Friday Faux Pas: Button-Down Dress Shirts

In fashion and style, details are everything, and one in particular has become quite an issue with men, young and old. Getting dressed to the nines can all go to waste with the simplest of things, and this case, it just so happens to come in the form of two buttons and a collar.

This is casual.

Pinpointing this bad habit's origin isn't possible, but look around and you'll notice plenty of men decked out button down oxfords, thinking its the normal thing to do. Maybe the southern prep culture is to blame, or maybe the president during any of his public addresses. Not to say that wearing an oxford with a tie and suit or sport coat is a bad thing, but it's not a dressed up look and attempting to use it in that way is downright wrong. When it comes to collar choice for anything even remotely dressy or formal, spread or cutaway collars are the only way to go, portraying an elevated sense of fashion and understanding of true style.

This is dressy.

Check in tomorrow for a stylish celebrity influence and next Friday for another installment of my fashion faux pas!

Threads for Thought: New Age Branding

Branding is typically pretty high up on the list when it comes fashion faux pas as it usually comes off as a gaudy attempt to show off a brand or to call attention to someone. Some of the companies out there are trying to change that stigma by re imagining the who branding process.

Leader of this regime? Supreme, the exclusive skate company out of New York that likes to create trendy pieces and then find unique ways to brand them.  Most times that means plastering Supreme in all caps across the chest and other times its a subtle nod to the company. They seemed to have sparked other companies to do the same, changing the norm from company logos to something completely different.

The idea here though is to not go over the top with any of the branding, the logo may be the focal point of the piece it is on, but it shouldn't be the focal point of any outfit. Chances are there will be a chance to throw a layer over the branded piece, take that opportunity and turn the comments from "You must like BRAND X" to "Oh, that's a cool logo, who is that?"; conversation pieces are much better when someone actually has to ask about it.

Check in tomorrow for this week's edition of Friday Faux Pas and next Thursday for another piece that deserves your consideration!

Wardrobe Essentials: Houndstooth

Simple and clean looks with loads of depth and texture are essential to cold-weather style, but sometimes a wrench needs to be thrown into the engine to break up the monotony. That's what plaids, checks, and stripes are for, but are admittedly an unimaginative lot in terms of pattern.

Houndstooth is the answer to this creative issue, providing a unique take on a checkered print. Look closely at any Glen Plaid piece you have and at the intersection of the plaid will be a small cluster of the houndstooth pattern. Now take that, and blow it up to not so minute proportions, and create a style staple for many years to come. Traditionally available in white/cream and black, this pattern will jive well with any and all colors.

There are two routes to take on the houndstooth journey, clothing and accessories. Overcoats? Blazers? Pants? Shirts? Pretty much any piece of apparel out there will be made up in houndstooth somewhere, it just takes some searching. Accessories are where the fun is at, with ties and pocket squares and hats, oh my! There are plenty more examples, but the idea here is to blow up the pattern so that everyone knows that it is indeed houndstooth on your person.

Check in tomorrow for a fashion piece that deserves your consideration and next Wednesday for another piece that needs to be in your closet!

Tech Tuesday: Inox by Vitorinox

Most wrist pieces these days are being made smarter, but very few are being made tougher; brains over brawn usually wins out, but your everyday timepiece tends to take a beating. So while Apple and HP go out of their way to smarten up your wrist, Victorinox has gone out of their way to make something that will withstand the most brutal conditions out there. This new watch, named the Inox, has gone through 130 different tests to prove its worthiness in conditions that the wearer surely wouldn't; 160 degree heat or being run over by a not so small tank. They will come in jet black, royal blue, and a hunter green, all of which are stylish once you find a replacement band for the ugly silicon band.

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

Monday Outlook: Gym Clothes

Its been a long time coming, with sweaters and sweatpants working their way into men's wear, that a full fledged trend would become a reality. And there hasn't been a better time for this to really take flight with the need to keep mother nature at bay.

