WDIW...Yesterday 4/28/13

Headed out to the Walkway Over the Hudson yesterday, on a really beautiful day. It was windy up there but still nice enough to go without a sweater. Kept it simple, dark denim, white short sleeve dress shirt and Tom's.

Details:
Shirt: H&M White S/S Dress Shirt-$7.50
Jeans: Gap Selvedge Denim Slim Fit via Gap Factory-$12.50
Shoes: Toms Gray Tweed Classic via Nordstrom-$32

Total: $52

WDIWT...4/24/13

The warmest day of the week is today, at 72 but still with some wind. This morning, even at 7am it was still about 38-40 degrees. I kept it dark at the bottom and light at the top. I was going to wear a white/red/blue gingham shirt but really didn't like how the fabric felt, too stiff, needs to be washed first. I kept it simple, with shades of blue and white.

Details:
Sweater: Banana Republic Off-White V-Neck-Gift
Shirt: Disney Brand White/Light Blue/Blue Checked Shirt-Gift
Trousers: H&M Navy Chino Trousers via H&M-$7.50
Socks: Unsimply Stitched Royal Blue Shark Socks-$1
Shoes: Florsheim Imperial Cognac Wingtips via eBay-$25

My "Lazy Man" Uniform

Some times it may be easier to throw on some basketball shorts, a t-shirt and some sneakers to run some simple, quick errands or some times it is just easier to throw that on because one doesn't want to look for what to wear. I personally don't like heading out to run some errands (especially if I am going to a public space such as mall), in basketball shorts, t-shirt and sneakers, unless it's a quick 5-10 minute thing and I'm already in them. What I've found myself doing is going to one specific outfit when having to run out to do some errands, knowing it'll be more at least 20-30 minutes and a public area. You've seen me wear it before as I've likely posted something similar, but here are how it looked today.

I think I may have worn it last weekend to do the same come to think of it. I usually only change the footwear, depending on the weather. Last week they were loafers, today they were Toms.

Details:
Sweater: H&M Royal Blue Crewneck Sweater via H&M-$3.50
Shirt: H&M Gray Henley (not shown) via H&M-$5 or $7
Jeans: Old Navy "Slim Fit" via Old Navy-$2.50
Shoes: Toms Brown Woolen via eBay-$40

WDIWT...4/14/13

Went to run a few errands today so threw something on that would keep me warm but didn't make me look sloppy as all get out. Although the thought may be when looking at the pictures that this is something that I took time to put together it wasn't really the case. Blue and gray are two colors that when combined properly can't go wrong, throw on some low top sneakers or loafers as in my case and you have an outfit that is not only casual but appropriate for any environment.

Details:
Shirt: H&M Gray Henley via H&M-$5
Sweater: H&M Light Blue Crewneck Sweater via H&M-$3.50
Jeans: Gap Selvedge "Slim Fit" via Gap Factory Store-$12.50
Shoes: Florsheim Imperial Loafers via eBay-$22.50
Total: $43.50

And after a shine...

WDIWT...4/9/13

With the temperatures set to hit the high 70's to low 80's today in the city, and the first time it is anywhere near that warm in MONTHS, it was a good time to show a bit of Spring into the wardrobe while still keeping it professional. As I do work as a teacher I still find myself keeping things a bit muted and along the lines of professional attire, although I was tempted to wear red chinos today. For many, going sock-less would not be considered professional but I think it is one of the few things I can probably get away with, in order to infuse that Spring look.

Details:
Blazer: Stafford Prep Navy Cotton Blazer via JCP-$27.50
Shirt: Gap White/Pink/Light Blue Check Long Sleeve Shirt via Gap-$15
Trousers: H&M Khaki Chinos via H&M-$7.50
Shoes: Florsheim Imperial Vintage Loafers via eBay-$25

WDIWT...4/6/13

Went to run a couple of quick errands that weren't so quick unfortunately. Stuck with different shades of blue as I really didn't feel like looking at matching patterns as I was already running late. Simple, but I like it.

*2nd picture is from yesterday as I wore the same thing from the waist down.

