Styling for Men: Your Perfect Fit

On a quick trip to Hannah's Bretzel today for a delish sandwich, I spotted Scott Somers in a chic suit that I just had to blog about.

One of the most important pieces of styling advice for men is to wear clothes that fit. Scott stood out in his tailored Hugo Boss suit and brown loafers.

Scott also mixed colors and patterns very well with a subtle striped shirt, a navy tie, and gray/tan suit. Definitely looks like he should be a character on Mad Men.

Things to keep in mind about fit:
1. Scott's suit jacket fits snugly around his waist and still leaves room for him to breathe and be comfortable.
2. The edge of the jacket sits perfectly on Scott's shoulders. Suit jackets shouldn't droop or jut out over your shoulders, or be so tight that your shoulders poke out.
3. The length of the pants should only "break" once. This is the number of times your pants fold inwards when they hit your shoes. I've noticed a lot of designers showing suit pants that don't break at all. Scott pulls off the "just a bit short" pant-look with ease.
4. Scott's pants are not pleated, which, as most of you know I really don't like pleats because they will make you look heavier. Try something more fitted.

As I mentioned, Scott had his suit tailored. Nothing says style like a nice tailored suit.

Scott's outfit head to toe: Macy's dress shirt, Sean John tie, Hugo Boss suit, and brown loafers.

Styling for Men: Layering

Alright guys, a lot of you have asked me how you can change up your look on a daily basis. I hear you. Men seem to have fewer options in terms of accessorizing and definitely in types of clothes. Unless, you fancy wearing a dress, which I don't recommend.

For these chilly days, layering is the perfect answer. Alex and I had a fun styling session last weekend picking out outfits for every day, and dressing up. Here’s what I chose: 

I love the navajo pattern that's all over sweaters, scarfs, and shirts for fall/winter. Although this pattern has been popular for a while, I think it's a great staple for cold weather. Think of navajo print as a really easy way to add color to your wardrobe. If the sweater is too much for you, try a scarf or a solid sweater over a patterned button down.

For this look, I complimented the sweater with a light blue thin denim shirt. I like that this color compliments the sweater pattern without exactly matching one of the colors in the pattern. A pair of fitted, dark denim jeans keep the look casual and clean. Alex’s brown leather loafers teeter on dressy and casual, so he could dress the look up with a dark dress pant (navy or black).

Alex's outfit head to toe: vintage navajo patterned sweater, blue button down, and Levi's 510 Super Skinny Jeans, brown Stacy Adams loafers.

For the second look, I was inspired by Alex’s pink, short-sleeved button down. I pulled a gray vest to layer over the shirt with a chunky gray cardigan on top.  Black jeans on bottom, and amazing vintage leather mod boots. 

I left the vest unbuttoned to create a less conventional look and show-off more of the pink and add layers of interest. I like the grays on top, keeping it simple, but adding some dimension with different materials and shades. 

Alex pulls off the mod boot by keeping the rest of his outfit simple without any other flashy elements. These boots steal the spotlight. Let's channel our inner Beatle :).

Alex's outfits head to toe: SEE eyeglasses, vintage Saks Fifth Avenue pink button down, vintage gray suit vest, chunky gray Gap cardigan, Victorinox Swiss Army watch Levi's 510 Super Skinny Jeans, vintage mod boots.

Mission for Missoni

Remember what happened just a few weeks ago on September 14th? Some of us got up at 7AM to hop on Target.com in hopes of avoiding the craze of shoppers on a mission for Missoni. To our dismay, the site was down due to the other hundreds of thousands of people just like us. Those that braved the in-store madness may have snagged an item or two, but most people I know were let down after the hunt.

However, my co-worker, Meredith Stiles not only found the block heel suede pumps, but their signature chevron pattern on a colorful blue knit dress. Her strategy was to check out what was returned after the sell-out sale.

She wore the dress to work yesterday, and I just had to share!

Meredith chose to keep the outfit simple since the dress does all the work with bright blues, pink and yellow weaving through the knit. Her tights and heeled booties were perfect in jet black. Sorry for the poor pic quality! My camera is le crap-py.

Hats off to Meredith for finding these pieces and not getting trampled!

M.S.'s outfit head to toe: dress (Target obviously), black tights by Assets, and black booties from Francesca's.

I Wish I Were Parisian

Most people who get the chance to travel to Paris instantly fall in love with the city. Its charm, art, culture and chicly styled women are just a few things that will keep you wanting more. This outfit and location for the shoot felt just that. Parisian.

