Paperdoll Styling 101: FAMQ V

FAMQ V

Frye, James Wingtip Oxfords

DID YOU GET THE LATEST SHOE MEMO?

It seems that every guy got the square toed shoe memo in the 90's.. yet every guy that I see missed the latest one that said
"THROW THEM OUT".

It's the classic case.. as a girl, you see guys in their normal casual gear all the time and they look so cute.. and then one day you have to go somewhere that requires proper dress attire and BAM. Out comes these horrible ensembles! The inappropriately casual button down from American Eagle with the bottoms from their one and only suit, and then when you think it can't get any worse, you look down.... and your eyes start to burn.
(Can you tell that this scenario happened to me?)

Boys, listen closely............ like reeeeeallllly close.......... Put on your dress shoes.. and look down...

If the toe of your shoe is so square that it forms right angles, take them off.. walk over to your trash... and throw them the hell out please.  That shit makes me cringe.

Just because your mother bought you a pair of dress shoes to match your first ill fitting suit.. in the 90's or early 2000's, does NOT mean that you should A) still own them and B) sport them around town.  

So.. again, that means anything that look like

either of these...

 

I know you guys think that sporting a nice loafer with jeans looks great... WELL IT DOESN'T.  No one under the age of 45 should wear those brown guys up there... pick another way to emulate your dad.

These guys are pretty sweet though!

Gucci Leather Moccasin

Magnanni Cap Toe

Magnanni Birmingham, Suede Leather

If you own any "all white" shoes (i.e. Pumas or Adidas Shell Tops) because they were sooo cool when you were in high school.. chances are, they are the same exact pair from high school and it is now 2011 and you should throw them out!

Here are some great sneaker choices.

John Varvatos for Converse

John Varvatos did an amazing line of shoes for Converse.  

He took the classic Chuck Taylors to another level.

Also, if you ever wanted to try the sneaker suit look (which I am a huge fan of) Chucks are the way to go... anything else aaaaand you probably look like a chump. (Niki Dunks and Vans are also acceptable and quite tasty looking.. does that make sense? Trick question.. yes.)



John Varvatos for Converse



Vans



Another great casual shoe option are top-siders



Band of Outsiders Houndstooth Top-Sider

Sperry Chukka Boot Top-Siders

And another casual shoe that makes my heart beat faster is the chukka boot..

John Varvatos Suede Hipster Chukka

Prada Blue Suede Chukka

If you're a trendy guy then you could handle these...



John Varatos Limited Edition Barret Boots

So bad ass.

These are hot too...



John Varvatos Washed Convert Boot



Basically anything that John Varvatos puts out there... I support you investing in.  He just has this rugged worn edge to his designs and 9 times out of 10 I love what he does.



Paperdoll Styling 101: FAMQ IV

FAMQ IV

SKINNY VS. REGULAR

Ties!!!

What is appropriate?

Easy peasy!... and this is just my opinion....

Skinny = hotty boom bahdy!

Medium = appropriate and acceptable for most occasions

Wide = VOM

I'm not a fan of the traditional tie prints (paisley... voooommmm)... I like more of a basic look.  The cleaner the better.

Prada ties are sexy.  Ferragamo and Hermes have quirky, cute prints!

Take a look at these! 

Collegiate/Preppy

Hermes

I don't give a "Flying Buck" hehehehe

Hermes: Monkey Face

Floral Summer

Club Monaco Skinny Summer

Prada

And I love a cotton skinny tie.

mmmm... that's nice.

Also! Give your tie some jewelry.  Tie clips are so sleek and sexy (like the first image of this post).  It definitely completes a sharp look.  And you can have fun with them too!  Find some vintage ones online or at a thrift store! Get ones to fit your personality.. how you dress yourself, whether you like to think about it or not, is how people perceive you.  People will make preconceived judgments on your personality, character and lifestyle.  So you might as well look pulled together!  I mean I look at guys all the time and write them off as "Boston Douche Bags"... I don't mean to! It just happens. I'm only human!

What I'm trying to say is.. don't be afraid to  show your personality through your own personal style.  You can do it in subtle ways that set you apart!  


I know I sound like I'm contradicting myself (dress like this! but be different!), however this is just a guide to getting your personal style to externalize the strapping young man within!  And with that being said, you need to take these suggestions of modern dress and make them your own!


Set yourself apart from the sea of "normies" and take pride in your appearance!  

Vintage Tie Clips

Tie Clips

Goodbye... for now!

Hoedown on Hump Day!

Hoedown? Totally.

