One Guy’s Idiot-proof Rules for Dressing

INTRODUCTION

This blog isn’t about telling people that they should be obsessed with clothes, that they should dress like a parade of corporate clones or that they can’t show their personality in their wardrobe choices.  In fact, far from it: it’s meant to be some words of advice from a fellow man on how you can tweak and upgrade your wardrobe without requiring a great deal of time or money (and, I also throw random, interesting stuff on here as well, such as biometric wallets, just for interest’s sake).  There’s not one way of looking good, and it always annoys me when websites and forums claim that there is – with that said, there are some things that I believe are mistakes that do guys no favours and I believe there are certain basic rules that will serve you well.

Occasionally I’ll check my inbox and find a message from someone about this blog, asking me either: a) to post more (thanks, I really do appreciate the encouragement, please keep it coming – I’ll try to post more); or, b) asking for some sort of general sartorial guidance.  This post is my attempt to kill two birds with one stone.  These are my general rules for dressing – some of them I’ve gleaned from various books, my father and grandfather, or other sources; some should be obvious and yet I see them gone wrong all the time; others are because I’m a bit nit-picky; and still others are just things that I’ve adopted and I’ve found to work well.  The common thread is that following these rules have helped to prevent me from at least looking like a jackass, which, as I’ve stated in the past, is one of the major goals of this blog.  I’m hoping this article will be something that I update and add to regularly, so feel free to send in suggestions and check back regularly (I’ll post on Twitter, @oneguysstyle, whenever I make a significant addition).

Without further ado, here are an assortment of rules that I follow to jackass-proof my wardrobe, along with my reasoning for them. I’ve also divided them into categories – things you absolutely have to get right, things that you probably should get right, and things that may take your style game up that extra notch.

THE BASICS – YOU NEED TO GET THESE RIGHT

1.  Fit is everything

It doesn’t matter what the label says;  how much you paid for it;  how much the retail price was; what store you bought it in.; or, what the “working for commission” sales associate said.  If it doesn’t fit (and cannot be made to fit), it’s not worth it.  That goes for suits, shirts, pants, jackets, belts or whatever else you can think of.  A Uniqlo shirt can look better on you than a Brunello Cucinelli shirt, simply because the former fits better than the latter.  Outside of Sweden, guys tend to wear clothes that are too big for them.  I’m 6’2″, 175lbs and grandmas and aunts have long sent me “Large” sized clothes.  In actuality I wear “medium” in most brands – use this as your benchmark.  Just because you’re over 6’0″ doesn’t make you a “Large” (although it may make you a “tall”, depending on the length of your arms and torso).  Wearing clothes that are too big for you make you look sloppy; and, contrary to common belief, they are no more comfortable than clothes that actually fit you.

The good news is, if you do have clothes that don’t fit (especially shirts) than a good tailor can likely work wonders (more about this in a minute).  I’ve had shirts that I’ve bought (knowing full well that I’d be taking them to my tailor) that I could almost make a second shirt out of with the excess fabric – the only thing that fit when I got them was the collar.  Don’t live your life trying to find ways to tuck in extra shirt fabric, or trying to keep pants from sliding down your ass, or looking like your jacket is wearing you rather than the other way around.  Either don’t buy clothes that fit like that in the first place, or, if  you already have, take them to a tailor.  Clothes that fit will make you look slimmer, taller, more professional, sexier and better proportioned.  There’s not attribute on that list that you don’t want.  It’s really as easy as figuring out what fits and buying it (or having things altered to fit) – but I constantly see men that have ignored this rule.  If you take nothing else from this list, at least understand the importance of Rule 1.  Check out the pictures above.  Clearly they represent something of a caricature, but it’s immediately clear to everyone when someone is wearing things that fit and when they’re not.

