Summer Style For Men
[ 20 November 2007 ]
I recently made the acquaintance of a super-cool boy called Audrey. The good news is that as well as working as a buyer & designer for a men’s youth line, he is also a style fiend. He wrote this & I liked it so much that I asked if I could post it here for all the male readers! I hope you enjoy it!
Summer raises the question about office etiquette when it comes to dressing for work. Winter to me, is far easier for work — sweaters & vests & jackets & long sleeve shirts (though my shirts are all constantly folded to my elbows because my forearms are actually one part of my body I actually like & try to accentuate).
Summer, on the other hand is slightly more difficult. Lucky are those who can just tumble out of bed & throw on shorts & a tee & toddle off to earn their scratch! Some of us just don’t have that luxury. & this Summer is especially tricky: not only do I work at an office so must remain respectable, but also the office for a youth fashion buyership & design area — meaning there’s a certain, unspoken expectation that I’ll look somewhat… well, “cool”. I admit, I’ve always prided myself on the fact that I somehow manage to toe the line of being appropriate, yet stylish. As my friend Vicki recently put it, she hated the fact my casual & work wear are somewhat similar, so I always look like I could be coming straight from work, or I could be coming out of a club – she’s just never actually sure.
Personally, I don’t happen to own a suit anyway. I consider it my own little act of rebellion, because I still manage to remain stylish, yet acceptable & proper at all functions — even those where technically I should be in a suit. But I guess I could soon be given my orders to take the plunge & max out another credit card, as our CEO has tightened the noose (pun only kind of intended) this week too, after noticing that with the jump in temperature a lot of males in the office are forgoing their tie & vowing to take action against any anyone not conforming with office policy.
So therein lies the challenge. How to keep the people in the Ivory Tower content, while still maintaining a sense of comfort, surviving peak hour sardine-tin rides to and from the office & conveying a sense of style and authority to potential suppliers to your business? I understand an office supplies clerk needing to be in corporate black & whites but my particular situation is slightly different.
I’ve found some slight loopholes in the system & exercise them to their extreme at all available opportunities. I’m a huge fan (yet the ONLY one doing it at my office) of a good fitting teeshirt worn over a long- or short-sleeve shirt & tie. You should probably should stick to plain, unless you happen to work for a really cool & relaxed office, when vintage & band shirts can definitely make an appearance & will offshoot a tie with spectacular results. Wrangler cigarette leg black denim jeans come with black solid metal rivets on the pockets, so are in fact passable as not actually being jeans.
Business shirts can be worn slightly different if you can manage to shake off the salesperson & buy things that aren’t necessarily your technical correct size. I suggest dropping your shirt size by two standard sizes, but make sure you get the ‘long’ sleeve length. Doing this gives you a nice slim fitting shirt (business shirts are always made extra long to still tuck in if you need to), with a top button that will casually sit open as it is in fact — in all technical aspects — too small for your neck. Plus, you can loosely knot a tie around because business shirts are usually made with bones or more starch in their collars than their casual counterparts.
Another great look involves having your work pants tailored just a little too short, investing in some snappy looking, high fashion slip-ons (patent leather, anyone?) & skipping the socks. (Note: this last one is not for beginners. & for the love of god, invest in Odour Eaters first!)
But I think the biggest mantra to stick to in the workplace is the age old saying that you should dress for the job you want, not for the job you’ve got. I myself got noticed by the youth fashion department by actually dressing the part in my former role – even the head menswear buyer was trying to head-hunt me out of homewares before I got snapped up by my current department.
So keep in mind — being the stylish, fashion-conscious man at the office is great, but it’s a double-edged sword. If you’ve got your eyes on the business manager’s job, then obviously what’s written above won’t be applicable to you. Sometimes you do have to suck up to The Man & ‘play the game’ & leave your stylishly impressive wardrobe moves to where it counts most — out in the bars over summer where all the cute, scantily-clad ladies are bored of those hipsters & their godawful fluoro neon Henleys & Havaianas.
Audrey xoxo
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You have been on fire today girl! I have hardly had time to read all your posts today! Icing overload! :-)
This is so good – and so true. boys we ARE all sick of “godawful fluoro neon Henleys & Havaianas.” Dress nicely and we will like you better.
Plus I just love boys in good black cigarette jeans :)
I super love the whole t-shirt of shirt thing…do you think girlies can pull off that look? I mega love wearing boy styles, for that whole punky look (Kinda like Shane of the L word) look espically tweed man style pants +ties.
well dressed boys make me swoon…
There are so many guys who go out looking gross and think they are gods gift… Some well dressed boys would be very much appreciated.
I love the t-shirt over shirt thing too. I have a lovely ruffled blouse that I wear under t-shirts every now and then and it looks great and is comfortable at the same time!!! :) Love!
Fantastic! I’ve worked closely with men’s fashion and retail for years now, and I easily get more of a kick out of styling men than women. They’re more open to your opinions and are like a blank canvas.
Thanks to Audrey for being a perfect example of the Stylish Man for the Noughties. :)
Interesting words Mr Audrey, cheers.
I cannot understand why the men in this town dress like barbeque rejects standing next to the most gorgeous women that have put in so much effort..
