T & A

Anonymous asked: navy blue sportscoat with navy blue pants? Ever?

T: Not really.  It would only work if one shade was much darker than the other.  Otherwise, it looks like you are trying to create a suit that does not exist.  Jeans are a slightly different story but if I was wearing a navy sportscoat, I would make sure to wear a pair of jeans that was VERY dark blue or light blue for the summer. 

After a short break, expect MANY questions to be answered tomorrow.

Anonymous asked: yeah yea, i see. but how do i shirts now?

T: How do you keep asking these amazing questions?  Normally, we recommend you wear it on your torso.

Check here and here if you want to read shirting articles from our archives.

Anonymous asked: So here's a question for you.. Are all selvedge denim pants button fly? I bought a pair of the gap's only to find the buttons and returned them (they were also too big). I was going to up my game and get some Baldwin denim, but saw those are button fly too. After more looking, all brands I've found so far are button fly. I hate button fly! Know of sone good selvedge denim with a dang zipper??

T: Thanks for the question.  Most selvedge jeans are button fly.  This is mainly due to the fact that they are based on older turn of the century Levi’s that did not have zippers.

These might be your best bet:

Nudie also makes a few models in zipper fly. 

Editor’s Note: Thanks to our readers for pointing out that Flat Head makes selvedge with zippers too. 

Anonymous asked: Hey guys!
I love your blog, its the definition of a mens blog, i've been going through all your posts and i've notice they are more geared towards 20-30 year olds. Well, I am 18 years old, and about to start college. I was wondering if you guys could engineer a well priced outfit (Below 100 dollars on each item) for a younger high-school senior/college freshman.

Thanks so much!
(Once again, your blog is amazing! I literally wait for your next posts!)

Wow.  I’m so glad that you enjoy the blog so much, it really means a lot that people actually reads this little experiment of ours.  Sorry it took me a little while to get to your question, work has been very busy lately.  Under 100 dollars is no problem.  In the interest of simplicity, I’m going to assume that you live in a climate similar to the Mid-Atlantic USA where I reside. 

Let’s start from the ground up:

Shoes: Clark’s Desert Boots.  Classic and can be dressed up or down.  $100 on Zappos.com:

Jeans: UO Unbranded—Selvedge Straight Fit, $78.  One of the cheapest pair of selvedge jeans out there outside of Levi’s.  You can’t go wrong with the 501 or 511 though. 

Shirt: Rugby University Oxford, 70 dollars.  This shirt fits great and a white oxford might be the most versatile thing a guy can own. 

Gray Crew-Neck Sweater.  J. Crew, $30. Every guy needs a gray sweater.  This one happens to be on sale.  Also, you could get a crew-neck cotton number from Rugby, Gap, LEC, Uniqlo, etc. 

This is also a pretty sweet sweatshirt but there are cheaper options out there.  Also try no to look as douchey as this guy if you get the sweatshirt.  Rugby, $89.

As for the finishing details, pick up a cheap Timex watch and a simple brown leather belt (better for jeans than black).  Hope this helps and let us know if you have any other questions.  

Anonymous asked: Tom and Andrew - I believe, as you, that you've got to buy quality when buying shoes (and that the pilgrim toe is to be shunned), but a reoccurring Plantar Fasciitis problem has me looking for a shoe with some serious support. As an English Prof, I don't wear suits very often - I love my stand by Clarks Desert boots, but have found them seriously lacking in support. Most 'sensible' shoes - Mephisto etc, are comfortable but seriously ugly. Question: Can you suggest a shoemaker that is serious about comfort and designs for men under, say, 65?

T: Thanks for the question.

I see a few options for you:

1. If you are looking to buy a sneaker, go with a pair of New Balances.  J. Crew even carries them these days.

2. Buy a pair of Dr. Scholl’s sole inserts.  Andrew and I have quite a few knee surgeries between us and after a summer of wearing boat shoes (which also lack support), I had to slip these in them to keep my knees from falling off.  

3. Rockport makes comfortable shoes all for around 100 dollars.  Check out the full line-up here.  Some of them fall into the dreaded Mayflower category (that’s a Pilgrim joke, folks) but I like the ones below that if you squinted hard enough, they kind of look like a pair of desert boots.  You can find them for 100 dollars here:

4. Your best (and most expensive) option would be a pair of shoes with Nike Air from Cole Haan.  Think of them as a more formal shoe will all the support of a running shoe.  After some time looking around the sale page, I found these for $140, which I really like:

Go forth my flat footed friend and good luck!  Let us know what you decide.

Anonymous asked: Right, so lets just get it out up front - I have large guns and I'm proud of them. I find myself always wearing sleeveless tshirts and I'm realizing that its time to wear something else thats a bit more grown up. What type of shirts can you suggest that wont lock down my cannons?

-B.W.

B.W.,

Thanks for the question and for getting everything onto the table right away.  Congrats on the guns—you must have worked really hard (and bro’ed out pretty hard) to get that swole. 

Sleeveless shirts are for boys, not men—however they seem to be very popular in Provincetown—is that what you are going for? 

I have to say that I’m a little confused by your query.  Do you want advice on how to fit into normal shirts or are you looking to wear a shirt that will show them off by being really tight?  Either way, my advice is the same. 

If you are looking for a dress shirt with more room in the arms, you could always get a custom shirt.  Proper Cloth would be a good bet. 

But, if you are looking for something a little less formal, you could buy a stretch t-shirt that has some spandex mixed in with the cotton (normally about 4 percent).  The spandex would allow your pythons to breathe.  Calvin Klein makes some that won’t make it look like you robbed the Under Armour factory.  Gap makes them too. 

Also, my advice to any guy who wants to look a little more jacked is to invest in some v-necks.  V-necks make your neck look longer thus making it appear bigger.  Some of the deeper V-necks also show off the pecks.  Just check out my favorite juicehead below:

Yours in Bro’ness,

Tom

p.s. I guarantee that this question was asked by someone whom I have played rugby with.