2.  Find a tailor and understand what he or she can and can’t do

People associate tailors almost entirely with suits.  This is like associating football entirely with quarterbacks – sure, they’re the most recognizable member of the team, but there are 50 other guys out there as well.  In the same way, to simply go to the tailor to have your suits fit is to barely skim the surface of their capabilities.  To whit, I recently purchased a polo shirt from a well-known manufacturer.  I have a few of their shirts already, all in a particular size (they don’t use the typical “small”, “medium”, “large” sizing).  I happened across a sale, was in a hurry and simply grabbed a shirt in what has always been my size and didn’t try it on.  Unbeknownest to me, this particular maker has introduced a new fit and their sizes are now a little bit different than before – which meant that I now own a polo shirt that swamps me, that I can’t return.   I took it to my tailor and,  $12 later, I have a polo shirt that fits perfectly and I was even able to customize certain details of the shirt.  At first this may seem ludicrous (tailoring a polo shirt? Really?).  However, think of it this way.  Before, I had an article of clothing that was essentially worthless to me – I couldn’t return it, and I would never wear it because it didn’t fit.  Now, I have a polo shirt that I will wear, and fits me perfectly – $12 very well spent, in my opinion, as it saved a $35 investment from becoming worthless.  Think of it this way: every pair of dress pants you buy needs to be tailored, just like every suit.  If a shirt doesn’t fit perfectly, it needs to be tailored.  I’ve tailored jeans that I liked, got a great deal on and wanted to keep, despite the fact that they didn’t quite fit (they now fit perfectly).  I’ve had my tailor repair jeans and shirts that had ripped, thereby reviving some of my favourite articles of clothing.  You can have ties narrowed, sleeves and armholes repositioned or narrowed, custom articles of clothing made, even t-shirts recut, sometimes for the price of buying you and a friend venti americanos and a muffin from Starbucks.  More importantly, they can take something you never wear, that lingers in the back of your closet like a spectre because you don’t like how it fits, what it looks like, or a certain thing about it and make it your “go-to” article of clothing.  Sometimes, you can go shopping in your own closet and find things that, with a little work, can be made new.

The only caveat is this: you need to know what a tailor can’t do.   They can’t really do much for suits that don’t fit in the shoulders (so, make sure your suits fit there; you can do some tailoring to the body of the suit, if need be).  They can’t remove shoulder pads, or reduce them.  They can’t really adjust the collar size of a shirt.  They can only work with the material you give them (i.e. you can’t have pants let out if there’s no material to let them out with.  You can’t have pants lenghtened without material being there to do it.).   It’s tough to adjust the rise of pants too substantially.  There is a limit to how many sizes they can take an article of clothing down (sorry, but those size 42 pants cannot be made into 32s…  The two back pockets will become one back pocket).  Sweaters aren’t really their speciality.  Re-working sleeves with functioning buttons is a problem (as it’s tough to move already made buttonholes without leaving very visible marks).  So is substantially lengthening or shortening a jacket (the pockets will now be in a slightly odd position, and it’s expensive).  Just like Superman had his limitations (kryptonite), so do tailors – in my experience, Superman is the most apt comparision for a great tailor.

3.  Wear a tie darker than your shirt, 95% of the time

– This is a good experiment:  walk into the suit section of Tip Top, Men’s Warehouse or other down-market men’s retailers – your eyes will be greeted with dress shirts in a ROY G. BIV assortment of colours.  Mannequins will be rocking solid black, red, green, dark purple and even orange dress shirts.  Then head over to one of the finer men’s stores in your area; I’ll toss out Harry Rosen, Niemen Marcus, Barney’s… any of those would be fine.  Now check out what colour shirts the mannequins and floor displays have on – I guarantee that at least 90% will be wearing shirts where the predominant colour is either white or blue (they may have red, purple, pink, green, orange or any other colour represented via stripes or checks, but the shirt will almost definitely be rooted in white or blue).  This isn’t an accident – solid black, red, orange, green and dark purple are not colours for dress shirts, unless you work as a magician in Vegas.  For whatever reason, it looks better when your tie is darker than your shirt, and these colours generally make this difficult.  They’re also tough colours to match and they’re definitely not traditional for business or just about any other form of social interaction.  This isn’t to say that you can’t wear solid shirts in colours other than white or blue; pink and lavender can be nice colours for shirts. However, stick with pale rather than dark shades, and pair with a tie in a colour darker than your shirt (navy, dark grey, etc). Furthermore, I have no problem if you’re going to cocktail party in a dark space at night and want to wear a black dress shirt with a black suit and no tie (see Bradley Cooper on the left).  If it’s nighttime and dark, and drinks are in the hands of many, then black may be an option (again, skip the tie) – but the look on the right is a train wreck.  Ties and black shirts do not go together, especially at the office.

