Keys on Suits: Part Two

This is the second part of guest writer Keys miniseries on Suits. Hope it suits you!

 

Part II – The Style is in the Detail

Right. Here we are. Style. And what's style all about? DETAILS. 

So get comfortable and pay attention, because this will change your….well, if not your life than at least (hopefully) your wardrobe.

Let’s start things off with a little lesson in suit classification. There are generally three types of suits, each classed according to country. 

The American presents a young, chic and classy look.

The British portrays a proud and confident look. 

The Italian betrays the modern, individual fashionista. 

I’m personally a fan of the classic American, as its timelessness fits (almost) every occasion (otherwise known as the safe choice).

[The Mad Men. Otherwise known as the madly well dressed men.]

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Let’s kick off from the very top: LAPELS. . Lapels are divided into peak or notch lapels. There is also a less common third type: the shawl lapel.

Notch lapels are generally considered less formal and are classic and all-purpose, be it an evening dinner or a meeting with a client. Peak lapels are always reserved for social and formal events: proms, evening galas etc. and have no place in the business world. Shawl lapels are in the olden days used in informal suits ala dinner jackets but have since found a place in the formal society. However, they still remain an acquired taste and are not easy to pull off. If in doubt, always go notch.

Then there’s the question of single-breasted or double-breasted. Single breasted suits have one row of buttons. Double Breasts have two rows. For me, unlike how I pick my women, single breasted varieties are always the way to go - Double Breasts can be slightly old fashioned and tend to make the wearer look stockier. Though, Double Breasts add bulk to the figure (ha ha), which could be a positive thing if you're on the skinny side.

 

But how many buttons? A Brit suit fits itself with 3 buttons. I think this is slightly more traditional but it does have the advantage of accentuating height. American suits have 2 buttons and are currently the most common style among the young and modern. Unless you have beautiful cheekbones and great facial hair come i latinos, avoid the Italian one-button suit at all cost. It’ll look cheesy - like you’re trying too hard.

    

If allowed the option, always get your suit slightly tapered, unless of course, you’re one of the following:

• Rake thin - get tapered (and not just slightly!); 
• Arnie Built/ Buff/ Well endowed - no tapering…EVER!!!

Moving on to the back of the jacket, A British suit is usually found with double vents (or side vents) while an American has one (centre vent). Again, both have their purposes and remain a matter of preference. I find a British double vent more elegant and better in terms of mobility and flexibility. Italian suits are not outfitted with vents at all and are, again, an acquired taste. 

 

One detail that not everyone pays attention to are the pockets. There are breast pockets and lateral pockets (two pockets by your side). The laterals come in two styles: flap or besom. Breast pockets are ALWAYS besom. Flaps are the most common but are less formal. Besom are usually very formal, like for tuxedos. There are even options for flap/besom interchangeable pockets! (though I REALLY wouldn’t go there…)

Oh, and avoid the patch pocket like the devil. Again, we’re talking suits here, not dinner jackets.

                
 

Moving a little to the south, we (finally!) get to the trousers (or pants!).  First thing to consider is flat front, or pleats.  Flat fronts, a modern fashion, provide a slimming effect and are good for thin folks. Single-pleats provide more room and movement freedom. Double-pleats are…let’s just say they’ve gone with the times. And let’s not even talk about triple or quadruple pleats. (yes they do exist…sadly.)

 Single Pleat(left) vs Flat Front(right)

Second thing to decide is whether you want your pants cuffed. Cuffed are more formal but makes the leg looks shorter and vice-versa for the uncuffed.  There is one rule here: Flat fronts= no cuffs

    Cuffed(L) vs Non-cuffed (R)

Now that you’re (I hope!) educated in the different styles, in the next episode, we’ll find out how a suit should SIT on you -so that you know what to look for when you go to the malls, instead of having to be completely dependent on your tailor! Stay tuned!

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Style Tip #263: The Fitted Leather Jacket

There are certain things in this world that no badass should live without, among them - a perfectly tailored suit, a good woman, a fast car and last but not least:

A Fitted Leather Jacket.

