A Man's Closet, Part 1 - The Basics

A Man's Closet, Part 1 - The Basics

By Frank K Siciliano

The vast majority of men hate shopping. Not just a little bit, either. A brief perusal through the annals of history show men who have scheduled root canals, knee surgery, late days at work, and a myriad of other unpleasantries just to avoid a five-minute hop to the clothing store for a pair of pants to replace the pair of pants with the hole in the pocket (which no one can see, so no big deal, right?).

I know you have jeans, sweats, and t-shirts in your closet, but how about the proof that you can clean up nicely once in a while? Most men rely on their significant others or members of their family to stock their closet for that. They too, however, may require some guidance. Whether you are making that trip to mall, or they are, here's the shopping list:

1. Navy Blue Suit - Yes, navy. Not black. Navy. The black suit is for weddings and funerals, and even in those cases, you can get away with navy. It's nice to own a few suits. It's required you own one. Go navy.

2. Four (4) Button Down Shirts - For those of you who read my article, "Clothing Should Fit!", you are perfectly aware of how your Oxford shirt (button down) should be sized. Owning four means you have two with two backups. Here's how to break down the four:

**Two (2) White - White is the standard. We like standard.

**Two (2) Blue - One light, one dark, or two of the same. Blue is for mixing it up a bit, and trust me when I say you don't want to have every dressed-up day of your life spent in a white Oxford shirt.

3. Black Lace-up Shoes - No, not black sneakers, but black lace-up shoes. Yep. With laces. They even come with thin rubber soles now, instead of tractionless leather.

4. Black Leather Belt - I stress black, because the shoes are black. Unless you want to start playing around with fancier combinations, match the belt to the shoes. Brown with brown, black with black. Whatever with sneakers. Never brown with black. Ever. Period.

5. SOCKS THAT AREN'T FOR THE GYM!! - Every time I see someone in a suit and white sweatsocks, I want to pull them aside, drag them into the nearest store, buy them a pair of black dress socks, make them change, then resume whatever else I was doing at the time. Either that, or hit them upside the head with a blunted (or blunt?) object. To avoid either, PLEASE make sure you have black socks. Not sweatsocks, either. You can do socks that are more suited (pun intended) for this occasion without going all nylon. Trust me.

Foolproof. That's the only way to describe this list. You may need to dress this way less than a dozen times in your life, but make those moments count!

Frank K Siciliano is the founder of dressinglikeaman.blogspot.com, which is in place to help guide men towards a more presentable way of dressing, without being all fussy. Since 1982, Frank has been developing an eye for what's hot, what's not, and what will stand the test of time in fashion. Interestingly enough, "what will stand the test of time" is the only thing that matters to most people. He does all that he can to guide anyone who will listen to a sharper, cleaner sense of style that will stand that very same test.

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Men's Fashion - How To Dress In Your 40's

Men's Fashion - How To Dress In Your 40's

By Louise Owen

The downside of being in your 40's is that you maybe carry a few extra pounds, you have more grey hair than you had before, or less hair, and the fine lines of your 30's are now clearly wrinkles. On the positive side, yes there is hope, you will probably be more confident and secure in yourself, be well established in your career and be comfortable with your own sense of style, having learnt from the fashion mistakes that you probably made in your teens or your twenties.

However being in your 40's doesn't necessarily mean that you can rest on your laurels when it comes to fashion, the main principle is to accept your age and don't try to dress the way of a teenager or a man in his early twenties, you will go a long way to achieving this by avoiding the latest trends, which are usually designed for men of a younger age, be assured that your age will give you away if you try to keep up with the younger generation. Don't even be tempted if fashionable items you wore when you were younger come back into fashion, leave your past where it is and embrace your age.

In your 40's the best style tip is to keep it simple, loud patterns and prints should be left to the younger men, while you should opt for a smart, sophisticated, well fitted look. Make sure your clothes fit you well, this is particularly important as we age and our body shapes change slightly, oversized or ill fitting clothes can look very bad. Always opt for well cut. clean lines and crisp shirts, which give a mature and stylish appearance.

Away from the office, if you opt for jeans, ensure they are straight legged and not too baggy and definitely not ripped, choose simple shirts and casual shoes rather than trainers, opt for classic designs when buying clothes which will ensure you look stylish and you won't have the worry of keeping up with all the latest trends. Trying to dress like the younger generation sends out the message of a midlife crisis, embrace your age and dress accordingly.

Keep on top of your physical appearance and accept the signs of aging rather than deny them, don't try and disguise thinning or greying hair, and make sure you are well shaven, facial hair at this age can make you look much older. When your are in your 40's you should be confident and comfortable with your appearance which is one advantage that maturity has over youth every time.

Louise Owen is a specialist retailer of fine ties and cufflinks suitable for weddings and any occasion, all items are available to ship worldwide

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