So I decided that the girls need a little female fashion treat... and since it's hump day.. 

why not throw a little girl's fashion moment into the boy's fashion week.

I love this dress... I found it at a second hand store called Rescue on Newbury.

Betsey Johnson, $15! Woo! 

I love throwing on a bunch necklaces and then covering it up with a hanky.

This hanky is my little Twenty8Twelve scarf.. and I love it.. because it has a donkey one 

side and SM on the other... makes me smile.

Of course after accessorizing my neck I decided to throw more feathers 

that resemble roadkill, into my hair. I don't hate it.

Weeeeee..... Ok bye.

Paperdoll Styling 101: FAMQ III

FAMQ III

SEASONS AND FABRICS GO HAND IN HAND?

Yes my little cherubs. They do.

Photos by The Style Blogger

Spring/Summer   VS    Fall/Winter

There's an easy rule here.  Heavy goes with heavy and light goes with light. The end.

Ok ok I'll elaborate.

Wool or a wool blend (meaning there is something else in the fabric besides wool) should be worn with wool or a heavier material.

Now it gets tricky.. because most blazers are a wool base, but there is a huge difference between a light wool and a heavy wool... Heavy wool is strictly a fall/winter fabric (this goes for ties too) and should be worn back to wool or dark denim.  YOUR WOOL BLAZER SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED WITH YOUR WOOL SUIT JACKET... EVER. Now a light weight wool (which is lighter and thin to the touch and usually has cotton blended with it) can be worn with a heavier or deep khaki (and denim) and you'll be fine.  But,  if you have to ask if something "goes".. 9 times out of 10 it doesn't.

Cotton, linens and gingham are spring and summer fabrics that can be worn together.. such as a linen cotton blazer with a khaki twill pant or short.

The number one mistake guys make in the Spring season is mixing their summer pieces with their winter gear.  Same goes for girls (this I saw the other night out in Boston, wasn't surprised), a girl was wearing, as my stylist friend Nancy would say, a "taco length" dress, no tights, gladiator sandals and her puffy down coat with fur around the hood.  You are a fool (not to mention a couple other choice words) honey.  Just make sure, if you want to look sharp, that your outfit is weather and season appropriate.

If you're a plaid guy, that's great!  Plaid & check as patterns are seasonless.... the fabric the patterns are on however are not.  Easy rule here.  Flannel for winter.  Gingham for summer. 

(I'm not going to lie.. I don't mind when a flannel is thrown on on a cool summer night as a light jacket around a bonfire.. but other than that keep it for winter)

***Gingham is great.  It looks amazing under a summer suit and can also take on a cool casual look as well.  If you're a smart boy reading this.. you'll invest in some gingham.

SUMMER SUITING AND DRESS ATTIRE

Summer Ties

Pocket Square Photo from The Bow Tie Society

 Madras Print (above) & Seersucker Suit (below) by Haspel

Armani Collezioni Khaki Suit

Milo Ventimiglia for GQ

Summer Fabrics and Prints

Cotton - Linen - Madras - Gingham - Seersucker - Twill - Featherweight Wool - Fine Gauge Cashmere

WINTER SUITING AND DRESS ATTIRE

Wool and Winter Ties

Photos by Gina Unfiltered

Who knew Joel McHale was so sharp!

hotty hotty hotty!

Hugo Boss Wool Suit

Winter Fabrics

Flannel - Thicker Gauge Cashmere - Wool - Velvet - Wool Cotton Blend - Tweed - Corduroy 

... and the seasons shall never meet.

Please.

Paperdoll Styling 101: FAMQ II

FAMQ II

ARE YOU COLOR BLIND?

(sincerest apologies to those of you who actually are colorblind)

"What goes with what"



Photo: tengossip.com





Photo: examiner.com

 

Photo: dapperkid.blogspot.com

OK....... this is a FAMQ (Frequently Asked Man Question).  What colors are ok to wear with each other?  There is a lot of wiggle room here so I'm just going to be pretty general.

Photo: primermagazine.com

Brown shoes should be your best friend.. they are actually a lot more versatile than black

Suits & Pants : Accessories

Black Suit : To make your life easier (because again there are ways to wear black with brown but I know you'll just screw it up) just stick with black shoes and a black belt please! 

Navy Suit : You can wear brown accessories.. brown goes great with navy!  You can wear black shoes too... that doesn't bother me either. 

Khaki Suit : Brown accessories are the safest way to go!

Grey/Charcoal Suit : I always like putting brown with grey (as seen above) but again... black can definitely go back to grey too!

Jackets : Pants/Shorts

Black Jacket : Grey pants and black pants.

