On a recent styling trip to Austin, Texas I discovered just such dress shirts at the luxury menswear shop, Keepers.

Granted these may not stop a Romulan laser blast but they do completely repel more practical and common daily assaults from spills of coffee, wine, ketchup, and every other saucy splotch that by Murphy’s Law gets right on your dress shirt before a big meeting.

Check out this video of one of these shirts in action (along with my ShamWow! like amazement in the background).

Andrew-J is the maker of these little miracles with buttons. They make both traditional cut and slim cut dress shirts in a variety of colors and retail for $100 – $150, and did I mention they’re wrinkle free to boot?

I only wish these dress shirts were more readily available. Currently only select boutiques across the country sell them and they are not yet sold online.

To find the closest retailer near you that carries Andrew-J shirts, pop them an email at Info@Andrew-J.com.

You’ll be able to go boldly where no man has gone before: confidently to eat a jumbo hot dog with everything on it in your pristine white dress shirt.

Make it so.

A – I get this question almost daily around the holidays and have come to realize that the confusion comes from a codependent set of common misconceptions 1: In order to be better dressed, one has to dress more formally, and 2. The only two options for social gatherings are either jeans and T-shirt or dress pants and button down shirt. Inside that rule set it’s nearly impossible to dress for a celebratory, casual dinner.

In reality men have infinitely more options for casual attire than ever before, but choices and uncertainty can make for a paralyzing combination. Here’s the secret – looking pulled together in ‘relaxed’ clothes is about mirroring the attributes of more formal dressing such as form flattering construction (emphasis on shoulders, not stomach), quality fabrics (cashmere/wool in lieu of pilled cotton), and making good use of layering and accessories. Try well constructed sweater or cardigan over a nice (not Hanes) T-shirt or simple button down and jeans or modern wool slacks. The sweater acts as the ‘finishing’ piece adding more substance to your look and cleverly hides any belly extension you’ll encounter after second helpings. When it comes to the footwear, just about anything will work with this, but you can also use the shoes to make your attire even more casual by pairing with some basic Chucks or dress it up with a half boot or lace up oxford. And don’t forget your most important accessory, a gorgeous bouquet for your girlfriend’s mom.

If a blue shirt & khakis is the boring uniform of business casual, its Luke Wilson off-hours equivalent is the untucked dress shirt & jeans.

Here’s how to take this casual pairing from “Eh.” to “Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?” with some easy adjustments.

Button down – An untucked traditional dress shirt, especially if it’s a standard fit can look sloppy, opt instead for an actual casual button down; these really do exist I swear, it’s not like the virgins waiting for you in heaven thing.  Typically casual button downs posses a fit and print better suited for ‘hanging out’.

Jeans – Even though the typical sartorial rules for pant breaks don’t apply to jeans, there is such a thing as too long (no TWSS jokes please). If the denim starts to to buckle and bunch up to the knee or higher, that jagged silhouette is a sign your jeans have gone too far, literally.

Layer – Layering is the casual man’s secret weapon, well that and ordering off the dollar menu. Even a simple, non logo emblazoned sporty zip up like the one above adds visual interest and can eliminate suspicions that you just rolled out of bed in your t-shirt.

Noggin - Men tend to update above the neck at an even slower clip than below. Exhibits A and B, glasses and hair style. If you’ve been wearing the same glasses for a few years now consider upgrading frames or getting contacts. Lastly, when it comes to your hair, even small changes can make a big difference like brushing your bangs to the side rather than having them lay limply across your entire forehead.

These gentlemen wanted to update their business casual look for an upcoming sales pitch meeting. They’re two intelligent and talented guys but their exsisitng look wasn’t showcasing them as such.

Now, business casual only works with modern, form flattering pieces; yet too many guys grab an old boxy blazer toss it over some dad jeans or dockers, and then for the final nail in the “don’t hire me” coffin, their old and busted 90′s squared toe lace ups or, trail shoes. Never wear footwear sold at REI to a business meeting, unless you and Richard Branson are talking merger while scaling a cliff face. Let’s take a look at the upgrades we made from head to toe during one quick shopping trip to Lord & Taylor. 