..with that said I don’t run into two many girls I think dress as hmm ‘classy’? ladies, but maybe I should change where I frequent :D
yes, yes, this is quite the useful article…
you can apply a lot of your philosophies to womens clothing as well. the t-shirt over the button-up shirt? looks fab on a girl as well, but rather than a tie, use a colorful scarf around your neck. looks so cute, and very casual/put together.
xoxoxokelsey ;D
i think its strange that there are way more things that are work acceptable for women as apposed to men
the same thing happened at my boarding school, the girls could wear fitted teeshirts, blouses, and sweaters but the boys had to wear a collard shirt tucked in with a tie
our society is so strange.
definitely one of my new favorite blogs! keep up the good work!
Aww, how DELIGHTFUL! I shall direct the wife here, pronto! Not that he already isn’t the most stylish IT back room rack slave, heehee… Give my love to Audrey, he can have some cheesecake too! <3
ooh! great article! Does Audrey have a blog as well?
Oh thank the lord for Audrey. (From the sound of it, he reminds me of a character from Little Women or Pride & Prejudice)
I’ve a boyfriend who just WILL NOT buy clothes for himself. But I’ll show him things online when I’m ever-browsing and he’ll say key things like “I don’t like the stitching on these pants”, “This shirt looks as if it’s cut a little loose” and so on.
The kid clearly has style. He can’t hide it (at least not well, anyway).
So I’m authorized to buy him clothes while he buys me pretty shoes and whatnot when I pointeth to them. This is a PERFECT guide for me because – I’m not a guy – so I don’t know how to dress them!
Thank you Gala/Audrey!!
xoxo.
i really want to lick that kid
i think i will send this article to my boyfriend before he gets himself fired
Lovely and marvelous. If I knew any boys who worked in dress code heavy environments I would point them to this.
I’d really love to see some style sense whupped into the hordes of young men who crowd the streets of Manhattan every weekend wearing the exact same button down shirt with some variation of blue stripeyness. They baffle me. I want to run around and ask them why. Why?! Is it some sort of natural camouflage, like zebras? Is it so the girls they’re dancing up on in bars can’t tell them apart? Or so that they can disappear back into the herd if said girl has an angry boyfriend? If I could just get my hands on a pith helmet and a video camera I’d take a safari into the Lower East Side to find out.
@Christy- I’d love to try interpreting this look, too. I think it would work well with some kind of hairband, maybe in a colour that matches the T-shirt… but I will stop hi-jacking the men’s style article now!
Great guest posting! Thanks for delving into the mens realm momentarily.
There are numerous options for men, if only more of us would dare to take chances when it comes to style and fashion.
I’m glad that menswear has been heating up the past years.
I do like the look of the tee over the shirt and tie. It definitely adds to the style cache while keeping up with the current trend of layering! It might not work at a staid corporate environment like Goldman Sachs, but it shows that your can add your own style to any outfit.
christy — Yes, definitely! I think it would probably look better on someone who was less booby, though; it would make it look sleeker ;> Give it a try! Report back!
PhilB — Hahah. I don’t think men dress down on purpose, I just think they don’t have much of an idea as to what they’re doing… & they don’t know who to ask or how to learn more. & I don’t know if “classy” is Melbourne’s normal modus operandi, haha! Maybe you need to stop going to The Lounge ;D
Leanna — He was thinking of starting one but I convinced him to write for me instead, hee! Sneaky huh?
Miss Elle — Yayyy, glad to help! I know what you mean, I also find it very hard to write about men’s fashion/style because I just don’t give it a lot of thought, & it doesn’t really turn my crank.
Wendalyn — Hee, you should definitely go on blue shirt safari! Study them in their natural habitat!
Alice — Ooh YES, with a matching headband it would look incredible!
Gala, I have just found your blog and already adore it.
Thankyou!
SJ
xx
gala, please tell audrey that pretty much every girl reading this now has a giant crush on him.
sigh. boys that know how to dress themselves are a rare breed.
Audrey’s style reminds me a lot of my husband’s style :)
I am sick to death of seeing these guys with popped collars, pants that do NOT fit them (in most cases, they appear to shorten their legs!), desert boots, gelled up hair and stinking to the high heavens of grandpa’s 30 year old Brut33 aftershave… it makes me very proud to be married to a man who knows how to take care of himself.
Thank you Gala, for posting this piece!
P
x
bluebird — I told him & he blushed :D
great article audrey, but you’ve always been the most snappy dresser i know.
it was lovely to meet you the other night gala, i’m the girl whos boyfriend was playing at the evelyn. =)
Audrey, you continue to amaze me (though im not sure why im suprised??) Ive been wondering for sometime now, when someone would snap you up for your delish styling talents and it seems to me the wait is over!
And thanks dear Audrey for putting me onto Gala’s FABULOUS site. i think i might just be addicted.
much love and shooting stars
xxxx
Love a guy with the confidence to really rock a tie! And, the more I think about it, the more I like the name Audrey for a bloke :-)
I think I want to marry that boy in the picture. :)
Audrey’s so cool!
I love it when a guy rolls his sleeves up a little and flashes his forearms. There’s something soooo sexy about it! I also like it when a guy has his top button undone and you can see the neck of his tshirt.
Ties can be great too, I love a man in a patterned/picture tie. One of our teachers had a really cool tie with ducks on! Unusual ties make me happy! :)
bluebird is so right..I for one have a giant crush on Audrey! That is such a good look..reminds me of what the boys round Wellington are wearing. Well the boys in the places I frequent anyways x