Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

Monday, April 6, 2015

Band-Collar Madness - Cuz I Don't Follow Basketball

Holy cow, it really has been a hot minute since I was last able to drop an article up here on the blog. Sorry folks, been busy!

But hey, looking to get back on the grind, at least to some extent - still don't have the free time that I used to, but I miss sharing my menswear obsessions with the world.

Speaking of obsessions, one of my latest has been band collar shirts. They've been around for a while now, but are really starting to pick up steam among mainstream brands, with J.Crew rocking some great chambray options...
Wallace & Barnes Band-Collar Japanese Selvedge Chambray Shirt | J.Crew - $118

...and Bonobos chiming in with a lightweight oxford...

Lightweight Oxford Band Collar Shirt | Bonobos - $78


...and a light blue end-on-end:


That said, my favorite choice is actually...none of them. Ok, kind of a trick answer there. My favorite really is still my own DIY solution.

Last year, I happened to have a white oxford from Trashness that wasn't quite up to snuff. Rather than relegate it the back of my closet, I decided to do some risk-free experimentation and chopped it up - a pair of scissors and 30 seconds of work later, and I had my own hand-made(ish) band-collar shirt.

After rocking it all summer, and then busting it out again as temps started to clear up this spring, I decided it was time to invest in a better-fitting and better-quality version, now that I knew I really liked the style.

Still being a cheap-o, though, I didn't go out and buy one...instead, I just picked a better oxford to chop up into my own version. Thus, my Uniqlo OCBD (at a mere $30), becomes my new favorite band-collar shirt.

Even better? Uniqlo just knocked the price on their OCDB's down by half...now going for just $15.

Oxford Slim Fit Long Sleeve Shirt | Uniqlo - Now just $15
That's cheaper than Target...and while Target OCBD's ain't too shabby themselves, the deal here is damn hard to beat. Go grab a few pairs, and take one or two to the surgical room, see how you like the results. At this rate, I'm bound to have one in every color by the time the sale ends.

I just finished this project at like, midnight last night, but I'll throw up some pictures when I get a chance to take em! And stay tuned, hopefully this marks a return to the blogosphere, and more content to come in the future.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Outfit Post - The DIY Band Collar Shirt

Sorry for the brief hiatus there! My computer decided it didn't want to turn on any more, and in fact I'm still on a loaner today. Therefore, just a quick one today: 

This outfit post was spawned out of a few moments of serendipity - I just happened to be wearing this great shirt that I recently re-purposed and wanted to share - we just happened to be passing this really cool mural in Wicker Park and wanted to grab the chance for a photo op - I just happened to like the resulting outfit/photo combo enough to want to slap it right up here for you all to check out:




The big take away from this one is definitely the re-purposed shirt. I’ve been seeing band collar shirts pop up all over the place, most notably as a new staple in Wes’ wardrobe (of TSBmen fame). I dig the look, however, much like pop-over shirts, the surge in popularity of this style doesn’t seem to have really made it into the affordable shopping realm, so I’ve been stuck admiring from afar.


More recently, I saw a few mentions of making your own DIY band collars by simply cutting off the collar of one of your button-front shirts. Again, I was pretty enamored with the idea, but was unnerved by stories of crazy fraying and couldn’t muster the courage to take my scissors to one of my dear shirts.


A few weeks ago, however, I was sorting through my closet trying to free up some space and hangers, and came across this shirt that I reviewed for Trashness back in the fall. Back then, I was impressed with the denim shirt they sent me, and more recently was a big fan of their updated oxford cloth, but this first OCBD offering they sent me was just a little rough around the edges. That said, I realized that the things I didn't love about it to being with (kinda rough collar, fraying along the placket, slightly messy logo), made the shirt a perfect candidate for some impromptu surgery. Best part was, I rarely wear the shirt as is, so if it turned into a huge failure, I wouldn't be all full of regret.


Ten minutes of careful snipping later, and voila - band collar OCBD: 


And boy am I glad I took the leap. After a wash or two, the fraying and the collar along with the rough stitching on the placket gave this barely-worn shirt a perfect, beat up and lived-in look. On top of that, the fabric is a bit lighter for an oxford, and along with the band collar makes this a really nice casual summer shirt. I’ll add, too, that the trim fit was an aspect I already loved (good work, Trashness), and the silhouette is pretty sharp - so while casual, I think it comes together very well in a dapper, ‘weekend gent’ look like this one.




