Wardrobe Essentials: Navy Shorts

With summer either already here (the South) or quickly approaching (the North), its time you kick that short game back in to gear and out from the back of the closet. Granted you should probably have more than one pair and more than one color, but there is one in particular that you should have in your closet.

That's as summer as an outfit can get.

Navy and indigo are the colors of the season and also happen to be the classic hue that shorts come in season after season and in more stores than you can keep count of. So they are easy to find, got that part under control, now for styling them. Now not to say that I condone my brother's actions, but he does always have a pair of navy shorts on (annoyingly so), but that doesn't take away from the fact that they go with everything else he wears.

More of Nick Wooster doing things right.

A fun new look, seeing as it will be warmer soon, is to pair them with a lightweight sport coat in a natural tone to make a perfect casual summer look; I've been doing the same with a cream, double breasted sport coat with rave reviews. They are easy to wear and easier to pair, that just happens to be how a classic works, so go get yours today!

Brooks Brothers: $80

J. Crew: $70

Banana Republic: $55

Check in tomorrow for a fashion piece that begs your attention and next Wednesday for another essential item for your closet!

Tech Tuesday: Smarter Glasses

These may not be the answer to Google Glass and their hideous nature and nor is it something that is going to make an incredible difference in your day-to-day life. But what these glasses are going to do is give you peace of mind for both the glasses and your phone, isn't that something we all look for?

Glasses and phone working together for you!

A little company out of Japan by the name of Tzukuri Eyewear is trying to help with that whole "peace of mind" element with their new glasses. Utilizing Bluetooth Low Energy (my favorite recent innovation), the glasses will notify your phone if you have left your glasses and vice versa. It is tiered to send alerts at 5, 10 and 15 meter intervals and doesn't even require the app to run in the background on your phone.

6 frames and 3 fits that guarantee a flawless pair of shades.

As for the glasses, they are handmade in Japan with designs based on 3D facial research that practically guarantees that the frames will fit your face amazingly. All frames are fitted with polarized, scratch-proof lenses and are put through more quality checks and tests than your car probably did. Needless to say, these are a high quality product and will be available for pre-order through Tzukuri's website, just subscribe to their newsletter for updates about the launch!

Check in tomorrow for a fashion piece that needs to be in your closet and next Tuesday for some more exciting new tech!

Monday Outlook: Polka Dots

I'm sure we all remember the song, "she wore and itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, yellow polka dot bikini". If you don't, well then you need to get some apple pie in you to re-up those American levels. The summer is going to see a wide variety of prints and patterns, but this one is guaranteed to blow away the spectators.

Nick Wooster always ahead of the curve.

Polka dots are a relatively new pattern in the fashion world, only coming to the forefront in the mid-60's. Since then it has faded in and out of the spot light, changing from finely organized pin dots to large and in charge dots that really hit home. Unlike the traditional plaid or striped shirts,  polka dots give the eye something other than lines to look at, confusing them at first and then exhilarating them soon after.

Timid? Start with accessories and go from there.

Seeing as this is a very bold move, it may be hard to get used to, but an easy way to ease into the polka is to start with a smaller print and then work your way up from there. I recommend keeping the color scheme simple with white or black and another color, as to not appear too busy; major spring/summer style points for getting a white and black big polka pattern. My favorite piece featuring this exciting new trend is the polka dot shirt from Burberry, sported beautifully by Pharrell in last months issue of GQ.

Thanks GQ! Burberry Prorsum: $595

Check in tomorrow for some exciting new tech and next Monday for my fashion trend insight for the upcoming months!

Weekly Recap

Here are the links from the past week if you didn't have a chance to see them earlier this week:

Monday: Bright Plaids
Tuesday: The Slimmest Wallet
Wednesday: Blue Faced Watch
Thursday: Luxe Sweats
Friday: Sorry, no faux pas this week
Saturday: Jamie Foxx

I'd like to extend a belated Happy Birthday to my brother, Tyler, who turned 27 yesterday. He's having a blast over in Seattle right now, so I hope all is well in the Emerald City! I slacked off a little bit this Friday, not being able to get to my computer, but I'll make sure to make up for it this week. Have a happy Sunday, enjoy the rest of it while its still here.

Check in tomorrow for some upcoming fashion trend insight and all next week for more tips and advice on style! 

