Feeling Loopy? Get the Facts Under Your Belt
Out of the Loop: A nice pair of dress slacks with a stylish shirt can make a great impression, but it’s the details that people often forget. Details such as the type of belt that fits through the loops.
Of course, the general rule is that belts and shoes match in tone, and you shouldn’t mix skins; alligator shoes with a snakeskin belt creates a reptilian revolution. But even if the skins and colors match, you have to know when a belt is right for a pair of slacks.
“With dress slacks, you’ll want a belt with a brass buckle,” says Dave Hiel of David Rickey & Co. in Costa Mesa. “It should also be simple, with little or no pattern and a smooth finish.”
If you’re interested in looking just a bit renegade, use a belt with a slight design in the brass buckle. However, if you want to keep the dressy style of the slacks, stay away from anything that varies too much, such as a buckle that’s pointed or designed in a rebellious silver.
Neckwear Dilemma: Every man has been tempted by two thoughts in his life: What would it be like to go one-on-one with Michael Jordan? And, how would I look in a bow tie?
Like the cockroach, the less flashy cousin of the necktie has endured evolutionary changes and continues to persist as an acceptable form of neckwear.
“With the popularity of suspenders a few years ago, men bought more bow ties to go with them,” says Mark Stevens of Dawson Ltd. in Laguna Beach.
The bow is often used as a subtle form of defiance to an office of long neckties. “It makes a statement of ‘I’m different,’ but it’s still a conservative look,” Stevens says. “It’s all preference, what you’re comfortable with. Even though it’s a very traditional accessory, not everyone wants to ‘stick out’ at the office.”
The rules for wearing a bow tie are the same when wearing a necktie: If you’re wearing a conservative business suit, choose a tie that picks up some shade in the suit fabric and beware of a pattern or design that could be seen as radical.
Sloppy or Stylish?: Next time you’re wearing a T-shirt or polo, don’t tuck it in. Instead, let it hang down around your waist. Go out like that, and you’ll see you’re not different from much of the world.
“It’s part of the ‘street look,’ ” says fashion consultant Gregg Mandikan of Huntington Beach. “Tight-fitting clothing has become a little passe. The body isn’t a showcase anymore; people are saying, ‘You’ve got to accept me as I am, that’s why my clothes are loose. It doesn’t matter what my body looks like.’ ”
The best street wear is a size too big. And if you’re going to be keeping your shirt tails out, make sure they drop at least six inches below your waist. Wearing a shirt that’s too short looks as though you kept it tossing in a hot dryer too long.
