Sunday, July 08, 2007

What Women Want (Men's Fashion Part 1)

A friend who discovered and has been reading my blog for a few months now sent me an email when he realized that he knew me personally. He told me that I do have male readers and asked me to write about men's fashion as well. He correctly pointed out that I only have one post on men's fashion! Ooops! My bad! I promise not discriminate against men! Hehehe! Hubby already told me before to write about men's fashion and I'm not going to wait to be reminded (Honey! You're so wise! Thanks for your advice!)!

Sorry guys! So here goes the first part of a regular series. I promise to do one every 2 weeks ok? Is that a deal?

PART 1: REMEMBER, YOU HAVE CLOTHING OPTIONS BUT IF YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST WEAR JEANS...

I know you that when you love a pair of shoes, jeans or a shirt, you can actually be very attached and cannot bear to be parted from it, even if you've had it since high school. Thing is, you have to be experimental with fashion! Instead of on your favorite articles of clothing, practice the same kind of devotion to women! Hahaha! Just kidding! I know a lot of you are very loyal and loving boyfriends and husbands, just trying to loosen you guys up a bit. This is just fashion, its meant to be fun reading ok?

Ok, back to fashion. We love it when you make the effort to dress up. It doesn't mean we want you to go all metrosexual on us, we just want you to think about the clothes you wear. Sure, its comfortable to wear jeans but sometimes, we'd like to see you dress up in slim flat front pants and a nice, crisp shirt with a well polished pair of shoes and just the right amount of cologne if the occasion calls for a little bit of dressing up. You can also wear a linen shirt, light khakis or shorts and driving shoes on weekends. There are plenty of options apart from jeans ok?

But if you absolutely have to wear jeans, infuse a dose of color so that you don't have to look like every guy on the street.

From Moschino, consider wearing colored shoes and pairing jeans with a well-cut cotton suit jacket (actually a sportcoat as one knowledgeable reader pointed out) to dress it up a bit. Still casual but very stylish. Notice too that jeans should fit right, neither tight nor too baggy for that clean look.

Pair your jeans with a colorful rugby shirt, such as at Paul Smith. Every other guy wears Polo and Lacoste, time for a cool change...

You can even dress up jeans and style it to suit your personality. Check out these looks from DSquared and Paul Smith for inspiration:

Instead of just wearing a plain tee or a polo shirt, why not pair it with a knit top for a bit of that retro quirky cool look!
Ok, forego the neck scarf, looks a bit dodgy on guys...but the button down jacket is a hipper alternative to the typical zip-ups that you all just enjoy wearing...
If you've still got that hiphop thing going on and can't let go of baggy jeans, go easy and settle for these loose fits. Then pair it with a nice pair of sneaks and how about a linen sportcoat? Haven't you noticed, even P. Diddy has been dressing up real dandy lately?
But if you want that sophisticated, man-about-town look, a well-cut black or navy blazer is all you need!


You can actually check out GQ Style's website (yay! I know how to do links now! yeah, like after forever!) for the latest in Men's fashion. Yup! No need to go and buy that on magazine stands!

Here are some tips on when to visit the site to keep you updated. January of each year showcases Paris Men's Fall-Winter collection while February is New York Men's & Women's Fall-Winter Fashion Week. June-July is the season for Milan Men's and Paris Men's Spring-Summer collection. Calendar that!

But remember clothes, no matter how expensive, won't look appealing on a man with bad hygiene. Women love it when you scrub up real good. It puzzles us why taking a bath can be a struggle for you sometimes. You just have to, even if you are not going out of the house today, and yes even if its cold and you didn't really sweat! We just love it when you look freshly showered and still have a hint of that soapy smell on your skin!

(Photos courtesy of gqstyle.com)

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Tin! This is a great idea! I'm printing this out for John :)

Anonymous said...

Most of the guys in Manila are not conscious about physical fitness. You see a lot of them with big tummies and whatever fashion tips you give them---it just wont work.

