Tag Archives: style

On the power of gray, women and fabric, and cold weather gear

Posted on January 19, 2023 | Comments Off on On the power of gray, women and fabric, and cold weather gear

I’ve long contended that gray is one of the best colours a person can wear. Especially a man. Just like black or navy, gray can fit in anywhere. High quality gray clothing stands out, and low cost gray clothing does not. If you dress in monochrome gray, the many shades of gray can make it interesting. You can pair it easily with any color, from hot pink to coal black.  No other clothing color is as versatile.

For more on the greatness of gray, read this piece in Vogue.

If you need more ideas, Uncreate has you here:

That’s a good reminder that you can dress gray up or you can dress it down.

Now that we are in the bleak midwinter in the Northern hemisphere, it’s time to dress warmly. That doesn’t mean dressing badly. For instance, this selection of clothes has a great palette of dark blues, carmel browns, and even some red for a bit of pop:

And if you need ideas for when it is exceptionally cold, why not go with this:

If you have to shovel, do it well.

Some men know this, but it bears repeating: men have lots of options when it comes to clothing and style. Which is why when I read this: Menswear easiest look, I thought I dunno…I guess? Never mind this: the dad ification of fashion in 2022. Try harder, is all I’m saying.

For something on fashion that is very smart, I recommend this: The Fabric of Women. It’s a fascinating study of the relationship between woman, fabric, and linens. If that makes you want to get some new fabric to put over yourself, check out these options:best white t shirts for women.

(P.S. All images from the Garb section of Uncrate.com, except one from Wikipedia)

 

 

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Don’t buy a new puffer coat this winter. Be great and get this instead

Posted on January 5, 2023 | Comments Off on Don’t buy a new puffer coat this winter. Be great and get this instead


Sure, you could go out and get a new puffer coat. I get it: they’re warm, they’re lightweight, everyone else has one, you like looking like a marshmellow…:)

Seriously, puffer coats are….fine. But if you want to get a warm winter coat, you want to listen to me and Jeremy Scott. If your problem is lacking a winter coat…

The solution, said Jeremy Scott, creative director of Moschino, is “a sleek ankle-length greatcoat” — most notably the sort once favored by the military, looking to keep the cold out during periods of long exposure. The key to trapping in heat, he added, is choosing a double-breasted style.

There you have it. Get a great coat. You’ll be warm and stylish and sleek and timeless. You’ll look — dare I say it? — great.

For more on this, see this piece in the nytimes.com. For more on the great coat, see wikipedia. (Image above is also wikipedia: Stalin wears a great coat, while Churchill wears a British warm coat which is shorter than a great coat and not to be confused with a pea coat which is shorter still).

P.S. If you must get a puffer coat, consider this one: the Vollebak Indestructible Puffer. According to Uncrate:

Vollebak has taken the puffer jacket — traditionally one of the weakest and most delicate pieces of clothing you can buy – and rebuilt it from the strongest fibre known today. Dyneema Black is 15x stronger than steel, which is why it’s used in body armour and anti-ballistic vehicle armour.

If you are going to wear a puffer, be cool. And warm.

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This has style, this has grace, this here watch has a minimal face. (Get your fill of fashion here)

Posted on November 3, 2022 | Comments Off on This has style, this has grace, this here watch has a minimal face. (Get your fill of fashion here)

I’ve been wanting to to simplify and minimize my style lately. If that’s appealing to you, check out this link to minimal classics that never go out of style. Want to simpify your watch? Well you could get this one. But maybe that’s too minimal.  This might be better. (shown above)

Also pretty minimal are these New Balance 327:

I’m a big fan of the 327s in general. Those would go great with this very casual men’s wardrobe. It’s not really my style. Personally I prefer this gray wardrobe:

Very minimal and simple. The over shirt in it is featured here.

Speaking of great clothes to put over things, this very cool Bestall Astern Peacoat is all that. You can see it included in this striking wardrobe:

All gray is great, but you can’t beat a black on black wardrobe.

What’s cool and fashionable? This T shirt: “The Garbage T-shirt diverts waste like old clothes and plastic bottles from landfill and repurposes it into sustainable clothing.” Relatedly, the New Balance 57/40 are also using sustainable material. Also cool and minimal AND vegan:  Oliver Cabell Vegan 481 sneaker. This  scooter is cool. These Yeezy Shades are cool no longer.

(All images: links to Uncrate).

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There are three good suits you can wear in the summer, and linen is the best (ignore The Guardian)

Posted on August 18, 2022 | 1 comment

There are three good suits you can wear in the summer: cotton, linen and seersucker.

Seersucker is lightweight and doesn’t wrinkle easily, but it tends to be limited in terms of colour options. (The one on the left in the photo above looks good though). If you have to wear suits in the hotter months, having a seersucker suit will help you get through them.