Celebrity Saturday: Jamie Foxx

Today's star is going to be a major fixture in the upcoming Amazing Spiderman 2 flick, a movie I personally look forward to seeing. He'll be starring as Electro but his upcoming role isn't the only scene he has electrified over the years.

Looking stylish as always, nothing too fancy either.

Jamie Foxx has bounced around the entertainment industry for years; acting, singing, designing, just about anything you can think of, he's done it. The longest part of his resume, however, would be his acting career, in roles ranging from action to drama and everything in between. Foxx is clearly the talented individual that you wish you would become half of some day, and although that will probably never happen, you could easily adopt his style.

Spiderman promoting in some classic rigs.

When he is not appealing to his inner rapper, Foxx adopts a classic look that utilizes timeless pieces in new ways while pairing them with trendier pieces. The resulting facade is a style to be reckoned with, but also one that is easily attained. Like I said, his look is very "classics" heavy, so anything you do get will stay relevant in your wardrobe for years to come.

Foxx and Leo have become good friends these days.

Check in tomorrow for my weekly recap and next Saturday for another stylish celebrity influence!

Threads for Thought: Luxe Sweatpants

Yes, it is getting warmer. No, I'm not advising that this item is a great idea to wear on the town during a summer day. But, if done right, they will be able to take you from casual to dressy just by changing a couple things up top.

I can't believe they're not sweatpants!

Luxe sweatpants aren't terribly hard to find, every designer will have them in their inventory, its just a matter of finding them in stores to get a size. The ideal pair will be dark, slim, cuffed, and feature more than just two pockets. All these features will make the sweatpants seem like just another pair of tapered pants so that no one questions your decision to wear sweatpants. There isn't much more to say about them, just stick to the guidelines and you'll be good to go; otherwise, you'll look like you just finished up your daily lift.

Ralph Lauren: $395

Betabrand: $98

J. Crew: $85

Check in tomorrow for another edition of my fashion faux pas and next Thursday for more style pieces that beg your consideration!

Wardrobe Essentials: Blue Face, Silver Band

Its easy to go out and buy a whole lot and have something to wear for every occasion, but its much more difficult to buy just the essentials and be surprised how versatile they are in your wardrobe. This addition (if you can control your shopping urges) will fit any occasion and and match with nearly everything.

Watches are a big investment piece for any man, similar to women and purses, and the more usable a single piece is, the more valuable it is to your collection. Now I'm not one to limit myself when it comes to watches, but the one I find myself wearing more often than not is more stainless, blue faced watch. Silver is the vanilla of metals, making it easy to match with everything and the blue face runs the middle ground of dressy and casual.

Tag Heuer: $1950

Bulova: $188

Lucien Piccard: $80

The more classic the face, the better, as simplicity always out runs any fad. Slimmer features are also highly recommended so that the watch blends with your outfits and doesn't become the WOW factor of all of them; great watches get asked about, garish ones only get noticed. So if you're in the market and don't already have one or simply starting your watch collection, go with the blue and silver.

Check in tomorrow for a fashion piece that begs your consideration and next Wednesday for more essential wardrobe additions!

Tech Tuesday: Sleek and Slim

One of my earliest Tech Tuesday posts featured a slim wallet design built by the team over at Silo with a simple and effective design. Its about time I reiterate the need for a slim wallet and not having a huge pocket bulge messing up your silhouette.

Keeping a wallet slim is a two-part battle that includes the manufacturer designing a wallet that is actually slim and the owner not trying to carry 4 credit cards, 6 membership cards, a drivers license, and a hefty wad of cash. I can't speak to your ability to eliminate unnecessary wallet clutter, but the team over at Bellroy have created a wallet that is built for slim. Not to say that all of their selection isn't slim, but they have recently improved previous designs to make the slimmest wallet you could fathom.

Featured in black, but comes in a variety of exciting colors.

The Slim Sleeve wallet is brought down to the bare bones of walletry (not a word, I know), constructed of just leather and stitching, also known as Bellroy's Nude Approach. The no-lining construction makes thin, thinner and durable even more so. It technically claims to hold up to 15 cards and cash, features high-quality leathers, has a 3-year warranty, and comes in at only $80, which means you'll still have money to put in the wallet.

Check in tomorrow for an item that needs to be in your closet and next Tuesday for some more exciting tech!

