Saturday, February 13, 2010

Fella's, let me make this easy for you...

I started this blog last night and after an outing all over the city of Seattle today, I came home to start again. I had my observer eyes on today and did a lot of people watching. I really wanted to see what the men of Seattle chose to wear for Valentines Day. Sure, it's a day the same as any other but also a day in which many men were taking that special someone out for day of love. I have to say that despite a few pairs of Teva's with pleated khaki's and the like, men were doing pretty well. The main thing that stood out to me was that most men started out on the right foot but when it came to finishing the look, the shoes or coats were an after thought. For example, a gentleman had on great jeans and top but finished his look with gym shoes. Or the outfit was great but their fleece Northface, stole the show. Both the shoes and the fleece have their place in men's wardrobes but are better suited for a Saturday morning walk around Greenlake or a scheduled workout at 24 Hour Fitness. Paying attention to these details can really bring your look together.

For this Spring, there are a handful of items that the designers and retailers are showing for men. Knowing what these are, will truly assist with focusing on these overlooked details.

**Do to temporary (hopefully) technical issues, I am not able to load picture files into this blog at this time. To check out the corresponding photos to this blog, please have a look at my Pink Pagoda FB page where many examples are posted***

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=143492&id=182256714290

1) Military.

Nothing extreme, no need to visit your nearest Army surplus outlet. This military is being shown in t-shirts, shirts and jackets with structured pockets on the front in all shades of natural, khaki, browns and blacks.

2) A narrower silhouette.

Whether its a shirt, a jacket, blazer or pants. This is not a skin tight look but just a more streamlined appearance. The pants or jeans should be flat front with either a narrower leg or boot cut but not a full upper leg. The shirts, jackets and blazers are cut to skim the body and give a trim appearance.

3) Dark Denim.

This really should be a staple piece in all men's wardrobes. It looks dressier, its more suitable for the standard workplace and it is perfect for a night time pant to dress things up. Again, a narrower cut is what you want to look for with clean lines both in front and on the rear pockets.

4) Loafers.

This shoe can be found in the most casual style straight up through the dressiest. It is perfect with the slimmer silhouettes for spring, they have a clean line and they are comfortable.


All of these items can be found in all price ranges from labels featured at Mario's and Neiman Marcus right through to the Gap, J.Crew, and Banana Republic.

With listing these stores, I really have been on a search to find "man dedicated" stores where a customer can get really fabulous service with individualized attention for their particular needs. While there are lots of co-ed stores and even great men's departments in chain stores, it's not the same as having a local "man dedicated" boutique to feel like you are truly understood when looking for assistance. I have a list and because its not long, I have made it a PNW list vs. just Seattle. I hope to have more detail in a future blog but in the meantime, I hope this is helpful.

Seattle: Oslo's - A Men's Store http://www.oslosamensstore.com/About/Default.aspx

Vancouver, BC.: Harry Rosen http://www.harryrosen.com/

Mark James Clothing http://www.markjamesclothing.com/

Boys Co. (casual) http://boysco.com/

Portland, OR.: Blake (casual/denim) http://www.loveblake.com/

Local 35 ("progressive casual clothing") http://local35.blogspot.com/


I hope everyone had a fabulous Valentines weekend with whatever you did to celebrate. Have a fabulous week and I will be back soon.

Kim

No comments:

Post a Comment