4. Suit, shoes, tie and then shirt should be your focus in terms of allocating your attention and resources

A nice suit is something you need and is the most noticeable part of your business or formal wardrobe.  Plus, a suit is versatile, as it can be worn without a tie, just as a jacket with jeans or slacks, etc, or even the pants with a shirt and sweater.  Suits are also the most difficult thing to get right. Shoes are the next most important as bad shoes can destroy a look, even if you have a nice suit, tie and shirt.  Shoes can also be quite expensive and often demand a significant investment (although, if you purchase quality shoes, this investment should last a lifetime).  Ties come third as a nice tie will get you noticed positively, and a bad tie will immediately get you noticed negatively – if you’re diligent, you can often find nice ties at relatively low prices without sacrificing quality (eBay, Holt Renfrew Last Call, Saks Off 5th Avenue, Century 21, etc, can be excellent sources for high quality ties at bargain prices).  Furthermore, if you don’t own many suits, having a range of ties will make it seem like you have a wide ranging wardrobe.  Finally, shirts should be your last area of focus, as you can find nice shirts quite easily at good prices (see my articles about Shirts (here) and TM Lewin (here)).  The importance of shoes should really be underlined (I thought about putting them first).  Don’t fall into the trap of spending $150 on shoes and $140 on a shirt.  Spend $40 on a TM Lewin shirt, as per my post here, and $250 on the shoes (for some info about choosing shoes, read this post.

5. Don’t wear black suits or ties (or shirts) to work

Simply put, black is not traditional business wear, beyond shoes and belts.  A black suit doesn’t look good under artificial light (and is susceptible to, and looks worse after, fading more than any other colour).  Black ties are too formal for most workplaces (unless your job is hosting the Oscars, working at a funeral home or raising barns on the weekends with your Amish buddies).  And, as I discussed earlier, don’t even think about wearing a black dress shirt to any workplace.  Black is one of the hardest colours to match shirts and ties to.  Choose navy, charcoal grey, mid-grey, light grey, dark brown or even khaki or beige (in the summer time) for suits before you go with black.  This is especially important if you only have one or two suits, as your goal should be to maximize the number of colour combinations you can wear with your limited suit wardrobe.  That said, black is great when it comes to evening activities; for suits, ties or shirts.  So if you’re going out for a night on the town, as a 5th or 6th suit, or you’d like to wear it for other occasions that aren’t business related, think about black.  But unless you work as a chaplain or are going door to door for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or were given the suit as wardrobe for your role in ‘Book of Mormon’), go with navy or charcoal for your suits at the office, and skip black shirts and ties.

6.  Shoes polished.  Always.

When I was in university and needed a pair of brown dress shoes, I found a pair of Brown’s Shoe Store’s private label shoes on sale and bought them.  I couldn’t afford much more than a $75 investment and these looked nice enough for what they were and served me well.  Being that my grandfather and father have instilled in me a pseudo fanaticism about keeping shoes polished, I made sure that they sparkled when I wore them.  Amazingly, my $75 shoes got lots of compliments.  I’ve since upgraded my shoe collection, but nonetheless, these experiences underline something vitally important – you can make decent shoes look substantially better when you take the time to keep them polished.  I actually still have the shoes in my closet (the uppers remain in good shape, and, as they were glued, it was the soles that went first – I resoled them and they’re now my rainy day shoes). Conversely, you can make nice shoes look like cheap shoes if you do not polish them.   Polished shoes will set you apart from the rest of the dull-shoed masses and undoubtedly engender compliments.  How else can you upgrade your wardrobe for $3 (the price of a tin of shoe polish) and ten minutes of your time?

7.  The bottom button of a two or three-button suit should always be left undone.  The top button of a shirt worn without a tie should always be left undone too.