Monday Outlook: Colorful Plaids

In these Monday posts, I'm trying to keep all you loyal readers ahead of the fashion curve, so that you may be one of the best dressed individuals in your social circles. So now that we are getting into the heat of Spring and Summer (literally), its time to look into some transitional trends that will help you blend your summer wear into the fall.

The boys of Mad Men know how to do it.

Plaids are going to be your key to looking good this summer and continue going on that clip through fall, but not just any plaids, bright plaids. This criss-crossed style staple is great because they help to blend in different pieces since they incorporate more than one color, making it easy to pair. The kind that is most popular during summer is madras, a lightweight plaid weave originating from India that incorporates brighter and bolder colors.

Such a great summer look! Take notes.

Sport coats? Shirts? Pants? Ties? It doesn't really matter, all of them will work great in the coming months. So if you need something, replace it with some plaid, you'll be surprised how much you come to love that piece and how often you wear it. I highly recommend bleeding madras, which has unset dyes that change the appearance of the cloth after each laundering, making it feel new again and again.

Nick Wooster kills it with this madras sport coat.

Check in tomorrow for some exciting new tech and next Monday for some more fashion trend insight to keep you ahead of the curve!

Weekly Recap

Here are the links from the past week if you didn't have a chance to see them earlier this week:

Monday: Rocker Revival
Tuesday: Silver Undies
Wednesday: Grey Pants Party
Thursday: Rainbow Raincoats
Friday: Busy Busy
Saturday: NPH

Hope everyone is having a Happy Easter and has a chance to take a break from all the mimosas to make sure they didn't miss anything from the past week! I personally will be resuming the Easter tradition of celebrating the arrival of an egg bearing bunny by imbibing some more Orange Juice and stuffing my face with some ham! 

Check in tomorrow for some upcoming fashion trend insight and all next week for more tips and advice on style! 

Celebrity Saturday: Neil Patrick Harris

There are plenty of celebrities out there that take style to another level, athletes that make clothes look better than they ever will on you, and then there is this man who does both with ease. Many of you know him as Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother (R.I.P.) and some remember him from his movie and TV roles from the 90's.

Kimmel can't figure out why no one is listening to him. Because NPH!

Neil Patrick Harris is the epitome of the all around actor, performing for the camera as well as on stage with a resume of roles that upcoming actors dream of. Although NPH is a bonafide lady killer as Barney Stinson, he is gay in real life and married to David Burtka who would probably score higher in the fashion department.

NPH sporting some serious street style.

Fashion and style is all about trends, which means that there is a certain level of influence needed to sway certain trends to the forefront and NPH always seems to find a way to do this all on his own. AS last years Emmy Award Show, as the host, he came out with an amazing musical number followed by a stunning burgundy velvet tux jacket, easily taking the Best Dressed award from the event; the following week, I spent my time hunting for a similar jacket for an upcoming wedding. He is truly and molder and strong influencer of fashion, one to be considered as your source of style inspiration.

Check in tomorrow for the weekly recap and next Saturday for more fashionable celebrity influence!

Friday Faux Pas: Busy Busy

This post goes hand in hand with overly matching, a topic I covered in an earlier edition of Friday Faux Pas, and is something that most unskilled fashionistos are guilty of from time to time. Finding yourself throwing together too many colors or patterns or adding on too many accessories can take a look down faster than a food fight in elementary school. I have found myself battling over this problem from time to time while trying to piece together the next days work attire or throwing on something for a night on the town (mostly cause I wanted to wear a specific piece in my wardrobe).

Tailoring, check. Colors, check. Patterns...what the hell happened?

How do you stop yourself? Look in the mirror when you think you're ready to leave and run through a quick checklist in your head:

• What piece are my eyes drawn to?
• Do the pieces transition well within the outfit?
• Am I trying to hard to wear item X or Y?
• What could I leave out?
• Are the accessories I have on going to be noticed?

If you have trouble answering the first question, then you already know there's a problem and the following questions are useful in weeding out what exactly makes the outfit too busy. Keep running through the list until you're confident with what you have on, because at the end of the day, that's all that matters.

Sorry to bash your outfits Mr. Sager, but COME ON!

Check in tomorrow for a popular style influence and next Friday for another edition of my fashion faux pas!

Threads for Thought: The Color During the Storm

April may almost be over, but Mother Nature seems to think its still OK for cold weather up north. Down here in Florida, however, rain and shine is considered our summer motto and being prepared for this dilemma calls for either an umbrella or a raincoat. Umbrellas are a nuisance once they are no longer needed and I'm guessing your raincoat isn't exactly turning heads.

