What to Wear: To Be a Stylin’ Man

It was brought to my attention that I have some male readers, and I’m completely ignoring them!  First off, gentlemen, my apologies.  Trust me, it’s not from a lack of undying love and affection, you’d be hard-pressed to find a person out there that loves the male species more than I do!  Here’s an article, just for my favorite creatures, on some basics to buy to look stylish and put together on a regular basis.  An “Everyman List” if you will.  I know shopping isn’t likely to be your favorite activity, but looking good surely is!

Great Jeans

Fact:  Men look great in jeans.  They were originally created for you, and we all thank Levi Strauss daily for this fantastic way to show off a man in all his hot glory.  But….there are ways to go wrong.  Tapered ankles, overly faded wash, pleated fronts, or anything high-waisted is a quick way to take all the hot out of your jeans.  What you want to look for are some basic guidelines.

Length: Jeans need to be long enough, but not too long.  Tricky, I know.  General rule of thumb is to get them long enough to cover the top part of your shoe.  Any longer and you will look slouchy and shorter than you are, any shorter and you will look…well, like Screech from Saved by the Bell.  Neither is your goal, I hope.

Wash: Just be safe and make it dark.  Yes there are a ton of vintage fades, lighter washes, etc. but in my experience, a dark wash jean on a man doesn’t go wrong.  Ever.  Oh, and please, PLEASE walk past the styles with studs/bedazzles/huge TR crosses on the rear/any form of glitter.  You’re a man, Scottsdale, bring down a notch, playa.

Fit: These should not squeeze you, hang so low they show your underwear, or require acrobatics to get in and out of.  Men’s jeans look great in a straight leg in a slightly loose fit.  Skinny jeans on a man?  I know it’s trendy, but unless your job also includes eyeliner and an instrument/microphone, leave the skinnies to the girls.  It’s just not a good look, dude.

This guy’s got it right, no bells or whistles, just great fitting jeans.

A Classic White Shirt

I’m telling you, the one outfit every man can disarm a woman in is a great pair of jeans and white shirt.  I don’t know what it is!  Maybe we all watched too many movies and Brando in Streetcar Named Desire started it (and we’re thankful for that), but this outfit just screams MAN to me!  Check out any classic male heartthrob movie role if you don’t believe me- Tom Cruise in Top Gun, Brad Pitt in Thelma and Louise, James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, you may not realize it, but we’ve been programmed to see this look as the classic good-looking man. Whether it’s a button down with the sleeves pushed up to 3/4 length (love this look), a loose fitting beach shirt in San Diego, or a classic Hanes crew-neck T-shirt, a white shirt and jeans on a man is perfect.  Just so perfect!

You can’t tell me you don’t want to be Brando.  Even I do!

A Suit

I know these are expensive, guys, but you only need one.  One great black suit will carry you through decades if your fit doesn’t change too much.  A suit needs to include flat-front pants (never pleats, unless you want to look like a pregnant woman), a jacket, and a vest.  I like the 3-piece suit best of all because when a man is all buttoned up into one, they just look the way all of us picture a man looking-classic, masculine, and elegant.  I say this suit should be black because it’s versatile.  Yes, a gray suit is great, but it’s not appropriate for every occasion, while a black one is never inappropriate.  Fit is major here.  It needs to be professionally tailored to fit you.  Think of this as an investment.  You’ll wear it to your interview, your promotion lunch, your best friend’s wedding, your loved one’s funeral, and every single major life event in between.  It’s worth the expense and the added thought.

Don Draper, the essence of MAN, always suited up.  Gorgeous.

A Swagger

You need some touches of you, guys.  I know men’s clothing is super boring–you have like 5 options maximum on what to wear any given day, but there are ways to have fun.  My friend David got married in his prized vintage Air Jordans, my ex-boyfriend owns every kind of Chuck Taylors known to man, and my cousin always wears a pink tie on Easter.  I love this stuff.  Put yourself into your clothes in fun ways, not by purchasing 90’s Hammer pants because you really dig 90’s hip-hop (we all do, but you don’t see me rocking backwards overalls…in public).  Ties, shoes, hats, watches, cuff links, these are YOUR toys, the way that jewelry, high heels, and purses are our toys.  And we notice, boys, we notice.  I met my boyfriend on a night when he was in a 3-piece suit and his matching, amazing tie clip and cuff links sealed the deal on me.  I loved them.  (I actually…stole them..but that’s another tale!)  Don’t be afraid to get stylish, it’s not effeminate, it’s hot.  You’re hot.  We love you for it.

In terms of personal style, I place Beckham at the top, only slightly above Pharrell.  Personalize it and own it, men can be stylin’ too!

Lovely spending this time with you boys, it won’t be the last!

XOXOXOXO