The Perfect Fitted Dress Shirt

So my wonderful and beautiful wife surprised during Xmas by taking me to Michael Andrews Bespoke to get a suit made. In the process I decided to also get a shirt from them. The suit is still about 3 months away, the shirt only about 3-4 weeks. The shirt on the first fit was perfect and I mean perfect. For someone like me; hard to fit, as I am on the larger side (currently working on getting smaller aka less fat), finding a nice shirt that fits well off the rack (OTR)is almost near impossible. I'm a size 19 neck, choices are slim.

The shirt below is a Bespoke shirt made by Michael Andrews Bespoke made to my exact measurements. Cool little hidden bonuses: the left sleeve is slightly wider and longer to accommodate my watch, spread collar with french cuff sleeves. French cuffs have a little extra thing to button up too. Under the right sleeve are my wonderful wife's initial RRA. It is a Bespoke shirt, therefor the price is higher than I usually post. Please know most of my shirts are OTR and cheap, this time I splurged.

Bespoke Blu Mini Check Shirt from Michael Andrews Bespoke

Sleeve shot, same shirt

Accessorize For Less (Must Haves)!

Over here in New York it has been incredibly mildfor winter so not all the winter accessories have had to see the light of day. Due in part to the nice winter weather (mid 50s to low 60s) and that retailers are now bringing out their Spring line up, many are putting their winter stuff on clearance. I picked up this brown beanie (skull cap) for $2.78 at Target. You don't need to spend a lot of money to stay warm.

The white cotton pocket square, an essential item to any man's wardrobe. I recommend you checkout thestyleblogger.com and his 25 essentials. I don't usually encourage to buy a pack of pocket squares as they are either in terrible color combos (all the same color or pattern) or are made to match your tie, for $2.00 at Marshall's, 40 cent each as 5 come in the pack, why not. They are all white and they all have the same pattern but hey for that price I couldn't say no. A good $5 spent today I must say.

Medona Wool Cap from Target $2.78 &

Pierre Cardin 100% Cotton Pocket Squares $2.00 (5 Pack)

Don't Be Cheap...on Everything...

The goal of this blog is to inspire people to dress better while not spending a lot of money. From tips to where to shop to sales going on now.

However, there are a couple of items that some times you just need to spend the money on. One of these is a suit. Have I found a suit that fits me well and just needed minor alterations, off the rack and for a great price? Yes (Navy Calvin Klein 2 Button for $75; future post later). But...this is extremely rare.

If you can invest in a suit, literally INVEST in it. Buying a well made, properly fitted suit, is an item that can and will last you years, and I mean years. Go to the MTM (Made-to-Measure) route if you can. MTM route takes a pre-existing pattern of a suit and cut the length of the jacket, sleeves, bring in the waist to fit you. Or go the much better yet more expensive route Bespoke. If you're hard to fit like me this is your best bet. Pricey? Yes. Worth it? Hell yes!

Who do I recommend? Michael Andrews Bespoke in New York City. (More on them soon)

WATCH It!

You don't always have to spend an arm and a leg on a nice watch. I think we are trained to think that a nice watch equals an expensive watch, this is not the case! I've been searching for a simple black leather band quartz watch. Personally, it didn't matter to me whether it showed the date or not. Kohl's Precision by Gruen carries very very nice simple, yet dressy watches for relatively cheap. Currently this watch is available online for $29.99; I bought it in store for $14.99 about a month ago. On Sale for $19.99 pus $5 off total purchase.

Precision by Gruen Black Leather with Gray Contrast Stitching

The Gray stitching on the band is a nice contrast. You will see me wearing this watch with both casual and dressy attire. The great thing is the face; I can switch up the band at will from brown to black, to Nato, to rubber, why? Neutral colored face!

Classic Loafers

eBay can be your best friend! Found these on eBay a few months back for about $26 shipped brand new, Johnston & Murphy. This is your classic penny loafer, black, shined, rounded toe, that can be dressed up or down.

*Tip: prolong the life of your shoes by waxing them, polishing them and conditioning them*

Johnston & Murphy Penny Loafers Size 11 $26

*held up the pants to show the loafers*

What Did I Wear Today...1/22/12

Today I wanted to experiment with gray and different shades of them. Included in all my WDYWT posts will be what I paid and where I got it from, as well as size for reference. The combination I think came out pretty good. Definitely need to get the pants hemmed (probably a $5-8 fix). This probably cost me no more than $75-90; including the shoes and watch.

Banana Republic Gray Cords-$15 at BR Outlet Size 36 (need hemming)

Sweater Oscar De La Renta Gray Size XL (Gift)-$15-20 @ Macy's

Johnston & Murphy Leather Gloves Size L 2 for $40

at Johnston & Murphy Outlet.

Kenneth Cole New York Oxfords Size 12-$20 (MSRP $180) from

Kenneth Cole Outlet (sorry for not tying them yet). Skull

Socks from Banana Republic $1.50 from BR Outlet (MSRP $8)

Dress Shirt from Express Size XL-$20 (Gift)

***Not pictured watch...will include in later post but $15***

Breakdown

Shirt: Express $15

Sweater: Oscar DeLaRenta from Macy's $20

Pants: Banana Republic Outlet $15

Socks: Banana Republic Outlet $1.50

Shoes: Kenneth Cole Outlet $20

Watch: Kohl's $15

Total: $86.50

Wingtip Boots-Cole Haan Air Colton

Wingtips are one way to give your outfit a little "umph!" without being way over the top. They can take the simplest combo like black pants, white button down shirt for example or dark blue jeans and a white button down look much more sophisticated.

Wingtip Boots should be a part of EVERY man's shoe rotation. Not only do they add that nice "umph!" that would look great with jeans or under a suit, the boots are great for those cold fall days and NY winters for us here.

Below are the Cole Haan Air Colton Wingtip Boot. The boot comes in burgundy and breige (mix of gray and beige) which I don't recommend but the black one is awesome! Cole Haan's shoes all come with Nike Air cushion technology which makes them super comfortable. Better pics to come. These retail for $248 but are on sale for $149.98 ($100 off retail!), I paid $149.98 myself...last week Cole Haan had 20% off sale items...$120 then. This is probably the most expensive shoe I've bought recently and likely one of the most expensive that will be featured.

Cole Haan Air Colton Wingtip Boot

Welcome!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to my new blog! For the past year or so I've gotten more and more into men's fashion. I've gone from wearing sneakers on almost a daily basis to pretty much overhauling everything from my footwear to my clothing selection.

What's my goal with this blog? To provide tips for those trying to dress better and improve their wardrobes, to provide heads up on online sales and to post about the day-to-day deals that I find. Looking forward to helping people dress better while keeping your wallet happy as well!

Enjoy!