Now, many of you would never even have considered ever donning a leather jacket. For fear of Fonzie, or for fear of an already insanely warm climate (Malaysians, you know what I'm talkin' bout). Fair enough. Leather jackets are not tropical country standard issue. 

But if you're going on an overseas trip to a temperate country, and, like most straight men, you do not see the logic in bringing 3 suitcases (1 for shoes, 1 for winter clothing and 1 for standard run of the mill necessaries), man, do I have a prescription for you.

 The next time you take a trip to a country that has more seasons than you have hands, the only article of temperate clothing you need is a fitted leather jacket. Allow me to explain:

A fitted leather jacket can take you from an afternoon at the Lourve to an evening of love.

Wearing a suit jacket during an evening date may be perfectly acceptable (and arguably the norm), but consider this: anyone who trots around day and night in a suit jacket is likely to be seen as trying a little too hard. Plus, it's not as cool anymore because too many guys are doing it. 

A fitted leather jacket, on the other hand, sends out subtle tones of nonchalance stirred in with a dash of rugged suaveness - the holidaymaker sweet spot, so to speak. 

A fitted leather jacket is also perfectly suitable for a night out with a special lady - so long as you're not taking her to a black tie event, wearing a fitted leather jacket over a crisp white shirt makes you look laidback, approachable and fun, as opposed to donning a relatively more uptight suit.

Make sure you get a fitted leather jacket, and not one which makes you look like you're hoarding weapons of mass destruction. And I'm not referring to your 'guns'. 

 

Less of this

And more of this

Remember, when choosing any article of clothing for that matter - the golden rule is to always wear clothes that look like they were made for you. The leather jacket is far from being an exception. Tapered sleeves and a slim silhouette are characteristics that will go a long way towards making you look sharp, polished and suave. 

As for the color, there is no strict rule. Certain people prefer black leather while others lean more towards the brown variety. My personal recommendation would be to go the way of dark brown - it's a classy shade that shys away from 50s Grease imagery and instead, invokes a sense of sophistication and high-style. 

 As Ron Burgundy would say, "You stay badass, San Diego"

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Style Tip #262: Glasses

When I was young, I told my dad I wanted a pair of glasses.


"Are you having trouble seeing?" he asked.


"No. I just want to look cool!"


So I graduated into my very first pair of grandfather-style-aviator spectacles as an 11 year old schoolboy. With a degree of -0.25 on each side, I was proud to add. 

Truth is, I didn't need glasses, but I wanted them. I didn't understand it at the time, but all I knew was that wearing glasses could give you some sort of unannounced power over the non-spectacle wearing bunch at school. It exclaimed intelligence. Status. Power. And that was a lot for an 11 year old to have in primary school. My prepubescent female classmates digged it and they let me know (in innocent, unadulterated ways). 


For all the mysterious allure that a wire frame could add to one's face, I have to admit that looking back, I sure looked like a doofus in primary school. Till my mom got the better of me and replaced my grandfather aviator glasses with a more complimentary classic frame that took me through the rest of high school and part of college, before my discovery of contact lenses.

We're often told that we shouldn't hide our eyes - instead, letting their beauty bask in all their glory is a must in succeeding aesthetically in life. That's true. But I'd say that far from being a bane, wearing the correct spectacles on the correct occasions can in fact, bolster your physical appeal as well as your professionalism, self confidence and credibility. 




I'm currently in the business of IT consulting for legal professionals - where I meet lawyers on a daily basis. Without my glasses, I'm just another 25 year old green chap out of university, trying his level best to get a client to agree with my proposition that software systems can and will revolutionize his practice. 


But with my recent acquisition of a pair of dark rimmed classic frame spectacles, I instantly transform my market positioning into a more mature looking, professional and most importantly, credible 25 year old IT consultant. Clients respond better to me. They nod when I present facts. They treat me with the utmost professional courtesy. Oh what a difference a frame makes. 

What I'm saying is that this world we live in is a shallow one. We dismiss people on first impressions (often within 5-10 seconds of meeting them). We judge based on what they wear, how they speak and how they move. We brush aside those who are disadvantaged by youth and inexperience. 

So as a man, whatever you can do to make yourself look more prominent, more mature, more credible, more professional - do it. Like getting a pair of glasses today. 

