As Times Change, It Gets Easier to Watch Yourself
Staid traditionalism seems to be less of an influence in fashion every day. Take the case of the wristwatch. Since grandfather turned in his old pocket timepiece for a watch, the unspoken rule was that when a man was wearing a suit or tux, the watch had to have a black or brown leather band and the face had to be dressy.
But the popularity of the sporty style Rolex and Tag Heure’s has changed the equation. A hunky, blue-blood sport watch can be just as acceptable as a dress watch in a traditional situation.
“Many manufacturers are using stainless steel and 18-karat gold together, which makes a watch both sporty and dressy,” says Barbara Martinez of Shreve & Co. Jewelers in South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa. “However, you’ll still want to stay away from the fad watches. Anything with a plastic band isn’t OK for dress wear.”
Whatever your wrist wear, it’s a good idea to look it over and clean it up every few months.
“Your watch can reveal how detail-oriented you are,” Martinez says. “If yours is dirty with a worn-out band, that tells others something about your character.”
A little jewelry: Still have those small pendants, tiny hearts and flowered rings--that little-girl and preteen jewelry that’s been sitting in a dusty drawer for years? If you’re daring enough, you can join the thousands of other women who have started wearing their little-girl jewelry again.
“Lots of people can get away with it, as long as they don’t overdo the look,” says Johanna Perdaems of Vogue Alley in Laguna Niguel. “Mix it with some of your adult jewelry, and take a good look in the mirror to see if it’s right.”
You may need to move some things around. That little heart pendant you got in sixth grade may look better as part of a bracelet now, or as part of a charm bracelet with other young-miss gifts.
Hang’em high: A nice suit or sport coat is expensive, so why do so many guys remove their jackets and toss them over chairs, giving the coats strange folds and creases?
“If you’re going to take off your jacket, the ideal situation would be to put it on a coat hanger,” says Bill Snyder of Posh Gentlemen’s Clothing in Newport Beach. “If you have to put it on a chair, be careful about how it’s resting.”
If you have a tall, straight-backed dining room chair, hanging a jacket from end to end could easily stretch it out. Fold it carefully in half across the top of the chair. However, if you’re sitting on a rounded-back chair, it probably won’t do any harm to hang your jacket on the back.