Gym clothing as fashionable choices started relatively recently, with designers taking these simple pieces and revamping them with luxe materials and tailored silhouettes. This little practice has effectively elevated what was essentially reserved for the gym and lounging to pieces that you could get away with in just about every business casual way. The biggest player in this trend happens to be the sweatpants and some of the models are practically dress pants without all the stuffiness.

This allows the option to dress down while still looking very well put together. The juxtaposition that can be created by combining a sport coat with some sweatpants or a sweatshirt over top of a shirt and tie is a move that will garner many style points; the fit is key, showing others that you may be doing something different, but you still know what you're doing.Just avoid this move for anything formal, because some move aren't meant to be broken.

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

Week in Review

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

Tuesday: Marty McFlyin

Wednesday: White Sneakers

Thursday: Cravats

Friday: Use the Associates

Saturday: Oscar de la Renta

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

Celebrity Saturday: Oscar de la Renta

This week saw the passing of one of the most influential designers of all time, Oscar de la Renta. He may not have been overly involved in the menswear world, but de la Renta transcended gender barriers as well as any other barrier that may come up. His look was effortless and timeless, indicative of a man that knew exactly what he was doing, who knew that true style didn't come from following the latest trend, but embracing a look that creates the best version of your own person. Thank you for everything that you brought to life through fashion, your work will live on through the people that followed and worked with you.

Check in tomorrow for a recap of the week's topics and next Saturday for another stylish celebrity influence!

Friday Faux Pas: Turn Down for What?

IT seems almost a natural reaction when walking into a store to quickly respond to the sales associate that "I'm fine, just looking" and to turn down any offer of help that may be extended your way. Its time to stop being a guy, and accept some help for once.

These are the guys to talk to.

For one, these sales people, no matter what store, are experts of where everything is and have the power to show you the way or completely shut you out, so be nice and ask questions; they get bored and uneasy having to just stand their watching you walk around. Another reason is that today's menswear world is literally flooded with choice, which makes finding the perfect items or the right fit pretty difficult, and chances are that an associate at one store will have friends at another or at least have some useful knowledge of his/her competition. There are plenty more reasons why not to turn down these wonderful people, like being invited to store events and private sales, so remember to be a human being and open up while you shop!

Check in tomorrow for a stylish celebrity influence and next Friday for another installment of my fashion faux pas!

Threads for Thought: Cravats

Ties and scarves are must haves in today's men's style world, everyone has their collection of both and the only real differentiation comes from pairing them with other accessories. Its time to introduce an old trick to the new menswear world.

The cravat is to the tie what the chicken is to the egg, having been popularized in Croatia in the 17th Century, has almost completely disappeared from the thought of men's fashion; maybe the occasional one-percenter will put one on to show off his worth. That is exactly why this piece is so great! A cravat will elevate any look from ordinary to extravagant, no matter what the fabric or pattern, although, the silk foulard variety reigns king. Substitute one out for a tie one day and tie it on similar to the way a winter scarf is tied, then tuck it in and watch the elegance ensue.

Check in tomorrow for this week's edition of Friday Faux Pas and next Thursday for another piece that deserves your consideration!

Wardrobe Essentials: Squeaky Clean Kicks

Rugged footwear is about as commonplace during in the fall and winter as pancakes at the IHOP. So with all the variety that is being added to every other part of the cold weather style game, its about time that designers caught wind and through something new onto your feet.

Only recently have luxe designers delved into making high end sneakers, and this season and every season here on after, crispy clean white sneakers will be a go to, from the boardroom to Sunday brunch at the brew room. Whether they are as simple as some Chuck Taylor's or a pair with some chic detailing. There is no wrong answer to the white sneaker until other colors start getting introduced; its better to have something all white that can match with everything in your closet.

Wearability is the true key in the buying decision, but so is comfortability. These shoes, especially the ones that cost a pretty penny, are going to be your babies and something you are going to be wearing almost as often as a pair of double monkstraps. Try them on, walk around the store, make sure they are the right fit, and then go to the next store and try on the next pair, this process might be as involved as finding the perfect pair of jeans.