Not only is this the modern way of wearing suits, but, more importantly, suits are actually cut with the assumption that you will leave that button undone.  If you do it up, it will often result in a pull at that button and change the balance of the suit.  If you’re wearing a dress shirt (or casual button down, or polo shirt) without a tie, then leave the top button undone.  If you’re not wearing a tie, then clearly the occasion is at least mildly informal, so you don’t need to do that button up.  I realize that it’s hipster-chic to do these buttons up, but, at least in my mind, it doesn’t work for the majority of guys trying for this look.  If you want to add formality to your outfit, wear a jacket, don’t do it with that damn top button.  To my eyes, doing up the top button makes you look about as uptight as a nun in Vegas.  Even the guys on The Big Bang Theory don’t do up their top buttons, and that’s a strong statement.

8.  Step away from the cell phone belt holster

We get it, you have an iPhone, Galaxy or BlackBerry.  So do most 11 year old girls.  I’m sure you’re a very important man, who gets very important emails from very important people.  That’s great.  The good news is, those emails still manage to get to your phone when it’s in your pocket.  This applies in equal measure to your pants pocket and your suit jacket pocket – you really don’t need to display your BlackBerry like you’re Wyatt Earp in Tombstone.   I’ll make an occasional exception for individuals with holsters who wear suit jackets that will cover the holster, but grudgingly.  Unless you’re a time traveller from 5 years ago and are stuck with a BlackBerry with a side scroll wheel, than your phone will be slim enough to be in your pocket with no discomfort, I can assure you.  I covered this growing societal issue before here.

THINGS YOU SHOULD GET RIGHT

9. Polo or ‘golf” shirt sleeves should hit you mid-bicep, not below your elbow

How to Maximize Your Wardrobe Dollars

Introduction

How do we, as men, buy things?  Well, when it comes to clothes, the answer is usually “as quickly as possible”.  However, at the root of nearly all purchases are one or both of these considerations: 1) I need this; and 2) I want this.  Something you need could be a winter coat if you live an a cold climate, or a tuxedo if you’re invited to a black tie event.  Things that aren’t really optional and therefore take precedence over other purchases.  They may be required for the long-term (the winter coat) or for a single use (the tuxedo).

On the other hand, there are things we want.  They can be anything and this is where we can get in some trouble (but also are what can make buying clothes interesting and fun).  We may want an expensive cashmere scarf that we’ll wear every day during the winter.  Or, we may want a pair of baby blue driving loafers from a place like Zara that don’t cost too much but that we’ll wear a grand total of twice.  Given that the vast majority of us have limited resources with which to buy clothes, like Steven Segal in Under Siege, it’s about making our bullets count.

 

Actual Cost

I majored in Economics during my undergrad years and so I have a habit of reducing things into economics-based ideas.  This may sound like something you don’t really want to read, but hear me out for just a minute.  I think it’s important for all of us to figure out the actual cost of what we buy.  What I mean by the term “actual cost” is the “cost per wear” for a particular item – the amount you paid for the item divided by the number of times you’ve worn it. Say I buy a sweater for $200.  An relatively expensive sweater to be sure, but one that fits me perfectly and looks great.  I really like this sweater, so over the span of 3 years I wear it 50 times.  Imagine, as well, that right around the time I bought the first sweater, I come across a second sweater, marked down to $30 from $120.  It’s lime green, but it’s a great deal and I kind of like the colour.  Three years later, I still do like the colour, but I just haven’t found as many occasions to wear it as I might have liked.  In fact, I’ve only worn the second sweater 5 times over that same 3 year period.  On the one hand, we have a sweater that cost $200, and on the other, one that cost $30.  I wore the first sweater 50 times, making the actual cost of that sweater $4.  The cheaper sweater I only wore 5 times, making its actual cost $6.  In other words, the first sweater cost me less on a “per wear” basis than the second one, even though it was $170 more expensive in the first place.

When you think about it, we all have to get dressed every day.  We need pants (or shorts) of some kind, a shirt, a sweater and/or jacket if it’s cold or rainy, undergarments, some sort of footwear and whatever other assorted things we wear on a daily basis depending on the weather, time of year, the occasion, etc.  Each day has clothing slots that need to be filled and we’re paying everyday to fill these slots – albeit, we paid upfront.  If you think about it, this partially explains why certain things cost more than others.  Well constructed items such as Alden shoes (above, on the left) or Barbour jackets (above, on the right) will last you years, which allows you to amortize the hefty up-front cost over many wearings (and, this also means that these business don’t expect you to be coming back for a replacement for a long time, meaning they need to charge more for each item they sell).

