Tastefully Trendy

A life and fashion blog by Sarah Beth

Category: Menswear Monday

Menswear Monday: Valentine’s Day

February 10, 2014 / / Comments Off on Menswear Monday: Valentine’s Day

Happy Menswear Monday!  This post was supposed to be a Christmas one, but since my brother and I both got a little behind the 8-ball (he’s a senior finance major; I don’t know what my excuse is), this has become a Valentine’s Day post.   All’s well that ends well.
image
From Silas himself:

It is a new year for another five days (Editor’s note: I obviously got a bit delayed in posting this) and that means that New Years Resolutions still have a 78% adherence rate. So let’s set our resolve this year to dressing sharp as often as possible. The outfit I have pictured below is one from this year’s Christmas Eve service. I like to really dress up during the holidays and get as WASP-y as possible in hopes that I will somehow assimilate my way into living in New England and vacationing at the Hamptons. Even if that doesn’t work out for me, at least I will fail in style.

I chose to wear no tie and tasseled loafers instead of dress shoes and a tie because we live in rural South Carolina and frankly I didn’t want to be too “try hard” amongst the jean wearers. (No offense to those who wore jeans to Christmas Eve service; you were more comfortable than myself.) However if you live in a more upscale area, a bow tie with some wingtips would have looked really sharp for an occasion such as this.

Pants – Old Navy Slim Cut (I love the taper on Old Navy slim cut pants and they are pretty inexpensive)

Blazer – Thrifted/Tailored

Loafers – The one’s pictured were thrifted but I understand that’s not very helpful. A great alternative would be a Bass Weejun

OCBD – Bonobos (Great company, great fit, high price so I always buy on sale or with a discount code)

Socks – I wore plain navy socks but some cool argyle socks would have been appropriate as well.

SB again.  I think this is a perfect look for Christmas Eve, of course, but it goes great for a Valentine’s date, too.  It’s pulled together and sharp and looks like you care, but it won’t compete with your date’s dress (I’m assuming she’s going to wear a dress for Valentine’s day. Who wouldn’t?).  The red in the plaid hints at the color of the holiday without being over-the-top matchy-matchy.

Of course, I’m living vicariously through my brother – who actually has a Valentine date – and all of you who might legitimately use this advice this year.  Think of me while you’re on your fancy dates (or don’t – that might be awkward for the girl you’re with).  And, ladies, be on the look-out for a post later this week of what I WOULD wear, had I anywhere to go.

Menswear Monday – Out with the Boys

December 9, 2013 / / Comments Off on Menswear Monday – Out with the Boys

Seriously, guys – how is my brother so much cooler than me? Maybe I should make everyday a Menswear Monday! (Just kidding…kinda).  Take it away, Pal:

I didn’t think the day would ever arrive, but it did. I’m actually not referring to my less than stellar post record, but to the fact that one of my best friends, Carlton, got married to his high school sweetheart this weekend.  I wish them the best of luck, and this post is dedicated to them, even though they will likely never witness it. 

This particular outfit was donned the night before Carl’s wedding. We were going out to have a couple drinks and chat with the boys after the rehearsal dinner. I chose the jeans over a more dressy style of pants because it adds an element of relaxation that I wanted to bring to the evening.

I think this is also a great outfit simply because of its cost [see below for item descriptions]. As I have mentioned in the past, I really value fit over brand, and I think this is a good example of why. The shirt is flawed in that it is a bit big in the body, common with low quality shirts.  However, I managed to hide that well with a proper military tuck and a jacket. [Editor’s note: I didn’t know what a military tuck was, so I googled it.  Here you go.]

 
Thanks for reading and I hope this helps give some ideas.  There will be more to come – possibly in a timely manner, no promises.

 


Suede tan jacket – thrifted and tailored – $3, $20 respectively  [Editor’s note: this means, for $23, he got a great, well-fitted jacket.  Don’t be afraid of the tailor, especially if you can find such good deals to start.]

Green shepherds check OCBD [oxford cloth button down] – thrifted, $2. [Editor’s note: I think this might have been “thrifted” from my dad’s closet.]

Dark wash straight leg jeans  – Old Navy, $20 

Tasseled loafers – thrifted, $5

Menswear Mondays: The Perfect(ly Dressed) Man

December 2, 2013 / / Comments Off on Menswear Mondays: The Perfect(ly Dressed) Man

Well, Clemson lost this weekend to the University of South Carolina, and my brother was in Columbia watching the game.  I haven’t heard from him since, but his last words to me before the game were, “I hope I don’t get stabbed.”

So, I don’t think he’s in a blogging mood.  I’ll attempt to do this Menswear Monday by myself.

I don’t really know much about men’s clothing, which is why I outsource this feature on my blog.  I do know, however, that my brother loves the L.L.Bean catalog, and after thumbing through it in search of gifts for him, I’ve found that I do, too.  No, I’m not going to buy anything for myself there – probably ever – but those rugged-looking, well-dressed men are a great marketing technique.  They make me want to buy all those clothes for every man in my life.  I.e., I’m pretty sure that dressing like these catalog guys would guarantee any man any woman.

I’m not the only one who feels this way.  There’s a whole tumblr dedicated to the L.L.Bean man.  Your L.L. Bean Boyfriend chronicles the men who we love from the catalog, giving them out-doorsy, yet sensitive personalities and dialogue.  I can almost hear their baritone voices now.

