WDIWT…2/4/14

Went to a Proper Cloth Sample Sale today and picked up the shirt in the pictures below. The first two pictures show the color and pattern on the shirt better than the other pictures. Proper Cloth is a custom shirtmaker which can be ordered both online or in their brick and mortar store in Manhattan. Their shirts are usually anywhere from $150-200; depending on fabric. The sample sale had them for a lot less as long as you found your size or something close. 

Details:

Shirt: Proper Cloth White/Navy Mini Windowpane via Proper Cloth Sample Sale-$20

Sweater: Old Navy Light Brown Marbled via Old Navy-$15

Ties: No Brand Navy Knit via eBay-$5

Trousers: IZOD Light Gray Flannel via JC Penney-$5

Shoes: Cole Haan Brown Suede Balmoral Captoe via Cole Haan-$70

Watch: Coach Stainless Steel Watch via Nordstrom Rack-Gift

WDYWT-Meet the Teacher Night (Mixing High & Low)

Today was Meet the Teacher Night so I decided to wear my Michael Andrews Bespoke suit for the occasion. Frankly I'm getting tired of my male co-workers saying something snarky whenever I dress with a shirt and tie or a suit, it's not my fault that you're self-conscious about how you look...just saying.

Nonetheless just because you're wearing an expensive suit, it doesn't mean that everything else must be super expensive too. This is the ultimate mix on high end (Bespoke Suit) and low end (shirt, pocket square, tie bar and tie, and some would argue the shoes and watch too). Just because the suit was a couple grand doesn't mean that everything else needs to be as well.

The shirt, tie, tie bar and pocket square were no more than $16 together (bought separately) and the shoes and watch were no more than $120 together.

The Outfit for Today:

The Breakdown

Suit: Bespoke Suit via Michael Andrews Bespoke ($2000+)

Shirt: American Living Purple Check JC Penney's ($9.72)

Tie: eBay No Name Brand via eBay ($1)

Tie Bar: eBay No Name Brand ($3 or $4)

Watch (not pictured): Kenneth Cole Brown Leather Band via Nordstrom Rack ($40)

Pocket Square: Pierre Cardin via Marshalls ($.50, pack of 4 for $2)

Shoes: Florsheim Lexington via Florsheim.com (Gift but were on sale for $80 at the time)

You Should Probably Buy This Watch...

Seriously you probably should. This watch is simple yet elegant and can be dressed up or down. Here's a list of reasons for why you should buy it:

1. Dark Brown leather band: this can be dressed down and worn with jeans and dressed up with a nice navy or gray suit.

2. It's REAL leather

3. The silver colored face makes it extremely versatile to wear with pretty much every color

4. The silver colored face...well lets be honest how many of us males wear gold colored jewelry, this watch will match our jewelry

5. The size of the watch face, not too big but not too small

6. The blue hand dials, it adds that little flare of color while still keeping it masculine. And no it doesn't mean you can only wear this watch when wearing blue.

7. The price, $53 and if you have Amazon Prime, it's free 2-day shipping...usually this watch is about $120 and other sites have had it on sale but never lower than $90.

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!