Here, I paired it with a pair of Uniqlo chinos in a lighter blue (again, great for the sunny summer day - I believe we were headed to a street fest here in Chicago) that I picked up during my recent trip to SF. I could have definitely played down the formality by wearing sneakers or boat shoes, and maybe a ribbon belt, or my go-to braided brown belt, but I wanted to keep that dapper edge, so I went with my black Everlane belt (similar here) and my favorite (but unfortunately almost worn out) black Allen Edmond’s (similar here) - and of course, I kept it seasonal and breezy by rocking the sockless look with the help of some PACT no-shows.


Moral of the story - I say this is a sartorial jump you should really consider. The benefit (besides what I think is a really stylish look) lies strongly in the whole idea of re-purposing rather than buying new - not only do you get to save money, but you get to recycle on older piece of clothing that might otherwise go to waste. It’s a great move for any clothes-horses who have hit their budget limits early and need to fulfill the urge to add something new and exciting to the rotation before the next payday!


What do you think? How did the look come together? Is the band-collar shirt a strength or a weakness? Does this tempt any of you to undergo some DIY shirt surgery?

Monday, November 25, 2013

Dive Back In

After taking a look through my closet, I felt inspired to do a post on the value of doing just that. More specifically, the value of looking back through the things you tossed aside as useless just a few seasons (or years) ago. Especially for those of us relatively new to the game, you'd be surprised how many things you thought were 'uncool' a year ago that could fit your wardrobe perfectly now. This goes doubly for those of us recently out of school, as we grow from campus clothes to business wear, clothes that were too formal or fuddy-duddy to wear at a tailgate might be perfect for the office.

Here are a few examples from my own closet:

Adidas Indoor Soccer Shoes:
Sorry, I'm not sure what the actual name of these shoes is (I'm sure I could find it pretty easily, but it's besides the point). I actually got these back in high school at the very tail end of my soccer playing days. In the rapid-fire changing ways of teen style, I was suddenly off the athletic wagon and onto the streetwear wagon, and I think these shoes got one wear before they got thrown in the back of my closet. Then, last time I went to visit my parents, I was digging around for something or other in my old room and came across these beauties. With today's aesthetic of a slim, sharp sneaker to go with a pair of Chinos (I could even see these with a summer suit), along with some bright-but-not-obtrusive (and pretty American) colors, I threw these shoes right back into my rotation, and a week hasn't gone by that these haven't gotten at least a little bit of wear.

Pants:
In general, I struggled for a while before I found the right fit of dress/chino pants for myself. When I was in the very early stages of my sartorial reinvention, I only got it half right. I went slim right off the bat, but was so reluctant to give up the 'pooling at the ankles' or 'stacked' look that I was comfortable with in college. As a result, some trousers with the perfect minimal break were unduly retired as 'too short.' When my girlfriend and I moved this fall, I came across a pile of these, and was surprised at how wonderfully some of these pants actually did fit, now that I know exactly how they should fit. Boom, 2-3 more pairs of pants, back in the pot.

Tailoring! It's Real!
Even as I dove into my style education, I was slow on the uptake when it came to alterations and tailoring. It's just something I'd never done before. Not only was I lacking in the kind of confidence that can only come from experience, I was intimidated by the whole process (especially the oft-lacking pricing structures....big pet peeve of mine is not knowing what I'm spending way before I commit to spending it). Now that I've dabbled and experimented, I'm again amazed by how many great pieces of clothing I have that I was ready to toss in the 'Goodwill' pile just because the trouser legs were a bit long, or the body of the shirt a bit wide. Now, I have a pile of old clothing, and I try to take one piece in each paycheck for an alteration. This way, in a few months I'll have a completely refreshed wardrobe without having to buy a single brand-new piece (although I'm sure I will anyway, because that's what style bloggers do).

Repurposing:
My final suggestion is to take one last look at anything you're getting rid of and consider how you could repurpose it into something else to get just a bit more use out of it. I'm not full of life-hacks to give you here, but I can tell you that you probably don't have to worry about buying another pocket square for the rest of your life. A widely touted trick is to take an old tie (or steal one from your dad), maybe one that's too wide, or has a tear or stain near an end, or is otherwise unusable but largely in good shape. Chop off the ends as you see fit, fold that bad boy up, and voila, instant pocket square. I've recently started doing this with my shirts as well. I have a bunch of old shirts from high school that have great patterns but have ugly branding (ahem, American Eagle) or I have outgrown to the point that no alterations can help. Instead of tossing them, I'm destroying them! Ha, well, I'm cutting a square out of the back of each one. At some point, I'll learn how to use a sewing machine and 'hem' the edges (or whatever you would call it in this case), but in the meantime I simply utilize a fold that keeps the edges hidden. Just like that, I've cleared out a bunch of unused shirts and expanded my pocket square collection exponentially at the same time.