Ask A Woman: Basics for the non suited man.
If you’ve got a question that needs the female treatment, chances are you’re not the only one who wants to ask it. Beth is our source for the answers. From opinions on men’s style to decoding the sometimes mysterious ways of women, she’ll take on a different question every Thursday. And don’t worry, your identity will be protected too. Click here to get to know Beth, then get in touch with her by sending your question to: askawoman@dappered.com
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Hello Beth:
I’ve read many an article about style, but they all seem geared towards men working in the white collard world. My question is what are some good ways for a blue collar guy to upgrade his look in the blue collared world? Even when I go out on the town I’d look over dressed wearing many of the things that most websites suggest. I am almost always in jeans, and a casual atmosphere.
– Sean
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Hi Sean,
I think your scenario is no different than the guys who are tired of wearing scratchy dress pants and confining ties come the weekend, but they don’t want to schlub around in Zubaz when going out for a casual beer on Saturday evening. There are two keys to accomplishing this: 1) keep it simple, and 2) use details to distinguish your look.
To keep it simple, choose items that don’t have a lot of dazzle, but that fit well and are made of decent materials. I like this khaki colored blazer; the light color makes it more casual than a navy blue or black color would. For spring and summer, linen is a great material to have in your closet. It’s very casual, but very cool. Double plus bonus: linen is supposed to have a slightly wrinkled look so you don’t have to worry about ironing. Finally, make sure you have a pair of jeans that look great (dark washes look more polished than light washes), fit well, and are currently on trend. (Do you have carpenter jeans in the bottom of your dresser? For shame, for shame.)
Details are where you can have a lot of fun with showing your personal style, but because it’s in small doses, no one will be “overwhelmed” by your sophistication. These laid-back kicks are stylish but they’re still sneakers. Either of these watches
look great, but only occupy a couple inches on your body. What about the smallest of details like interesting zippers, clever buckles, and well-placed pockets? See them on this moto jacket, or this bomber jacket. A striped canvas belt adds a bit of color while still remaining casual.
Still craving that pizazz in your wardrobe that you know the townies wouldn’t approve of? Smuggle a pair of these bad boys underneath your pants. You’ll be the flashiest dresser in the room, even if you’re the only one who knows it.
-Beth
Got a question for Beth? Send them to: askawoman@dappered.com
Does anyone know a promo code for Zubaz?
The 3 keys to looking good in any context: Fit, fit, and fit. You don’t have to wear a shirt and tie every day to look stylish. In fact, if you get in the habit of wearing clothes that fit as though they were made for you, you’ll probably look better than 90% of guys who DO wear ties every day. Learn how to identify good fit. If you’re like a lot of men, that may mean sizing down from what you currently wear and becoming accustomed to things that fit closer to your body.
Consider investing in a nice jacket or two, maybe even a sportcoat… it doesn’t need to be fancy. If your crowd is pretty casual, think about something with military-inspired details. And nothing says BAMF like an impeccably well-fitted leather jacket.
A nice pair of shoes can polish off any outfit. Even jeans and a t-shirt will look pretty sick if you throw on a pair of these as well (40% off if you use the BFF11 coupon): http://shop.timberland.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4208884 For summer wear, there’s always that old standby, the Converse Chuck Taylor or Jack Purcell, in any color you could ever imagine wanting.
Substitute your usual t-shirts with a nice, non-douchey polo or a button-down every once in a while. Make sure that the t-shirts you do wear fit correctly (the shoulder should end at your natural shoulder and them hem should not extend more than an inch or two beyond your waistband). And for the love of God, stay far, far away from any t-shirt that looks like Ed Hardy vomited on it.
Good call on suggesting cool shoes/watches and calling out carpenter jeans – well done.
However, the poor guy asks how to upgrade a casual look – but still stay casual – and your first suggestions is a blazer? I’ve commented on this sort of thing before, but I suppose I’ll say it again. No matter the color, a blazer should not be considered “casual”. Yes, a khaki blazer is MORE casual than it’s navy counterpart, but that doesn’t make it casual attire.
Nothing against a great blazer, but anyone else feel similarly? It kind of reminds me of the fashion industry where they label a standard dress as “sportswear”. Maybe in their world, but in the real world, not so much.
