Full-Cut Shirts Fill a Need as a Man’s Youthful Physique Tapers Off

The high-powered type-A males who populate local executive offices often insist on wearing the same shirt style they wore when they got out of business school: the tapered-fit. It’s a youth thing mainly; no one wants to face up to the fact that the typical physique at 45 doesn’t look quite the same as it did at 25.

The tapered shirt has less fabric in the middle and hugs the skin at an area where the “spare tire” is often stored. The more common traditional fit has a fuller cut that shelters physiques both good and bad.

“You should try each style on and see which is more comfortable to you,” says Jennifer Pettigrew of Brooks Brothers in Fashion Island Newport Beach. “It’s really a matter of personal preference.”

Although it’s ultimately a question of choice, keep in mind that if those lower buttons are straining to stay in place, it may be wise to start updating your closet with traditional-fit dress shirts.

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Pewter blues: Last year the metallic look zoomed into fall--hot copper, silver, gold and the color that looks great alone, pewter. This grayish, silvery tone sold well on shoes, purses and belts, but many women found they didn’t get much use out of it because it failed the basic fashion test: What goes with it?

“Pewter is a really great neutral; it goes with everything,” says Lisa Valeriano of Twice the Style in Costa Mesa. “It’s a great alternative to beige or white.”

While metallics are still popular, they have changed a little. Gone are the bright, glitzy shades of gold and silver. The “in” tones are muted, not-so-bold colors, so if your shoes seem to stick out, see if your cobbler can redye them.

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Flying high: It wasn’t long ago that about the only type of sunglasses you could find were the wire-rimmed aviator-style made popular by pilots and highway patrolmen. Then a little more than a decade ago came the return of the Wayfarer and a revolution in sunglass frames.

But some people have steadfastly kept to wearing their Smokey-style glasses, some with mirrored lenses.

“They may not be in fashion right now, but aviator glasses are still a classic style,” says sunglass distributor Ed Colson of Huntington Beach. “You may want to add a few other styles of glasses to go with different outfits.”

The black-frame Wayfarer-style is seen as a “dressier” pair of sunglasses, while multihued frames should probably be saved for the beach.

Aviator glasses are great for your casual and nice-casual outfits, and, of course, when you’re taking the Cessna for a run to Vegas.