Gucci: $490

A.P.C.: $355

Adidas x Stan Smith: $75

Check in tomorrow for a fashion piece that deserves your consideration and next Wednesday for another item that needs to be in your closet!

Tech Tuesday: A Real Hoverboarb

Remember Marty McFly and that badass little hover board that made all the nerds and skaters go bonkers simultaneously. Well 2014 is the year these amazing things were supposed to be coming to fruition, and thankfully someone out there took it upon their own shoulders to bring the dream to reality. Hendo Hover has put together a revolutionary design that brings together the power of 4 "hover engines" that work to stabilize the ride and lift the board to just the right levels for hovering around; the only drawback is that it only works over metal surfaces, but hopefully others as the technology gets more refined. Let the nostalgia begin!

Check in tomorrow for a style piece that needs to be in your wardrobe and next Tuesday for more exciting tech!

Week in Review

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

Monday: Chunky Knits

Tuesday: Yohji Changes the Game

Wednesday: Rusty Chinos

Thursday: Backpacks

Friday: Mismatched Leather

Saturday: Paul Newman

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

Celebrity Saturday: Paul Newman

If there ever was a list of men that represented the epitome of the Renaissance Man moniker, Paul Newman would definitely be near the top of the list. Being an award winning actor and director, championship race car driver, and highly successful entrepreneur doesn't exactly happen to the average man; none of the previously mentioned celebrities on this block even come close to those creds. To add to the level of awesome in one man, Newman also rocks a classically sporty style that developed alongside and helped to inspire the works of Steve McQueen through the years; some men can be attributed to a single designer collection, but not many can be singled out as the inspiration for an entire brand. We may not all have his looks, but take the cue to wear classic pieces with some rebel twists that Newman was known for.

Check in tomorrow for a recap of the week's topics and next Saturday for another stylish celebrity influence!

Friday Faux Pas: Mismatched Leather

There’s an old adage that you can tell a lot about a man by the shoes on his feet, and it is very true, but that’s only the first chapter. The first 50 pages can’t be amazing just to have the final 300 be a complete let down, and those other 300 pages happen to be the rest of the man and his outfit.

Never...ever!

But if there were any of those other 300 pages to get right, the belt complementing the shoes is by far the biggest one. There was a study done about what things register as sexy and not with women and one of the highest on the list of not’s was a mismatched belt and shoe combo. Black shoes require a black belt; there is no wiggle room in this department seeing as it is such a common leather color. With brown shoes, however, the best thing to do is to best match the shades so that they are at least similar. No one expects a guy to have a belt for every pair of shoes, but they do expect him to put the concerted effort to match.

This is the proper shoe to belt etiquette.

Check in tomorrow for a stylish celebrity influence and next Friday for another installment of my fashion faux pas!

Threads for Thought: Backpacks

There is always a need for the formal briefcase, even with designers breaking the mold with bright and bold versions. But its about time there is a change of character to everyday character, and that doesn't mean just having a shoulder strap and calling it a messenger bag. No, its time for a game change.

Similar to the bold briefcase move, designers are looking to utilize their luxe talents on backpacks to really make a splash. This move is going to be huge this fall/winter as no one wants to be caught holding any bag without gloves, so eliminate the risk entirely with two straps on your back. It is important to consider the lifestyle that it will be used in. Leather will be more formal and cotton or wool will be more casual, and the shape of the pack will need to accommodate what will be going in it. All these factors fuel the decision, but at the end of the day, buy what feels right and something that is really going to get a lot of use.

Louis Vuitton: $2440

Gucci: $850

Herschel: $55

Check in tomorrow for this week's edition of Friday Faux Pas and next Thursday for another piece that deserves your consideration!

Wardrobe Essentials: Rusty Chinos

It's usually safe to reserve the rich colors for corduroys as they seem to really make colors pop, but it's never good to be dubbed the "cords guy". Jeans? Flannel? Plaid? Whatever the case may be, now is the time to work more pants into your rotation, but there exists a variety that wears from January to December.