Cotton is also lightweight and can come in a wider range of colours than seerksucker.  However cotton wrinkles. Alot. Really it is a dry cleaners dream. It looks great well pressed, but after a few minutes it looks wrinkled and disheveled.

That’s why I like linen: it looks great pressed, and it looks great wrinkled. Plus it comes in lots of colours and cuts. Hands down it is the best looking of the three types of summer suits and it has been for some time. I had a black linen suit from Hugo Boss and even in the heat I could wear it and feel comfortable.

That’s why you should ignore the Guardian when it talks about how the loose linen suit became retirement wear. They use Boris Johnson wearing linen as an example of why (younger) men should not. I mean, please. The other comparison point is Brad Pitt who wisely decided to promote his new film in the hotter months by suiting up in linen. A smart choice. (Also note the style of Pitt: draw string pants, loose necklines, casual shoes….all good looks to steal.)

It would be a shame if men, especially young men, gave up wearing linen suits. They are extremely versatile in terms of cuts, colours and styles. They are supremely comfortable. You can wear them to a wedding and you can wear them to a show. You can wear them in the city and you can wear them in the country.

Need more convincing? See the site Man of Many, which has good tips on wearing a linen suit. Stay cool, stay stylish, get linen.

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The very fashionable New Balance 327 are perfect for spring

Posted on March 5, 2022 | Comments Off on The very fashionable New Balance 327 are perfect for spring

I think New Balance makes great shoes for lots of reasons. If you are training hard athletically, they can really help you. But not all of us are doing that. Perhaps we just want to go for nice walks in the spring.

If that’s your goal, consider the NB 327.

The cloud version above and the mushroom version below are both really stylish and look really comfortable. They could be perfect for doing that stroll you want to do. They’ll be fine if you also want to pick up the pace.

I love the tread on the back too. I had driving shoes like that and they were incredibly comfortable on long drives on the highway.

(Credit to Uncrate.com for the images)

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In praise of monochrome coloured clothing

Posted on October 17, 2021 | Comments Off on In praise of monochrome coloured clothing

After reading these two pieces:

I want to pile on and recommend monochrome. As they say, monochrome dressing (i.e. wearing only one colour at a time) is a good way to simplify your dressing. It’s also a good way to travel too: having only one colour to wear means you need to take less and everything goes together.

You don’t have to be as bold as to wear lime or violet: black, blue and gray all work nicely. And if you are wearing summer clothes, all white or all beige is excellent.

If you kind of like the idea but find it too much, mix in some neutral colours: blue and a bit of gray, black and a touch of white, brown and beige combined. Easy!

However you do it, monochrome dressing makes it easy to get dressed and make a statement at the same time. What’s not to like?

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With Nike’s Every Stitch collection, athleisureware grows up

Posted on March 31, 2021 | Comments Off on With Nike’s Every Stitch collection, athleisureware grows up

To me, athleisureware is athletic clothing worn for some activity other than working out. Nike is taking that to another level with their Every Stitch collection. It’s made of similar materials to work out gear, and it comes from a company that makes workout gear, but it’s not workout gear. One example is in the photo above.

It’s a great collection, I think. If you want to see more on the collection, go here.

If you love it, you can buy it here.  Nice it is: cheap it isn’t.

Perhaps this is the next progression in men’s and women’s fashion, just as the sport coat went from being clothing you wore for hunting or horseback riding to something worn every day.

From: Nike Spring ’21 Every Stitch Considered Collection | Uncrate

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You know you want to know: how to dress up sweatpants

Posted on January 12, 2021 | Comments Off on You know you want to know: how to dress up sweatpants

Like many of us, Fashion has thrown in the towel and has decided to embrace sweatpants. Don’t just take my word on it; here’s one of  the Guardian’s fashion writers explaining, well,  How to dress up sweatpants.

Once the pandemic is over, I predict we are going to see a wave of fashion that is the total opposite of sweats. In the meantime, if you are going to wear them, use that article to be both comfy and stylish.

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In praise of the cardigan, perfect for your pandemic fashion needs

Posted on November 19, 2020 | 1 comment

Fancy cardigan
Finally! Advice we can all use: How to wear a statement cardigan | Men’s fashion in The Guardian

You might think I am joking but I am not: the cardigan is my favorite article of clothing. It’s dressier than a hoodie, more comfortable than a jacket, adjustable for different temperatures, and definitely stylish. I mean look at that one above! A cardigan with a shirt and tie is casual chic. Add more layers and you will be the picture of elegance.

I only have one piece of advice about cardigans: if you see one you like, do not hesitate to buy it. Clothing lines usually have a very limited number of cardigans they make every year, and often those are boring. Some years I have not found one good cardigan worth owning. A good cardigan is a rare and wonderful thing: don’t hesitate to get one or more.

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On capsule wardrobes, or minimalism in the closet

Posted on October 17, 2020 | Comments Off on On capsule wardrobes, or minimalism in the closet

If you are transitioning your clothes from summer to winter, you might be asking yourself: why do I have all these clothes? Do I need so many pieces? What can I do to pare down?

