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Stephanie

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The New Laws of Male Fashion

The New Laws of Male Fashion,
Well, our poor man, you have to admit that fashion and style didn’t become easier for them. With more quality available to men than ever before, there are also more pitfalls. To help men navigate their expanding fashion world, here are Esquire’s new laws of fashion.
- You wear clothes, not the other way around.
- Investing in quality often means investing in the things that you can’t see. Like the movement inside a mechanical watch, the full hand-canvassing in a jacket, or the hand-stitched uppers of your shoes.
- Blue jeans are good, dark blue jeans are better. Leave the boot cuts to cowgirls and black denim to ex-cons.
- Celebrities look good in clothes for two reasons: A) They’re famous. B) They have someone whose full-time job is to dress them. Don’t get discouraged. Get famous.
- You should dress for travel as if it were still a privilege. Start with a collared shirt and a tailored jacket. And if you can’t bear wearing proper shoes, low-key leather sneakers will do. Ditch the sweat pants, though. You’re not at the gym. How to break it: Flying private gives you sartorial carte blanche.
- A well made and properly kept shoe will last you three decades. When shopping for your feet, remember to invest in leather soles and uppers and Goodyear-worthy welts. Remember, too, that all-leather shoes are easier to rebuild. How to break it: If it’s obvious that your loafers are from the seventies, retire them.
- Wooden shoe trees are a good idea. But you need only one pair. Put them in the shoes you’ve been wearing all day. The shoe, warmed and wet from your body heat and respiration, will contract as it cools over the shape of the tree and return to its original form. Within an hour or two, the tree has done its job.
- Here are two ways you should store your tie: 1) Lay it flat in a drawer. 2) Roll it up like a Swiss roll by folding it once and then rolling it from the narrow end. Both methods allow the tie to settle and regain its shape overnight.
- Broaden your colour wheel. Colours that real men actually look good in, though they don’t realize it (one item of clothing at the time, please): pink, turquoise, and coral.
- It’s better to be overdressed than underdressed. Being thought eccentric for wearing a tux to a swim meet is preferable to wearing a T-shirt and jeans to a wedding.
- Buy the suit that fits, not the one you wish you could fit into. A suit that’s too tight will make you look fat. And while an oversized suit may seem more comfortable, in reality you’ll just look like a ten-year-old playing dress-up. In between the two is the suit that fits.
- Wet shoes should be dried in a warm place – near an oven, not in it. But be careful: Rapid drying can irreversibly crack the leather.
- “A well-tied tie is the first serious step in life.” OSCAR WILDE
- Short socks are for Englishmen and Italian bus drivers. You are neither.
- Never be rushed into purchasing uncomfortable shoes, no matter how shiny the leather. Beauty is not, at least in this case, pain.
- You tie’s tip should just reach your waistband.
- Never buy anything yellow. How to break it: Unless it’s a Lamborghini.
- A man should not shop for more clothes; he should shop for better clothes. How do you know what’s “better”? Look in your closet, decide which clothes make you walk the tallest, and then up the ante by purchasing only the threads that will have you walking even taller.
- Some colours are meant to be together, some or not.
- Your shirt collar fits properly if you can get just one finger between it and your neck. Any looser and you’ll look like Pipo the Clown.
- Nothing says “Jackass” quite as well as a cell/mobile phone on a belt clip. You know who you are.
- You don’t need to button every button. On a two-button suit, button only the top button. On a three button suit, button only the middle one. On a one-button suit, well, you don’t have much choice.
- When in doubt, well, ask Stephanie.

How to wear black?

