Level Up Gents

Who doesn’t love free swag?  But those free tech shirts you get from work or that mega geek conference you went to shouldn’t be worn as your everyday street wear.  Appropriate places they can be worn: to bed, the gym, painting the house, paint balling- you get the idea.  There are probably enough signs you’re a geek, don’t add to it by wearing your Google shirt.

You may have read my post on replacing and getting rid of those holey unmentionables.  And some of you are too lazy to do so unless your girlfriend or mother is replenishing them. Manpacks is your solution!  They are a Providence-based company that sells men’s underwear, socks, and undershirts on a subscription basis.  Sign up to get a delivery of new undergarments every three months. Each pack costs about $14 to $70, depending on the number of items and the brands  ordered. Check them out: manpacks.com/

Your staple pieces in your wardrobe are worth the investment.  They are the items of clothing that you’re going to wear most often.  These include:

• Casual light-mid weight jacket
• Rain/Waterproof/windbreaker shell
• Nice/designer dark wash jeans
• Hoodie
• Blazer
• Wool coat
• Comfortable casual shoe
• Flip Flops
• Great soft undershirts/t-shirts
• Everyday belt
• Watch
• Wallet
• Suit

When you shop, don’t just look for the best deal.  Love every piece of clothing that is going to be adding to your wardrobe so that you’ll want to wear that piece everyday.  This ensures regular rotation in actually being worn and not ending up in the bottom of your dresser, never to be seen again.  When filling those voids and picking out those pieces you need/want, look for diversity in being able to wear it in different situations and with other pieces in your wardrobe.  Don’t buy something you don’t know what you’d wear it with.  If you have no clue, check out the mannequins in the store to give you clues.  Look for special details about that piece that make it a little special/different that reflect your style or personality.  Or go for the uber classic that will never go out of style.  It’s always nice to be in trend.  But remember trends only last for so long.  It may be decades before it’s back in trend and typically closets don’t have that kind of storage capacity.  Just make sure you can flaunt it successfully before you roll outta the house with a fedora on looking like a douche.

Men are lucky in the fact they don’t have to carry a purse and they can just stuff their wallet, phone, and keys in their pockets.  But when you do need a bag to carry those miscellaneous or work stuff people always ask for my advice on what messenger bags I suggest.  Here are some of my favorites:

1. Jack Spade- Canvas & Leather Supply Brief $365
2. Freitag Messenger- F13 Top Cat Messenger ~$300
3. Mission Workshop- The Monty $120
4. Chrome- Mini Metro Buck Bag small $120

I don’t know what it is with men and making the worst fashion statements with their footwear.  Your shoes are one the greatest places to express yourself because men’s wear isn’t as dynamic as women’s wear.  So shoes are the best place to get a little funky and stylish.  Treat it like an accessory.  Let’s go over the big NO NOs once more for those of you who don’t know:

• Teva like shoes/sandals (especially with socks)
• Vibram Five Fingers
• Hiking boots
• Mandals
• Running shoes (leave them for the gym or for a run)

1. Sperry Top-Siders Authentic Original $75, 2. Timberland Earthkeepers Desert Boot, 3. Polo Ralph Lauren Terrence $89, 4. Timberland Earthkeeper “6” $160, 5. Big Sur Allen Edmonds $249, 6. Converse Jack Purcell Premium Johnny Mid $110

You ain’t him so stop trying to bite his style.  For you techies out there who roll out of bed at 10am and think mandals and shorts are appropriate for the workplace- big no no.  Trade them in for your traditional flip flops.  I recommend Reefs, Havaianas, or Rainbows.

In clothes and how they fit that is.  Men tend to buy clothes that are too big for them.  Here are some basic timeless tips to getting clothes to feel right and look right.

Button-Down Shirts

• Sleeves should cover your wrist and reach the beginning of your thumbs.
• Cuffs should be tight enough to prevent them from slipping down your wrist.
• If you opt to leave your button-down shirt untucked, it should hang just above your pants zipper (at back pocket level).
• When wearing a jacket and extending your arms, the sleeves should land between a half-inch and one inch past the jacket. Anything longer is cause for tailoring or buying a smaller shirt.
• The shirt’s seams should meet at the shoulder.
• Your forefinger should be able to fit in between your collar and your neck when the shirt is buttoned to the top.
• The collar’s tips and outer edge should be covered by your blazer or suit jacket’s lapels. To ensure that this happens, always fit your dress shirts and button-downs before fitting your jackets and blazers.