Details:
Sweater: H&M Powder Blue Crewneck Sweater-$3.50
Shirt: Van Huesen Medium Blue Button Down-$hand me down
Jeans: Old Navy "Slim Fit" via Old Navy-$2.50
Shoes: Florsheim Imperial Cognac Wingtips via eBay-$25

WDIWT...3/25/13

Again keeping it simple and comfortable, best part of everything is that everything I'm wearing here was under $40...shoes included. The sweater is actually a recent H&M purchase; about 2 weeks ago for $3.50.

Details:
Sweater: H&M Light Navy Blue Crewneck Sweater via H&M-$3.50
Shirt: H&M Gray Henley via H&M-$5
Jeans: Old Navy "Slim Fit" via Old Navy-$2.50
Shoes: LandsEnd Brown Suede Penny Loafers via LandsEnd-$27
Total: $37

WDIWT...3/15/13 (Dressing Better isn't all suits and ties)

Today is a rating day for us aka grading day, so no students, with the weather being windy and in the low 40s, I kept it simple. Jeans, a Henley, my alma-maters hoody and a pair of Kobe's. As the title says dressing better is not about wearing a suit and tie everyday, one of the biggest misconceptions about dressing better is that I believe. Yes, I can argue that wearing brown dress shoes would have made what I'm wearing a lot more "dressy" or that a button down instead of a henley would also be a little more "dressier." At the end of the day what I'm wearing is no different than what I wear on a casual Friday to work. The importance is all about how things fit.

My sweater is from my Oxy days and I will always hold a special place in my heart for Occidental and it's one of the few items from my old "wardrobe" that I refuse to get rid of.

Details:
Sweater: Occidental College Hoody via Oxy Bookstore-$??
Shirt: Gray Henley by H&M-$7
Jeans: Old Navy "Slim" Fit-$2.50
Shoes: Nike Air Zoom Kobe VI "China"-$130

H&M Sales & A Good Cause

Went to H&M today primarily to donate some clothing that both my wife and I have meant to donate for awhile now. H&M is running a promotion; for lack of better words, where if you donate a bag of clothes (any brand) they will give you a 15% off one item (they gave me 2 for whatever reason). Yea 15% off one item is spectacular but at the end of the day it is for a great cause and you are getting something in return, compared to dropping it off at a donation center.

After donating the clothing, I went and browsed and to say the least they have A LOT of sales racks for both men and women. As a guy I know that most of the time the men's sales racks are limited to probably one, if two at most, their were about 5-6 racks of sales stuff today at mine. Everything from trousers, to shirts, to sweaters. Prices ranged from $5-20. I found two today; flannel trousers and tweed trousers, all for under $13 with tax.

WDIWT...3/5/13

Wore this today, snapped a couple of quick pictures at work. Still feeling under the weather, intended to wear a gray Double Breasted blazer but instead went for the sweater as I just was too warm this morning...fever I'm sure. The trousers could probably be a little longer, opinions? I wore my Cole Haan Air Colton Wingtip boots so the trousers may not look as short as they are, boots are about 8 inches in height. First time I wear them too and I go a pretty awesome compliment from my co-worker, check it out below:

Details:
Sweater: Gray Polo Sweater-Gift
Shirt: Alfani White/Black Mini-Check via Macy's-$12
Trousers: H&M Black Cords-$10
Shoes: Cole Haan Air Colton 8" High Black Wingtip Boots

And nothing better than:

WDIW...Tomorrow...Maybe? 2-12-13?!

So tomorrow is Career Day for Senior Week, by this we're suppose to dress up as the career we want to most be. For the kids that's easy, for me well it is too, since I am already what I want to be, a teacher. I figured since all the kids are going to be dressed up that I may as well be too. I've had this camel blazer for a few months, and the black pants are actually corduroys I bought this weekend. They are cut a little short, on purpose in order to show some sock. Not sure if I'm going to go with this for tomorrow yet...

Excuse the phone, it's my wife's.