Sport Coat: Blobby blazers were switched out with better tailored sport coats in colors that are more flattering to their skin tones. Now while darker colors assert more ‘authority’, it’s August in Boston and their pitch meeting was happening on a 90 degree day, so a tan herringbone jacket was completely appropriate.

Pants: Both guys wanted to wear jeans to the pitch rather than slacks so it was important to find jeans that had an even, dark wash with no embellishments, distressing, or whiskers (I swear I’m not making these terms up) and were cut like a trouser.

Shirt: We got button downs with tailored torso so they wouldn’t have flying squirrel side wings when they removed their jackets.

Shoes: Time and time again I hear from guys that they can’t wear better looking shoes because they have wide feet, or they’re on their feet all day. Both of these reasons accompanied us to the shoe department. Yet after fighting me that fugly was the only was to go, both men, in their new shoes stood proudly grining as content as a politician with an envelop of special interest money. Turns out both Born and Johnston & Murphy make shoes that are plenty wide, comfortable, and good looking on our guys.

Accessories: Don’t forget that your belt and socks count. They may not be visible all the time but at those moments when they are, a beat up belt or hole ridden sock won’t help your credibility.

We replaced each of their looks for under $300 and all of the pieces can be incorporated into an unending array of outfits bringing their cost per wear down to pennies. Now that’s good business cents. And, in case you’re curious, I got word that they ”killed it!” during their pitch meeting.

So you’ve been invited to an event and the invitation reads “Dress To Impress”.  Hmmm, sometimes you’re impressed that you remembered pants that day, so does that count?

Here’s some helpful guidelines to dispel the mystery.  Starting with the shoes and working our way up, here’s what should (and shouldn’t) be on your body.

Shoes - Obviously no gym sneakers.  Sketchers, while ok for casual parties are a bit low brow for a stylin crowd.  That doesn’t mean you have to break out those uncomfortable dress shoes, plenty of in between options like a slip on, driving moc, or streamline street shoe.  Extra bonus points if you opt out of black.  Style isn’t about matching, it’s about coordinating- color shoes add excitement to traditional color schemes and look great with denim.  You don’t have to go out full technicolor either, a grey or color accented shoe can also step up your overall look. 

Pants – Most clubs and party venues now welcome jeans- not dad jeans, well cut, unripped (unless you’re with the band) modern wash jeans.  If you prefer a trouser, flat front only.  Again, go beyond black, like a taupe with subtle print of glen plaid or window pane can coordinate with almost anything.  Lightweight wool or linen for a summer event will keep you cool as the room fills up.  Keep the socks in line with the color of your pants, remember the ankle is an extension of the leg.  You can also go for a creative print, but avoid silly novelties like cartoon characters.

Shirting -  If you are only wearing a dress shirt make sure you nail the fit.  Being swallowed by your shirt doesn’t showcase you in a power position. French cuff shirts with links always add some elegance.  Wearing it without a tie? If you’re going to wear a undershirt, make sure it’s a V-neck so the collar doesn’t so the top doesn’t stick out from the unbuttoned collar, we may love accessories but an underachievers ascot is never where it’s at. 

If you prefer a T-shirt or a knit make sure these pieces are refined rather than loud.  Graphic Ts aka Jersey Shore are the fabric equivalent of jaundice, looks good on no one.  Unless your T-Shirt is hand crafted like a Murcielago, add some more interest to your look with another layer.  Tailored vest, lightweight cashmere v-neck or masculine (not Mr. Rogers) cardigan, or… 

Sport coat – A modern, Italian cut sport coat is the easiest, most instant way to dress up and dignifiy what you’re wearing.  Looks just as stellar over a well selected T or dress shirt, with jeans or with slacks.  And, provides you extra storage for your smart phone, wallet, and James Bond USB stick into poison dart key chain.  

Accessories – Accessories pull your look together and are the finishing elements that make women want to touch you, and guys secretly jealous that they didn’t think of wearing that too.  As with everything else on your body, only wear the accessories that you feel confident in.  A neatly folded pocket square in your sport coat pocket,  a well woven straw fedora, a tie or for some more youthful edge, embellished bow tie, are just a few accessory options. Remember your belt does not need match your shoes, as noted earlier, it’s about coordination not matching.

