I get down with light blue and brown

As much as I love the Goodwill, nowhere can beat eBay for random awesome pieces of clothes.  I was able to get this awesome brown, tan, and light blue check blazer for right about $20.  I had been looking for a nice blazer with light blue in it to match my blue pants, that i got from Orvis, a couple of years ago for $15. Sadly or I guess luckily, the pants are now pretty big on me and a little baggy for my taste.  But to show of this sweet blazer, I decided to wear them anyways. 

Since my pants were blue, I figured that I would tone down the tie for this outfit and went with a brown knit tie.  I know I've said this before, but I really like knit ties.  While most often solid on color, they can still add a layer of complexity and texture. 

Because it was a little damp out, I threw on my brown suede double monk strap shoes. I actually snatched them up for $35 from Belk on clearance. 

I'm really digging this pocket square that I found at JC Penney for $5. It is broken into 4 different color squares, with white trim.  You can fold it a bunch of different ways to suit your taste but I really like just having one color show with the white trim.  I had honestly been looking for a tan one like that for quite some time.

Lean green fashion machine

Sometimes you can find some of your favorite Clothing items from the goodwill and this suit proves just that. For under $20, I was able to get this awesome light green suit with orange and white checks. Paired with a simple white shirt and an orange bow tie, I really don't think that this outfit can be beat.  It is not overly loud or outrageous but it does have a subtle unexpected color and pattern.  To bring out the orange in the suit. I threw on some orange gingham socks and the orange bow tie.  I wanted to keep the shirt and shoes simple so that the suit could really shine.

As you might be able to tell, sometimes the proportions of older thrift store suits can be a little bigger than modern suits. For instance, the lapels on this suit are wider than what you will find on a new suit. Lapels are next to impossible to have altered, so if you don't like the way they look, don't buy the suit. Pants on the other hand are very simple to have altered. They can be let in, let out, or even tapered at the legs and thighs. This suit actually had bell bottoms which I had altered. It about doubled the price of the suit but with bell bottoms this suit was practically unwearable. That's one thing to remember with most clothes and especially thrift store finds, expect to spend some extra money to have your clothes altered. It might cost up to $50, but it will make you look like a million bucks.

Rain Rain Go Away

It's a fact of life that it rains, so one needs to be prepared for those days that it really pours.  A man can make it through a light sprinkle without issue but when it  really starts to come down there are two things that that every well dressed man needs to combat the elements and they are a decent  raincoat and at least one nice, non-golf, umbrella.

On days that are warm but rainy, a light weight raincoat really comes in handy. Mine is a thin black watch tartan thigh length coat that I snagged for $30 on eBay. I hate wearing black and I could not find a decently priced yellow raincoat that did not make me look like the Gordon's Fisherman. So I started looking for a nice tartan one and black watch is not only my favorite but also the most versatile.  I also have a wooden handle black watch umbrella but I loaned it to a friend at work for the afternoon.

Along with a nice raincoat, all men need a classy umbrella. Tiny collapsible ones belong in a woman's purse and huge golf ones belong on the links and the use of one anywhere else makes you look kind of like a tool.   I actually have three umbrellas; my black watch one that i got for a steal on eBay, this blue liquor company one with a girl on it which was free, and a beautiful spring and summer plaid one that Amanda got for me for my birthday.  I use each different one depending on my outfit and the occasion.  I actually used the one that Amanda bought for me for most of the day, but since I'd already did a post with that one, I decided to break out my first grown-up umbrella which was this free blue one that was given to me by a friend who was a liquor distributor.

Because today was warm but rainy, i decided to forgo seersucker for fear that it may become see through and instead went to my go to light khaki suit that I got from the Goodwill.  To make the rainy day a little more jovial, I threw on this bright pink dress shirt from JC Penney and a blue and pink bowtie that I got as a gift from my in-laws.  Since I do not feel the need to purchase swims, which are rubber shoe protectors, I wore a pair of ox blood tassel loafers that I got at the Goodwill for $5.  Never and I mean never wear your nice dress shoes on a day that you know is going to be rainy, that is a surefire way to ruin them.

Remember you not only need to look good, but you also need to be appropriately dressed for the weather because if you don't, even the nicest clothes in the world will look bad.

Hot Child in the Country

Here is my beautiful wife styling in her white pants, denim shirt and new shoes. Much like me, she loves a good deal. She got her white pants on clearance from Banana Republic. Her denim shirt came from JC Penny for less than $15.  She got those sweet Bass Weejun loafers for under $20 from the Bass outlet store last weekend.  I purchased her yellow Cole Haan bag for half price for her for Christmas.

As you can clearly see, I get my style and inspiration from my gorgeous bride.