Details:
Jacket: No Brand Camel Hair Blazer via eBay-$15
Shirt: Merona White Spread Collar Shirt via Target-$23
Tie: Black/White/Gold/Light Blue Tie by Izod via Target/NikeTalk-$5
Trousers: Black Corduroy via H&M-$10
Pocket Square: Black Corduroy made from the cut scraps from the trousers

A Wardrobe on a $750 Budget!

A younger NikeTalker, still undergrad asked a great question about how to shop on a budget. His program requires him to dress in business attire 2-3 times a week and as a lot of us know, in college, money is scarce. A fellow NT'er Wisith gave some great suggestions in regards to what to get, like a navy or gray suit, a couple of shirts, etc. but I wanted to give a few more details to him and to everyone else, so here they are:

1. A navy suit, personally as a first suit, considering your budget I'd do a navy suit. The reason for that, in my opinion, although gray is great, the navy jacket will be more versatile with separate trousers. The navy suit can be worn as separates, and the navy blazer will be incredibly versatile to wear with everything from dark denim to other trousers like gray and a khaki colored pant. H&M and Uniqlo-you can get a suit for about $150. (Left: $600)

2. Trousers: In addition to the navy that will come with the suit, I'd get a gray (honestly light gray or heather gray would be fine) and khaki colored trousers. Both of these would go great with a navy blazer and are incredibly versatile in regards to what shirts you can wear. Get solid, not striped, flat front, no pleats. I recommend either cotton or wool, or some type of blend of the two. H&M, Uniqlo, Target, JCP, Marshalls, Ross, TJ Maxx, you can likely find these two. I believe you can get these two four about $30-40 each, no more and don't be surprised if you find them for less. Lets assume, $80 for both at the highest. (Left: $520)

3. Shirts: Go with a semi-spread collar and stick to the basics. White, light blue and lavender, would be my 3. If you want to add another 2, go with a striped white with blue shirt and a white and blue check shirt.  Honestly you'd be good with 3 shirts since you only need to dress in business attire 2-3 days, I'd max out at 5, for budget reasons. Dappered.com did a great post on 10 essential shirts to have, here's the [URL=http://dappered.com/2012/11/the-dress-shirt-top-10-hierarchy/]link[/URL]. Personally I'd stick to option 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. Granted lavender wasn't one of their options. Target and JCP have great deals on shirts and the Target brand ones are actually liked by a lot of people and come in a spread collar, and usually sell for about $23. You can get the white, light blue and lavender at target for $23 a piece. Total: $69. Add two more, and lets say those are at most $30, Total: $129. (Left with 3 shirts: $451; Left with 5 shirts: $382)

4. Shoes: Based on the budget constraints I'd honestly go to JC Penney and buy the Stafford Ashton Brown wingtip and if you want a black pair as well, get the Stafford Ashford Black Longwings. The great thing about the navy, gray and khaki colored trousers is that they go great with both colored shoes but IF you only can do one pair, do the brown Ashton's. Brown will honestly look so much better with gray, khaki or navy. One pair $60, two pairs $120. (Left: $320-$390 with 1 pair, $262-$331 with 2 pairs)

5. Ties and bow ties: Ross and Marshalls have been great places for me personally in regards to ties. The great thing about the shirt options and trouser options, is one they can be mixed with each other and will go with mostly any tie or bowtie. Ties at Marshalls runbetween $10-$13. Get 5-7 ties, in colors that you like, navy, gray solid and or striped are good starters. Probably $50-70 for all of them.  (Left: $200-$340 depending on amount of shirts and shoes bought)

6. Sweaters: Honestly get some v-necks, 2 or 3 and a cardigan. V-necks, light brown, navy and another neutral color. Cardigan, gray. Old Navy has v-necks for $13 right now, cardigan probably no more than $30 from Old Navy or Gap Outlet. (Left: $140-$280 depending on amount of shirts and shoes bought)

