Yesterday while shopping with my client for boots he picked up a pair I selected for him, which only came in brown, and said “It’s too bad that I like these so much, I don’t have a lot of brown clothes, and it’s not okay to wear brown and black together.”
Insert cartoon character coming to a screeching halt noise here. The old fashion rule that you can’t wear black and brown has been overthrown, probably around the same time people started wearing white after Labor day (which is completely okay to do in case you were not aware).
Not sure how to incoporate the look yourself? Try a nice mix of black, brown, and grey. When worn together, rather than having to be matched, the three colors coordinate and compliment each other. The gent enjoying his metro paper in the photo above is a great example. He’s wearing a grey plaid newspaper cap, black cable knit sweater, pants, and trench coat, finished off with brown suede shoes. It’s a refreshing option to donning black from head to toe.
What don’t clothing retailers want you to know about Black Friday, the supposed Holy Grail of savings? To sum it up, those mega reductions are like balloon boy, simply not there once you get inside.
Yes my friends, for the most part it’s just promotion hoopla. Why? Because big sales are used to lure customers from the comfort of their hiding places into the store to clear out stock. But on the day after Thanksgiving shoppers have already been programmed to be out in force, in essence, in a lemming frenzy, scouring every corner to buy, buy, buy. Giving steep discounts isn’t necessary, simply the illusion of a big sale will suffice.
So this Black Friday, know that when it comes to clothing, the biggest sales are at the end of the season when most consumers are shopped out and rarely on preprogrammed holidays.
Consider it a like a snuggie for your neck, a tube dress for the throat, and love em or hate em you are going to be seeing snoods everywhere this winter.
Retailers are pushing these impulse purchases out like octomoms perhaps hoping that at their modest price points consumers will realize how cumbersome traditional scarves have become. Snoods originated to hold back a woman’s hair and over several decades have morphed into a tube scarf that can double as a hood. Interesting to note a snood image search on google brought up a surprising number of dogs in snoods. Do we have a zoonotic trend here?
So whether you’re inspired to look like the brooding Burberry model or sparky up there, only part with your cash for a snood if you’re certain you’re gonna wear it with confidence.
Fair Isle knits, named after Fair Isle, a tiny island in the north of Scotland, are having a resurgence in popularity. Their distinct pattern of alternating prints in different colored bands stirs polar opinions, people either love or hate them and rarely fall in the middle.
While I appreciate the rustic, country side appeal of the Fair Isle pattern, it’s a look that can be distinctly unflattering unless you have the good fortune of having an Adonis upper body that can retain it’s V shape no matter the cloth and pattern you drape it in. Otherwise the horizontal bright bands will make you appear rotund and bulky.
So if you’d like to incoprorate some Fair Isle into your wardrobe but aren’t sure how, try one of these options.
- Select a sweater where the pattern is localized rather than all over, the best placement is across the shoulders since that’s the part of your body that should appear widest.
- Fair Isle works better as a supporting character than in a lead role. Rather that wearing it solo which can overwhelm your frame, layer underneath a solid sport coat or jacket to add depth and interest to your look.
- Try just a touch; since the patterns are so prominent, a scarf with Fair Isle detailing is a safe, stylish alternative.
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.
1. Wash all your clothing, except workout or sport gear, on the gentle cycle with cold water. A washing machine’s regular cycle, especially one with a central agitator can take its toll on fabric rather quickly, this one simple tweek to your routine can really extend the life of your new clothes.
2. Did you know improper drying is the leading cause of death of young garments? Don’t dry high. Tumbling breaks up the garment’s fibers and higher heat causes shrinkage, so as much as you can, either dry on the lowest heat setting or hang your clothes on a hanger and let air dry. Just make sure you aren’t using wire hangers.
3. No wire hangers! Mommy Dearest may have been emotionally unstable and cruel but she did know something about clothing care. Wire hangers create distinct points on shirt shoulders that after a while become permanent, so unless you plan on growing nipples there, keep the shoulder lines smooth by hanging your shirts on wood (best) or plastic (acceptable) hangers.
4. Fold, don’t hang your sweaters. Knits stretch so hanging them for extended periods of time makes them lose their original shape.
5. Don’t confuse the floor for a dresser or hanger.
The 80’s style revival is in full swing and while women are being deluged with giant shoulder pads and leggings in lieu of pants (aren’t you glad for that Y chromosome?), menswear is seeing a resurgence of double breasted suits.
Now the double breasted trend has its dangers, and you may be wondering, “But Emmi, when have two breasts ever been bad?”, but the style is particularly body-type specific. If you have a stockier and/or shorter build, the two rows of buttons on the blazer and peak lapels can actually make your torso appear shorter and wider. If your frame falls into this category stick with single breasted suits.
Alternatively, if you really like the look but will not have occasion to wear a double breasted blazer enough to warrant the purchase, you can still incorporate the style into your repertoire with a double breasted cardigan. The cardigan iteration looks good on a wider range of body types too, a guy who would look too severe in a double breasted blazer can still look great in the cardigan spin off because the buttons are not spaced as widely apart and there are no formidable shoulder pads.
In addition to being more universally flattering, the cardigan will cost you less and give you more styling options than the blazer. Layering the cardigan over a solid, or printed T-shirt, wearing it over a button-down with or without tie, or underneath a sport coat are just a handful of the many options.
