can we all just say no to mandals already?

Out of control. I found myself cursing mandal sightings left and right this weekend. It’s completely uncalled for. I don’t care if it’s hot–if you’re in an American city, you don’t need to be wearing sandals as a man. It’s appalling. Twice last week I was confronted with the after-work sandals costume-change. One man in a Jos. A. Bank conservative sack suit complete with Jansport bookbag (cringe) and dollar-store foam/rubber-laden man sandals. Then this past Friday I got a two-fer when two (DOS) men were hopping on the bus to “grab a quick brew” both with birkenstocks under their dress trousers.

It’s a bad look fellas. I mean, we’re not women who stand on the balls of their feet on 3″ stilts all day. Do your feet really need a rest from a pair of closed-toed leather shoes? Grow a pair. (or at least get inserts).

Sorry to be so stern (I’m actually not sorry at all).

However, this is all fueled by the recent uprising in… wait for it…

MANLIATORS?

anddddddd the line has been overstepped.

anddddddd the line has been overstepped.

Men’s gladiator sandals? Never. Come on, world, seriously? Come on.

shorts and John Bartlett

It’s summer, time to wear shorts and drink beer outside. Shorts should be above the knee. SLIGHTLY. No need to go 70’s sprinter on us (think Michael Cera in Juno).

run of the mill, yes

run of the mill, yes

Apparently, you can do cargo shorts again this summer without looking like a child or looking like a fratboy.. or looking like everyone/anyone who doesn’t give a shit about shorts because they only wear them for 3 months of the year (understandable mentality, but horrible results). I caution you, though, acceptable, fashionable cargo shorts will probably run you more than you want to pay for half-pants, because only the upper-enders are offering anything in a stylish cut. Just putting that out there, no pictures because I won’t be partaking. Sorry.

This John Bartlett for Claiborne stuff looks nice:

bartlett claibornebartlett claiborne2

A friend of mine who works on the corporate side of Claiboirne got to see a preview and said the cuts are definitely a lot better than your typical Claiborne randoms you find in Macy’s. However, the sizing may still run big, so I’d get a personal look at it before I buy anything. Check out the pop-up shop in NY.

oh the irony!

Much like getting a mustache tattoed on the inside of your pointer finger, timeless wit is in style. Of course, by timeless wit, I mean permanently inking a gag into your skin. What’s that? You want yet another way to tell everyone you’re smart, quirky, and most likely ride a fixed-gear bicycle via fashion?

The Lone THREE Wolf Moon T-Shirt!

3wolfer

Just think back to grade school… you may have owned one. Funny how with age, though, the creepiness of the wearer increases dramatically.

creepchart

Notice that in high school you become considerably more creepier wearing  your wolf (or any animal drawn in the same fashion) shirt. You rise to serial killer/shoot-up the office guy status at 25 still wearing one of these. Notice, though, at 35 you become just a treehugger and no one gives a shit anymore.  You’ll probably wear these for the rest of your life at this point. Case closed.

Don’t leave the final word up to me, though. Let’s hear some reviews from THREE Wolf Shit buyers:

7,863 of 7,929 people found the following review helpful:

By B. Govern “Bee-Dot-Govern” (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This item has wolves on it which makes it intrinsically sweet and worth 5 stars by itself, but once I tried it on, that’s when the magic happened. After checking to ensure that the shirt would properly cover my girth, I walked from my trailer to Wal-mart with the shirt on and was immediately approached by women. The women knew from the wolves on my shirt that I, like a wolf, am a mysterious loner who knows how to ‘howl at the moon’ from time to time (if you catch my drift!). The women that approached me wanted to know if I would be their boyfriend and/or give them money for something they called mehth. I told them no, because they didn’t have enough teeth, and frankly a man with a wolf-shirt shouldn’t settle for the first thing that comes to him.

Dual-function indeed, B. Govs.

915 of 949 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why can’t Amazon have more stars? 5 ain’t enough!, May 6, 2009

So I’m looking for threads that say, “Hey baby…I’m real boss!” when I stumble upon this epic creation. The wolves spoke to me in a language all their own; it was like German, Mongol, and Bitchin all mixed together. I mean, one wolf howlin at the moon is major…but three???

I ordered next-day air (if only there was same day!), and, of course, a size smaller than usual to ensure the closeness of the wolves to my chest hair. When the package arrived, I tore it open, and I SWEAR angels sang. I think it was Freebird. I immediately removed my “No Fat Chicks” shirt, and replaced it with this finery. Lemme tell you: AW YEAH.