Navy Jacket : Khaki pants, navy pants and grey pants, fitted jeans.

Khaki Jacket : Khaki pants, navy pants, fitted jeans (maybe throw in a cuff... even though I know you won't)

Grey/Charcoal Jacke : Black pants, grey pants, navy pants, and fitted jeans (notice I keep saying fitted jeans... anything that is even remotely baggy or "relaxed"... you instantly look like a virgin who can't drive)

Seersucker or Madras Jacket : Ya... I went there.  You can wear a these summer jackets with any array of colored twill pants, khaki pants and shorts of any color.... and dare I say it.. even fatigues.  I actually like fatigue print shorts... worn in the right way you look bad ass.

Neiman Marcus Online

I love this look by Theory. 

A khaki summer short suit with a dark shoe.  It works and is balanced (balance and composition is key in dressing yourself).. but honestly... if you find yourself taking notes from these posts, don't try this at home.  It's for your own good.

Paperdoll Styling 101: FAMQ I

***DISCLAIMER***

This is purely my opinion... if you're a male that appreciates my style and/or opinion then please read on!  As you can see this is typed on a computer... and not etched in stone.

I deem this week "Boys! Boys! Boys! Week"! 

Every day this week I will be giving my "boyfans" (teehehe I think I'm funny) a little lesson in "proper and appropriate dressing".  Meaning... the suit your mother bought you in the early 2000's along with your square toed dress shoes should be burned and then buried.  It's time to grow up.

I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel or talk about "mens trends" or anything like that.

All this is, is a basics style guide  for you guys out there that call me from time to time (my brother being one of the few) and ask "Hey I have a question... Can I wear (insert terrible outfit choice)" in which I think in my head "Yes.. you could wear that.  It is in fact possible to wear that, however you will look like  an outdated mess who's mother doesn't love them"... but I don't.  I simply tell them my opinion on what I would think of them if I saw them at a bar, make fun of them and then tell them what I find to be a simple fix to their outfit... and this is the simplified "what goes with what" outline!

FAMQ I

(Frequently Asked Man Questions)

BLAZERS, SPORT COATS & SUITS??? OH MY!

When you are up and about, one button should be buttoned! If you are wearing a two button blazer then button the top button... a three button blazer button the middle one (some disagree and say the top two of a three button blazer should be button.. I agree to disagree).

Oh and four buttons? Should never exhist.

Blazers, sportcoats and suits should AAAALWAYS be tailored to fit your body type.  If you catch yourself or a sales person telling you "wow that actually fits perfectly!" you are being lazy or that sales person is lying to you.  Embrace tailoring.  It seriously makes your clothing that much more valuable to you because it means that all of your clothes are custom fit to you and no one but you.  Honestly.. you could maaaaaaybe find something that fits you pretty perfect.. but it's very rare.  Just know there is always room for alterations... and that's a good thing.

Oh and one last thing on the tailoring topic..

    No one thinks the guy that looks like a puppy swimming in his own skin is the best looking guy in the room.  So take the time and get your shit tailored!!!


AGAIN....

***^ No one likes this guy ^***

Tom Brady Esquire Magazine Shoot

^ Everyone likes this guy ^
I mean most straight guys would go gay for him
(that says something)

Moving on..

The sleeve of your jacket should hit your wrist when your arm is relaxed and by your side (this is also a tailoring issue and a preference thing.. but again.. a long sleeve = you looking like a chump).  If you are wearing a button down (woven) underneath, the cuff of the shirt should peak out of the cuff of the jacket, as if to say "hi I'm here.. but I'm not causing a scene".

While wearing a blazer or sport coat.. please tuck your woven (button down) in.  Every guy in Boston  was out of town when that memo was sent out.  I mean were you all raised in a barn? Trick question... because I know some who actually were!

Anyways..

Always throw in a pocket square! A white cotton in the summer is the safe and sexy way to go (with a square fold)!  If you're a little bit of a risk taker then try linen or cashmere with a little hint of color... don't go too crazy though! The silk ones leave rounded and just peaking out... or else you end up looking like a frumpy man in his mid 40's. 

I hope this was helpful to some of you out there... remember, this is only day one! Oh and if you are actually capable of dressing yourself, then please send this out to your friends that aren't.
Please.  Like.. do it for the girls.

I wish I may, I wish I might

... own this one day.

This is my gothic heaven.  And I would match it back to a leather bondage bandeau like this one from Elie Tahari and these Givenchy Shoes...

.. and flip everyone the bird as I walk by.

BYE!