H&M, on the other hand, operates from the exact opposite notion.  Their clothes (some examples of which are pictured above) are disposable; they’re not of particularly high quality and they’re built to be stylish for a brief window of time.  H&M expects you to be replacing them regularly and therefore they’re available at a very low price.  Neither of these approaches, economically speaking, is really better or worse than the other.   On the one hand, with a Barbour coat, you wear it many times (good for “actual cost”) but it’s got a high upfront cost (bad for “actual cost”).  H&M clothes are cheap (good for “actual cost”) but disposable (bad for “actual cost”), so you’re really not particularly better off, economically speaking, buying one over the other.  Both have their function and fill a particular role.  What you generally want to avoid are items that are relatively expensive and that you won’t wear very often (either because they won’t last very long, or because you don’t really have the need or desire to wear them).  I say that you “generally” want to avoid these things because there are certain instances where you have no choice.  Things fall into the “need” category rather than the “want” category all the time.  For example, if you live in Hawaii and decide to go on a ski holiday in the Alps, you’ll need a good ski jacket to keep you warm.  Good ski jackets tend to be costly and you’re not likely to be wearing this jacket very many times living in Hawaii – but if you want to go skiing and stay warm, you need one.  The same goes for things like tuxedos and many other things that are required for one reason or another.  You simply have to bite the proverbial bullet and take the hit with a high actual cost.  What you want to avoid are things that you’re buying because of “want” for a lot of money that, when you actually try and think clearly through your cloud of lust, you’re really never going to use.  Even cheaper things, as shown by my earlier example, may not make economical sense if you don’t wear them very often.  However, given that you purchased them for a lesser cost, you need to wear them less than a more expensive garment for them to make financial sense.

Factors that tend to give you the best (i.e. lowest) actual cost, are items that:

a) you like and will be wearing regularly (this is the most important factor – if you really like something, you’ll find reasons and occasions to wear it);
b) serve more than one function (for example, a navy blue suit jacket, which can also be worn as a blue blazer, thereby increasing the times you can wear it);
c) cost less (although, as my first example shows, this shouldn’t necessarily be your focus, as it is for many people);
d) are well-made and likely to last a long time (thereby increasing the opportunity for you to wear them); and
e) are staples, things that are acceptable to wear in as many social situations as possible and match as many items in your closet as possible (for example, a grey sweater is generally more useful than a lime green one, just because it can be paired with more things in your wardrobe and is a more classic colour).

There are undoubtedly other factors that influence actual cost, but I think these are the core ones.  It’s not as simple as buying low and wearing things a lot, because often you get what you pay for.  It’s about “using your bullets” like a sniper rather than a machine-gunner.  Target certain things that will check the major boxes (navy suit, black shoes, gray sweater, etc) and fill in the space around them with things that are more interesting, one-dimensional and infuse your personality into your wardrobe, but always with at least an eye on the actual cost of what you’re buying.

 

Substitute Goods

The second consideration when it comes to maximizing the economics of buying clothes is how substitutable the item is.  In other words, can you get something that is reasonably close to the same thing for less, and, if you can, why are you paying more?  This second consideration becomes useful where an item seems to be carry a reasonable actual cost.  Here’s an example: imagine that I’ve purchased a pair of black Salvatore Ferragamo captoe lace-up shoes.  These shoes are from Ferragamo’s Studio line, which is their lowest priced line of three. (Studio, Lavorazione Orginale and Tramezza).  I purchased them from Saks (here), for $473 Canadian.  The first thing I will say about these shoes is that they look great.  Modern, classic and yet very elegant and tasteful in appearance.  They’re black and captoe making them an absolute wardrobe staple.  Plus, I can wear them to the office, but also out on the town.  Frankly, I can wear them just about anywhere.  They’re not going to go out of style, and their construction is certainly equal to many commonly sold shoes on the market.  They cost a fair amount, but I’d say that I might wear them as many as 150 times in 3 years, making their actual cost around $3.  In other words, they seem like a winner on an actual cost basis. However, they’re a bit of a disaster when it comes to a substitute goods analysis.  You see, they may look great, and their construction may be equal to many shoes on the market, but they’re still $500.   They’re entirely glued together, as most shoes are, meaning that you’re only likely to get 3 years out of them.  This is especially so if you wear them as regularly as you’d need to to make them economical – plus, while many shoes are constructed similarly, this is actually more than I’d like to spend on glued shoes.  For less than $500, I can find you many shoes that are better made here, here or here .  These alternatives would last you longer, look just as good (or nearly as good) and therefore be more economical for you.  A lot of what you’re paying for the Ferragamo shoes is due to the Ferragamo brand name on the sole and the cachet that goes with it.  This means that items can pass the “actual cost” test, but still not be a great buy.  Therefore, it is important to determine whether there are cheaper substitute goods available.