Burberry, Ferragamo, and Gucci are all on board.

Recall the Morton Salt logo, it features are little girl in the rain with a bright yellow raincoat on. Now I'm not saying it has to be yellow, but this rainy season calls for a colorful option in your anti-wetness arsenal. Most of you out there probably have traditional tan or black or something with a plaid pattern to it, but now is the time to either put it in the back of your closet or throw it out.

There are plenty of colors to choose from and a variety of designers who are participating in this little Spring/Summer movement, so you will have a good selection to choose from. The fact that its a bright color will be enough, but if you want to take it up a notch, find one that is blocked into different colors to add some extra contrast!

L.L. Bean: $79

K. Way: $95

Ralph Lauren: $395

Check in tomorrow for another edition of my fashion faux pas and next Thursday for more style pieces that beg your attention!

Wardrobe Essential: Grey Slacks

Looking back on my previous Wednesday posts, if you follow my advice somewhat closely, you'd be a man with suits, shoes, shirts, sport coats, ties, etc. One item that has been left on the proverbial wall are pants, but this is only due to the fact that everyone has specific tastes for what they prefer to wear.

Wade knows how to wear them formally.

One of the most versatile pieces in my wardrobe other than my white dress shirt happens to be a pair of dark grey dress pants that have a slight pattern on them, only noticeable up close. Nevertheless, these pants go with just about every shirt, shoe, and sport coat I own and is my go-to when I have no other ideas to work with.

Levine knows how to wear them casually.

The fabric is entirely up to you, but take into consideration where and when you will be wearing them; warmer climate wearers should opt for cotton or lightweight wool and cooler should opt for a thicker wool or heavy cotton fabric. The real decision is in the pattern, and I highly recommend not picking plain-Jane grey. Instead, go with a classic pattern (Glen Plaid, small houndstooth, insert iconic pattern here) and they will pair effortlessly with your entire wardrobe.

Express: $77

J. Crew: $88

Topman: $120

Check in tomorrow for a style piece that begs your consideration and next Wednesday for another essential addition to your wardrobe!

Tech Tuseday: The Gold Standard is Silver

The male wardrobe varies greatly from guy to guy, but one thing they have in common is that all have underwear. As to the actual type, brief or boxer or both, that is up to personal preference but most men just buy what they know or what is cheapest. Unless you want to replace your top drawer every two months, what you should be focused on is the quality of the product you're buying.

Function and form in the same package.

Mack Weldon is a company that is taking underwear, shirts, and socks very seriously with attention to fit and fabric that surpass all other brands. Simple things like mesh areas for coolness, no roll waistbands, and stay put legs that won't ride up for the boxer-briefs and specifically engineered undershirts and shirts that will look good 24/7 are the basics of Weldon's offering.

What sets them apart from others is the integration of silver into their products, making them naturally antimicrobial to keep out the stink. Not to say Mack Weldon pioneered this innovation, but they did pair it with immaculate fitting products that look good and stay clean longer. The best part is that they are so confident in the fit and quality of their product that, Weldon is willing to cover your first pair of boxer-briefs if you don't like them.

Check in tomorrow for another fashion piece that you need in your closet and next Tuesday for more exciting tech!

Monday Outlook: Rocker Revival

With the comeback of vintage Americana and the popularization of all things old-school, there has been a rise in a plethora of areas of fashion that surrounded this genre. The actual trend is focused on the mid-century, but that hasn't kept fashion formulators from delving into the decades previous to and after the 50's.

Versace's collection seemed to embrace the rock revival.

One of the most exciting movements for me is the rocker revamp that focuses on the earlier years of Rock'n'Roll, from stars like Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones; they thankfully omitted most of the glam metal days of the later decades. Many of the looks feature colonial military inspirations (Sgt. Pepper ring any bells?) as well as more rugged looks with leather and distressed materials.

John Varvatos really nailed it with the Hendrix line!

I personally think that this trend is going to carry through the winter and then some simply because most of the key items are classic pieces that can be worn with just about anything while others will be heavier pieces that will layer very easily into the winter. And on the plus side, any leather items you pick up with this trend will be extremely popular in the winter (hint hint).

Check in tomorrow for some more exciting technology and next Monday for more upcoming fashion trends!

