Friday Faux Pas: Black Ties

One of my fellow colleagues at Robert Graham has been doing something that digs down and irks me in every since of my fashion ideology. Other than the fact that he wears the same thing day after day, he wears one of the most sinful accessories known to man, the black tie.

Ties are one of the easiest ways to spice up a suit or revamp an old shirt, its a chance to add some much needed pattern, texture, and character to an outfit. But when you throw on a black tie, you forfeit that part of your daily garb to simple conformity; its essentially the style version of a white flag of surrender or the throwing in the towel. As I've mentioned before, there is a time and place for anything. This is truest in fashion, and with the black tie, its time and place is at black tie affairs in the form of a bow tie, not a long tie. Anything outside of that, is simply just not putting in the effort to look good.

Classic: yes. Noteworthy: haha, good one.

And the associate I work with isn't the only one I've seen sinning in the neck wear department. I wouldn't go as far to say that this is a widespread epidemic, but it is something that needs to be treated and quarantined. The cure for this problem, GREY! A textured (chambray, wool, knit, etc.) or patterned (stripes, dots, plaid, etc.) will give you the same versatility, but without the bore and assumed lack of effort that is exuded in wearing a black tie.

Classic: yes. Noteworthy: absolutely!

If you can't find yourself a nice grey tie, then you just aren't looking hard enough if at all. Walk in to any J. Crew or Banana Republic and I guarantee you'll find something. The Tie Bar is always a reliable and affordable source of quality ties as well. Check in daily for more fashion advice and next Thursday for more of my style pet peeves!

Thursday Threads: Resort Versatilitiy

If you have the good fortune of living in a tropical climate (like myself) or you have the fortune to get away from your tundra like home, then you're probably able to throw on something lighter and head outside to the pool, beach, insert vacation activity here. With so many different activities though, you might not always be prepared, stylistically, for drinks with someone you bumped into or heading straight to dinner with the misses after the beach.

The solution: unstructured blazers, board shorts, simple t-shirts, and, most importantly, some form of shoe (not sandals!!!!). You would usually throw on board shorts and a t-shirt when heading out in a tropical location anyways, but in the effort of being prepared, go with a solid colored or classic patterned shirt and avoid the Hawaiian button up. As for the board shorts, its really up to what you're comfortable pairing with a blazer. For the more conservative, go with a tonal or simple pattern that doesn't beg for attention, and for the outgoing, go with a dark base, bright floral pattern that adds a contrast to the lighter fabric blazer.

Now on from the usual beach suspects and on to the blazer and the shoes. This is the opportunity to break out the Spring blazer that has been in the back of your closet since the onset of fall; a linen blazer or light cotton twill sport coat with minimal structuring will be perfect for the occasion. The shoes are the key here because they need to be versatile in being able to take a beating on a trail but also be classy when you arrive at your nightly gathering spot. I usually stray away from the Espadrilles made ever so popular by TOMS, but these are the perfect shoe for the situation at hand.

Here are a couple picks that will get the creative juices flowing:

Ralph Lauren: $1375

J. Crew: $45

Lacrosse Playground: $44

TOMS: $54

I really love the board shorts because they have the feel and wear of shorts, are quick drying like a bathing suit, and even change pattern when they are wet! Check in daily for more fashion advice and next Thursday for another run of cool threads!

Wednesday Well-Being: Home Fitness via Iron Gym

I'm not one for TV infomercials, they are usually a big waste of your time and the only thing you're left with at the end is the question "Why did I just waste part of my life on that?". This couldn't be any more true when it comes to fitness equipment featuring yoked bodybuilders using the product giving you the false hope of one day being that ripped from using it. The problem is that most of the stuff advertised is focusing on one particular exercise and that really isn't the key to the ever elusive door of total fitness.

With all that said, if you are going to fall for any of these products, you should opt for the Iron Gym. If you haven't heard of it already then:

1. Have you been living under a rock for a long period of time?
2. It is a simple metal apparatus that affixes to your door frame so that you can do pull ups at home.

It also doubles as a rock to do push ups on for those of you that are too good for regular push ups, but all I'm getting at is that of all the possible things you could waste your money on, this would be the best one. Pull ups, push ups, some form of ab exercise other than crunches, and some cardio are all you really need to effectively get in shape and the Iron Gym offers three of the four. 

Just a couple examples of what you can do with the Iron Gym.

As I alluded to in my previous Wednesday Well-Being, people always make excuses for not going to the gym, but at under $40 after shipping and handling and requiring minimal setup, if any, the Iron Gym is the way to go. Check in daily for fashion advice and next Wednesday for some more fitness ideas!