oh brother, wear art thou?
When I first met my husband, we were young and broke, two facts which (I now know) shouldn’t have prevented us from dressing well. I wore incredibly tight capris; he wore shirts purchased from the thrift store–not the funny “Virginia Is For Lovers” kind, but the old-man, estate-sale-leftovers golf polo kind. Into every wardrobe, a little strain must fall: we were bursting the seams of respectability.
We grew up, grew old, grew a few more coins to jingle in our pockets. I spent some of them on Lucky Mag’s first book, The Lucky Shopping Manual: Building and Improving Your Wardrobe Piece by Piece, which changed my life. After giving me permission to purge every ill-fitting, purchased-on-a-whim outfit I owned, I was down to two pieces of clothing: a vintage cashmere cardigan and a ’50s cropped coat from my grandmother. Imagine that.
Despite the strides we’ve made over the years, I’ve often wished my husband had the same sort of manual. We all have room to stride, right? Enter Esquire’s The Handbook of Style: A Man’s Guide to Looking Good, whose introduction calls it a “roadmap for a territory that’s familiar and strange at the same time.” Did you know, for instance, that in the summer it’s OK not to wear socks, but only if you give your shoes a break every other day? Or that sideburns and a goatee elongate a round face? Or that Bob Denver (not Jesus, which is a common misconception) is the originator of the modern mandal?
This book would be the ideal Valentine’s Day gift from me to him: an extension of the “I want the world to see you the way I see you” brand of longtime love that allows us to accept what our mates wear, but still wish for them to present the best version of themselves.
I’m willing to be that there’s a man in your life in need of a few sartorial suggestions (honestly, the book should be required reading for any man old enough to plunk down a credit card for Crocs and/or frayed khaki shorts). So if you leave a comment on this post describing your biggest fashion faux pas, you’ll be entered to win a copy of Esquire’s book. Best answer takes the prize: it’s not random this time, so funny and brief win the day.
the fine print:
Comments will be closed and entries will not be accepted after 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, February 15 , 2009. The winner will be selected on Monday, February 16, 2009, and notified by e-mail. Results of the giveaway will be announced on Monday, February 16, 2009. Multiple entries will not be accepted, and previous giveaway winners are not eligible. Misosouper, a shopping blog reserves the right to disqualify entries that are incomplete, inaccurate, or considered spam.
Tags: book, Esquire, Lucky Mag, men's clothing, style, The Handbook of Style
February 9th, 2009 at 11:53 am
biggest fashion faux-pas? i don’t think i’ve ever had one LOL. no i actually wore capri pants many years ago…they are the worst item of clothing every made, ever. no one should wear them.
seriously – my SO needs this book. only two years ago was i able to convince him to stop wearing “relaxed” fit jeans – you know, the ones that are tapered at the ankle. oy.
grechen’s last blog post..Why do you Shop online?
February 9th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Grechen, you’re so, so right. My daughter looks cute in them, but that’s because chubby ankles are still considered adorable when you’re two.
And it’s really a great little book. Especially if virtualleo’s just getting over the mom jeans.
February 9th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
LOLOL – the sad thing with virtualleo is that i really had to work HARD to convince him. then we went to barney’s co-op and picked him up a few pairs of 7’s
grechen’s last blog post..Why do you Shop online?
February 9th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
[...] misosouper, a shopping blog, featuring fashion, design, and gadgets Tell me what you buy, and I’ll tell you who you are. « oh brother, wear art thou? [...]
February 9th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Mine? Two words: Stirrup pants.
His? Pleated pants. I have (mostly) broken him of the habit.
February 9th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
My husband really. needs. this book. As far as biggest fashion faux pas, I could go on and on. Pretty much all of my teenage years. I wore the really wide leg jeans, and judged if they were big enough by whether I could fit the bottom of the pants leg over my head. They were HUGE. And had reaaallly big pockets. I discovered I could fit 8 duckpin bowling balls into the pockets at one time.
February 10th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
One of them is that I wore leggings when I really should not have worn them.
My husband has had a few of them (especially since he has one suit coat).
February 10th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
I forget to keep in one color palette-for example I tend to mix brown shoes with a black belt or coat :/
February 11th, 2009 at 5:42 am
Hmm OK, biggest fashion faux-pas… I make sure I’m all color-coordinated like all purple, all pink. Doesn’t look good.
February 11th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Had to be junior high. I was a skinny wisp of an eleven year old girl and I wore HUGE overalls that could have fit one or two more people in them, a baggy shirt sporting those mavens of fashion Bugs Bunny and Taz (looking surly no less) with one strap carefully unclipped to swing freely in the breeze. The finishing touch? Giant yellow clodhopper boots that were meant for beefy construction guys named Mike. Oh, the faux-pas-ity!
