Ideas for Keeping Your Neck Warm

Like I said last week, it’s cold outside and time to bundle up. One of the classic items for the winter, that actually serves a purpose, is the scarf. Scarves can be as complicated and flashy as you like them. Or you can opt for more traditional neckware. Patterns, stripes, blocks, checks, bold colors, subdued colors… all varieties are in play here. And you don’t need to limit yourself to one. I prefer to own at least three scarves, all of which are pictured below (I’d love to hear your comments about which ones you think I own).

If you’re going to the office, you’ll probably select your basic Burberry’s scarf or a traditional black, navy, grey or red scarf. If you’re headed to the club, perhaps the Ed Hardy scarf is right up your alley. Anything in between is okay too. Whatever your decision, wear it with pride and you can pull off just about anything.

Classic Burberry’s Scarf - $265.00

Black Cashmere Scarf - $59.99


Ed Hardy Poly Chiffon - $53.10


Fred Perry Black Cable Knit Scarf - $76.00

Gap Vertical Striped Scarf - $24.50

Hugo Boss scarf - $72.95




White Silk Scarf - $29.95

White & Black Traditional Shemagh - $19.90

Ditch Your Puffy Shirt, Opt for the Slim Fit

I mentioned sleeping bag-sized clothing in my blog on wool trench coats. The same rule applies for men’s dress shirts. For some strange reason, designers seem to think all men have size 42” chests and 42” waists, creating a very broad fit from top to bottom. That size shirt is called “full cut” and is only reserved for Jerry Seinfeld, a la “the Puffy Shirt” episode. There is a segment of the population who, although we might not be super fit, still has a need for a more tailored shirt, and jacket/coat for that matter.

Even men who are not quite my size (I’ve always had broader shoulders and a narrow waist, whether I work out or not… and it’s not all its cracked up to be… it makes shopping for clothes that fit properly, VERY hard) can benefit from slim fit clothing. Whether you are simply a slim guy with narrow shoulders and waist, or a guy with an “athletic” build (waist 5 or more inches narrower than your shoulders), the slim fit shirt is for you.

Brooks Brothers defines slim fit on their web site as the following:

• Our most tapered fit, it favors men with broader shoulders and/or slimmer waits.
• 5” trimmer in chest, 5” slimmer in waist than our Traditional Fit.
• Yoke is 1-3/4” deep at center back
• Yoke extends to natural shoulder line
• Trim armhole

The first thing you need to do, as always, is have yourself measured. Since you’re a follower of my blog, you’ve already done that, right! Getting measured is the only way to ensure you’re getting a proper fit. You need to measure your arm length and neck circumference since; those are the two measurements you need for buying a “fitted” shirt, one which isn’t simply S, M, L or XL. These shirts show measurements like 16” – 34/35, which is my size. Here is where the slim fit comes in. If I were to buy a traditional/full cut shirt with those measurements, I would be wearing a really baggy shirt since the chest and waist area of the shirt billow out around my narrow waist. By purchasing a slim fit or “modern” fit shirt as some are called, the body and waist are cut slimmer, resulting in a shirt that hugs my body more and gives a cleaner appearance.

There is a pretty good trick when shopping for shirts in stores which don’t carry slim fit or modern cut garments. When looking at full cut shirts, you can buy a shirt with a neck size that is a half or full inch smaller than your actual neck size IF, and only if, you don’t plan on buttoning your shirt collar. The result, in most cases, is a shirt that mimics an actual slim cut shirt. Pretty slick, huh? Remember, your arm length needs to be correct; otherwise you’ll end up looking like an idiot who shrunk his shirt in the dryer.

Here are some examples you can look for when shopping by yourself:

Kenneth Cole - $89.98

Brook Brothers - 3 for $199

Claiborne - $16.97 at Amazon.com

Hugo Boss - $86.90

Some final notes:
Your arm size may vary from one designer to another. Sometimes you’ll need a 34 inch arm, sometimes you’ll need a 35 inch and sometimes you’ll need a 34/35 inch. It really depends on the manufacturer. As with all things related to fit, learn how each designer cuts and measures their clothing to fit your body.

Lastly, you don’t have to break the bank to purchase clothing in general, or slim fitting clothing in particular. As I always state, you can find great deals at the discount retailers if you exercise a little patience. I often find great bargains at stores like SYMS, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, Off Saks Fifth Avenue, Loehmann’s and Filene’s Basement. Sometimes your favorite designers will also have their own factory stores which offer discounts for discontinued or last season’s items as well.

The Next Items to Round Out Your Wardrobe - Part 1

Now that you have the staples of your wardrobe, it's time to augment your wardrobe and take it to the next level. As with the first step of getting the staples, the next step can be simple as well. Usually this will be a process that extends months or even a few years, depending on your budget. I didn't start augmenting my wardrobe for at least 2 years.

So let's look at how I augmented my wardrobe and what I recommend for most men:

1. The grey suit
The first item I recommend purchasing when rounding out your wardrobe is a grey suit. The beauty of buying a grey suit before buying a black suit is that it matches a lot of your navy and blue family of clothes as well as some of your earth tones like browns and greens. Michael Kors, a popular womens wear designer, also makes very high quality men's clothes. The grey suit to the right can be had for $199 at Overstock.com.

2. Pink dress shirt
Dead guys don't wear plaid and real men wear pink. Yes, pink! Most designers have added different shades of pink and various types of shirts with pink stripes to their collections. Personally, I have at least 5 different kinds of pink shirts in my closet. I've found that pink works with lots of different color suits including those in the brown, green, black, navy and grey families. Now that's versatile! I wear pink with almost everything that I would traditionally wear a light blue shirt with. Sean Jean makes a nice textured dress shirt which sells for around $40 at Overstock.com.

3. Black dress shirt
Black shirts are no longer only for those in the mafia. I must advise you that these should be paired with ties with extreme caution. Many of the older ties that you find at discount stores may not be appropriate for black shirts and you might look like you're going to do a hit on someone. If you look at some of the newer versions of black ties you'll find what you're looking for. Lots of variety without the mobster look. You can also wear your black shirt sans tie. I have at least 5 black shirts of different fits, collars, and cuff styles and usually wear them withoutt ties. It's a good look, especially out on the town. Depending on your profession and office dress code, you might not want to wear it in the office. The black dress shirt featured here is by Prada and retail for around $190.

4. More ties
It may be easy to buy 5 ties for $10 at the stand on the street, but you'll be disappointed in the end. Spend the extra money, not much mind you, and take a trip to Sym's, H&M or Target and stock up on some really nice duds. I like buying my shirts and ties at the same time. Even though you're matching items very specifically, you'll find that the new tie you just bought will match a lot of things that you've already purchased. The reason - because you've been buying classic items, not trendy ones. Don't worry, there's plenty of time for trendy items later.

5. The black suit
The black suit is not quite as versatile as the navy suit, but it's pretty close. Your black suit will look snazzy with white, pink, yellow, some tans and orange. If your budget permits, Hugo Boss makes a very nice, modern 3-button suit for around $695.

That's enough to really add a spark to your wardrobe. In our next session we'll wrap up the other items you'll need to round out your wardrobe. Stay tuned.