Red Rocker

On a 95 degree day with stupid high humidity, the only sensible thing to wear is seersucker and the only thing to  drive is a jeep with the doors and top off.

Because we were giving ice cream out at work today I decided to wear my red candy striper seersucker suit.  Which I got for $100. To make the outfit as outlandish as possible I added a pair of red suede Cole Haan air coltons. I went sans socks and tie because it was so hot but also because I honestly had a damn hard time finding something that matched or at least didn't horribly clash.

As you might have noticed I wear red and yellow bracelets on my right wrist. I really don't like bracelets or necklaces that don't carry some meaning. I actually got these bracelets at the tops of Buddhist and Hindu temples in Cambodia where i  lit incense with old temple ladies.  These will probably be the only bracelets I ever wear, unleast until I go to India...

Green and Gold

Holding down the green and gold until the day I die, that's my Prince George pride! 

With the temperature creeping back up, I decided it was time to throw on some more seersucker and this time I went with the yellow suit. To make it that much more garish, I paired it with my green and gold bow tie and green striped socks because sometimes you just got to show your school pride.  To b tone it down a little, I wore my chestnut brown pebble grain Mark McNairy tassel loafers and a matching belt.  The shoes were as little on the expensive side but they were half price and I really do like them alot and wear them quite often.

Just remember, just because your outside and doing work you don't have to look like a farmer. Always bring your A game!

Not all Gray is dull

Seersucker does not always have to be loud and flamboyant. It certain colors it can look elegant and timeless, like this gray Chaps seersucker suit. Honestly I probably would not buy a gray seersucker suit except for the fact that I found this one at the salvation army for $10 and I really am glad that I did  because I actually really like this suit.

Unlike allot of my other more color seersucker suits, this one can be worn with just about any dress shirt but I really like it with yellow because I feel that yellow and gray complement each other very well.  Yellow is actually a very under appreciated color for dress shirts. Not very many people wear them and that's a shame because they look good with just about any color suit and they are not overly attention seeking so they are a good beginning step into incorporating more color into your wardrobe.

To play off of the yellow I wore my gray and yellow bucks that I picked up at JC Penny for $25, and they are actually pretty decent in terms of quality and they are extremely comfortable weighing practically nothing. Since everything else was pretty mellow I decided to kick it up a notch with a very colorful custom made gingham seersucker bowtie and yellow pocket square with orange trim that I got from thetiebar.com for $8.

This outfit is the reason I love thrift stores, it's because you never know what you might find and things are so inexpensive you can take a chance on something that you might not typically go for at full or even a discounted price. And more often than you might think you will be pleasantly surprised with the result.

The Man in Tan

This will be my first and hopefully last selfie blog post. 

Today I went with an often overlooked seersucker color, tan or khaki. I believe that tan seersucker is the easiest for those wanted to get their feet wet so to speak in the sweet waters that is seersucker. It's very subtle and classy and screams summer! I got mine at GQ menswear for $100. I really like tan and pink so I paired this suit with a pink shirt and floral tie from JC Penny which I got for $6.  To  keep  things simple, I wore my Allen Edmonds stand brogue Oxfords. Light brown oxfords ate probably the best looking and most versital shoes you can own. Allen Edmonds can be expensive so find what style you like and search eBay for them in your size  you can often get them for a fourth of the retail price.  I got v these for less than $100.  For good measure, I threw on a pair v of pink socks to pull the whole outfit together.

My new favorite accessory that b I'm going to try to wear all the time is my grandfather's shirt stud from his wedding tuxedo which I like v to wear as a lapel pin. In also wearing a homemade blue tie clip and a pink trimmed pocket square.  Thanks as always for checking out my blog! See you next time.

. 

Key lime Surprise

Part two of my seersucker week showcases an unusual color seersucker suit, bright lime green.  On a rainy day nothing can cheer you up quite like a colorful suit.

This extremely fun suit was picked up at a black men's clothing store called GQ Menswear for $100.  An upscale white men's clothing store right across the parking lot was selling the exact same exact jacket for $325. This just goes to show you that it pays to shop around and to never judge a book by its cover.

I really like pairing green with pink, so I went with pink accoutrements today. The plaid Carrot and Gibbs bow tie came from Peter Blair's menswear store in Richmond on 50% sale for $27.50.  I bought the white Brooks brothers bucks from the salvation army for $5 close to 10 years ago and have enjoyed them ever since. I got the pink laces for free from Cole Haan, by emailing them and saying that I lost the pair that came with my shoes.   Just for good measure I put a pink band on my watch for a little added panache.

Overall, I think that this outfit is honestly a bit loud and overly colorful but it fits well enough to still look elegant and professional.  I will tell you one thing, people love it!

