The Mailbag Lightning Round – May 2013

Some questions are better answered publicly since others might be asking the same thing, or, one of you has the perfect answer. If you’ve got a style tip, question, or anything else you’d like to pass along, you can send those in here. If you’d rather your question not be featured in a future mailbag, just go ahead and say so in your email. Feel free to hit the comments with other options for answers to this most recent batch of questions. 

 

Q:  The Double Tux Conundrum

I’m getting married in October and I’d like to wear a tuxedo. At my age (37 makes me feel like one of the more senior grooms around), it seems like something a gent should own rather than rent? Do you have any guidelines for what to look for? And secondly, as a same-sex couple, I’ve seen some great photos where both guys wear the same thing, but that seems a little matchy matchy for us (We’re partners, not twins). Maybe we could start with the same tux and then one have a long tie and one with a bow, ways to coordinate but not match? – Chris

Congrats! And… this is a tough one. I don’t even like leaving the house with Mrs. Dappered when she and I are matching head to toe in the same color palate (say, brown shoes, dark jeans, grey sweaters). So to be wearing exactly the same thing as your partner on your wedding day? Yeah. No thanks. But at the same time, the purpose of black tie is to provide a uniform for the gents. Doesn’t mean there isn’t some leeway though. Like the idea about bow & necktie. But what about mismatching lapels? You in peak, he in a shawl? Maybe contrasting bow ties not in color (black) but in width? Try a few different combos. And yeah, I say buy it. Stop in at Suitsupply and see what they can offer. Keep an eye on Hilfiger at Macy’s for less expensive options.

 

Q:  Yea or Nay for Topman?

I’ve been looking at some of the items that they have for sale at Topman, and they’re quite enticing. However, I have yet to really see the product shown on any models. What do you think of them?  Yea or Nay? Thanks! – Kyle

Nay for me personally. As a bit of a minimalist who’s got some meat on his frame, Topman just doesn’t cross my own personal radar that often. Every once in awhile they carry something that would fit in most of our closets, but more often than not they seem like the Urban Outfitters clothing section drunk on Seagrams. Really trendy and really tight. Not real adult. But I might be totally wrong here.  Guys?

 

Q: The shirt with awful wrinkles.

In the past I would take all of my shirts to the cleaners to have them laundered and pressed or dry cleaned. However, I noticed that a lot of people on Dappered mention washing their own shirts. The problem is, whenever I wash a shirt in my laundry machine and hang dry it, it comes out looking horribly wrinkled and I can’t seem to use my iron to get it looking wearable again, so I inevitably take it in to the cleaners. Am I doing something wrong? – Jose

Now’s a good time to give this “how to iron” post a quick look. When I first started ironing my own shirts, it never occurred to me that steam was a key component to releasing the wrinkles, along with heat and pressure. A dry shirt and a dry hot iron = not the best combination. Maybe your iron’s steam mechanism is plugged? You also might want to dry your shirts for just a bit in the dryer, and then get to ironing them when they’re still damp. Letting it dry all the way lets those wrinkles from the agitating and spin cycle “set” into the cotton. There’s always looking for another brand of shirt too. Some shirts just wrinkle like hell.

 

Q: What kinds of denim, if any, are good for summer?

I am not very privy to the idea of summer denim, but I’ve seen some articles about it lately.  What do you think?  Summer seems pretty hot for jeans. – Josh

Some consider the word “jeans” to mean a style of pant (5-pocket) that doesn’t necessarily have to be dark, heavy denim. That said, lighter wash denim seem to be making a bit of a comeback for spring and summer. But it’s hard to go wrong with a pair of off-white 5-pockets in a mid to lightweight canvas-like material. Try Banana Republic’s vintage straight 5-pocket pant. While they don’t have the 5-pocket styling, Stafford Prep’s chinos are a bit more casual with their middle weight cloth. There are also splurge pieces like the pair from Simon Spurr seen above, which go for $89 on GILT, are made in the USA, and are a mix of 60% cotton and 40% linen. You can honestly feel the lightness in them, but know that they do wrinkle easier than standard denim. A warning: They only come in one length, so you’ll need to hem them, but they’re something else.

Got a question or a style tip? Send them in here. Additional answers to the above questions can go in the comments.