Ties!

Let me start off by apologizing for the delay. I have a few things I'm juggling right now, between work, school and my own writing, that I sometimes forget I started a blog with every intention of maintaining it. Well, I dropped a class, giving me an extra hour and a half on mondays and wednesdays, which would presumably be used to sleep more, but I'll use it to post when I can. So, onto business.

Someone in my previous post asked about ties, and I thought that would be a fantastic thing to talk about because ties are fantastic things. Like shirts, pants, jackets, coats, shoes, and hats (and anything else I miss) ties are made with almost every outfit mood in mind. However, unlike shirts, pants, jackets, coats, shoes, and hats (and anything else I missed again) the popular opinion would lead us to believe that ties are for formal and business use only. Not so! Given the proper attire and assembly you could wear a tie everyday if you felt so inclined, and it would be appropriate. So let's begin.

First off, I will say that I do not wear every style of tie available to me. I have yet to learn to tie a bow tie with no real intention of learning (not because I hate them but because I have about 30 ties and wear maybe 5 of them), and I have one skinny tie. For a long while my favorite style of tie was the Cambridge (or university) tie, which is amongst the most conservative style of tie you can find, but I love color in my wardrobe and these had it.

They're silk, which means you can't really wear them in the rain, or any place they might get dirty, which really limits what these ties are appropriate for.

Another style of tie I have become quite fond of is the sock tie, which is more or less just the way it sounds. It is usually cotton, or maybe wool, and is knit, much like a sock.

They're usually square, and they look great loose with the top button of your shirt undone. These, and very skinny ties tend to be the least formal and can be worn with jeans, trousers, a nice sportcoat (with elbow patches, for those of us who really want to look dapper) and a great oxford. The nice thing about the less formal ties is that they look great with colored oxfords, as opposed to my cambridge ties which go better with white shirts.

A note about bow ties. They look great, very dapper, when tied correctly and when proportionate to your neck. The last thing we want to do is look like clowns.

Well, unless you're a clown. And you really don't want to look like a clown if you have a job like a driving instructor or something...or a magician. And typically, you're going to want to wear a jacket with your bow tie, because let's face it, they look amazing.

My final note about ties: only wear them with button up shirts. Not polos, not T-shirts, or anything else of that nature. Avril Lavigne did it and that should be reason enough for us not to. But if you wear a tie correctly, colored to match, and the proper one for the job, you're going to look dapper...wait for it...as hell.

The Suit: Part One of ∞

Ah, the suit. It is one of man's greatest inventions, right up there with the automobile and the urinal. When it comes to looking good it is second to none. It can make anyone look like a lord, a duke, a king, or even Neil Patrick Harris. If you don't have one I recommend you go to your nearest vintage or thrift shop and find one that fits. And if it almost fits, then have it tailored. There are several articles online to know when you need to tailor your suit but I find that esquire has a good, simple list. You are welcome to search further into the matter, but honestly, unless you plan on doing it yourself, just find a good tailor near you and have them measure you. They can make you look good.

Now there are several types of suits out there and honestly I don't plan to go into any detail about them at this point in time, but there are a few things I can say now. Triple Button suit jackets and higher look fantastic on those of us with absolutely no weight on us whatsoever. They can be good at concealing weight but for those of you with a little bit more girth it would be best to consider a two button jacket. Three Piece Suits- Always awesome. Especially now. You'll see more and more of the indie singers wearing vests and three piece suits in their videos and on the stage. Keep in mind that a three piece will always look a little bit more formal than your standard 2 piece. When getting dressed for school that is always a concern of mine. I wouldn't want to appear pretentious after all (that's a lie). Double breasted suits look great on larger men as well. I think I look silly in them. But there are always exceptions to the rule so if you see one you like then try it on, decide if it's worth getting tailored, and enjoy. You'll look dapper as hell.

Tucking in the Shirt

I was watching the IT Crowd this morning and noticed how Moss tucked in his shirt. He's the one with the curly afro. Essentially he pulls it down as tight as he can into his pants and calls it good. This is generally something you want to avoid. Now of course, according to Moss he has some pretty sweet style, and admittedly looking as much like a nerd as possible is pretty in right now, but it isn't necessarily dapper. My dad taught me at a young age that you need to pull the shirt out a bit after you tuck it in. And you should be wearing a belt if you're tucking in a shirt. The exception is suits, which don't need belts, but it doesn't hurt.

Rarely should you tuck in a polo, never a T-shirt, and tucking in an oxford again depends on the mood of your outfit. An untucked shirt denotes casualness.

For awhile I was wearing an untucked shirt with a tie, but I had the top button of my shirt done up, which really juxtaposed the whole outfit in a negative way. If you're going to wear a tie with the top button done up, all appropriate at whatnot, then you need to tuck in your shirt. It looks better.