Now, this isn’t to say that buying a $500 navy suit is superior to buying a $1,500 navy suit, because these goods may not be as substitutable as you think.  The construction of the cheaper suit is likely to be such that it will limit the life of the suit; perhaps it’s more trendy and therefore will go out of style faster; perhaps, when you buy a few more expensive suits, you’ll shy away from the cheaper suit because you’ve seen the way that nicer suits look on you and you’re almost embarrassed to where that one; perhaps the cheaper suit really doesn’t fit you particularly well.  In other words, perhaps you’re really not getting the same thing for less money at all.  At the same time, I feel that dress shirts are inherently disposable.  They get stained, shrunk, sweated in, rolled up in laundry baskets, their collars get damaged, etc.  The life of a dress shirt is hard and often relatively short.  Moreover it’s often predominantly covered up by your suit jacket and tie, so only your collar is visible.  Which, to me means that I don’t want to pay $300 for a dress shirt even if it becomes my favourite dress shirt and I wear it all the time making its actual cost not particularly high.  This is because I feel confident that I can find a dress shirt nearly as good for under $70 at places like T.M. Lewin.  If you look at the pictures above, there really isn’t much perceptible difference at all, despite the fact that the Brioni shirt on the right costs $475 at Niemen Marcus, while the T.M. Lewin shirt on the left can be had for $50. Undoubtedly, if you inspected the shirts up close, you would notice a difference in materials and quality, but enough to justify a $425 price difference?  In my opinion, no.  With suits, the gap between expensive suits and cheap suits can often be massive, for a variety of reasons.  Suits are far more technical and difficult to make than a shirt and require more expertise to properly fit.  Shirts do not; neither do socks and even pants.  So, your second question when you’re buying an article clothing (after estimating your actual cost) should be asking yourself whether there are any substitutable goods.  If there are, you may be better served buying the cheaper item and pocketing the difference.  On the other hand, if there’s not, you might be better off ponying up the extra cash.

Conclusion

So, the next time you’re shopping, don’t necessarily jump at sale prices and turn up your nose at high prices.  Weigh each of them on their merits and use the tools of actual cost and substitute goods to decide what your best decision, economically speaking, would be.  Don’t be afraid in making an investment in something you’re going to wear the hell out of, even if the initial cost is high.  If you always try to cut cost corners and end up with things you don’t quite like, you may actually be costing yourself money on an actual cost basis.  And don’t worry too much about not wearing something very often if you really did get it for a song.  Soon there won’t be as many “ghosts” kicking around the back of your closet, hardly worn that you purchased on a whim.  That’ll put money into your pocket, and who doesn’t want that?

Oneguysstyle’s Inaugural Christmas List

We’re getting closer and closer to my favourite time of the year.  In the spirit of the season, here’s what I’m hoping to find under the tree this year:

1.  Tumi Alpha Frequent Traveler Zippered Expandable Carry-On Bag

I’ve been doing a fair amount of traveling this year, which is something I very much want to continue into the future.  While I make do with a myriad of beat-up and abused luggage, this rolling carry-on is what I really want.  Made of Tumi’s signature ballistic nylon, it’s damn near un-damageable.  I also love the removable garment sleeve, which holds up to three suits and would allow me to not have lug around a separate garment bag.  Airports are places to survive, not enjoy, and so the more your rolling suitcase allows you not to carry, the better.  I’ll have mine in black, with the complimentary monogramming (so I can tell it apart from the herd of Tumi’s seen at every airport), please.  Check out this particular suitcase here; it’s available for $595.  They also regularly find their way to eBay.