February 11th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
My best friend is in need of this book, as he dresses up as a gay dancer (think thight jeans and armless T-shirts with puberal quotes on them) when he really wants to look like a bohemien dandy writer. My fashion faux pas are not really all that numerous. I once wore fake pink souvenirshop crocs on the Champs Elysees in Paris, but only because my normal shoes had reduced my feet to blood and blisters. My worst fashionrelated disaster has to be this one : When I was in highschool, I once wore shimmery white capri pants. It was only when I went to check my hair in the mirror of the shool bathroom that I noticed the way the cherries on my underpants shone through. :s
February 11th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
i sure need this
February 11th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
The 80’s: BIG overprocessed hair, padded shoulders, high waisted trousers. Looked like the band Poison.
February 11th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
My husband dresses much better than he used to. His closet was filled with old man style golf shirts, blech. He would love to win this.
Limor’s last blog post..More Sewing Projects!
February 11th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Three words: leggings as pants. I know sites around the world have shuddered about this stupid trend, and I still cringe when I see people walking around because I think “oh my God you forgot to put on all your clothes.”
N+S’s last blog post..pleated raglan top
February 12th, 2009 at 9:18 am
biggest fashion mishap was scrunchies…no getting around that one..yikes!
February 13th, 2009 at 3:34 am
Biggest fashion mistake ever: in junior high I was really into wearing baggy clothes. Which is the style for crazy boys these days. But anyhow, I would ask my parents and grandma to buy me men’s size 32 pants HUGE!!! Even after 3 kids, that is too big for me now. And not to mention they were colored jeans, pink, purple…yuck!!!
Crystal’s last blog post..Losing my wisdom….
February 13th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
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February 14th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
In the 80’s, Vogue was talking up Neons. So I bought bright neon orange socks and matching lace headband. I wore these with white eyelet skirt and SANDALS. Man, I looked like a muppet. A trampy muppet.
February 14th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Come on, guys – capri pants and padded shoulders are faux pas? For Pete’s sake, now what will I wear?
Aside from having followed the normal silly fads as a kid (sneakers with nylons, wildly teased hair, big army-surplus winter coats, etc., etc.), I think the most stupid “fashion statement” I ever made was a short period when I insisted on carrying pens and pencils in the breast pocket of my business suits, just like the guys did. Imagine! I only did it for a few days before I realized how ridiculous it looked, but decades later I still cringe to think of it!
Ha ha! Great contest. Thanks for the giveaway!
February 15th, 2009 at 12:01 am
floral stretch pants. enough said.
February 15th, 2009 at 6:36 am
I guess my biggest fashion mistake was to wear white to the kids weddings. I didn’t do it once but twice. Being a northerner now residing in the south spring and summer only meant being in cool clothing. Thanks for having the wonderful giveaway,
February 15th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Thanks for this giveaway!
I need this for my brother…
My biggest fashion mishap is quite embarrassing. I wore a cheap blue nylon-type shirt. Little did I know that when sweat touches this type of fabric, it turns orange. I walked around with neon orange circles under my armpits for a full day until I could go home and change (mortifying for a teenager). Oh, high school…
-Nessa D. (vanessa.hkp at hotmail dot com)
February 15th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Don’t laugh! I know all men must do this at one time or another! But, it’s such a wildly fashion faux pas when my husband cuts himself while shaving only to forget to remove that dab of tissue he used to catch the blood which is still crazily plastered to his chin! Now, imagine if he walks into a business meeting like this! : ))) YES!!! This book is definitely for us! : )))
Thanks so much for this fabulous give~away! : )))
leahita[at]gmail[dot]com
February 15th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
My husband cuts all his t-shirts into V-necks and lets his chest hair hang out…and HE actually thinks he looks good! lol
February 15th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
My biggest fashion faux pas has to be my love for holiday themed clothing and jewelry. It has come to my attention that the Christmas sweaters, scarves, jewelry, socks (all 31 pairs), and shoes–yes shoes are NOT cool. Nor is my Easter egg silk scarf, my Thanksgiving sweater with the pilgrim, turkey, and native American buttons, or my turtleneck with the ghosts, bats, and witches to welcome Halloween. I think I also have hearts all over a shirt for Valentine’s Day and a big silk scarf with shamrocks and harps to celebrate St. Patty’s Day. Don’t even ask what I wear for all patriotic holidays…I’m crushed to know my festive spirit isn’t embraced.
Thanks for the chance to help the man in my life!
Lisa
hianded@earthlink.net
February 15th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
I wore a shirt inside out!
Caryn Bailey’s last blog post..The Party Continues on Monday
February 16th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Congrats to our winner, Lisa O! Because friends shouldn’t let friends wear holiday themed clothing.