had no idea Men''s clothing could be so complicated...

[FrekeChild]

Lol Karen! That''s where we bought the suit! My dad is a big suit wearer, and I think most of his are Brooks Brothers, but Jos. A Bank opened up across from his office not very long ago, and because he''s close to retirement, I don''t think he felt like he could justify buying any new suits.

And I don''t care that you''re a "freak" (Lol) I must garner your knowledge so I can use it for myself!

I used to have to pick out my dad''s outfits for the week (it was my chore--lol) so I''d spend a good hour on Sunday figuring out which ties to go with which shirts and suits and then cuff links. So I''ve spent a good amount of time with men''s dress clothes, but I''ve just never bought any before. Until now of course.

When does Esquire''s Big Black Book come out? I don''t normally look at magazines (unless its to look at Bridal mags to drive FF nuts) so I''d probably miss it...

What else can you teach me, oh master of the man''s wardrobe? (Seriously, I need to learn.)

 

[ksinger]

Date: 11/30/2008 2:36:45 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Lol Karen! That''s where we bought the suit! My dad is a big suit wearer, and I think most of his are Brooks Brothers, but Jos. A Bank opened up across from his office not very long ago, and because he''s close to retirement, I don''t think he felt like he could justify buying any new suits.

And I don''t care that you''re a ''freak'' (Lol) I must garner your knowledge so I can use it for myself!

I used to have to pick out my dad''s outfits for the week (it was my chore--lol) so I''d spend a good hour on Sunday figuring out which ties to go with which shirts and suits and then cuff links. So I''ve spent a good amount of time with men''s dress clothes, but I''ve just never bought any before. Until now of course.

When does Esquire''s Big Black Book come out? I don''t normally look at magazines (unless its to look at Bridal mags to drive FF nuts) so I''d probably miss it...

What else can you teach me, oh master of the man''s wardrobe? (Seriously, I need to learn.)

LOL backatcha! That''s a hoot. Yeah, I do swear by Jos. A. Bank. And I certainly don''t consider myself the "master of men''s wardrobe", but rather I have some sort of innate sense of my own ability to coordinate color, pattern, etc. I was a rebellious child and didn''t learn to sew although my mother was a sempstress of surpassing skill, but still, I spent a lot of time in fabric stores learning to "feel" fabric. (My mom''s sister does actually know how to MAKE men''s suits...so ''twould appear that gene is strong but skipped me) To this day, I can feel a piece of fabric, and 8 times out of 10, can tell you the fiber content almost down to the percentages. I used to think this was normal, until everyone I was with whenever I did this looked at me like I was strange...(er than normal)...

As for the Big Black Book, I''ve looked at both of the ones that I have, but can''t see any date on the mag. I THINK it comes out around the end of summer....?

OK..here''s a bit from the 2007 issue....

Fused vs. canvased: How to Tell

Pinch an inch of the jacket''s fabric, preferable between the bottom two buttonholes. If you feel only two layers, that means the jacket is fused: Since the interlining has been glued to the exterior, you will feel only the exterior and the inner facing. If, however, you feel three layers, that means the jacket is canvased, and what you''re feeling is the facing, the exterior, and the canvas itself floating in between. If after performing this test, you''re still not sure, ask the salesman. And if he doesn''t know what you''re talking about, you''re probably in the wrong store.

 

[pennquaker09]

Date: 11/30/2008 12:13:30 AM
Author: FrekeChild
Wow! Thanks everyone for the replies!


coati I wish he''d wear pink! Pink and gray look great together IMO!


JulieN I think he looks best in a brighter jewel tone, but unfortunately those will have to be sapphire or emerald, because I think he''d be a bit negative towards most other colors.


Penn So, if you were going to wear it, what would you wear with it? Pink?


