Fashion Friday: Is It Too Early For White Shoes?

Last summer, I went to a Bachelor Party in Las Vegas and I knew that the must-have accessory for the trip was a pair of white leather loafers and matching white belt.

After returning to Toronto, this combo earned a regular spot in my wardrobe. At least until about mid-September. Then it got colder, a bit rainier, and my shoes and belt seemed out of season.

Now that the weather is getting warmer again, I'm wondering when I can break this great look out. Can you wear white shoes on the first sunny day, or do you have to wait until after the long weekend in May?

And while we're on the topic: socks or no socks with white shoes?

Fashion Friday: Anything Other Than Naked

A few weeks ago, I was asked to review a copy of Anything Other Than Naked, a guide to fashion and style for men by a former financial services advisor and Captain in the U.S. Air Force.

As someone who works in a slightly less formal environment these days (the only ties I see in our office are the skinny kind worn with plaid shirts), I'm not sure how handy this book will come on a daily basis. However, for buying a new suit or formal wear (or for those pesky Fashion Friday questions that pop up), this book will a great resource.

In a no-nonsense style, it covers almost everything the white-collar male needs to know about getting dressed for work and the formal occasions in his life. I think this would be a great gift for a young gentlemen just graduating from university or about to start his first job.

A few of the pieces of advice that really stand out are that I should buy proper pants hangars to keep my trousers from wrinkling (hang them by the cuffs, not folded over) and that I seriously need to get a better spring-weight jacket.

You can grab a copy of the book at the following links:

Anything Other Than Naked (on Amazon)

Anything Other Than Naked (on Amazon, Kindle edition)

However, the publisher has also  been kind enough to provide an extra copy of the book as a giveaway to one extra-lucky BlogCampaigning reader. For a chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment telling us what topic you'd like us to cover in an upcoming Fashion Friday.

I'll choose the best answer on Wednesday, April 13th and notify the winner via email.

Fashion Friday: Shoes Without Socks

I don't know if this is a new trend or simply something unique to Toronto but for most of the summer I noticed that a lot of dudes weren't wearing socks. Its not like these people are at the beach - they were at the office and wearing shoes.

While the professionalism of this trend is debatable, I'm more worried about the personal hygiene aspect. Leaving the house in the morning without socks means that you're probably headed towards 9-10 hours of sweaty feet during the hottest months of the year. Doing this day in, day out in the same pair of shoes just seems like an awful idea.

However, Michael at Avoid Robots makes some good points about the issue. He even suggests that men invest in some shoe-liners (mini-socks) so they can rock the sockless look without the sweat worry.

Is this a trend I just don't get? Or is it actually a fashion mistake?

-Parker

Fashion Friday: When To Wear A Blazer

A couple of months ago, I asked readers of BlogCampaigning when it is okay to take off your suit jacket in a meeting. There was some great discussion around that topic, and I've decided to follow it up with what I hope is another question that can help me out:

When is it okay to wear a blazer?

Not being incredibly fashion-forward, my original phrasing of this question to a friend was, "What's the deal with guys that wear suit jackets with different coloured slacks? That just looks tacky." My friend quickly pointed out that these guys are wearing blazers, and that these are less formal ("sportier") versions of the suit jacket.

My take on it is that if you're going to bother putting on a suit jacket (sporty or not), match the pants to it. Otherwise, it looks like you just pulled out the first two things you saw in your closet. The fact that 3 of the first 10 results in Google for "When is it okay to wear a blazer?" are for how women should wear them doesn't instill a lot of confidence in me that this is an appropriate look.

AskMen.com has an article titled Men's Blazers: 6 ways to wear them. In order, these ways are:

1. With a deep V-neck cardigan

2. With a plaid shirt

3. With a chunky patterned knit

4. With heavily distressed denim

5. With cargo pants

6. With combat boots

And none of these six ways seem like good ideas, despite coming from "The Number 1 Canadian Men's Lifestyle Portal".

So what's the right situation for wearing a blazer? Am I completely wrong to think that it isn't a professional look?

When Is It Okay To Take Off Your Suit Jacket In A Meeting?

I really don't mind wearing a suit and tie. When you're walking around, they're perfect. When you're sitting down, in a meeting, they're less perfect. I find that jacket always bunches up, and since most meeting rooms are at a temperature for shirt sleeves, I find that the extra thick layer of suit jacket always leaves me feeling a little bit warm.

However, you can't just loosen your tie, undo the top button of your shirt, take your jacket off, and roll your sleeves up in the first few minutes of a meeting.

In fact, I'm not even sure you can do any of those things in most meetings.

This normally leaves me with an internal dialogue as I sit across the table in a discussion: "Okay, we've been talking for fifteen minutes... Can I take my jacket off now? Or do I have to wait until someone more senior does so first? Or do I have to wait for a break in the conversation? Or should I wait until there is a break, and then just come back without my jacket, like nothing happened?"

Tired of this endless internal debate, I threw the question to Twitter and got some good responses.

Brad Buset and Greg"Blazer" Blazina both agreed that if you're the client, you can take your jacket off.

Buset also adds that if it is an internal meeting, and the senior colleagues their jacket off first, then it is appropriate.

I still feel like this leaves a lot of times when I'm going to be left sitting down with a suit jacket on.

Any other ways to justify taking it off in a meeting?

Suit-related etiquette tips also appreciated.

-Parker