2. Alexander McQueen Silk Skull Print Scarf

Because why not quietly feel like a bit of a badass this year?  In a muted navy (and with a small pattern that looks quite conservative unless you get quite close to it), it’s a fantastic way to be daringly conservative, if there is such a concept.  Alexander McQueen produces items that are kind of a cross between James Bond and Keith Richards and really, are there two cooler male characters than them?  I’ll have mine in navy with white, as conservative as possible to off-set the pattern.  Alexander McQueen’s website is alexandermcqueen.com but I would recommend trolling eBay for better prices.

3.  Gant by Michael Bastian Oxford Shirt

My vote for the coolest collaboration of the year.  Michael Bastian makes some of the finest “american style” menswear in the world.  Think of a modern interpretation of what the Kennedy brothers wore in the ’60’s.  He prides himself on making the finest examples of classic American items like khaki pants and shorts and oxford shirts with modern fits.  The downside is that the “finest” carry a price to match.  Which makes his contribution to Gant absolutely perfect.  Gant has long been something of a poor man’s Polo Ralph Lauren.  Their collaboration with Bastian has bumped up their price a bit (but not really very much at all considering) while delivering some of the best items you’ll find on the racks this year.  I would recommend going with what Bastian does best – the oxfords, the khakis and the corduroy pants.  Given that I wear the hell out of white oxford button-down I already own, a pale blue oxford button collar shirt tops my list.  Check out the Michael Bastian collection at Gant’s U.S. website here, the oxford shirt I’m talking about here, or in stores in Canada at Harry Rosen for a little over $150.

4.  Playful socks from Paul Smith, Richard James, Smart Turnout or Happy Socks

I’m a bit sick of the drab socks in my closet, particularly as drabness of winter has set in.  Which means that I’m looking for some interesting and colourful options in my sock drawer.  Any of the above makers will do (I’ve arranged them from highest to lowest in price), preferably with a some red in there somewhere.  More info can be had at paulsmith.co.uk, richardjames.co.uk, smartturnout.com or happysocks.com.

5. Slim fit Sea Island Cotton Shirt from Charles Tyrwhitt

We’ve covered the fine Sea Island cotton shirts made by Charles Tyrwhitt before (see here).  I’m going to be heading somewhere warm after Christmas, so I’d like a shirt that’ll keep me comfortable and cool when I go out for dinner.  Anything with a pattern in blue or pink will do quite nicely.  Also, skip the french cuffs and opt for standard barrel cuffs – I’m inevitably going to forget to  pack cufflinks and the less you need to bring  on vacation, the better.  Check out ctshirts.com for more details.  Shirts from around £59.95

 

 

6.  Belstaff Roadmaster jacket

From the black waxed cotton exterior and traditional tartan interior, to the slim fit and belt, there is no cooler jacket than this one.  Made for motorcyclists by Belstaff, a company founded in England in 1924, it not only keeps you warm, but it’s rugged waxed cotton feature keeps you dry.  You may remember seeing Will Smith in one of these throughout the film I am Legend.  Instead of following the herd and buying a leather jacket, buy one of these classics and instantly look about as cool as a man can look.  Mine would be in black, but the olive and brown also look great.  Available via jcrew.com, belstaff.com and a variety of other places, for around $595.

 

 

7.  H&M Tweed Blazer

Winter = tweed.  It keeps you warm and stylish through the months of cold we experience in Canada and in the northern U.S.  Plus, it’s timeless and will never go out of style (even if it does, at H&M prices that isn’t too big a fear).  Add on some elbow patches and you’ve really got a winner.  H&M offers a modern fit, which makes sure you don’t look like your Grandpa or your first year English professor.  Grey is the way to go, at least in my opinion.  Check it out in H&M stores for around $130.

 

 

8.  The Art of Shaving Sandalwood Shaving Cream

Shaving is the cross that every man bears, so why not make it tolerable (or perhaps even enjoyable) with some quality shaving cream.  Once you lather this up with a badger brush (feel free to skip the one from Art of Shaving and pick one up from the drug store), you’ll realize you’ve been missing out with the thin crap you get out of a can.  Plus, the sandalwood smells great, so you can skip the aftershave.  There are other scents available, but I would skip the lemon as I’ve heard it can adversely effect certain people’s skin.  The $22 price may seem expensive for shaving cream, but my tub has lasted me more than a year (you’ll plow through a few cans of Edge or Gillette in that time period), so it’s actually not as expensive as it seems.  Time for a replacement tub for me.  More info available at theartofshaving.com.