One option is to aim for a capsule wardrobe.  Here’s a piece on how to create one.For more on this, see this.

As for me, I am a failed minimalist, and I would likely fail at this too. But I feel the need to do it.

P.S. These guides are directed at women’s wear, but people who wear traditional men’s clothing can easily adapt this.

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This Decorating Technique Separates the Pros from the Amateurs

It’s a very simple idea:

“It’s all about the procession,” said Andrew Franz, an architect and interior designer in New York. As soon as you enter a home, he believes, your eye should be led to another visual destination, “because the activity between rooms is what creates a successful, comfortable design.”

via This Decorating Technique Separates the Pros from the Amateurs – WSJ

It doesn’t have to be color either: it could be pattern, style, material…anything that links the rooms. In linking rooms, you make each room appear stronger while making the space feel unified.

Image from the article, where the colors in each of the rooms are linked to each other.

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Posted on November 13, 2019 in decor, new!

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How to make a man’s Zara suit look expensive


GQ has the five good ideas here: 5 Tricks That’ll Make Cheap Suits Look More Expensive. I said “Zara” but you could do the same with lower end suits as well.

I’d add:

  1. Get the whole suit tailored to fit. They mention the sleeves, but if you get the jacket tapered to your body, the impression of fit will be strong and it won’t look off the rack.
  2. Go with a conservative colour. I like this suit over the one in the GQ article. It’s somewhat bold with windowpane plaid (vs pinstripe or solid), but the charcoal grey tones it down. Grey suits and jackets are deceptive: even the cheapest of them are hard to guess how expensive they are unless you look closely and know clothing.
  3. Go with good accessories in general, not just shoes. A great watch, French cuff shirt with cufflinks, a beautiful tie: all of those things give an impression of being expensive. Be bold here. I like how the suit pictured is paired with a shirt and tie that have a tiny pattern to compliment the larger pattern of the suit. It’s a good look. And his shoes stand out in a good way and look great with the tapered pant.

For details on this suit, go here.

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Posted on September 18, 2019 in fashion, new!

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The William hotel in NYC, or how to use bold colour in your home.

I have not stayed at the William, but I don’t need to in order to appreciate the beauty of the place (shown above). Regardless of your travel plans, if you have decorating plans, it’s a great place that illustrates how to effectively use bold colour in your home. For many, using bold colours can be both desirable and intimidating. Some concrete examples can help you achieve your bold colour dreams and overcome your bold colour fears.

For more, see this:  A Bold, Colorful Hotel in the Heart of Manhattan – Design Milk

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Posted on November 27, 2018 in decor, design

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Alternatives to Cloud White: two other Benjamin Moore white paints to consider

If you want an off white paint for your interiors, you can’t beat Cloud White from Benjamin Moore. However, if you do want to consider alternatives then these two articles agree that you want to look at either White Dove or Simply White, also by Benjamin Moore. These two pieces also go into detail as to when you want to use them (e.g. trim, kitchen cabinets). Before you start painting, check them out:

    1. Colour Review: Benjamin Moore 3 Best Warm White Paint Colours
    2. The Three Best Off Whites By Benjamin Moore – Warline Painting

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Posted on October 10, 2018 in decor

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MyDomaine will make you appreciate IKEA in a new way

Posted on December 3, 2015 | Comments Off on MyDomaine will make you appreciate IKEA in a new way

The folks at MyDomaine.com have a number of great articles of how to use IKEA furniture in a chic way. Here are four of them:

Well worth a look if you are on a budget and need to furnish your place. For example, I really like how they used IKEA bookcases to make this:

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Making walls better with moulding

Posted on October 17, 2014 | Comments Off on Making walls better with moulding


While you can do interesting things with paint or wall paper to your walls, another idea is to use simple moulding to break up boring walls. The woman featured in this post, Charlotte’s Budget Beauty — House Call | Apartment Therapy, has  it throughout her place, and I think it looks great.

Want more ideas on how to do that? Here you go 🙂  http://lmgtfy.com/?q=add+moulding+to+walls

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One of the best style guides for men can be found ….

Posted on October 11, 2014 | Comments Off on One of the best style guides for men can be found ….

Here: Garb, from Uncrate.

This pix is just a sample; you can see lots more here: Garb: First Class | Uncrate. Lots of great looks and ideas. For men who are stylistically challenged, I recommend you go here and steal all the ideas you can.

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Thinking of painting one wall in your house a different colour? Before you do, consider this

Posted on September 27, 2014 | Comments Off on Thinking of painting one wall in your house a different colour? Before you do, consider this

Not for everyone of course, but this article shows you a novel way of turning a good idea – painting one wall of a room a different colour to make the room more interesting – and going one step further. The result is something like this:

If you are still interested, see Before & After: Maura’s $13 DIY Wall Art! | Apartment Therapy. Get the lamp, too.

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