Pick of the Week - Solid Color T-Shirts

It may seem boring, but solid color t-shirts are a staple in my closet.  They are must-haves for me, and they should be for you, too.  Graphic tees are cool, sometimes.  I can remember the exact moment in my life when I realized I needed better t-shirts.  I was moving out of my apartment I shared with my brother into my apartment I would share with my wife.  I was putting my clothes into my dresser and noticed all my tees were Billabong, Rip Curl, RVCA, and Quiksilver.  I had a ton of Quiksilver shirts because my sister works there, and I get a lot of free clothes from her.  I looked at my collection of shirts and thought, "At what age do I stop wearing these tees? At the very least I should have other shirts besides these?"  I got rid of most of the shirts with some sort of design or logo.  I kept a few I really loved.  It does not hurt to have a few graphic tees, but get rid of the "I'm with Stupid," "F.B.I. Female Body Inspector," and those kinds of shirts.  I went on a hunt for colored, plain t-shirts.

To be honest, I thought they looked a bit boring online, and they very well may.  What I realized when I purchased a few was the versatility and ease that comes with them.  They go with anything; jeans, shorts, pair a shirt with some slacks and a sports jacket.  Anywhere, anytime you can wear one.  My older tees I use for the beach.  Mrs. Straight guy actually sleeps in one of my Banana Republic tees that unfortunately shrank in the dryer.  The best part is the cost.  I can get a t-shirt from American Apparel, Banana Republic, or J. Crew for under $25.  Some designers have plain t-shirts from $50 and up.  I am looking at you William Rast.  I like designer clothes, but I refuse to spend $50 on a plain t-shirt.  If you have common sense, you would, too.  I doubt there is a significant difference between a $25 tee and a $50 one.  Step up your wardrobe.  Get some solid colored shirts.  They are far from plain.  One more thing, get rid of that Sex Pistols t-shirt.  Yes, they were good, but they were broken up long before you were born.

Pick of the Week - Jack's Threads

I am a little hesitant to tell people about this Pick of the Week.  It's like a secret beach or restaurant that you don't want to get crowded, so you don't tell anyone about it.  I guess I will let a secret out.  That secret is Jack's Threads (jacksthreads.com).  If you do not know about this website, it is okay, not a lot of people do.  I had heard about it awhile ago, but I did not check it out.  Shame on me.  Jack's Threads is a members-only website that has incredible deals on clothes.  Creative Recs for $40.  John Varvatos duffel bag for $150.  Selvedge denim for under $80.  Madness, pure madness.

Don't be scared away by the "members-only" tag.  You can sign up with your Facebook account or request an invite.  It is really easy to become a member.  You will not be disappointed.  I don't know how Jack's Threads are able to sell these clothes, shoes, and accessories at such a crazy discount.  Frankly, I don't care.  I'll take it.  So reluctantly I say, spread the word.

Is "trying too hard" bad?

I have been lagging, and I do apologize to all two of my followers.  I am changing things up a bit.  I will try to get a "Pick of the Week" post every week. As for the "Good or Bad," this will be a little less consistent.  I will do it organically, as a trend comes to my attention. I do not want to force that post every week. I will try to post twice a week.  The topic today is trying too hard.

Mrs. Straight Guy has a very good friend from high school that we will call Hope.  Hope was dating this guy, Stu (not his real name).  We loved them as a couple.  They were fun, and we went on weekend getaways and had the best times.  One thing about Stu that I used to point out to Mrs. Straight Guy was his fashion sense.  He tried to be fashionable, but in my opinion, he mixed too many styles or didn't wear them right.  For example, one time we went out for Hope's birthday, and Stu got dressed up.  He wore a white button up, grey pants, and a vest.  That, in theory, sounds nice.  It was not.  The pants and vest did not match, they were different hues of grey, and his shirt was not plain white.  I believe it was pinstriped and too big.  It didn't look good, but Hope thought he looked good, and more importantly Stu thought he looked good.

I use Stu as an example because I felt like he tried too hard.  He was trying to cram as many fashion trends as he could in each outfit.  When we were in Vegas, he wore jeans, a plain white t-shirt tucked in   to the jeans, and a sports jacket that was way too big.  I thought it was bad, and I pointed it out to Mrs. Straight Guy.

As I look back on Stu, I try to figure out what was wrong.  I think he missed the fashion mark, but he was trying.  Doesn't trying count for something?  There is a negative connotation with the term "trying too hard."  Why?  At least that person is trying.  Some girl or guy dressed up, with their hair done perfectly, make-up on, heels on, Supras or Creative Recs on, should not be ridiculed.  I will admit I am the worst culprit.  I make fun of girls that wear wedges to Trader Joe's or make-up to the gym.  I call guys that do their hair before they go to the gym "douche nozzles."

All that changed when I saw the documentary Mansome by Morgan Spurlock.  There was a part in there about a guy who was a self proclaimed metrosexual.  He gets his eyebrows threaded, fake tans, his hair and outfit are perfect before he walks out the door.  At first, I thought he was such a jerk.  He showed a picture of him in high school, a skinny Arab kid that wore a turban everyday.  As you can imagine, he was teased, and as he got older he didn't want to be teased for the way he looked anymore.  Everyday this guy puts a great deal of effort into the way he looks.  He tries very, very hard.  I am not saying Stu has self-esteem issues.  All I am saying is that part changed the way I looked at Stu and other people.  Someone may be trying very hard to look good so he or she does not get made fun of, but in a vicious and ironic twist, are being made fun of because they try too hard.