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Style Tip #261: White Trousers

Clean.


Fresh.


Summer.




White trousers summed up in 3 words.




A lot of straight guys shy away from white trousers for fear of looking gay (why that is still used as a derogatory term, I do not know. Due respect to all homosexual friends/readers) or in local terms, like an ah beng (unfashionable Malaysian delinquent often characterized by wild dyed hair, bell bottoms and a portruding groin strut). 


When it comes to trousers, the average straight guy lives and dies on black slacks and denim jeans. White trousers are the best way to add some color to your bottom half.


As with all articles of clothing, you can pull off white trousers as long as you comply with the two golden guidelines of style: fit and coordination. And confidence. And the ability to count. 




Fit


Slim straight cut. Buy everything in slim straight cut whenever possible. It's the cut that will flatter 80% of men out there, even if you're a little on the heavy or light side. Stay away from baggy or skinny cuts unless you make a living rapping or playing in a rock band, respectively (note: as opposed to revolutionary fashion - this is a classic mens' style publication).

Oh and yeah, Elvis is dead. Get over it. 


Burn all your bell bottoms. 

Coordination

Utilize white trousers for non-formal, weekend-ish outings. Lacoste's range of polo tees go very well with white trousers, specifically less striking and more neutral colors like navy blue and deep purple. I personally wouldn't recommend going all-white. It just looks... too white. Not that being white is a bad thing. Just like how being black isn't. Or yellow. Or brown. I'm talking about colors by the way.


As for your footwear/belts, you have two options - dark brown leather or white. Again, I would prefer dark brown leather because white trousers and a white belt just makes you look wayyy too... white. On the other hand, dark brown leather lends a very nice color contrast (see above) and should be used generously. 






Happy whitifying, gentlemen!

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Black Trousers & Brown Leather Shoes

I'm starting to doubt myself. 

I've always been a big fan of brown leather shoes, be it dress shoes or loafers, and have worn them with almost any outfit (except black tie).

But recently, I've encountered a spate of online resources telling me that I'm guilty of multiple counts of a heinous crime. Mixed with some opinions that it's "standard decadence attire" and a "crazy sick look when properly done".

Observe:

Read:

http://www.gq.com/style/style-guy/shoes/200201/black-pants

http://www.askmen.com/fashion/fashiontip_150/162_fashion_advice.html

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=41217

http://www.funadvice.com/q/is_it_fashionably_wrong_to_wear_brown

Any opinions?

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Style Tip #260: Standing Out at a Black Tie Event

At a dinner party where the dress code is Black Tie, 94.5% of the men present are going to look generic, i.e. they are going to wear black leather shoes with a standard suit/tuxedo in black.

Now, as Straight Guys, we want to stand out. But in doing so, we tread a fine line between standing out and overdressing.

"But Rudi, how do you stand out if you don't 'overdress'?" you ask.

By subtle nuances. 

Otherwise translated as:

Satin Lapels

French Cuffs

White Silk Pocket Squares

Patent Leather

Remember - it's all in the de...wait for it... tails.

Sigh.

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Style Boo-Boos

White Sox

There's nothing really more tragic than a man who is dressed to the nines in an Armani suit, spittin' all the right verses, charming the pants off all the ladies in the room... and then you notice

he's wearing white athletic socks to complete his entire ensemble. 

It's just sad. There's no other way to describe it.

Fellas, if you still keep white socks in your wardrobe that you use for anything other than strenous physical activity... don't. Just don't do it anymore.

Solution: Buy at least 8 pairs (one for each day of the week and one backup extra) of dark (preferably black) socks and use them for every non-sporting occasion where shoes come into play. (Except maybe boat shoes/loafers, but that's another topic for another day.)

Sport shoes & Jeans

Much like keeping white socks within the confines of the gym, athletic shoes shouldn't be used for any other purpose than their namesake: athletic activities.

Unless running speed and mobility are important because you work in an area rampant with snatch thieves or if you're a snatch thief yourself, there is no aesthetic and practical logic in donning sport shoes for non-sport activities. 