7. Accessories: Socks (by Merona), tie bar, pocket square. Small things but they can make take your outfits to the next level with these small touches. Target has some really nice socks, from plain navy and gray to socks with designs and color. Socks is where you can go a little "crazy" and are a nice way to add some "pop" to your outfit. Socks at target $2.50 a pair, get yourself about 5. Pocket square, a simple white cotton one in your breast pocket of your navy blazer will look great. Target carries some white ones, if you have a Walmart, they sell a pack of 6 for $3; obviously more than you need but for $3 why not. Tie bar, simple plain steel colored tie bar. 2"-2.5" in width, depending on the tie width your buying. eBay, where I got mine, has them for about $3-4, Nordstrom has some as well, from thetiebar.com for $15 with free shipping. In all about $30 at most for these things. It'll leave you with some money in your pocket still.

Sorry for the long post but I know as someone who likes being a bargain shopper and someone who has been on a budget in the past and still shop like I am on one here and there I thought that it would be helpful to break it down a little.

Layering...Button Down, V-Neck Sweater, Blazer

I wore this to a field trip this past week. We were going to be near the water and it was to be in the low 60s. I didn't want to wear a coat since it wasn't going to be so cold to warrant it but cold enough and breezy that a sweater alone wouldn't cut it. It's nothing new but I decided to throw on a blazer on top of my usual sweater and shirt combination and I think it looked pretty good. It actually has been one of my most complimented outfits, if not the most.

The look:
Shirt: Stafford (White/Pink/Black Check) via JC Penney's-$5.21
Pants: Gap Slim Fit Dark Denim Wash via Gap-$42 (after 30% off code)
Shoes: Florsheim Imperial Wingtips (Cognac)-Gift
Socks: Navy with Light Blue mini dots via H&M ($1.50)
Sweater: Camel V-Neck via Banana Republic Factory Store ($15)
Blazer: Michael Andrews Bespoke part of a suit
Pocket Square: Pierre Cardin via Marshalls ($.75)

When doing this here a couple of tips:

1. Make sure the sweater isn't too thick that it will make the blazer feel way too tight on you and simply uncomfortable.

2. The sweater should be a neutral color: light gray, camel, beige, navy, etc.

3. Keep it simple, especially the blazer. However, the simpler the blazer, the crazier the sweater.

4. More out there blazer, simpler sweater (check tomorrow for what I mean).

WDYW...10/1

This is what I wore yesterday. It's similar to an outfit I posted last week and that is the point of it. What did I switch really only the trousers, shirt and tie, the shoes and cardigan are exactly the same. The point is that if you have some basic staples, like a plain solid cardigan, some brown wingtips, navy slacks or solid color slacks period that you can mix and match them with other items in your wardrobe.

In this case I took some basic staples like navy chinos, a white dress shirt, a gray cardigan, brown wingtips and a tie in a nice hue and pattern.

Details:
Shirt- Merona via Target $22 (plus alteration cost another $20)
Cardigan- Gap via Gap Factory Store $15
Tie- Arrow via NT'er $6.25
Tie Bar- No Name via eBay $3
Trousers- Navy Chinos via H&M $7.50 (plus alterations $5)
Wingtips-Florsheim Imperials via Gift ($60 otherwise)
Total: $53.75, $78 with alterations, $138 with shoes
At Retail: $180 plus $25 in alterations

***Yes it is worth paying $20 in alterations for a $22 shirt, it makes it look like $100 shirt when done properly***

WDYWT 9/12

Kept it simple and wore what money would consider "the uniform" for casual work-wear at a place that usually requires you to wear a suit. Since my school isn't necessarily the suit, shirt and tie place, what I wore today is considered still being "dressed-up" but in a casual way alas no tie. What do I mean by "the uniform" well I mean khaki pants and a navy blazer. Two great neutral colors that go well together and where almost any shirt can be thrown into the mix and still would look great. As I am a teacher I kept it conservative with a white and blue stripe Michael Kors cotton button down shirt.

Believe it or not the blazer is from Sean John. It is actually a nice cotton fabric with no sheen and peak lapels, I think my only blazer with peak lapels. My only gripe about it is that it has no chest pocket so no place for a pocket square. Other than that the OTR fit was pretty good.