Trousers

• Try them on without shoes; they should just touch the floor. With shoes on, the back part of your pants should barely touch the ground (one rule of thumb is that pants should break at about 1/3 of the way down the shoe). And if you need one more sign that your slacks might not fit well, remember that your socks should not show when you walk.
• When belting slacks, don’t pull too tight, or you risk bunching up the fabric around your midsection. This will make your gut appear larger than it is.

Jeans

There are basic varieties out there, so get familiar with them and figure out which looks most flattering on your body type.

• Regular/Classic fit is as the name implies; traditional and somewhat slim-fitting with a straight leg opening
• Relaxed/loose fit features an extra one to four inches of additional fabric in the butt and thigh with a straight leg opening
• Bootcut is straight through the leg and opens at the ankle
• Skinny sits low on the waist, slim in the leg with smaller leg opening

And of course, remember that jeans usually shrink when you wash them. Buy (or have a tailored) pants just a shade longer than what you actually need.  If they are too long GET THEM HEMMED!  No staples or letting them get tattered.  If you buy designer jeans they are meant to be hemmed and many places hem them for free.

Neckties

• Should hang barely above your belt buckle.
• The size of the tie knot should not lift the tips of your shirt collar.
• The inverted triangle of the tie knot should fit snugly into the triangle created by your buttoned-up shirt collar.

Belts

• You should buy one size bigger than your pants. A 34″ waist means a 36″ belt.
• The buckle’s notch should fit into the center hole of the belt (usually hole number three; most belts have five holes).
• The tail of the belt should end just past the first loop on your pants
• The edge of the belt buckle, the row of buttons on your shirt and your fly should all line up vertically.

Blazers

• The sleeve should rest at your thumb knuckle when your arm is extended, and the blazer or jacket should cover your backside.
• The collar should leave about a half-inch of your dress shirt’s collar visible.
• If you plan on wearing your sports jacket frequently over sweaters, bring a thin or regular knit sweater with you when trying on or tailoring the blazer or suit jacket.

They are what I like to call your intimates.  And you gotta think about them as that- your intimates.  Would you want to get down with a chick in your nickers you got on now?  Or the ones you have sitting in your dresser?  Just like you don’t want to get down with a woman wearing granny panties, no woman wants to get down with a guy who’s elastic band that is coming off and holes in the fabric.  As soon as you discover a hole or stain that won’t go away, throw them away!  That includes your socks too buddy.  Yes, I’ve heard the excuse that no one is going to see your holes in your socks.  EXCEPT when you come over to my house- an Asian household!  You better take those dirty ass shoes off you’ve been walking with all over the city with, stepping in piss and spit when you walk into my house.  I don’t want to see your toes sticking out of your socks, and if they are, your toe nails best be clipped.

Who really likes doing laundry?  I read a craiglist post of someone who hated to do their laundry so much they were willing to barter sexual favors for someone to wash their clothes.  I’d say it’s not worth it.  But it is worth it to just pay someone to do your laundry for you.  Especially for guys whose clothes are not delicate and are just your basic cottons.  Considering the time and money you spend at the laundry mat, it’s worth it.  You can take your laundry to a dry cleaner for this service or a Laundry Locker where you can just drop your dirty clothes off in a locker and pick it up later in the same locker freshly cleaned and folded.  Prices range around $1.50/lb.

I know the Indian Summer of San Francisco is warming up but please don’t be caught dead in these.  And if you have a pair don’t give them away- destroy them so they don’t end up on anyone else.  Really there isn’t an appropriate occasion to be wearing denim shorts except if you consider yourself white trash and planning on going to the State Fair.

At the first firm I worked out, Sing, this old Chinese man who drew all our renderings by hand, rolled into work wearing acid washed denim shorts.  Rich who was the vice principle at the firm did a double take as Sing walked by and said “who does Sing think he is wearing shorts?”  In my mind I was thinking “let’s be more clear- who does he think he is wearing ACID WASHED DENIM shorts!”  And the only reason he could get away with it because 1. He was Asian, 2. He was old and old people can get away with just about anything.

Share this post with your friends who are guilty of this fashion no no.