Rust is a unique color in the fashion spectrum, being somewhat difficult to match if you aren't used to the particular shade. Not quite red, not quiet orange, a tinge of brown, you really get quite a diverse palette in just one color. And it just so happens that rust complements indigo, the most popular hue of the past year and with no foreseeable fallout in the near future. With that said, it also works well with all neutrals and cool tones.

The idea is to create a contrast between the top and bottom, so avoid any other warm tones as to avoid any matching or loss of distinction between whats up top and whats on the bottom. Stick to the usual rules when it comes to pants, tailored fit, slightly tapered, break at or just above the shoe, and it'll become apparent how necessary they are when they keep getting worn; if there happens to be a perfect pair, buy 2 or 3.

Check in tomorrow for a fashion piece that deserves your consideration and next Wednesday for another essential style piece!

Tech Tuesday: Yohji Does it Again

We are all well aware of the brand under the Adidas umbrella by way of Y-3 and it's lead designer, Yohji Yamamoto, who has produced some quality goods that blur the lines between form and function. The fabled designer also has his own lesser known brand, Costume D'Homme, that he has been incorporating some radical new techniques into. Using cut-motion and motion-sewing, Yohji may have just introduced a brand new way to make clothing; these new pieces will be expertly tailored while remaining free-flowing and comfortable. He is achieving this Holy Grail of tailoring through the study of the human anatomy from physiology to the way that skin stretches and adapts, and it was all done with Olympic athletes and astronauts. One small step for Yohji, one giant leap for menswear? Possibly.

Check in tomorrow for a style piece that needs to be in your wardrobe and next Tuesday for more exciting tech!

Monday Outlook: Chunky Knitwear

There have been an abundance of top layers mentioned for the past couple of weeks, but having options for an otherwise repetitively styled season is never a bad thing. Leather jackets, overcoats, flannels, shackets, they all serve their purpose and so do the cardigan's heavy-weight cousin.

Love the marketing from Oki-Ni by Way Perry!

Think shawl neck cardigan with a thick, heavy weave and small gauge, that's the piece de resistance. This style is usually reserved for grandma's ugly sweater or the Christmas sweater that gets worn once a year; no more! In line with the avant bland style, many options are being woven with the finest materials in minimalist patterns or simple solids. This all highlights the texture of the weave and makes that characteristic the most integral part of the garment.

J. Crew bringing their A-game in this department!

Work this piece in with your existing line up of suit and sport coats, it's going to be used very similarly. If layered the right way, there might not even be the need for an overcoat, allotting the opportunity to show off that impressive new sweater. This specific style may not be produced from season to season, but will definitely be popular for many cold seasons to come, and it acts as a great transition piece as well.

Oh so classy in that hunter green!

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

Friday Faux Pas: Sloppy Sleeves

There are certainly a variety or different measurements on any garment, top or bottom, that will make or break the piece. A misfit collar of a sport coat, an untailored dress shirt, a pair overly relaxed trousers, what have you, they all look bad because of one specific characteristic.

There shouldn't be that much baggage in the sleeve.

The one that is most overlooked and overwhelmingly bothersome is the sleeve of any coat or jacket. Most men focus on the shoulder and neck of these items, which is correct as those parts of a jacket are practically untailorable, but they neglect to account for how wide the sleeve opening is. It's one thing to have a little bit of extra fabric that isn't quite noticeable (aka not worth getting altered) but its another when a look goes from suited man to wizarding wonder. Now this alteration can be down, but it is almost as difficult as the previously mentioned parts of a jacket, so it's best to take into account the arm fit; the piece should fit closely enough to allow for a shirt underneath while still accommodating natural movement. Anything less is impractically small and anything more is either borderline or full fledged sloppiness. Check those sleeves gentlemen!

This is how it should be done!

Check in tomorrow for a stylish celebrity influence and next Friday for another installment of my fashion faux pas!