Weekly Recap

Here are the links from the past week if you didn't have a chance to see them earlier this week:

Monday: Spread Collars
Tuesday: "Smelly" Jeans
Wednesday: The Chambray Shirt
Thursday: Espadrilles
Friday: Fanned Out Ties
Saturday: Kevin Ollie

Lots of topics this week, even switched back to a little business coverage with Naked & Famous Denim on Tuesday, but embrace the topics above and you'll be more than ready for your warm weather engagements this spring and summer. Big shout out to Bubba for winning another Masters, two green jackets and he can't even take them home! And also to the UConn men and women for rocking the basketball world yet again.

Check in tomorrow for upcoming fashion trends you should know about and all next week for style tips and more!

Celebrity Saturday: Kevin Ollie

Looking back, it seems like a month ago that the UConn Huskies dominated the basketball world yet again in both men's and women's. If you know me, it was particularly hard to watch the women's final as they crushed my alma mater. But one thing stood out to me during the men's game (other than the Kansas player with a Ralph Lauren paisley under his jersey), and he was former player and current coach, Kevin Ollie.

Simple. Classic. Easy.

Kevin Ollie played college ball for the Huskies in the early 90's and had a very traveled professional experience having been a member of 13 teams over a 15 year span. He has since become the coach of UConn, and in his first season as head coach, led them to a National Championship; not too shabby for a rook. And to top it all off, Ollie might be one of if not the best dressed coach on any basketball sideline, collegiate or professional.

The black suit never looked so good on the court.

As for how he does it, he isn't doing anything special. No Craig Sager-esque outfits or even accessories, everything that Ollie wears is classic and simple. What makes it all look spectacular is the impeccable tailoring of his sideline suits; all of them seem to fit him like a second skin. I'm not sure if he picked this practice up during his tenure in the NBA, but by simply having the right tailoring, he takes a seemingly cookie-cutter outfit to couture levels.

Winning team. Winning style.

Check in tomorrow for my weekly recap and next Saturday for another stylish celebrity influence!

Friday Faux Pas: Fanned Out Ties

Suit and tie has a certain connotation that comes along with it a sense of tidiness and crispness, the same can be said for a shirt and tie. So attention to detail, ensuring every part of your suit-up is as close to perfect as they can be, is a necessity, but lately a mini-trend is forming that doesn't seem to jive with this tidiness.

So many great things, until the tie came in...

I don't think the style has an official title, but I like to call it fanning out your tie, or having both the fat and skinny part of your tie showing. I'm not sure the purpose it, maybe to make the tie look thicker or to add an extra level of pseudo-layering to your look, but it strays away from the principals of the suit and tie. Even if you were going to fan out with just a shirt, I would still have problems with it simply because it looks sloppy; sometimes it looks good, but still very sloppy.

Different tie, same problem.

Don't abandon uniqueness for tidiness, you should still look to spice up your look with pattern, texture, and color. Notice I didn't say wearing something the way it wasn't meant to be. Fanning out your tie parallels with wearing dirty shoes with your suit, which you already know I have a problem with from a previous Friday Faux Pas.

Just don't do it...please. I asked nicely.

Check in tomorrow for a celebrity style influence and next Friday for another edition of Friday Faux Pas!

Threads for Thought: Espadrilles

Spring is here, summer is coming, and so too are the warmer months before the leaves start falling. Before that all happens, its time you looked into some casual shoes that can take the place of the sandals/flip flops that you should no longer be wearing to add in to your rotation.

Espadrilles are an item that I have even been having trouble adopting and up until recently when I made my first purchase (too bad they didn't fit), I was very much against them, but no longer. Traditionally made in Spain from straw and canvas materials, they are simple, classic, and casual for all your looks this season. Today, they are becoming more and more popular thanks to TOMS who is providing social impact through the sales of their shoes, giving a pair to a child in need for every pair sold.

TOMS comes through with plenty of options to choose from.

There are an endless number of options for color and pattern choices, so I'm not going to laden you with suggestions, but try to get an espadrille that matches your lifestyle. Whichever you get, pairing them with a shirt and tie will create an interesting contrast that says "I'm going topside once I leave this desk" and needless to say they'll agree with your regular beach attire.

Hermes is doing, so should you. Peer pressure!

Check in tomorrow for another installment of my fashion faux pas and next Thursday for another style piece that begs your consideration!