I did not mean to drop a moral issue in this blog.  I don't think it is.  It is just something to think about next time, for me at least.  Is there something really wrong with someone trying hard to look good?  Can he or she try too hard?  What if that person needs to try hard?  Her amount of makeup or his outfit may not be for me or you, but it may be because of me or you.

Pick of the Week - Royal Elastics

These shoes are weird, just plain weird. That is a compliment. I like weird. They're a cross between a slip-on and an athletic shoe. There are also boot-esque shoes. I can't explain what Royal Elastics (www.royalelastics.com) is going for with their shoes, but I love whatever it is. There are no laces, and obviously everything is elastic, hence the name.

These shoes are versatile, too. Wear them when going out to dinner with your friends while you discuss the economic crisis in Europe. Wear them to a party with your friends while you discuss who is taking a shot with you. Either situation, these shoes will go with whatever you are wearing. Royal Elastics shoes are so different and weird that they look good no matter what location or occasion. Buy some. Add some weirdness to your feet. Is that a slip-on? A skate shoe? Boots? Who cares.

Own it.

I missed last week's Good or Bad. Sorry, but I will write one this week. On to other things, specifically "owning it." Mrs. Straight Guy and I just saw a Morgan Spurlock documentary called Mansome. It focuses on the modern man's need to groom, what it means to be a man, and hair, lots of hair. One part stood out to me in Mansome. Spurlock is talking about his handlebar mustache and different styles of facial hair and he said, "You have to own it." I thought that statement is so true when it comes to fashion. You have to own it.

One person's style may not be another's style. Fashion can be very subjective, to an extent. The important part is "owning it." By "owning it," I mean be comfortable, confident, and make it yours. Rock whatever look you are going for. It may be Silverlake Hipster or East Coast Preppy. Go for it. Own it because you like it. Do not wear or try to fit in a style just because someone says it is cool and trendy. Colored pants for guys are becoming a trend. I don't think it's a good trend. You will not see me wearing green or red pants. However, I saw a guy in Vegas not long ago wearing red pants, a blue jacket, and a red bow tie. I thought he looked awesome, but I would not feel comfortable wearing that outfit. He did, and he looked good because he owned it. He was confident and made it his.

I know I sound contradictory. Here I am writing about what is good and bad, picking clothes I think are good, and sounding like I pretend to be some sort of official on fashion guidelines. I say baggy shorts do not look good, nor do sandals and pants. Yet here I am saying as long as you are "owning it", you will look good. Let me clear this up by saying I am a fashion hater. I will admit it. I will see, what I consider, bad fashion and point it out. Like I said, fashion is subjective. I may be walking down the street wearing my modern-fit chambray shorts and my V-neck shirt, and someone may think I look like a tool. They are wrong, of course, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. Own it. Forget the haters.

Pick of the Week - Kane and Unke

I don't know much about Kane and Unke (kaneandunke.com). I stumbled upon them because I saw one of their jackets on Swell's website. It did not take me long to find things I like. Kane and Unke clothing is very muted in terms of color; black, white, gray, navy, and that is it. The clothes are very clean and not flashy. I think the jackets are the standout pieces. My favorite is the Milk Mad Pocket Bomber jacket, but you can't go wrong with any. They are sophisticated, yet have a youthful, modern vibe.

You are not going to find a lot of info on their website. I think Kane and Unke are fairly new, so their collection is not complete. If their current stuff is a clue of what's to come, I am excited for their future. Get a jacket or shirt for yourself, your man, your brother, or whoever. Jump on the Kane and Unke train before you miss it.

My Style Icon

Just look at them. Can it get any cooler? Above are my maternal grandparents. My grandpa died when I was 5, so I really didn't know him. I am one of the younger grandkids, number 15 out of 19, so I don't have any stories or memories of him. My grandma just celebrated her 85th birthday. She lets me and my sister go through our grandpa's closet and take things, probably because we are her favorites. His style was amazing. My sister has a lot of pictures of him. We say that we get our fashion sense from him. In every picture he looks so cool, and yet his style looks so effortless. In this picture, all he is wearing is a button-up and pants, but look at the sunglasses and the hair. I think it is the little touches that he put into every outfit that make him stand out in my mind.

My favorite and most prized fashion piece is a Yves St. Laurent tie of his. It is a solid, dark grey tie with the YSL monogram on the bottom. I don't know how expensive YSL was back in his days, but it is expensive now. Maybe he treated himself, or maybe YSL wasn't popular enough yet to be expensive. I like to think he treated himself for all his hard work being a carpenter and raising 7 kids. He did not have a big house or fancy cars, but he had excellent clothes. My grandpa is my style icon, my fashion idol. I try to look as good and cool as he did, but with that same effortless feel. And my grandma, she does not look bad either. She, too, had an amazing style. They look like the latin JFK and Jackie O. Amazing and effortless.