Although many of us are in denial that fall is here, we might as well embrace the change in wardrobe and take on the chilly weather without getting rid of color and charm.

My favorite purchase for fall is this red knit dress. Since the dress does all of the talking, I chose simple gray tights with black riding boots. I love boots since you can get a low heel and be comfortable and warm all day. 

Since I was wearing a black jacket, I decided to wear a colorful scarf that compliments the red with purple and mauve.

For the pièce de résistance, accessories including a little sparkly black ring and dangling Eiffel Tower earrings.

My outfit head to toe : earrings from H&M, scarf from Urban Outfitters, jacket by Marc New York by Andrew Marc, dress by Tulle (also available at one of my favorite Chicago boutiques: Penelope's), tights from Paris, and boots from Nine West. 

Bisous! (kisses)

Photo cred: Ian Merritt

Chic Travel

These days there is no shortage of fashionable versions of just about everything we use in life. If you do a little digging you will find those perfect black flats that are cute but functional for work, or that stylish trench that makes you look chic while keeping you dry.

I recently helped a friend, who I refer to as JWhite (Jennifer White), who needed a fashionable laptop bag that could also hold all of her purse items. This was a delightful challenge, and I found a few keepers that I thought I should share with you!

• Silver bag from icered: I love the can’t-miss shine of this sportier bag. The cool metallic is unique and will compliment any outfit.
• Black LeSportsac: The patent leather makes the bag look chic and fun while keeping it all about business with the traditional laptop bag shape. (TSA friendly - you don't have to take our your laptop when going through security. The bag opens butterfly style.)
• Orange retrostripe from Oxio: This is one of my favorites in terms or incorporating a fun color with a functional bag.
• Red leather by Kologbags: This classic red leather will be fashionable forever. I love the short handbag handles, but it also comes with a shoulder strap. This one really pulls off that purse-like look with all of the baggage room.
• Retro pink by Rainebrooke: Stand out in a crowd of black-clad travelers with this pop of pink. It’s modeled after a train case and will hold your laptop and a few extras.

And which one did JWhite choose? The black LeSportsac. She's already traveling in style with her new trusty tote.

Dress n' Boots

My latest post inspiration came to me while I was at the dentist. Why there? Because my adorable dental hygienist and I were talking about how we love when girls wear dresses and boots.

Chicago’s weather on Friday was sunny and lovely, so I threw on a yellow dress with some heeled slouchy boots.  You can pull off this look with a feminine and flirty dress paired with simple boots. I’m also a big fan of military boots with skirts, tights and a comfy sweater for fall.

Boots can be worn on cooler summer days. Think of them as any other accessory. They change the look and feel of your outfit and are just darn adorable! Remember to keep it simple and don’t wear too many embellishments on the boots to detract from your flirty dress.  

My outfit head to toe: yellow dress from Green Heart, boots by Report (find them on polyvore), and purse by sabina (available at Nordstrom).

Thanks to Ian for the quick shoot at lunch!

'Last Resort' Wear

The summer seems to be speedily passing me by, but I was inspired to showcase some resort wear before we turn to fall clothes.

On a lazy Sunday, I peered through Mary's closet to pick a few outfits for our photo shoot and help her style a recent purchase; the below vintage royal blue skirt.

This look is flexible. It can take you to lunch, work or your next vacation.

I paired the flowy skirt with shimmery espadrille's to give Mary extra height to off-set the long skirt. Her top mimics a french sailor shirt, and her Ray-Ban sunglasses keep her looking cool and collected. I topped off the look with a vintage gold collar necklace, gold watch and a sparkly bobble ring.

Mary's purse is also vintage and the mini-suitcase shape takes her from the office to the waterfront, toting just her necessities.

This outfit head to toe: Ray-Ban sunglasses, striped shirt from H&M, vintage jewelry, skirt and purse, espadrille's from Target's Calypso collection.

For Mary's second look, she's headed to cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.

 

The tiered white dress is chic and simple, so I kept the accessorizing light with a turquoise necklace to add some color. This necklace is great because it mixes gold and turquoise, and is a bit edgy compared to her delicate dress and nude pumps. A few stacked bracelets polish off the look mixing gold and silver for added surprise in the details. Let's party!

This outfit from head to toe: Turquoise necklace by K. Amato, dress from Akira, vintage bracelets and watch, and Sam Edelman pumps.

Thanks to Mary for being my model and letting us shoot on her rooftop and Alejandro for his wonderful photography skills!

Photo credit: Copyright © 2011 by Alejandro Lavin, Jr., all rights reserved. Follow Alejandro on Flickr.