Navy Blazer with Peak Lapels and cotton button down

Match your leathers or at least be in the same family

What I wore:
Shirt: Michael Kors ($10 Macy's)
Blazer: Sean John ($20 Macy's)
Trousers: H&M ($7.50)
Shoes: Vintage Florsheim Loafers ($35 eBay)
Bag: Coach (X-mas gift from wifey)

Total: $72.50

What I Wore Today...

This is what I wore today, something simple yet comfortable. The bottom is not featured since I wore the same bottoms that I wore in the post about getting my pants hemmed. Wore my American Rag jeans that I just got back with my Gucci Loafers and H&M socks. The short sleeve shirt is from Old Navy which I bought about 2 years ago or so.

FYI: Doubt they'll be a post tomorrow night since I'll be going to the Dodger game!

Hemming It Up

As you recall I had some pants hemmed this past week and here they are. I had my slimmer fit jeans cut  a little longer than most of my slacks but still wanted something that had no break. Here they are:

Jeans: American Rag $7, Hem: Free, Loafers: Gucci $Gift

Notice that they end right at the top of the loafers which is exactly where I wanted them to end. I like this length because as you can see it shows just enough sock or skin when sock less but if I were wearing a higher cut shoe, they would end with no break as well.

What Did I Wear...yesterday

So remember the loafers posted in yesterday's post? Well here's how I wore them yesterday. Usually I would have gone with brown shoes but opted for black for 3 reasons: 1) to break in the shoes 2) to experiment with khaki and black and 3) I wore a black sweater.

Sweater: Banana Republic Size XL-$15 Shirt: Linen Old Navy Size XL-$8 Pants: Chinos H&M Size 36-$7.50 Socks: H&M-$3 for a pack of 3 ($1 per pair of socks) Shoes: Thom McAn Loafers Size 10.5-$20 Total: $51.50

Look #1 from TSB post...simple, classy, clean and cheap!

So the look below is from the first look on TSB.com. The look although looks like it was expensive to put together was actually relatively cheap.

Let's start with the most expensive item and work our way from there; in this case the blazer.
Linen Blazer by Taso Elba-$108 with tax at Macy's
Pocket Square-$2 for a pack of 5 by Pierre Cardin at Marshall's
Short Sleeve Cotton Shirt-$9.50 Old Navy Clearance Section
Chinos-$7.50 at H&M Clearance; same pants from this post.
Loafers-$30 via eBay
Lapel Acc.-$1 Cufflink via eBay

Total:$156
*I didn't add the watch since I wear it every day but it ran me $40 for Kenneth Cole at Nordstrom Rack.

As you can see a great look put together on a budget. Take the shoes out of the equation as they can be worn multiple times a week, we're talking no more than $125 and $100 of that was for the blazer.

It's NOT All About the Name Brand

Yesterday my parents, brother and I were having a discussion on clothing and how people dress, mainly sparked by my feature on thestyleblogger.com. My brother mentioned how he has a co-worker that all he buys is high-end designer clothing; whether it's a t-shirt or a suit. A great point was made during the conversation by one of them that name brand doesn't equal quality. This is a really good point, plan and simple.

Too many people are stuck with the fact that if it is made by the many high-end designers that it must a great quality product. This isn't always the case. Many times a lot of these high-end brands manufacture their garments the same way many less expensive brands do. Merely they just stick their nice big high end brand on the garment and charge the high price. This for many keeps them from wanting to upgrade their wardrobe and start dressing better. Well it's not all about the name brand...

The basic, your typical collection of short sleeve shirts which I would say around 3-5 for the hot and warm seasons, 5-6 dress shirts, 3-4 dress pants, 1-2 dark jeans, a few sweaters, etc. do not need to be purchased at high end retailers. Personally I LOVE bargains and will gladly admit I am a bargain shopper. Brands that I recommend, Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and stores like Marshalls, Ross and H&M come highly recommended.

Next post...possibly tonight, I'll break down some of my looks from TSB and other of my own personal shots to demonstrate how you don't need a lot of money to look great. (Actually these may be many multiple posts)