Threads for Thought: New Age Argyle

It seems throughout pop culture that wacky sweaters have been reserved for the nerdy or quirky, that they might be too tacky for the cool guy vibe. Very fortunately, that whole nerdy/quirky vibe has become very mainstream with the reemergence of mid-century styling, and so has a very distinct pattern.

Carlton wore it, Cosby rocked it, and so did Urkel, maybe not exclusively, but it was apparent when they did happen to don their argyle. A simple series of color block diamonds and contrasting lines create a pattern that is recognizable beyond most, which may be why it was reserved for socks up until recently. Thankfully, designers have decided to put some youth spins on the Scottish get up by changing the orientation of or even altering the pattern in ways that emit some refreshing edginess.

Color and character are key with this piece. Too much contrast will undoubtedly attract unwanted attention and too little will make the piece look like any other sweater. The next step is finding the perfect interpretation to compliment your existing style. Classic? Then find an original with new colors. Rebel? Something off kilter to the norm, rotated slightly or broken up sporadically for some chaotic relief. Modern? Slim fitting and and streamlined with very minimalist color ways.

Saint Laurent: $725

J. Crew: $198

Diesel: $178

Check in tomorrow for this week's edition of Friday Faux Pas and next Thursday for another piece that deserves your consideration!

Wardrobe Essentials: Black Wristwear

It's hard to pin down a specific watch to be the true essential as taste varies so vastly from man to man; hence the plethora of options to choose from. One watch, however, does resonate between brands, a pseudo necessity of the horology world.

Sleek black leather affixed to a polished silver casing with a black face all combining to create a  stunning classic that is easily worn out on a Sunday brunch as it would be at a board meeting. This isn't the vanilla of watches, it has more character than that, but it has the same wearability as any all silver watch. Simplicity goes a long way to add to this piece's classic sensibilities, but could still have some complications and dials and retain that same nature; it's all about personal preference, exuding your style through your wrist wear as a compliment to your clothing.

Montblanc: $3255

Movado: $495

Lucien Piccard: $100

Check in tomorrow for a fashion piece that deserves your consideration and next Wednesday for another essential wardrobe item!

Tech Tuesday: Swishy Swash

Spend a lot at the cleaners? Whether its man or women, a good chunk of change goes to keep clothes clean and looking brand new. And in most cases, there isn't enough time to get out their on out to revamp a worn shirt, and relegating it to hang in the bathroom during a shower just doesn't cut it. For only $500, Whirlpool offers something that may not equate to cleaning your clothes, but takes lightly worn articles from funky to fresh, eliminating wrinkles and removing any natural oils that come with regular wear. This isn't a solution to the cleaners, but it will act as a buffer between visits, do that a shirt can be worn 2-3 times rather than just once.

Check in tomorrow for a style piece that needs to be in your closet and next Tuesday for more exciting technology!

Monday Outlook: The New Layering

Tradition has boxed men's style into a very predictable routine, but progression has flipped menswear on its head, changing the rules of the old guard entirely. One of those main stays happens to be layering, which for the first time, is being challenged and recreated.

Kanye leads the way with this trend.

Conformity suggests that the outermost part of an outfit should cover the pieces underneath it, but the only issue with that is the lost details under that top coat. So now, trend setters have flipped the script, letting shirt bottoms out to flow past the shacket, which flows below the bomber jacket. Whatever the combinations may be, the new rule of thumb is to have a tiered look, with the bottom layer being longer or more exposed than previous precedent.

Russell Westbrook is another trendy guy.

This look very much challenges the norm and the way that most men tend to think. Overall, the move is very lassiez faire and sometimes downright rebellious, but it exudes character and creativity. Just cause the shirts are longer doesn't mean that there is room to skimp on the details; it's important the all the elements of the look are tailored perfectly to ensure onlookers that this guy might not be in line with my beliefs, but he knows what the hell he's doing. At the end of the day, that's what the goal is, to look put together while maintaining individuality.

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