Solution: Invest in 2 good pairs of dress shoes for work: black and dark brown leather and a pair of dark brown boat shoes for everyday wear. 

A Walking Advert

Dressing well is about choosing clothes that fit you, complement you and make you look like yourself. Only more handsome. 

Dressing well is not about becoming a walking advertisement for a label.

Avoid clothing that has overt branding all over it. Buying clothes solely to demonstrate what label you're wearing may suggest to others that you're more concerned with status rather than substance. 

Solution: Shop elsewhere. 

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Guybrows

I've always considered myself a metro-sexual. Nevertheless, there are certain territories into which I do not/have not ventured - speedos (not anymore, at least), boots, suspenders, waxing... eyebrow shaping - till about 3 months ago, to be exact. 

Now, dressing well and personal grooming is all fine and dandy. But like any other straight guy, I yearn to maintain a reasonable sense of manliness - in other words, I don't want to go to such lengths of metro-sexuality so as to be consistently mistaken for a homosexual (this comes with absolutely no disrespect to all homosexual friends/readers). But with the aid and coercion of my wife, I recently succumbed to one session of eyebrow plucking. I experienced two revelations after my fateful showdown with the tweezers: 

1. Eyebrow plucking HURTS

nevertheless,

2. Eyebrow plucking is ESSENTIAL

Pain and necessity - now who'd have thought I'd be linking the two in one breath. Rhetorical question.

The reality is many straight men are afraid. Afraid of anything that exceeds the vanity level of combing their hair, slapping on moisturizer and putting together a decent outfit. Anything that exceeds the aforesaid vanity level instantly falls into a threshold of discomfort where many a straight man would never dare venture. 

But fellas, I'm telling you - man to man, heart to heart - get those eyebrows plucked.

Sure, the initial pain might be slightly uncomfortable - but it won't kill you (being badly groomed in today's dog-eat-dog world, though, might). The eyebrows are only one of the most important, defining facial features God laid down on that mug of yours - eyebrows serve as the curtains of the windows to your soul (your eyes). A neatly shaped pair adds aesthetic definition and intensity to the surrounding area; and healthy, well-groomed eyebrows also serve as a subconscious indicator of health and youthful vigor. Try it - chances are you'll be pleasantly surprised how much a little eyebrow tweaking can do for your entire outlook. 

Plucking your eyebrows can create a very desirable 'natural-arch' which creates an intense 'James Bond'-esque stare

That being said, caution must be exercised when performing the said procedure - overly shaped, over-the-top eyebrows as opposed to natural-looking, tidy eyebrows only serve to make you look more like Prince instead of Pierce (Brosnan) . When it comes to guybrows, the guiding principle is not so much to "shape" them as to just "cleaning them up". My advice is to go to a salon that specializes in men's eyebrow shaping as opposed to a general salon that is likely to have done most of its work on female clients. 

And to all my compadres who have been blessed with the gift of the unibrow - you're first in line.

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Style Tip #259: Just Because It Looks Good Doesn't Mean It Will

More than half the time, the individual articles of clothing we're wearing are perfectly fine, wearable pieces. The only problem is that when they come together, it's like mixing lamb and chicken into lobster bisque. It just doesn't work. But I'm no chef, so correct me if I'm wrong.








Many of us have had a time when we've entered a store and we see a pair of shoes that look so good that we just cannot not buy them. I had one such moment last night where the choice was between a classic pair of dark brown lace-up loafers and on the other hand, a very beautifully constructed pair of boat shoes in a shade between cream and light brown. 




To cut a medium-length story short, I chose the dark brown lace-up loafers. Why? Had I gone with my love-at-first-sight intuition and selected the boat shoes, I would have ended up with a very nice, but very impractical purchase. 


Let me explain.




Many a time when selecting a purchase, we tend to choose an article for how it looks on its own. We fail to realize that dressing doesn't just consist of wearing a pair of beautiful shoes and nothing else. By failing to do so, we forget to consider one very important factor when it comes to good dress-sense: outfit co-ordination.

