how many I have, don't judge). But here is what is necessary: staples for your wardrobe. Which brings us to our next rule.
Here's the bones of a good wardrobe for a man:
Athletics:
One pair of athletic shoes are fine. These however never should be worn with long pants unless if they are on the way to the gym with your warm up pants or sweats (that do not match your jacket/hoodie, you didn't make the Harlem Globetrotters, so please stop dressing like you did and bouncing balls off of people's faces. It's rude.)
Shorts. Just make sure there aren't stains or holes and we'll be cool.
Work out shirts (These should be exclusive to this category, no wearing these with other categories and vice versa).
Good athletic socks. Nike Dry Fit are my favs but as long as my feet are cool and comfortable it doesn't matter what they are.
Best Dressed:
A dark suit is a must. Navy or charcoal grey are staples. Black and brown usually are not. Black is too formal and if you do brown wrong it can be too casual. It should be wool. If you paid more than $200 before tax and alterations you paid too much.
A belt. Don't skip it. You may as well not wear a suit, people will notice.
Dark unpleated slacks if you are thin. If you are heavier you already have your preference. (I know I worked at Men's Wearhouse for a number of years, I just can't pin you guys.)
A white shirt. I'll write about this later but if you shell out just a little extra quid it can make your life a whole lot easier. White is a wild card, it goes with everything. However, light blue or an ecru may be posed as substitutes or wing men to the white.
Nice black shoes. Nice=polish worthy. They should have a heel. The sole (the actual bottom that the leather is attached to should be no wider than 1/4", you're going to a business meeting, not hiking).
A tie. No logos, no pictures, no prints, preferably not polyester. Red, yellow, orange, or purple are great starter colors, stay away from black or navy solids. The pattern should not be abstract (no Jerry Garcia), and the pattern should say "Nice tie", not "Nice tie" (It's all in the italics). The thickness should be no more than 3 inches and no less than 1, that is unless if you are looking for an occupation as a clown then by all means. (And if so, this blog may not be for you.)
Socks, also an important detail that is often over looked. They should be long enough that they leave no skin showing beneath the bottom of your pant and your shoe when you sit. If any, it should be very minimal. They should be as dark or darker than the slack and preferably the same color (navy, charcoal, etc).
Casual:
NO TENNIS SHOES. Can you tell how strongly I feel about that? Maybe I should say it one more time just in case NO TENNIS SHOES. I used to classify tourists when I lived in DC by the name "Tennies" because they always wear tennis shoes. It's tacky.
Depending on your style your shoes can be canvas or leather or even hemp (I have a cool pair of hemp shoes). Unless if you know what you're doing and consider yourself fashion forward you should not wear "extreme" colors, i.e. anything fluorescent, extremely bright or interesting textures or looks like it may still be alive...yeah definitely don't wear those. They should be light and simple. Again, you are not hiking. You are going to work/doing errands/school, not Mount Everest.
You should own a button up. Solid colors or a plaid are good. Feel free to express yourself with colors. Be careful with too many colors in plaid though. You've mixed all of the sodas together before...yeah you don't want that in a shirt.
You should also own a nice T (or V neck, eh eh?) shirt. This means, no holes to be found anywhere. No discolorations in the arm pits, no stains from grease or anything colored. If it is dark and the seams or collar are lighter than the fabric, it is time to replace. This is optional but you are guaranteed to look classier if you are not a walking billboard for Aeropostale or American Eagle. Remember you PAID to wear a logo which in the normal advertising world they would have to pay to put anywhere else. If you want to pay for a brand name that is not the way you want to do it.
You should also have a belt. Casual belts should be leather and be brown or black and without studs.
You should have a jacket. Be brave and buy (and wear) something other than a hoodie, or your ski coat. Go look, don't buy unless if you find something that you really like. Pea coats are super easy and very nice looking (and warm).
Gettin' Dirty:
Whatever you want to wear except for you are not allowed to wear anything from casual or best dressed categories, other than that knock yourself out. This is a great category to wear your old stuff.
I will elaborate on these in greater detail in the future. Note that I didn't give you any details on quantity. This is where you customize. Figure out what your laundry/dry cleaning cycle is and slowly buy until you reach a point where you have a couple back up shirts/pants and so on that you can grab just in case if something happens. Other than that, you fill in the gaps.
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