I’ll spare the details of my conquests since I started wearing this shrit; suffice to say, I’m swimming in a sea of babes the likes of which are usually found on those K-Tel infomercials. I’m also more confident at work, and expect to be promoted to cashier soon. I owe everything to this shirt (I should say “shirts”, since I now own 23 of them).

More:

5.0 out of 5 stars This shirt is 100% 100% awesome, but side effects only 57.9% awesome, May 27, 2009

This shirt is 100% 100% awesome. When wearing it I can run faster, chug more beer and be 100% 100% awesome.

However, I wore it once during the full moon on an Indian burial ground. Now I have three Indian spectral wolves following me around. I thought it was sweet at first, but it is hard to watch NASCAR with the wolves howling all the time.

shirt – 100% 100% awesome!!

spectral Indian wolves only 57.9% 57.9% awesome

Feel free to read all 749 reviews here.

casual friday this summer

There are vary degrees of causalty (yep, still talking about fashion.. no that is not a word in this sense) that are acceptable in different office environments. We all know this. Currently, the “just don’t have to wear a tie” version is in effect here at my new office. With that being said, my version of casual Friday goes something like.. oh.. this:

woman included

woman included

It’s the summer, it’s hot– light suit. Grey, khaki, etc.

No tie, but I like my french cuffs. Secured when I enter the office, set free as I exit.. or during a long, Friday lunch. Much like the top buttons. One undone going in 2 undone going out.. more if I go straight from work to my evening activities. [Don't go full-Salsa-dancer, though.. 4 buttons and you're going to start offending people.. also you will have a shameful picture trail to live down the next day.. (thanks facebook)]. Undershirt or not? That’s a big decision every morning in the summer. Get to know your antiperspirant and your body well, then make the judgment call. True story, I have a friend who tapes paper towels in his pits because he sweats too much. Sad, though, it doesn’t save his shirts from back-sweat.. I just don’t have the heart to tell him.

Loafers, not lace-ups. I’m a big fan of no-socks. If you do sock up.. mix it up, match your shirt or something. Make sure those are lightweight in construction as well.

No belt, unless necessary.

Top it off with a pocket square. I mean, you’re already not wearing a tie, why not show a little formality.

Shades of choice. When not in use–you’re a cool guy–stuff them in the front pocket with your handkercheif… live a little.

ps. google image search ‘brad pitt cannes’ and take a few notes. not to give him the credit, but his stylist and tom ford, definitely. of course, the inherent cool will always shine through, but $10k+ suits and a sartorial servant help.

heyyyyyyy its me

So, it’s been about a month since I last posted. My apologies, fellas. I was in China for a job interview, my company was recently purchased, I’m moving soon, and, well, I have a whole lot of excuses. Manshion will now continue regular updates. The focus may shift as I am in the process of launching my own line. However, if it shifts too far, I’ll just start another blog thats solely based on that venture.

I’m sure you’ve noticed my one and only advertisment for indochino.com. I have a great working relationship with these guys and really stand behind what they do. So, while in China, I decided to stop by and see my Canadien friends at work.

I hate to make this into a propaganda piece, but I was just amazed by one guy on the payroll in particular– the master tailor. This guy comes in, looks at your measurements, makes some judgement calls and cuts a few yards for each order to bring back to his workshop. This same man then handcuts every peice of your suit. It’s insane. I really thought the process was mostly machine-work, with the prices they offer.. but no. This guy, who’s been making suits for at least 20 years (and wears this same, brilliant 70’s style big stripe number most days of the week) actually hand measures and cuts your suits.  He then remeasures all of the finished products for quality control before shipping. If I spoke Chinese, I would make this guy my best friend.

tailor1tailor2

Anyways.. yep. I’m back. Manshion.net is not dead. Look for daily updates again. Thanks for hanging in there.

upstandingly obnoxious

Sometimes you just want to have an extra flair. An extra, “hey, look at me motherfuckers” about you. In a world where plastic shutter glasses and matching tie, pocket square and suspenders sets (in purple paisly print of course) actually exist outside of costume shops, one can easily fall into a bottomless pit of tasteless flamboyancy.  So today, I give you a few items that will give you that head-turning factor without that initial head-turning morphing into a head-shaking look of disgust, confusion and, ultimately, contempt.