I can’t agree with you on this one, but it could very well be an age thing. I am in my mid 30’s now, but when I was younger I definitely associated blazers with being “dressed up”. But as I’ve gotten older my outlook has changed. Maybe it has to do with gradually becoming more professional at work, or going out to nicer places then I did in my twenties. Nowadays though, I think an unstructured blazer worn with denim and a button down is pretty casual. just wearing the button down, especially if left untucked, would seem sorta incomplete to me.
I have to disagree with you on this one,. i rock a blazer with a t-shirt and jeans all the time. Sure it’s more dressed up than the standard college fare of hoodies and sweatpants, but i don’t look overdressed or out of place, even in that VERY casual environment. i like to call it snappy/dressy casual, but its definately still casual. I do however, get compliments on this look quite a lot.
So no, i don’t think a blazer is automatically dressed up, a good blazer should be versatile enough to be both casual and dressed up, depending on what you wear with it. Good call Beth
I’d have to say it all comes down to confidence and your own style. For some people, they’re just not going to feel casual in a blazer and jeans. If that’s the case, it won’t look casual. Maybe it’s just a matter of feeling at ease, or relaxed or simply “casual” in it, but without that, it comes across as looking dressed “up” especially, as DaveS points out, when you’re around 20. If that’s part of your personal style, and it fits with who you are, then it’s going to be great, and it can look very casual. If you go from carpenter jeans and skate shoes to that look, you’ll feel and possibly appear out of your element. Which isn’t to say one shouldn’t drastically change one’s look if that’s what one wants, but I think that strays from what Sean was looking for.
Beth suggests a fantastic casual look. Especially as a “more dressed up” casual look, which I think Sean is looking for. I don’t think it’s a substitute for a t-shirt and jeans day-to-day look in this case, and that’s probably for the best.
But ergh those briefs? Yikes… those look like they only belong under Zubaz.
Cheers,
Ben
The age thing is something I didn’t consider (nor did Beth it seems). I’m still sticking with it though. If a blazer is your minimum to feel casual – more power to yah. I agree preferred style of dress changes with age, but I’d hate to say that a 24 year old and a 35 year old are expected to wear two different things to a “casual” gathering.
T-shirt = casual. Jeans = casual. Blazer ≠ casual.
I suppose if you wear a blazer with a T-shirt and Jeans then you can blur the line enough to have an overall appearance of being casual. I think the T-shirt and blazer look is a look for a very specific guy and otherwise can look pretty forced. Almost as if it’s a “look how casual I am but op! I’m wearing a blazer” kinda thing. I’m certainly not saying this is you, or that other people feel this way, but seeing as I’m coming from a blazer ≠ casual standpoint that’s the vibe I often get from that look.
You guys are missing the point re blazer casual or not. It’s not an age thing. In a *blue-collar setting*, there is no such thing as a casual blazer. Though I agree on the smaller style items from Beth (a nice watch, and climb the footwear ladder a bit, timberland earthkeepers for example), wearing even the most casual blazer – by white collar standards – is not going to fly.
As another guy that works in an environment where guys tend to wear jeans and t-shirts most days, I agree that wearing a blazer just doesn’t fit in some settings. Personally, I started trying to upgrade my wardrobe mainly by getting better fitting versions of what I already wore. For example, I used to always wear jeans that were way too long and sometimes a bit baggy, but now I buy straight fit jeans like 501s and make sure the length is right. I’ve also been switching from t-shirts to casual button down shirts like the Old Navy linen one Beth suggested. Chambray shirts are another good option.
My best piece of advice is to take it slow when changing your wardrobe. When I first started reading sites like this, one of the first things I did was buy a blazer. I wore it a few times, then it sat in my closet for about a year before I donated it to the Salvation Army. Maybe a few years down the road I’ll be in an environment where I could wear a blazer and feel comfortable, but I’m not right now. Some guys like wearing clothes that are very different from what everyone else in their work/social circle wears, but that’s just not me. I’m comfortable being *slightly* more dressed up than the people around me… just not *way* more dressed up than the people around me.
I’m a little confused by the question. On the job everybody has to wear some kind of “uniform,” so there’s not much choice there. Off the job, some white collar guys want to go bowling and some blue collar guys want to go to the opera. You just dress according to the circumstances. Nobody is blue collar or white collar all the time.