Keeping up with the Rokers

Unlike what 50 cent says, summertime the seersucker season and this week is going to be smoking in ol' Virginny so I'm going to be showcasing seersucker outfits all week and if the weather stays in the upper 90s and 100s all next week too.

Seersucker is derived from the Hindi word kheer aur shahhar which means milk and sugar, because the material looks like smooth milk and bumpy sugar due to its weaving process.  This weaving pattern and texture causes seersucker to be drawn away from the body which allows for more air flow and hence the wearer will remain cooler. 

For many years seersucker was only worn by the poor working class  but students at ivy league schools began to wear seersucker and it has been fashionable warm weather apparel, at least in the south, ever since. 

Because it is a warm weather fabric it is customary to only wear seersucker during certain times of the year. Some believe that it should only be worn between memorial day and labor day while others argue for its use between easter and labor. But no matter wear you fall in this great debate, seersucker is a very fun and cool and classy (if done correctly) material for Clothing in the hot summer months. 

As you can obviously tell, I love seersucker! It is by far my favorite type of suit. I like it because it is comfortable and fun because it comes in many different colors. My suit below is an owner seersucker suit by afazzy that I picked up from amazon for less than $200.  It was more than I like to pay but Beleive me its hard to find an orange seersucker suit. 

Like most brightly colored seersucker suit, I decided to pair this one with a simple white shirt.  Because in trying to wear all of my bow ties without wearing the same one twice. I paired this suit with a bright pink bow ties with multicolored dots, one of which was orange. I got the bow your for ten bucks at Marshall's. Because I can I wore a bright pink with white trim pocket square from thetiebar.com that was $8.  

The shoes and socks with this outfit may have been a little much but I had already put the ducks on before I picked out the bow tie and there was no going back.  The shoes are bass weejuns that I scored for $20 at the outlet store. The green white and orange socks were a dollar at goodwill unworn. They really are great for St. Patrick's day but may have been skittle too much color for today's outfit but oh well, live and learn.

Check out tomorrow post for my second s

Seersucker outfit of the week.

Blazing a New Trail

Blazers; everyone knows the name but most people never venture past navy blue. But in fact blazer is just a term for any dress jacket that is solid in color. The name actually comes from an ivy league college rowing tram that wore red jackets, that soon gain the nickname blazers because of their bright color.

Because I love color I have acquired a collection of various colored blazers and this teal green one is certainly one v of my favorites.  I actually picked up this blazer at the salvation army for under five bucks.

I paired the jacket with khakis and navy blue accessories because everything goes with khakis and navy blue.  The check dress shirt by american living, I found on clearance at JC Penney for just over $3.  The navy knit tie was a hand me down from my old coworker's husband.  The Khaki linen pants at part of s $20 suit from goodwill. The shoes are Mark McNairy pebble grain loafers. I really like pebble grain leather it adds a nice subtle texture.  While I don't necessarily recommend wearing loafers with full suits, they can look good in the summer and always are appropriate with slacks and a blazer.

Apart from the jacket, what I really like about this outfit are the accessories. The teal, navy, and grey socks are from target (which actually carries pretty color sticks for a decent price). The gingham pocket square was just a buck or two on eBay.  But the most awesome and loudest most gaudy piece is the gold and diamond stick  pin that I decided to wear as a tie pin. I was actually given about a dozen of them from my uncle Kevin who works at men's warehouse. 

  A lot of places don't recommend tie pins because of the damage they can inflict on your shirt and Ties, but because the shirt cost $3 and the tour was free I figured what the hell and went for it.  And honestly  there's not much that can mess up a knit tie.

Baby Blue (7,9,14)

Well today was not as hot as yesterday but it was still quite steamy so I kept it light with this light blue cotton suit that I picked up for $40 on EBay. It's just a simple Haggar suit but I really like the color. For a lot of people the suit is enough of a statement so most people would probably just wear it with a simple white shirt brown shoes and a standard tie and honestly that would Also look good but I like to  go for a bit of extra flair so I paired it with some louder colors. 

As you all know pink is my favorite color do I went with pink acessories. The tattersail shirt was picked up at JC Penny's for under $10 as the very last of v their American living brand. The pink pocket square with white trim cost $8 at thetiebar.com.  I had a $25 gift card for mens warehouse and I got this bow tie with part of that money. 

The shoes are the real focal point of this outfit. They are Cole Haan Air Cotton that I picked up for a little over forty bucks on Ebay, one fifth of their retail price. 

For those that might be wondering, I am drinking an Albita seersucker pilsner. It's pretty good but certainly is one of their less adventurous beers.