 

 

9.  James Perse Brush Stroke Crewneck

James Perse very well may make the world’s most comfortable casual clothes.  I’ve already got a long-sleeve graphic t-shirt that I wear all the time from JP, but I think it’s time to add to my collection.  This example is made from heavier “slub pique” cotton, which combines a bit of extra thickness for winter with Perse’s famed softness to equal the most stylish way to laze around on a Sunday.  Available in black, grey and white, I think I’m partial to the grey.  James Perse is available at jamesperse.com or in Holt Renfrew, Niemen Marcus and other such retailers.  This particular shirt is available for $135.

 

10. J. Press for Urban Outfitters Drill Pant

J. Press sells preppy like nobody else.  Urban Outfitters does the same for trendy urbanwear.  Mix the two together and you’ve got classic items with a modern look.  J. Press was founded in 1902 in New Haven, Conn., which many may know is also the location of Yale University.  J. Press’ other stores are in Cambridge, Mass. (home of Harvard), Washington, D.C. (home of Capitol Hill and Georgetown University) and the inevitable store in New York City.  J. Press’ ties to the Ivy League schools and their distinctive preppy dress code is long-standing tradition.  The one issue has been that they’re frankly a bit stuffy and out-dated in terms of fit.  Enter Urban Outfitters, which fills the exact opposite end of the spectrum, while still catering to the same audience.  A match made in heaven, and these heavy duty khakis are the pick of the litter in my mind (see my earlier post on slim fit khakis: ).  The slim fit and cool details such as the buckle cinch at the back make them instant classics.  Check out the whole J. Press x Urban Outfitters collection at www.urbanoutfitters.com or in stores.  These pants are $78.

One Guy’s Daily Tip: Wear Henleys

There are two types of casual shirts that immediately come to mind.  First, there is the t-shirt, the most casual of casual shirts, but one that indispensably comfortable over the summer months.  You can’t go wrong sitting on a deck and drinking a beer in your t-shirt.  The second shirt that comes to mind is the polo shirt.  The polo shirt is on the other side of the casual spectrum, being one of the least casual of casual shirts.  Shirts with collars tend to be deemed more formal than shirts without collars, hence this characterization.  T he middle ground between the two?  The henley.  (More after the jump)

One Guy Recommends: T.M. Lewin Shirtmakers

If you’re like me and have trouble finding a nice shirt at a decent price, fret no longer. The solution lies across the pond in the form of British shirtmaker T.M. Lewin. With all the history that one expects from a British firm located on Jermyn Street, Lewin’s operation is over 100 years old and offers great quality for fantastic prices. The firm perpetually offers four shirts at a price of 100 GBP (depending on the exchange rate, around $170CDN, or just over $40 a shirt).

I tend to prefer a wider spread collar than is typically available in Canada (other than from custom shirtmakers) and given the British preference for this look, they are easy to find in old Blighty. T.M. Lewin offers a number of different collar styles (from nearly cutaway to relatively narrow) and two different fits: standard and slim. Being a relatively thin guy, the slim fit shirts are fantastic and fit nearly perfectly off the rack.

In addition, they have a fairly extensive catalogue of styles available, from the staid white and blue to loud stripes and plaids in a variety of colours (a look that is far more common in London than in most urban centres in North America). The quality of the shirts is extremely good for this price point, but one will not hesitate to replace a worn shirt in a few years’ time at $40 a shirt. Another great line offered by Lewin is their “Traveller” series of shirts. Treated to prevent wrinkling and with special buttons that allow one to button french cuffs in the event of forgotten cuff links, they are perfect for a forgetful guy that is a bit hard on his shirts, like myself. A word of warning about the Traveller shirts, however: be sure to wash them at least twice before an extended wearing as the collar can be slightly scratchy at purchase.

These shirts can be purchased online at www.tmlewin.co.uk, with shipping available at reasonable rates to North America. Or, if your travels take you to the United Kingdom, T.M. Lewin has shops throughout the country.