And now for something completely different, and not really dapper as hell;

The Right Shoes for the Job

I worked most of the day today. I work at a Fred Meyer, and for those of you who don't know what that is, it's basically a high end Target with groceries, a glorified Wal-Mart SuperCenter if you will. It follows the philosophy of one-stop-shopping, effectively meaning that if you're looking for it, we probably don't have it. I've worked there for a little over 2 months now and I think I've figured out what I like least about it. The uniform. The uniform always seems to make my job worse. As a dapper fellow I like to look the part. I cannot do that in a ratty polo shirt. Seriously. Not only is it a polo shirt, but it's worse than old navy quality. If i didn't know better I'd say it actually was made of rat fur. Or nutria.

When it gets right down to it, because it's a job that requires me to spend a lot of time up and about, the only choice I get in my attire are my shoes. So I wear my black converse with red laces to show my individuality. Because no one wears converse... But that brought a thought to my head. And that is about shoes. This is not a full-fledged post about the kinds of shoes you should keep an eye out for. But I realized that the right pair of shoes can make the difference between looking dapper and dashing. To clarify: dashing is business-like, professional, James Bond. Dapper is pleasant, dapper is Doctor Who, dapper is

a person whom you would like to get to know. Because when I wear converse with my suit, I am no longer the unapproachable gentleman who makes too much money (believe me I don't), I am quirky. That is something to consider when selecting your ensemble, your shoes can completely set the mood. So while your leather wingtips are fantastic and should be worn as often as possible, remember that you're going to look rather dashing in those and your nice suit, whereas you'll look fun in your tennis shoes and Dolce & Gabbana cashmere affair. Oh, lord if only. Oh um, dapper as hell. (I've been saying that at the end of every post, why stop now?)

Outfit Swapping

The blog is going through a few facelifts until I figure out what the best format for uploading pictures and text is going to be. So, like myself, and even more so like my wife, this blog isn't entirely sure what it's going to be wearing for the next little bit. Like the Doctor I expect it will go through several regenerations.

For Whom Do We Dress?

So, let's get this blog underway shall we? The first thing you have to ask yourself when you're deciding what to wear in the morning, or the evening before, is for whom you're dressing. The first answer should be yourself. When you look good you feel good. You can tell the people who feel good about the way they look by the way they carry themselves. They walk with conviction, with swagger, and they walk not caring what the world throws at them. I know because that's how I feel when I put some effort into the way I look. But we can't just dress for ourselves.

You've probably heard that women dress for other women, at least the ones who really try. Because men are just less likely to notice those things right? Wrong. Almost every man I talk to is immediately attracted to a woman with style. A woman who puts on more than jeans and T-shirt or, god forbid, sweat pants. The attraction may last only a second but that can be enough. The way my wife dresses excites me every day because I know she has depth of character as well as style. That should be the same for me. Yes, you are likely to get more comments about how classy you look from other men, which is an ego boost, and if you're gay then that's excellent. Not to sound stereotypical but if you're gay, however, you're probably already dressing well. But for those of us who are interested in meeting women, trust me that you're going to draw their attention when you detach yourself from the rest of the pack. So we're dressing for ourselves, we're dressing for women, and we're dressing for men. What else?

Oftentimes you're going to find yourself married, in a relationship, or just not interested in attracting a companion. That is no excuse to let yourself go. When you're in any of those positions you have the glorious opportunity to experiment, to break entirely free of the social norms and go crazy. I wear suits to school on occasion, which can look intimidating, pretentious, and just weird, but damned if I don't look good and people don't notice. Just one comment about how good you look is going to make your day, trust me. I get comments from straight men, gay men, women, and everyone else (not sure what I mean there, aliens maybe? Rabbits?).

Clothing is the epitome of a first impression. You dress up for a job interview, for a wedding, for a funeral, and people see you as someone who is taking the vent seriously. You dress up for life and people see you as someone who sees that you only get one life, and you're gonna look dapper as hell.

Introductions

My name is Samuel Cornell. I am a Caucasian male... That's really only funny for people who have seen Arrested Development. For those of you who do not enjoy gratuitous television references interspersed with movie quotes then this is not the blog for you. I am married to Vixen Vintage and she decided she wanted me to blog about men's fashion. Unlike her however, I am not a professional, clothes are a pleasant part of my life but not my passion. But, I do see a startling amount of men out there who take no cares in their appearence other than to (what I think) deliberately look like douche bags. This is not fashion. This is a crime. Consider me, those few of you brave enough to continue reading, as your arbiter elegantiarum. I do not make a study of men's fashion, I do not design, but I do know how to look dapper as hell.