When it’s all put together your natural swagger should be as noticeable as a Vuvuzela in a library.  If all of this sounds scary and confusing, stop hyperventilating.  Show up, order a Kettle One martini, mingle, and be your most comfortable self.  Besides, confidence is the sexiest accessory.

Emmi Versus the Spiderman from Todd Randolph on Vimeo.

Trend #1: No Rules.

It used to be the case that specific clothing items were “in” or “out” of fashion with everything supposed to be worn a particular way, and being in style meant following those rules.  Some men prefer easy-to-follow rules, sensing that fashion freedom will create too much room for error (incidentally, that’s where an image consultant comes in handy).  But now fashion, especially casual menswear, has gone the way of the individual - just like a BK Whopper, you can have it your way.  Now, this doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly look good in anything and everything (very few men actually look good in pleated pants), and there are still dated items, like the super square toe dress shoe of the 90′s. However, the old rules of not wearing black with brown, no white after Labor Day, matchy-matchy belt and shoes combinations, etc. are gone baby gone.  This embracing of individuality means that when you make choices about clothes, pay the most attention to how you feel wearing them and whether or not they flatter your physique and are appropriate for your lifestyle, and least about what is ”in”.

Trend #2: No Excuses.

“But they’re comfortable!”  The 3 words men most frequently utter while I’m clearing their closet of Dad jeans and over-sized freebie T-shirts (and they wonder why the spark in their marriage or dating life is gone).  Back in the day, it used to be that comfort and style were elements rarely combined in the same garment. Let’s use men’s shoes as an example. Think of the countless men opting for bulky athletic sneakers to wear with their jeans because they think it’s the only casual comfortable shoe available to them.  But designers have known for some time now that people want both form and function; just because we’re not at the office doesn’t mean we have to devolve into frumpy, undesirable blobs.  Now, no matter what the activity – professional, social, or sporty – there is an easily attainable, attractive option to the purely functional and fugly predecessor.  Even L.L. Bean, king of plaid flannel cabin wear, is launching a stylish, casual clothing line: reinforcing that other than laziness, there is no excuse to look like a schleb.

Q:  I want to get a monogrammed dress shirt for my boyfriend, where should the letters go?

A:  Typically the monogram is applied to the cuff, the upper left chest (like a Polo logo); and for the guy who enjoys having his dress shirts personalized but doesn’t like visible embroidery, it can sewn to the front side at the very bottom.

If there’s one thing retailer H&M does exceptionally well, it’s quickly bring spot-on trends to market at affordable price points (albeit dubious quality, but therein lies the eternal trifecta conundrum - you can have it cheap, fast, or good. Pick two).

This is why I’m very curious to see H&M debut a new menswear collection from famed high end women’s shoemaker Jimmy Choo.  If you’re thinking “Jimmy who?”, then ask any well dressed woman near you but be ready to endure moderate screeching and frantic eye darting while she examines you to make sure you aren’t holding a pair behind your back.

The Jimmy Choo menswear line hits H&M stores in select states on Nov. 14th hoping to wardrobe the boyfriends and husbands of their shoe loving clientele.  The collection will include suiting separates, knits, jeans, jackets, and shoes; with a focus on simple lines and subtle detailing.  So, best case scenario, you’ll effortlessly look like a rock star.  Worst case scenario, you’ll have new pick line, “Hey baby, I’m wearing my Jimmy Choo shoes too.”

Q: I see plaid everywhere now and I like the look, but not sure if I can wear it to work even though our office is business casual. Ideas?

A: You don’t have to be a farmer to pull off wearing plaid to work, especially in a business casual setting.  The shirt Lebron James wore for his most recent appearance on the Daily Show is a perfect example of incorporating plaid into a casual yet professional look.  There are two keys to doing this successfully.  First,  choose a button down that is made from smooth dress shirt fabric rather than flannel.  Second, choose a tonal plaid (dark grey and light grey in this case) instead of bright contrasting (red and black) colors.  Bonus points for keeping the tonal coordination going, like Lebron (or his smart stylist) did by adding the slate grey vest.