Addy I''m thinking that taking the suit around to stores is a really good idea. I''m considering taking the suit and putting my clothing next to it just for color reference (I have a lot of bright jewel tones and he has a lot of black) and to see what looks best. Unfortunately I think that dragging the man along with the suit to the stores might be a bit of a PITA. Hmmm... I''m really liking the idea of the teal. I liked Justin Timberlake in that dark teal and thought that was pretty spiffy looking. I''d just have to get FF close to the suit and the teal at the same time. Which could be tricky.


Karen Yowza! Where was this amazing Paisley tie? I want to see it! I buy almost all of FF''s clothes. He bought 2 pairs of pants and 2 button down shirts for his conference 2 weeks ago, and I''d bet that was the first time he''s bought his own clothes in almost 2 years. Lol. Got any pics of the outfits you''ve picked out for him?


DF I''m thinking the white shirt is going to be a sure thing with this suit. And I loved it too! All I cared about was the pinstripe. Hahahaha!!! The first suit we picked out was black with a royal blue pinstripe, but the stripes were too close together, and I didn''t like that at all. I think this one is pretty classic and will resist looking dated for a long time.



So this is what I''m thinking:

1 white shirt

1 light gray/silvery shirt (if I can find one I like)

1 light icy blue shirt

1 light to medium teal shirt

1 darker teal shirt

1 bright/French blue shirt (to get married in, unless I find something I like more)

1 ''olive drab'' shirt

1 forest green shirt


And maybe once I''ve eased him into it, a light pink shirt.


Am I missing anything?



And 1 large variety of ties (I don''t even think he owns any!) that are mostly solid, have a geometric print, have a stripe of some kind or a very small pattern.


Will black shoes go with this suit?

Freke, get brown shoes. Dark brown shoes go with almost everything - grey, navy, or khaki. The only thing you can''t wear brown shoes with, is a black suit.

The tie is always darker than the shirt. The only time this doesn''t apply is with black shirts, for obvious reasons. Here is a good place to look at how to match shirts and ties.

Express Shirt & Tie Guide

Get more than one white shirt. It''s imperative that once he finds a shirt that fits him the way he wants, that you get more than one. Other than a solid white, get a solid blue, and a blue and white stripe. You can never have enough shirts of the blue and white variety.

Try Hickey Freeman, Paul Smith, Brooks Brothers, Thomas Pink, or Ralph Lauren. Nate buys a great deal of his shirts from Brooks Brothers. And I get pretty much all of his ties from Paul Stuart.

and to answer the original question, yes, I would wear pink.

 

[ksinger]

Date: 11/30/2008 10:03:59 PM
Author: pennquaker09

Freke, get brown shoes. Dark brown shoes go with almost everything - grey, navy, or khaki. The only thing you can''t wear brown shoes with, is a black suit.

The tie is always darker than the shirt. The only time this doesn''t apply is with black shirts, for obvious reasons. Here is a good place to look at how to match shirts and ties.

Express Shirt & Tie Guide

Get more than one white shirt. It''s imperative that once he finds a shirt that fits him the way he wants, that you get more than one. Other than a solid white, get a solid blue, and a blue and white stripe. You can never have enough shirts of the blue and white variety.

Try Hickey Freeman, Paul Smith, Brooks Brothers, Thomas Pink, or Ralph Lauren. Nate buys a great deal of his shirts from Brooks Brothers. And I get pretty much all of his ties from Paul Stuart.

and to answer the original question, yes, I would wear pink.

LOL! You know, I sat there for the longest time trying to describe just the color brown (and I bet we''re thinking of the same shade) and then decided I''d probably mess her up by trying to describe it, and to play it safe with, Yes, black will work.

My mom used to tease me unmercifully when I''d try to describe color when I was a child... Accused me of saying stuff like "Well, it was this pinkish blackish orange with a hint of chartreuse".

It wasn''t quite THAT bad, but she never let me up for a second...

The closest to pink I''ve gotten my guy is pale lavender. But I know pink is right out, which is OK, because I think he''d not look so good in it anyway.

Sigh...I just love men''s clothes. (on THEM, of course! I don''t WEAR them! LOL!) They''re just so classic...