Most people perceive black as safe. On the contrary, I think it’s more challenging as it has a higher risk of looking flat and monotonous. While it is true that black is chic and goes with everything, I think most women lean too heavily on its ‘no brainer versatility’ and forget the benefits of wearing colour.
Black is everywhere and it makes sense; never in history has it been harder for a designer to stay afloat, let alone survive, in the world of fashion. In our mother’s day, fashion was decreed and women followed without a murmur. But not today! Today’s woman only buys what she likes – this is the reason that so many lengths and shapes are available at any one time. It’s difficult enough for a designer to create a series of shapes that women will buy; they do not also need the added complication of too much colour. To nurture black as the colour of choice worn by stylish men and women makes perfect sense to them.
I think black can be a great colour to wear, but not to the exclusion of all else.
- Wear black away from your face. The lower the neckline, the easier black will be to wear. Worn under the waist in skirts, pants and shorts, black will be fine.
- Think 80/20 above the waist. When a strong vertical look is desired to create a slender appearance, start with black pants, add a black camisole and then a jacket in a colour that flatters and creates the client’s needed level of contrast. Leave the jacket open. By wearing 80% that is correct above the waist you can afford 20% that is incorrect, as long as the contrast is flattering.
- Show plenty of skin. A black dress is easiest to pull off if you expose your arms and have a medium to low neckline. The more a person covers their body in black the more it will affect their total appearance.
- Use fabric to help black look better. Choose a black garment in a fibre that suits your client (man-made, natural or high percentage blend), and has the weave, texture, surface and feel that works best for them.
- Those with a heavily lined face should avoid black above the bustline. Black will throw shadow into the lines on their face, making them more noticeable.
- Fact : Black is not slimming when worn in front of a camera, as it has the power to strongly define the silhouette especially when taken with a light background.

How to choose the perfect dress?

How to choose the perfect dress?

There are literally thousands of dress styles with each being a particular combination of characteristics. A few of these are Sheath, Shift, Chemise, Sundress, Baby Doll, Tent, Shirtmaker, Coat, Caftan, Empire, Smock, Sweater, Wrap, Ball, Sailor, ...
The fabric of a dress is almost as important as its silhouette and fit. One style of dress can look very different when made out of different fabrics. The fabric will create an image and mood that will affect both the wearer and those she meets. The most common dress fabrics include: cotton, jersey, rayon, silk, wool, polyester, crepe, denim, velvet and linen.
Matt, rough fabrics make the wearer appear sporty and outdoorsy (e.g.Linen). Soft, smooth fabrics make the wearer more feminine. Fabrics that drape fluidly over the body are generally more flattering than those that cling or sit away from the body. Body-hugging fabrics are seen as sexy when worn by a woman with a well toned body.
The more fabric in a dress or the bulkier it is, the greater the risk that the wearer will be overwhelmed by it. Scale is just as relevant when it comes to fabric as it with embellishments and pattern.
Embellishments are anything added to a dress to give interest, add appeal or alter its image. They include lace, ruffles, bows, ribbon and sequins. Embellishments are often focal points which attract attention to where they have been placed; because of this their placement should be evaluated. Great embellishments enhance the wearer, their body shape and the garment.
The neckline is a critical area of a dress: it’s shape is always noticed and it frames the face. There are literally hundreds of possible necklines and collars suitable for a dress. The most universally flattering neckline is the “V”. The most difficult to wear neckline is a high round neck. The best depth of neckline for an individual is a depth equal to the length of their face. Wearing the correct bra for a given neckline is essential for a good appearance.
Sleeves are also a critical area, especially if the client’s arms are one of her best attributes. Like necklines, however, there are hundreds to choose from. Full busted women (cups D and larger) require a wider bra strap than a shoe string strap will hide and large bust is not balanced by a shoe string strapped dress – the weight of the bust appears too heavy for a tiny spaghetti or shoe string strap to hold. Medium to wide strapped dresses are best on women over 50. Halter necklines are not flattering on small breasted women (A cup) nor those with cups greater than DD.
A women’s best length depends on her height and the shape and length of her legs. Long dresses look best on tall, longlegged women and vice versa. Those not blessed with long legs will find high heels the magic ingredient that pulls of the look. Dresses that skim the top of the knee are always current and flattering on most every woman.
Anything worn will look the best when it fits the body perfectly. Correct fit, teamed with a style and colour that suits the wearer can result in a wonderful dress, even if it was inexpensive.