Menswear Wednesday: The Bag Your Pants Shouldn't Be Like

Hello, gentlemen.  Look at your pants.  Now back to me.  Now back at your pants.  Look in your pockets.  How much crap do you actually have in there?  Let me guess: phone, keys, and wallet, at least.   What else is in there?  Gum?  Cash?  iPod?  Dang, your pants probably look like hell with all that stuff in there.

At one point in time, the solution was to grab a pair of cargo pants, cram them full of all your extra gear, and roll out the door with pockets bulging like Santa’s bag.  Now that styles are running slimmer, favoring a cleaner silhouette, how do you carry your stuff without screwing up your profile?

1. The man bag.  You knew this was coming, right?  Look, “murse” jokes aside, it makes sense.  Carry ALL your stuff: the book you’re reading,  a pen or two, a netbook or iPad, plus anything beyond the three essentials (keys, phone, wallet) that should stay in your pants.  Find something canvas, not leather, to emphasize that this isn’t some Coach-encrusted status symbol.  Hit a military store, or find something like this one from British bargaineers Topman.  Treat it like a briefcase, not a purse, and people will see it that way.
2. The reasonable wallet.  This is the one that hits me the hardest.  I have a chronic case of Costanza wallet.  Credit card, debit card, medical insurance card, membership cards for half a dozen restaurants and stores, plus cash and a random assortment of paper scraps.  Is all this stuff necessary?  Possibly.  But when it makes it look like I’m carrying a small boulder in my back pocket, something’s got to give.  Instead of a regular wallet that affords enough room for this kind of over-stuffing, get something slim, with a limited number of card slots.  It might require some advance planning, but the extra stuff can go in…the bag above.  Check out this one from Property Of...

And seriously, get rid of the cargo pants.  No one looks good in them.

Images via Selectism.com

Menswear Friday: Just Wear It

Fashion’s a funny thing.  One piece awry, and you’ll look like a fool.  Every piece in place, and you blend in so completely that you’re basically invisible.  There are some items that carry a weight of baggage with them, associations that we’d never intend, and most of us avoid them for fear of bringing that baggage along for the ride.  But some items are just too cool to get hung up on.  Here are a few favorites.  (As great as they are, mixing and matching them is probably a bad idea)

1. Cardigans.  Yes, Mister Rogers wore one.  And he looked like a stone cold pimp in one, too.  It’s the perfect layering piece, easier to remove than a sweater when the weather changes, and it works particularly well with a button up and a tie.  Buy one instead of a crewneck sweater.
2. Saddle shoes.  The insult here is that they’re for kids.  But they have two very grown-up things going for them.  First, they’re usually very lightweight, a rarity among dressy shoes.  And they’re two-tone (duh), which gives them more character and pop than plain brown or black ever will.
3. Cowboy boots.  This applies to the more rugged Justin Roper/Red Wing types and the fancy Lucheses alike; yes, you might look like a cowboy.  But if you’re living in The West, you might as well look the part.  Think of it as community pride.
4. Bow ties.  Oh boy.  There’s no question that this one is going to make you stand out.  That’s why you skip the whole “whimsical biology teacher” vibe, with the bright colors and patterns, and go with something muted and grown-up.  Think navy, burgundy, and charcoal, not lime green and pink.
5. Handkerchiefs.  Stop calling them “hankies”, and be a man.  Kleenex is for children and old women, so get something cotton that you can either actually wipe your nose with, or provide the finishing touch to a suit.  Yes, this sounds contradictory, which is why you want cotton, not some overpriced flashy silk pocket square that will make you look like a TV preacher.  The old axiom is “one for show, and one for blow”, so put one in your outer jacket pocket, facing the world, and the other in an inner or pant pocket, for dirty work.
6. Denim above the waist.  Whether it’s a shirt or a jacket, denim can be a great material, regardless of its “Canadian tuxedo” heritage.  A chambray shirt or denim jacket can be worn with jeans, even, provided that it’s a shade or two different than the jeans themselves.  i.e. raw jeans with a worn-in, faded jacket.

Fashion is all about the confidence to wear something so well that people don’t notice that you’re wearing it.  Each of these items could be part of a great get-up if you keep that in mind.

(Photos found via Selectism.com)

Menswear Wednesday: What Fall?

So it’s technically fall, as of the 22^nd.  But if you’re looking outside, you’d never know it.  It’s still warm, and whether you’re in Phoenix or Houston (I’m assuming a bit about the readership of this blog at the moment), the last thing you’re thinking about is breaking out that parka.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t dress like it is fall.

Call me a traditionalist, but I’m into the idea of seasonal dressing.   Particularly when the spring rolls around and I’m able to bring out the lightweight fabrics and the white shoes again, it’s like the first day back at school, seeing old friends again.  Particularly when you live in a climate where the seasons are replaced with simply “cold days”, hot days, and hotter days, it’s a nice little reminder of the ebb and flow of the year.

The typical demarcation between the seasons are Easter and Labor Day; between those days, if it’s lightweight or brightly colored, it works.  The intervening season becomes more muted; earth tones and grays rule the day, and heavier fabrics like wool and flannel gain the upper hand.

And there we are again: verge-of-October or not, it’s still a bit too hot for tweed, and it likely will be until this time next month.   So what’s a guy to do? A trio of quick suggestions, after an overly long introduction:

1. Cotton sweaters.  Up north, sweater season is already in full swing.  A fitted v-neck sweater in a lightweight pima cotton or cotton-cashmere blend (or even a linen-cotton blend leftover from the summer stock at places like J. Crew) is a perfect layering piece.  Put it on over a button up shirt with jeans, and you’ll look all snuggly without sweating like a pig.  Lightweight cardigans work here, too.
2. Corduroy.  When you really get down to it, cord pants aren’t really any hotter to wear than dark denim.  So grab a pair of cords in a casual, jean-like five pocket style, and wear them in place of jeans to the office or a night out.  A good corduroy blazer is another good look that isn’t too heavy.
3. Wool ties.  This one is almost a no-brainer.  It’s obviously not going to add weight to your outfit, but it is going to add some  fuzzy charm to your get-up.  Fortunately, most of the wool ties you’ll find these days are a little more slim, so they won’t look like you actually are wearing a sweater.

Do yourself a favor, and embrace the season, even if “football weather” means it dipped below 80 degrees.