Dark brown leather loafers, on their own, may look like the plainest pair of shoes made by the plainest shoemaker in the plainest corner of plain-et Earth... but when you pair them with a fitted light blue shirt, a good leather belt and white fitted shorts, the formerly modest pair of loafers joins forces with the rest of the ensemble and the entirety morphs into an extremely elegant, put-together weekend look. 










On the other hand, if I had chosen the boat shoes, I would have on my hands right now a specimen that would be very pleasing to the eye. But the merit of the shoes would end there - frankly because I would have nothing much to pair the shoes with. If outfits were NBA teams, great outfits would be the Spurs - a team with complementary players who work together to get the job done, and not the Lakers - a team that lives on the strength of one Kobe Bryant. 

"It's aight team, I got this"

Rather than being the result of a single article of clothing, a nice outfit is the fruit of the co-ordination of several key components - a pair of great shoes, a winning shirt-trouser combination, a belt that isn't out of place and a nice watch as the cherry on the cake. 










That being said, it's also not true that we should never allow ourselves the freedom of clothing experimentation - if you have more than a few bucks to spare, splurge on that funky belt you've always wanted, go for that pair of quirky brogues your mother warned you about... but if you're looking to assemble a wardrobe that will serve you long time, you can never go wrong by starting with the classics. 

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Dressing Identity

Okay, okay get this - 



Two men meet at a party. They're both wearing identical logo tees. 


What happens next?








They both go "DUDE WE LIKE, HAVE THE SAME SHIRT!!!" 


"LIKE, TOTALLY RAD!"


*high five* 




*chest bump* 




*beer-mug-clinking*


and perhaps an ensuing celebratory photo to commemorate this moment, the memory of which both men will cherish for generations to come. 

Typical straight guy scenario.






Two women meet at a party. They're both wearing the exact same dress. 

Recipe for disaster

What happens next?






Nothing much... except -












ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE.
















A mystery of life: why in the world do women make such a big deal of wearing the same dress, donning the same shoes or carrying the same bag at the same time and at the same place?














Because every woman understands this cardinal law of style - 


Dressing well also means dressing exclusively. 




That means wearing a dress no other woman else has, sporting a pair of Manolo Blahniks that no other girl owns and carrying a Hermes Birkin that no other lady within the vicinity is likely to be able to afford. 






Where a majority of men see domino-dressing as nothing more than an entertaining quirk, many women see it as nothing short of a 2012 caliber catastrophe. 




Therefore, to be a good dresser, not only in the eyes of man, but also (very importantly), in the eyes of a woman, the word of the day is to be unique - to have, what I call a "dressing identity".  


Take for example the gingham shirt phenomenon. The gingham shirt was the in-thing about 6 months back, and is slowly falling out of trend circles as we speak. 




Don't sport the gingham shirt when every alternate man on the street is wearing one. Dressing well is not about being a trend-following, gingham-shirt wearing zombie. It's about having your own individual sense of style, and sticking by that look regardless of what's in and out of style. Truly outstanding dressers (from James Dean to Johnny Depp) all sport a distinctive style that is truly theirs. 


When Grease bell bottoms were tres-chic, not only was every John Travolta-wannabe on the street wearing them, every Travolta-wannabe on the street was also looking like a douche in the process. Sure, the man himself may have looked somewhat... forgivable in bell bottoms, but that doesn't mean every other Tom, Harry and Dick will. 




The mere fact that something is a trend does not make it stylish by default. 




Think popped collars. Think cat-eyed visor sunglasses. Think carrot-cut trousers.






At the end of the day, it pays in massive dividends to find a look that suits you and your personality and to stick by it. 




Are you a geek? Embrace the way of the black rimmed glasses. Rock the buttoned-up-all-the-way-to-the-collar shirt.

More of a man about town? Keep a good variety of well-fitting oxford shirts and polo tees at arms reach.

Does rock flow through your bloodstream? A timelessly well fitting leather jacket never fails.

The gist of dressing well is to be supremely comfortable in your second skin, ie. the clothes you're wearing - in the sense that what you're wearing is what you are. Ultimately, a man only looks good in nice clothes if he feels good wearing them.


Trends will come and go and are not for everybody, but once you find a look that represents your identity, a look people come to associate you with, you'd have taken yet another huge step towards well-dressed-man nirvana.

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