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.