Summer Style Goals - The 'To Do List'

One of the more popular posts last year went over a ‘To-Do’ list that I had written and then promptly forgotten about. I won’t dig up too much of the old details, but the conclusion was that it can be really helpful to have a few well-defined goals, even if they are just lurking in the back of your head, to make sure that you keep yourself moving forward, always progressing, never going idle. I was going through the archives the other day and happened across that post again, and decided it was time to update a list, especially for the spring.

• Wear chinos casually (instead of jeans) - Don’t get me wrong, I love jeans, but that might be the problem. I have maybe two pairs that I rotate through, and don’t see a need for a whole lot more. However, I end up wearing those two pairs of jeans almost every day that my office doesn’t require business-casual. It’s an easy move when you want to dress down, but I know there are other options. This summer I’d like to try to start wearing chinos and trousers casually. The challenge will be dressing down the rest of my outfit to keep from looking too stuffy in a casual environment, but I’m up to the task.

• Wear a blazer more often, casually - Last year a big goal of mine was to wear a blazer as more than just a light jacket - i.e. something you wear during your commute or while you're outside and then take off for the rest of the day. I’ve really latched onto that one, and now wear a blazer all day long almost every day. This summer, I’d like to extend my blazer use to cover my casual wear a bit more. I already like to dress down the shirt and tie (rocking an OCBD, knit tie, jeans and a blazer is my go-to), but I’d like to go even further and start wearing blazers regularly with wholly casual items like T-shirts, polos and Henleys.

• Incorporate more hot-weather formal wear - When it gets hot, my formal game tends to wilt a bit. I end up going out in shirt and tie but no jacket (sheesh, I know a lot of fellas say this is a big no-no, and while I’m not a stickler for the rule, I do try to avoid it), or wearing boat shoes any chance I can get. This year, I’d like to learn how to combat the heat with my clothes, rather than just by shedding them. A lightweight suit is definitely on the horizon, as well as some linen trousers and shirts to accompany the lighter blazers I already own.

• Step up my summer footwear game - Last year I was a Sperry’s ADDICT - and all summer long it was either my dress shoes for work, or my Topsiders. Still absolutely love my boat shoes, but this year, I’d like to add a few options so I can have variety (spice of life, and all). I’m thinking a pair of white canvas shoes and a pair of lightweight suede loafers will round out the rotation quite well, but I’m thinking about something in black too for those days I’m not feeling quite so bright and cheery.

• Pare down my wardrobe - My closet is stuffed to the gills right now, and it’s driving me (and more importantly, my girlfriend) crazy. Unfortunately, I’ve already gone through and gotten rid of the things I straight up don’t wear. Now, I’m left with my workhorse clothing that I need to keep, and then a large smattering of slightly misfitting items. Most of these I’ve held on to with the plan of getting in to a tailor to fix, but then could never decide if it was actually worth it. My (late) spring cleaning goal is to take all of those items out of my closet, and only return them if they’ve been tailored. Anything that hasn’t made it to the tailor by the end of the month is hitting eBay.

So, once again, I’m jotting this list down and tucking it away somewhere. In a big part, I’ll most likely let this slip my mind for the next few months, but just the fact that I did write it down will keep it semi-on-my-mind all the while, and hopefully by the time fall hits I’ll be able to look back at this and be satisfied with my progress.

What are your current style goals? What are your methods for long-term improvement?

A 'Wide Eyes, Tight Wallets' Fall Preview

I know I just wrote last week that there is still plenty of summer left, but one of my favorite things about men's style and fashion is getting to enjoy todays trends while already looking forward to tomorrow's. That in mind, here is a quick preview of the things I'm looking forward to that will come with the cooler weather.

Cardigans:

I love sweaters in general, but I'm especially particular to cardigans, and they are one of my favorite layering pieces. I love the way that a cardigan transcends the casual/formal border. For example, throw one on buttoned up under a blazer, and you have a dressed-down three-piece. Wear one loose over a tee and you have a bit classier of a sweatshirt jacket. I've been meaning to try out the brand Scotch and Soda, and I've got my eye on their dark-red cardigan to mix things up in my sea of greys and blues:

Shawl Collars:

This kind of goes along with cardigans and sweaters, but I can't wait to get back to my addiction to shawl collars. Can't really tell you what I love so much about them...but I think it has something to with the smooth line that the roll of the shawl makes, adding heft to a sweater without making it bulky or cumbersome. J. Crew offers a shawl neck pullover with a nautical stripe pattern, which would fulfill another of my latest obsessions:

Tweed:

I've honestly been putting off buying another summer blazer in anticipation of getting to invest in some great tweed options. Tweed has been one of my favorite fabrics since before I even knew anything about style, which goes to show how great it looks, even to the untrained eye. On top of that, I don't think tweed has ever gone out of style, nor will it. If I go custom (which I will, if I can afford it), this brown number from Indochino is high on my list:

Heavy Denim:

One of the sartorial leaps I have yet to take is getting into high quality denim. As the plethora of denim-heads out there will tell you, there's a world of a difference between a pair of $50 Levi's from Macy's and a pair of selvage jeans constructed from heavy, raw Japanese twill.  Summer was definitely not the time to try these out, but come fall I'm definitely picking up a pair that I'm sure will quickly become my go-to non-business pants. Gustin makes some great-looking, affordable selvage jeans, and just announced that they will be regularly stocking their Japan Classic line (most weaves are limited releases):

Boots:

This one is a big IF in my book, mainly dependent on IF I can ever afford them. I tout thrifted and eBay'ed shoes left and right, but at some point you gotta invest in a pair of high quality, new shoes that will form to your feet and be an investment that will pay off for years. I fully plan on making my first pair some wingtip brogue boots (especially appropriate for dealing with Chicago winters here in the windy city). I've heard nothing but great things about Allen Edmonds' Dalton boot, and would give an arm and a leg for my own pair:

And to top it all off, and bring a lot of these together, Layering. The highlight of pretty much any menswear enthusiasts year, the options that come with colder weather are like a friggin playground. I honestly get giddy just thinking about it...blazers on vests on sweaters on shirts, wool on cashmere on denim, contrasts and compliments, the options are really endless. After trying to pare everything down as much as possible during the sweltering heat of the summer, finally getting to layer again is a pleasure. 

Seasonal Neckwear

First, some exciting news: for those of you that didn't see the posts on Twitter or Facebook, Wide Eyes Tight Wallets hit a milestone this week as we broke 500 followers on Twitter! Every big step like that is exciting, so we definitely plan on celebrating, and what better way to celebrate that to reward the peeps that make it happen. That's right, YOU. Long story short, keep your eyes peeled for a **giveaway** sometime in the next week or so as a token of our appreciation for you guys following along.

Ok, on to the meat of the post:

I hope I'm not the only one who has been scoring some awesome deals from the various summer sales going on about now. I featured Bonobos last week, but J. Crew Factory had some killer discounts recently as well. This week, I received my order in the mail, and my favorite pick has to be this new madras cotton tie, which brings me to a great point as we are really getting into these hot summer months.

Ok, to be entirely fair, I have to admit I had this post planned for earlier in the season, but unavoidable delays kept pushing it back, but there's still plenty of summer left. When the temperature rises, we all adjust the cloth and style of our clothing to keep us cool and comfortable. Heavy wools get stuck in the closet, while lighter cloths like cotton and linen hit the rotation full-swing. What a lot of people don't realize is that you can (and should) take the same steps when picking out your neckwear.

Now, it's fair enough to mention that wearing a cotton or linen tie isn't really going to keep you any cooler. However, there are still two good reasons to do this. The first is that the clothing that you will be matching your tie is now in a different cloth and therefore a different texture. Where a wool suit or a thicker dress shirt has a certain sheen to it that pairs well with silk ties, or where tweed is thick and hearty and goes great with a wool tie, these clothes would look kind of out of place with a breezy lightweight tie. The same goes for the opposite. Linen suits, cotton blazers, lightweight dress shirts, all have a unique weight and texture that lends to a little 'rough-around-the-edges,' while not necessarily casual, style that just looks out of place with a shiny silk tie. You can really notice this in the shots with the blazer, which is a summer-weight cotton/linen blend that plays nicely off the texture of the tie.

Secondly, silk and linen ties just lend to a more summery feel all around, and those summer styles you're looking for will be hard to find in a silk or wool option. You're much more likely to find madras plaids in cotton, and, as far as I know, you'll never find a seersucker tie made out of silk (I'm not sure that would even be possible). When designers and brands put out their cotton and silk tie lines, they are designing these specifically for the summer months, and you'll find a plethora of bright summer colors and patterns to choose from. Long story short, as your rolling up you sleeves, embracing the season, your neckwear should reflect the same attitude.

This tie from J. Crew is 100 percent cotton and came in a great madras pattern, which I discussed before as one of my favorite summer patterns. This pattern in particular is a perfect blend of bold and subtle. It features the brighter madras reds and blues, but the plaid isn't too busy and the colors are slightly faded, keeping it from being 'in-your-face' while remaining plenty summery. You'll also notice I went with a solid pocket square in a similar fabric (chambray) that brings out the red in the tie without being to matchy-matchy. 

The J. Crew Factory sale has unfortunately passed, but there are still plenty of great options for summer neckwear. The Tie Bar is my go-to for affordable ties, and they have entire sections dedicated to cotton and linen options. I actually just grabbed a great blue-striped cotton tie (shown below) from their pop-up stand at the Daley Center last week (always love avoiding paying shipping). If I'd gotten this post up earlier, like I had planned, Uniqlo had some great madras options as well, but it looks like they are already moving on to their fall line. 

My favorite fan.

On a final note, as the following here continues to grow, I'd love to hear more from the readers! If you have any summer tie suggestions, or selections you want to brag about, or any other input, have your say in the comments section or e-mail me at wideeyestightwallets@gmail.com and I'll share your stuff with the community! As always, thanks for reading!