My last article focused on five random things that ladies should avoid when it comes to fashion and style. My article before that was about what guys should avoid. With this article, I wanted to switch it up and focus on people pulling off the fashion equivalent of a walk-off home run. And though it’s easier to spot fashion atrocities, it’s even sweeter when you see a gentleman rocking a nice three-piece suit with matching pocket square or a lady with a seasonally appropriate dress and heels. And even though we’re bombarded with exploding fashion landmines, navigating the world of style pays dividends when you see an outfit that you’d happily give your stamp of approval on. So, without further ado, here are 5 fashion thumbs-up for men and women.
Gentlemen
1. All pieces of your suit look great, sir.
It happens all too often that there are parts of a suit that look good, but just don’t look good together. The biggest culprit is usually the tie or the shoes. Some guys think that if they have a suit (matching trousers and blazer), the rest just doesn’t really matter. It does. A white dress shirt isn’t boring, especially one that fits. When it comes to ties, go for subtle over flashy. It brings out the most in the suit. Also, do not underestimate the shoes. Some people think that black dress shoes are appropriate for any suit. Not the case. They make navy blue dress shoes. Also, you’d be surprised by what a nice pair of brown dress shoes (caramel or dark brown leather) can do for a suit. Take a look at this picture. While we all can’t be a Don Draper or a Roger Sterling, we can dress like them. No, I’m not kidding. Banana Republic has a sponsorship with “Mad Men.”
2. If the shirt fits, wear it.
I understand that not every guy shares my views on the size and measurements of the shirts they wear. I prefer shirts that fit me and look like they fit me. I do get that someone who is significantly bigger than me wouldn’t necessarily want a shirt that hugs them tighter than a pair of skinny jeans on an emo kid. With this in mind, dropping the shirt one size can make a huge difference. In general, the cut of the shirt that joins the sleeve to the body should sit right at the edge of your shoulder, not hang over and go halfway down your arm. They cut the arms of the shirt based on the assumption it’s sitting on the edge of your shoulder. What happens when it doesn’t is that the shirt’s arms become way too long and baggy. It doesn’t have to be dress shirts. This applies to all shirts. Seeing someone following this simple fashion rule makes me happy. Sometimes I actually give them one. And then I get weird looks. I don’t care.
3. A great pair of jeans is just great.
Yes, a great pair of jeans can be expensive. But that doesn’t mean you have to buy expensive jeans to have great jeans. In my collection of jeans, I don’t have a single pair that cost more than $20. Don’t equate $20 with crappy jeans. I have four or five pairs of J.Crew jeans that I got at a box sale. My favorite pair of jeans is a pair of Levi’s and I got them at Costco for $19.99. I have some jeans from Old Navy as well that were $15. You’d have no idea they weren’t designer jeans that cost someone’s monthly wages. I have vast array of options. I have some faded black/grey jeans, several pairs of dark jeans, some light pairs. As a general rule, dark blue jeans complement more outfits, but someone with an eye for fashion can make the most out of each pair. So when I see someone with a nice pair of jeans, I salute them. You got the same visual as the thumbs up, didn’t you?
4. Dry-cleaning isn’t just for rich people.
I used to see guys stroll out of a dry-cleaner and have 25 shirts all pressed and neat. I’d think, “Wow, that guy must be rich!” At the time, I was 11 so if someone was driving a washed Honda Civic I thought the same. But, you get my point. You see dry-cleaning, you think that person must be somewhat important. Why get your shirts pressed if you’re not? Well, you don’t have to be important, or even have a job, to get your shirts sent off to a dry-cleaner. Take it from me, I don’t have a job right now and still keep my local dry-cleaner in business. It’s about $1.25 a shirt. So, it’s only like $15 bucks to have 10 or 11 shirts pressed. I assume that most businessmen get their shirts done, but it’s even nice to spot someone on a Sunday wearing a nice pair of jeans and a pressed shirt. It truly does make the outfit look that much better.
5. Sir, I’m going to steal your watch!
First off, I’m a sucker for a nice watch. Second, I’ve never stolen a man’s watch. Yet. Again, you don’t have to sport an expensive watch to sport a nice watch. The most expensive watch I own was purchased on Overstock.com for $125. It retails for $500, but people don’t know how much I spent. And to be honest, I don’t even wear that one the most. In fact, I’m wearing the one I wear the most – an all black Fossil watch that I got for like $50. I always look at a man’s watch, just like I look at a man’s shoes. Says a lot about them. One quick suggestion though – make sure the watch fits. No matter how nice a watch it, if it’s way too big, it’s sloppy.
Ladies
1. Are you even wearing make-up?
Most women will attest to the fact that they need to wear make-up. Whether it’s to make them look prettier or to make them feel prettier, it’s just a fact of life. But, nothing looks worse on a woman than too much make-up or make-up that’s applied poorly. Some of the best-looking women look like they aren’t wearing make-up at all and that’s how it should be. Naturally all women look differently, but more often than not, the woman who applied the make-up subtly looks better. Most people don’t want to go home with someone who looks like a Cirque Du Soleil character. The subtlety goes a long way.
2. The pant-suit is not dead.
This isn’t 1950, women go to work. And in the 1980’s, the pant-suit was the go-to in women’s fashion. In fact, it was almost as if there wasn’t anything other type of clothes for a professional woman to wear to work. Well, unless she was a prostitute. But, I bet they still wore pant-suits from time to time. With that said, it is 2011 and the pant-suit can be powerful. Wearing a pant-suit like this is okay. Leave the 1980’s pant-suits in the 1980’s.
3. The purse doesn’t have to be big to talk big.
Many women think that the bigger the purse, the bigger the statement. Not true. In a previous post, I talked about big purses. The wife loves Coach purses, probably on the cheaper side of how expensive purses can be. She loves a big bag just as much as the next lady, but the majority of her collection are purses that are right in the middle of the road. As long as they have enough room for the essentials, and maybe a place to hide some liquor, you’re good to go. You can make a statement with a smaller purse. Try it out.
4. You’re not from Paris? That’s okay.
You don’t need to be from Paris to wear hats and/or scarves. Paris is still the fashion capital of the world, but that doesn’t mean its fashion can’t migrate to other parts of the world. Fall is quickly approaching and a nice pairing of a scarf and a hat is very sexy. Don’t try and look like you rolled out of bed and put on the closest garments to you. That’s truly too French of you.
5. Heels
If a nice pair of dress shoes can help a guy’s ensemble, a nice pair of heels can make a lady’s ensemble. They don’t have to be hooker heels to look good. Find a pair of heels that a functional and funky. There’s no sense in putting on heels that you can only wear for 6 minutes before you feel like you’re feet are going to fall off. A nice top, a nice pair of jeans, and a nice pair of red heels is classic and classy. It worked in 1970 and it works in 2011.
Follow Jason on Twitter at @JasDunham
