Posts with tag 'Menswear'

October 6, 2009
- Dress Like "You" for Halloween...Scary Thought?

Have you ever thought about being yourself for Halloween? If “you" were hanging on the rack of a costume shop would you want to be “you"? What would “you" look like?

Halloween is a time for us to experiment, have fun and even try out an alter ego! Think of the time and thought you put into a costume for one night, compared to the ones you wear every day. It could be scary. Like it or not, we live in a world where we are constantly judged on appearance. Even without being discriminating we have certain assumptions that we make about an individual. If you see someone who has a wrinkly shirt on you may assume that they are lazy or messy. If you see someone at an event wearing khakis when everyone else is wearing a suit, you might think they are at the wrong place or that they're part of the staff.

Think about the “costume" that you wear everyday. What does it say about you? If you are intelligent, organized, and creative on the inside then you want your clothes to say those same things on the outside. Take those words that you want people to associate with you and find ways to visualize them through your clothes. Here are a few tips and examples using men's shirts and women's suits:

Powerful/Ambitious– use striped patterns, angled or straight cut styles and dark colors to convey authority. Keep clothing tailored to fit your body and wear crisp and smooth fabrics.

Friendly/Caring– use rounded patterns, curved styles and soft, muted colors like mauve or brown to convey friendliness. Clothing can be a little looser and full of texture.

Creative/Modern– mix patterns, combine styles and use splashes of bold color over neutral colors like grey and black. Blend loose and tight clothing together in one outfit.

The key is to truly look like “you", whatever that is. We use the word "costume" in place of "outfit", only because of the holiday. Your outfit should never feel like a costume! For example, some women may feel like they are wearing a costume if they were outfitted in some of the clothes we’ve seen on Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City. While many of these are amazing couture pieces, for some women it would feel like they were playing dress up.

Your costume should be desirable. First ask yourself how you feel about it and then ask a close friend. Have them give you three things they like about your style and any constructive criticism on what they dislike. You can even be as direct to ask them if they would want to wear your costume. Finding out why or why not will let you if you need a little tweaking or a whole new fitting. If you have been wearing the wrong costume for years, you may just seek the expert advice of a stylist, like Milena. She’ll help you create a costume that represents you on the inside and fits just right on the outside!

June 18, 2008
- Style Tips For Men By Men

Here are my favorite thoughts on men's fashion from some of the world's most stylish men. All the quotes come from "Details Men's Style Manual" by Daniel Peres and the editors of Details.

"Always take the advice of a woman over that of a man. Always. Men tend to regard your outfit solely in terms of whether they'd wear them themselves, but women have an uncanny ability to distance themselves from things like this.

Giorgio Armani

"All men should own a black cashmere turtleneck, a high-quality tropical-weight black suit, black driving loafers, and the most expensive white shirt you can afford."

"Matching head-to-toe sports outfits freak me out. It works for Dave Beckham because he is actually coming off the field. He is not an accountant or a stockbroker running around doing errands.

Michael Kors

"It's better to look like you're wearing something that fits than like you're wearing a trend."

Sean Combs

"For black tie, men should dress properly in a tuxedo. No Nehru shirts with a diamond top button, hair all wet and slicked back, with a two-day beard. That's so L.A. Everyone looks dirty in L.A., walking around wearing the worst looking T-shirt they can find."

Tommy Hilfiger

"You have to be a certain type to carry off a leather jacket. If you do wear one, it should be tailored. A boxy one will age you."

"A few little squirts of fragrance on your chest is better than ten squirts on your neck. And unless you're really, really handsome, don't get highlights."

Christopher Bailey

"You have to be taller than five feet eight to wear a double-breasted jacket. If you're not, you can look very square. You get into sea-captain territory. If you're not tall, you should go for a shorter, one-button jacket."

Zac Posen

"I'm not into hats unless they have a purpose. Unless it's hard and you're rappelling down a mountain, I don't want to see it."

"Getting dressed in the morning is a self-fulfilling reality. If you don't look good, you don't feel good, and you might as well go and get hit by a bus.

Kenneth Cole