Scroll through the site for the beauty, the humor, or for legit menswear ideas.  Trust me, you can never go wrong with the classic L.L. Bean look. 

Here is just one example to whet your appetite:

Perfection.

Menswear Mondays: Shoe edition

November 11, 2013 / / Comments Off on Menswear Mondays: Shoe edition

Welcome to the 2nd installment of Menswear Mondays…where my brother Silas again puts me to shame.  Seriously, he even poses better than me.

I’ll let him take it from here…

Today I want to talk about one aspect of the basics. Since it is the one aspect I lack, as well as the one aspect that can really drain your wallet, I want to get it out of the way. 

I’m talking about shoes, zapatos, schuhe, chaussures…whatever your language may be, the fact cannot be escaped that a nice shoes are not cheap. Some other items you can get away with skimping on cost (cue my eclectic list of various shirt brands), but shoes are not one of them if we want to do this right. 

There are a few generic styles of shoes every man should own: 

The Driving Moc – The driving [moccasin] is, in my humble opinion, the most casual shoe you can wear outside of a tennis shoe. “What about docksiders?” – Ok, those are pretty casual too however I think they are a bit over played. Pictured here is a Cole Haan Driving Moccasin. 

These happen to have laces but many of them are simply flat front or have a penny loafer type strip of leather over the mid foot. These shoes are great in the spring/summer sans socks and just as good in the fall with some fancy argyle socks. You can wear them with jeans, chinos, or casual dress pants.

The Penny Loafer –  The penny loafer is a step up in class from the driving moc however with some confidence you can still wear them pretty casually.


I personally don’t advocate wearing cuffed jeans with penny loafers in real life, but I liked the picture to display the versatility.  I would wear penny loafers with or without socks with chinos and dress pants. I would probably avoid black myself – not a big fan of black anything, except tuxedos.
The Fall Boot – Boots are a personal favorite of mine. There are too many great boot options out there: Redwing, LL Bean, Sebago, Wolverine, Clarks, Timberlands (not “tims” specifically) to name a few.

Pictured is a broken in Alden 405 Redwing boot. If you know your movie history, you may recognize these boots. They are the type of boot that Indiana Jones wore in his movies. I didn’t choose them because I want to be Indiana Jones (anymore), I chose them because they are top of the line quality and with the right care, will out last their owners. These would look great with a dark wash jean or chinos.
The ideas I have listed are pretty expensive. I would be lying if I said that I have or will have all of these anytime soon. But, my hope is that you have gained a few more ideas on what to wear besides tennis shoes. 

[Editor’s note – anything is better than tennis shoes. Except flip flops. Those are usually much worse.] 

Pictured:
Ralph Lauren Navy quarter-zip sweater
Chaps blue stripe OCBD [Oxford Cloth Button Down – I had to look that up]
Kohl’s Nantucket Red chinos
Good Will tassel loafers

Menswear Mondays

October 28, 2013 / / 1 Comment

Hey guys, I’m back from traveling,and I’m starting a new feature on the blog.  Today might be the most exciting day ever!

I’ve recently been asked to write about menswear sometimes on my blog – you know, the basics, what girls like, etc.  Unfortunately, I don’t really know a lot about menswear – a curse of the usually single.

So, I recruited someone who does – my brother, Silas.  Silas and I are very similar in a lot of ways, and self-proclaimed good taste in fashion is one of them.  I think he’s super awesome, so I was very excited when he agreed to help with my new Menswear Mondays. 

I’ll let Silas tell you about his style in a minute, but I do intend for these Mondays to become a series, so consider this the introduction.  (Disclaimer: if my brother gets bored and I run out of things to say about men’s fashion, these Monday posts may devolve into simply a Man Crush Monday. You’ve been warned.)

And now, with no further ado, I present, Silas:

When my sister asked me to write a post on her blog I jumped at the opportunity. Anyone who knows me knows I like being in the limelight. Although I’m not appearing on Jay Leno, this opportunity produced similar feelings of excitement for me. I’m not a professional nor do I claim to never make mistakes. However years of awkward phases, trying to find my own style have proved indeed to be a certain kind of trial by fire. (Read: skater shoes, print hoodies, gym shorts, print t-shirts)  This post will simply be an introduction. If SB is pleased with my work, hopefully she will allow me to post another covering the basics of a mature, casual, fall wardrobe.
 
Pictured: Old Navy straight fit jeans ($20), Timex Weekender watch with NATO strap ($35), Cotton V-neck sweater from goodwill ($2), Chaps navy gingham shirt ($25), L.L.Bean crepe sole moc boot ($90), Columbia leather belt ($25).
 
*I personally am not as thrifty as my sister. I find, however, that men’s clothing, specifically leather products and shirts are well worth the increase in price for the increase in quality. Men’s clothing styles are not trendy and do not change much over the years so lasting quality is a must*

Editor’s Notes: 
1) I didn’t know how to rotate that second picture, but I think he wanted it included just because it looked cool.
2) I hope the comparison to Jay Leno is short-lived.
3) Those skater shoes days were a dark time in our household.  I’m so glad Silas finally grew into the prep I always hoped he would be.
4) He says he’s not as thrifty, but you’ll note he shops at Good Will – an actual THRIFT store.  I don’t have the patience for all that, but kudos to those who do.  As you can see, there are some great finds to be had.

IFB

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