Friday, August 30, 2013

August 29th Brown In Town

Brown Suit- $10 on sale at Goodwill
Hanging out at the Jefferson Davis Monument in Richmond

Blue with Pink Flowers Tie- $10 from Kohl's      Pink and White Striped Spread Collar Shirt- $4.99 from Goodwill            Blue Trimmed Pocket Square- $8 from TheTieBar.com          Tie Bar- gift from Amanda's grandmother

Allen Edmonds Strand Oxford- $45 on Ebay  Retails for $345

 The old saying goes" Never wear brown in town." 

Well, I think that's a bunch of crap! Brown is one of my favorite suits to wear. In fact, GQ just did an article about how brown suits are going to the big thing this Fall.

I believe that a brown suit should be an Autumn staple in every man's. I'd go so far as to say that a brown suit is the fourth suit that a man should buy after Navy, Tan, and Seersucker. 

My favorite colors to pair with a brown suit are light pink and light blue. For whatever reason, these two colors really compliment brown and work well together. 

If you buy one new suit this Fall it should be a brown one. Heck, if it was good enough for Reagan than it's good enough for you!


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

August 28th - Rainy Day, Bright Pants

Pink Merona Pants-$6.99 from Goodwill

Off White Stafford Blazer- $6.99 from Thrift Store            Blue and White Gingham Shirt- $35 from Savile Row                      Pink Seersucker Pocket Square- Handmade

Blue Footjoy Tassel Loafer- $35 on Ebay


Armitron Watch with pink and blue NATO strap- $45 on Ebay
 
Plaid London Fog Umbrella- Birthday Gift from Amanda 

 




 
Just because it's raining, doesn't mean that your have to dress a drearily as the weather. I like to wear bright clothes on rainy day to help cheer people's day!   Like I always say, " If more people wore colored pants, we'd have a lot less wars!"

August 27th Gingham and Harvey


White pants by Dockers $4.99 at Goodwill





 Brown and White Gingham Sport Coat by Staffard at JCP  $45.00 on sale  Pink shirt by Stafford from JCP $10

   Blue Bow Tie with Flowers by Peter Blair $10 on sale     White Pocket Square with lime green trim $8 at TheTieBar.com



Harvey, Mastiff/Fox Hound Mix $10 at Colonial Heights Animal Shelter (my best deal yet)


Brown Tassel Loafers- $5 from Goodwill

Armitron Watch - Gift
Where Harvey wants to go, he goes...
The trick to good style is to take the basics but play them up in unexpected ways.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

August 26th Plaid and Tan


Bright pink wall $35, Baroque frame with blue glitter picture $20 (my home is even brighter than I am)

Tan suit by Claiborn at J.C. Penny's Jacket $34.99 on sale pants $9.99 on sale
)
Plaid shirt by Charles Tyrwhitt $35   Handmade pink cotton bow tie and vintage blue pocket square

Air Colton Saddle Shoes by Cole Haan retail $198, $65 on Ebay



Black Infantry Watch $10 on Ebay  Pink Nato strap $10 on Ebay


While I love mixing colors, I am a little more reserved when it comes to patterns. I believe that a bright, beautiful pattern needs simplicity to really shine. That is why I paired this plaid shirt with a solid tan suit and pink bow tie.

But you can always wear flashy shoes!


Sunday, August 25, 2013

August 24th, Seersucker Shorts Suit (August in Richmond)

 
Seersucker shorts suit by JCP (JC Penny's house brand) jacket $39.99 on sale, shorts $9.99 on sale
shorts should hit right above you knees, higher if they are swim trunks. If your shorts are mid-thigh they are too short and if they come anywhere close to being below your knee caps they are too long.

Orange polo shirt by Polo Ralph Lauren $3.99 at Goodwill

With a bold outfit the accessories should be limited and you can never go wrong with a white pocket square and crocheted flower (courtesy of my co-worker Joan)


Suede Apron Toe Tassel Loafers by 1901 from Nordstrom- $99.00 (I love the brown and white color contrast)

 
Armitron watch- $50 (at least 8 years old)
 
Never trust a man who believes that his pocket square is "too fancy" to actually be used!
I must admit, this was the first time that I have ever worn a suit with shorts but I actually kind of dug it. I was dressed up enough for a cider tour that we took yet still extremely comfortable in the warmer weather.

If you do try to pull of the look the shorts and jacket must be fitted,  not too large or baggy. This is what you call a "high risk, high reward" outfit. I really liked it but it did elicit quite a few looks though; so be forewarned, not everyone is used to seeing shorts with a jacket...
 
 
Let me know what you think of the suit with shorts look...

Friday, August 23, 2013

August 22nd, Plaid and Red

This look is a bit more subdued than yesterday's but it adds just enough pop of color to keep things fun and interesting and at $129, is very affordable.

Prescription sunglasses- $100 from Walmart



Sport coat- $6.99 from the Goodwill  (notice the subtle red in the jacket that matches the pants)

Grey wool tie-$2 from the Goodwill     White with grey trim pocket square-$8 from thetiebar.com
Cole Haan Air Colton Saddle shoes- $65 on Ebay


Red pants- $9.99 by Stafford Prep from JC Penny



 
Timex watch-$25.99 on Ebay



Thursday, August 22, 2013

August 21st, Purple Chambray suit


Purple Chambray suit by Saddlebred  Jacket was $39.99 and the pants were $29.99 on sale

Lands End white dress shirt $4.99 at Goodwill


Gingham seersucker bow tie by Barry Beaux on Etsy $45



pocket square $8 at thetiebar.com
Armitron watch $32.00 on Ebay       Red, White an Blue NATO watch strap $10 on Ebay                                    

White Bucks by Brooks Brother $5 at the Salvation Army     pink laces FREE "replacements" from Cole Haan 
   
If done correctly, you can easily pull off a purple suit and even pair it with other bright colors as long as everything fits well and believe that you are pulling it off.

This whole look cost less than $200 including the watch.  You do not have to pay a fortune for clothes, you just have to know where to look!

OSTENTATIOUS, A DEFINITION

OSTENTATIOUS!

            It is not a word that many people use on a regular basis but I felt that it perfectly sums up 95% of blogs, fashion blogs in-particular. The definition of ostentatious is: marked by or fond of conspicuous or vainglorious and sometimes pretentious display. So by definition something that is ostentatious wants to stand out, is a vain or boastful display and more often than not is attempting to impress by affecting greater importance than is actually possessed.

          I created this blog to showcase my day-to-day sartorial choices as well as to give the occasional fashion tip or word of advice. Too many men's fashion blogs waste time writing about their favorite songs, where they went to dinner, and showing pictures of girls. Many others feature outrageously priced clothes where even their "budget" outfits  costs hundreds of dollars. Others still, tend to focus on frumpy, boring clothes in mainly black, blue and grey.

         I hope to challenge your concepts of men's clothing, pushing the lines of color and design while still standing grounded in the tried and true principles. So yes, I think that Ostentatiousness, an excessive, unnecessary, or over-the-top display, is the perfect name for this blog!