Im so tired of seeing people wearing same Lacoste shirts--BORING!!!!! Time to change Manila!!!!

raissa said...

yes! I hope guys take note of what you will write. its for their own good. Those are really cool shoes to go with jeans. But there is just something about guys in jeans and flip flops that does it for me hahaha but of course clean and well groomed feet is a must!

BTW, I dont if I ask already but can I link you up? =)

Anonymous said...

Yes, CD! You're sweet hubby is right! It's time to wake up the men and push to shape up and dress up! Darn those tummies!!!

cd_mfo said...

Thanks Pam! I hope John doesn't take it that he needs a makeover! Hehehe!

Let's just hope that Pinoy guys wake up and prove us wrong anonymous! Cross our fingers! Hehehe!

Well yes, flip flops are quite nice raissa! As long as they have well groomed feet nga hahaha! Sure! Link me up!!! =)

Hi ruby! I guess its a good sign that men read this blog too! So maybe there is hope after all! Hahaha!

Anonymous said...

Generally, good advice for men. However, advising men to wear a "suit jacket" with jeans leads to an "orphaned suit" look. Instead, it might be better to wear a "sportcoat" or "sport jacket" with jeans. Though most Filipino men would consider a suit jacket and sport coat one and the same, there are not so subtle difference in material, make and cut that make one a suit--and not a sport--jacket and vice versa.

Anonymous said...

Hi, I'm a guy. Could you tell me what shoes go with white socks and what shoes go with black?

cd_mfo said...

Thanks for the tip anonymous! I must admit I am not an expert on men's fashion, but I've always associated sportcoats with jackets made of heavier materials like tweed or corduroy (with or without leather elbow patches), I guess my definition is pretty old school.

I'm curious, would seersucker, cotton or linen suit jackets be considered a sportcoat since these are more casual and relaxed? What differentiates a sportcoat from a suit?

Hi there anonymous guy! Good question! I'll do a post on your query asap!

Anonymous said...

I myself am not an expert on men's clothing but the differences between a suit (or what the classicists label a "lounge suit") and an sport/odd jacket/odd trouser ensemble would primarily be the context in which either is worn. A lounge suit would be more appropriate for business settings while an odd jacket/trouser ensemble would be more suitable (no pun intended) for a more casual environment. Moreover, lounge suit jacket material would usually consist of worsted or woolen cloth (wool or cotton) in solids and stripes (of all kinds) while odd jacket materials would involve (as you had written) either tweeds (of all types) and heavier worsteds/woolens (in perhaps either hopsack or serge finish) for fall/winter or linens and cottons for spring/summer. Seersucker, at least traditionally I believe, is ususally suiting material but I myself see nothing wrong in using it as odd jacket material. Also, in keeping with its more casual feel, a sportcoat would usually have patch pockets (instead of flapped or wedged pockets) and, if you're a traditionalist, two instead of four sleeve buttons. Other features--such as lapels (peaked or notched), vents (side, center or none) or single or double breasted--I don't believe to be exclusive to either. (The leather elbow patches seem to me, at least, to be a bit contrived, as the real purpose of patches is to cover wear on a worn jacket in the face of a lack of the same jacket material). So it's a matter of context, material and make.

And if I may be so brave as to answer anonymous guy's question, the traditional rule is that socks should always match (if not exactly, at least be in the same shade as) one's trousers/pants. Hence, the sock/shoe color coordination should be irrelevant.

cd_mfo said...

Wow what an enlightening answer! Thanks for sharing anonymous! =)

RiaDM said...

Hey there! love your articles - they're a great read.. mind if i post a link in my site?

cd_mfo said...

I wouldn't mind at all rhia! I'd be very happy if you link me up! Thanks! =)

Anonymous said...

hey thanks for the extra bit of space for us men ;)
some of the information was really helpful, like for example I didn't really think anything of having my jeans quite baggy, and of always wearing jeans.
does anybody know any good bag companies for everyday out and about though?
a friend recommended MaxwellScott because he loved his bag so much, im not going to make any decisions because of one person, anyone got any suggestions?

oneill sandals said...

Thanks for sharing!But guys i thought flip-flops will look more beautiful with jeans and give you decent and fashionable look.

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