The loud, multi-stripe dress shirt:

attention winning

attention winning

hostile attention takeover via guerilla tactics

hostile attention takeover via guerrilla tactics

Gaudy Belt Buckle:

wear with chinos/khakis and loafers on friday

wear with chinos/khakis and loafers on friday

WHY DO I STILL SEE THESE (attention) WHORISH BELTS?

WHY DO I STILL SEE THESE (attention) WHORISH BELTS?

Tie/Pocket Square Combo:

light green ginham square

light green ginham square

navy with pink pindots

navy with pink pin dots

Paired with a cotton suit, this a colorful and attention grabbing combo that’s the right amount of flashy.. but grounded in classy (who didn’t see that rhyme coming?).


Wrap-Up

So, to make this really short, I could just say, don’t buy flashy things from Express. That’s the bad kind of flashy. Not knocking the whole store, I have 2 plain skinny ties, a pair of jeans, and probably another basic or 2 from there that I keep in the regular rotation. I almost bought a plain cotton suit from there just a week ago, and they had a great tux for sale this past holiday season.  However, when a place like Brooks Brothers has some real eye-catching items, you can rest-assured they’re grounded in some traditional scope that makes them just uncommon and not unsightly.  A “trendy” kind of outlet, though, will usually help you in the opposite way as their take on traditional pieces can often achieve a nice, uncommon and classic balance worthy of adding to the repertoire.

office survival kit

A list of everything you need to appear (relatively) flawless at work. (Note: I know the shirt thing is straight out of Mad Men, but can you blame me?)

1.) Wrinkle-free white dress shirt.

Uniqlo $40 (not sold online)

Uniqlo $40 (not sold online)

Uniqlo makes relatively slim fit, $40, wrinkle-free dress shirts. Definitely great for travel, layering, or, as in this case, the backup shirt folded and bagged/boxed up in your bottom desk drawer.

2.) Backup Necktie

yea, i posted this twice.. but i have 2, so it's okay.

yea, i posted this twice.. but i have 2, so it's okay.

Same principle here, get something simple and color-friendly with the majority of your suits. A flat navy silk tie or maybe a charcoal wool/cotton tie, should fit the bill.

3.) Umbrella

because you'll be expected to share

because you'll be expected to share

Keep an extra one. Your office wear will not hold up well in the rain.

4.) Headphones

applebasicphones

Leave the stock ones at work for the unfortunate days when you forget your good pair and you know you’ve got a bunch of tedious work or a late night ahead of you.

5.) Phone charger

Self explanatory, but definitely a lifesaver. These days it’s usually just a usb cord or an ipod cable which can be pretty easily scrounged up in case you need a backup plan.

6.) Dop Kit

This is up to you. If you live a messy lifestyle and frequently show up looking/smelling like last night, you may need to make this investment. At the same time, you’ll have enough man-cred to pull off having such a kit in your desk, whereas the already well put-together man that happens to have a bunch of men’s health/beauty products in his desk will probably gain a questionable eye or two. Your call.

lots of watches

It’s all about finding 1-2 good faces and having 2-3 bands for each. An example follows.

I bought a basic Kenneth Cole watch this past holiday season:

kennethcoleface1

$50

Mine did not have the metal band, but rather a plain black leather and a patterned brown leather band.

(watch count: 1-2)

tadgear1

$14

for your casual endeavors

(watch count: 3-4)

wb_ag

$30

wear with your tan cotton summer suit and rep tie (not of the EXACT same pattern, though… like with handkerchiefs)

(watch count: 5)

a hipsterish casual look

I just bought these plaid h&m slacks that keep making me think of doing something like this:

can't buy online in US

can't buy online in US

redleatherjacket

oceans11tshirt

there's much better quality out there for hats

there's much better quality out there for hats

jandm_vestor

Or going crazy and wearing these instead:

beast boots

beast boots

when in rome…

summer ties

Because your neckwear should reflect the seasons from time to time. The silk tie is always a safe bet. The wool tie is a great game-changer in the colder months. Much like a tweed suit–colder months. In the summer, though, you’re going to want to keep the suiting lighter and the neckwear to match. If you’re going with a lighter wool suit, the silk tie will work fine. If you’re going with a cotton suit.. a light fabric tie is a must.

Pair these with cotton suits:

jcrew-cotton-tie

aaviscosetie

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