If I Were a Boy...

I wonder, if I were a boy, would I love J.Crew men's clothing as much as I do as a lady?  More than likely, yes.  Yesterday on a shopping excursion, I shopped with the best possible friend to take into a men's shop for a judgement-free opinion (thanks Steph!), and I found my new favorite shirt shape.  See, last week I returned a women's short sleeved chambray shirt with a heavy heart, but it was that thing where I had idolized the piece so much, then I put it on and it just wasn't working, so this week I resolved to try on the J.Crew men's version, and magic happened.

 J.Crew Short-Sleeved Japanese Chambray Shirt

 I'm so excited about the fit of both of these, enough room to feel comfortable, but fitted enough that I don't feel like I'm actually wearing men's clothing.  The magic of the seersucker shirt is the weight, it's so lightweight and nearly sheer.  IT. IS. PERFECT.  I can't wait to style them up, tie 'em up, and wear them all summer long.

J.Crew Short Sleeved Seersucker Shirt

Met Men

The ladies of the Met Gala typically steal the show, but this year I had to give credit to the dudes who rocked it in their designer duds.  

Up above we have Frank Ocean giving the punk to us in a very understated way, you must note the studded footwear.  And of course below is the man of the year, Pharrell Williams with his lady date, both sporting Lanvin.  The understated checked print on his suit hits me to the core. 

Men in Blue.  Eddie Redmayne in the most perfectly tailored navy Dior suit is almost too much for me to handle and Nicholas Hoult pulled off the oversized bowtie and a blue jacket quite well, how cute is he?

Last but not least, it's Charlie Conway no, Pacey Whitter I mean, JOSHUA JACKSON, looking dapper in Dior Homme. I love the touch of red in both his socks and his tie. 

The Men of Timo Weiland, Fall 2013

Thanks to a scheduling conflict on the part of my friend, I was able to masquerade as her and peep Timo Weiland's men's collection on Thursday.  I'd already heard great things about his women's collection that debuted earlier in the day, so I was definitely looking forward to it.  

Let's Talk Street Style: The Men in Europe

 Every year the men's shows in Europe provide enough eye candy {fashion wise & dude wise} to get through the next six months.  The shoes are amazing, the suits are impeccable and the swag is unforgettable.

This Guy

This guy is rugged.  This guy can sing.  This guy is talented.  This guy is just plain All American hot.  Vogue followed Garrett Hedlund 'On The Road' for their October issue, and it has me pining for a road trip more than I ever thought possible.  The layers upon cozy layers of fall knits that Kati Nescher sports throughout make me wish that fall could last forever, and the sense of wide open freedom expressed in the photos is infectious.  Enjoy.

Oh, hey you.

photos by Peter Lindbergh for vogue u.s., October 2012

Thoughts on Fabric

Is there a men's equivalent to polyester?  In the last few months I've paid a bit more attention to the goings on of men's fashion and it has gotten me thinking, is it that much easier to fake quality for women's clothing?  We get rayon, polyester, and acrylic blends all of the time, and maybe it's just me (because I'm a girl) but it seems like men get a WHOLE lot more by way of natural fibers...all the cotton, wool and real silk (ties only please) they would like.  My apologies in advance if this bores you.

Take for example Gap.  It's an easy place to compare the differences between men & women easily and on a middle ground (not uber-cheap but not really high quality either).  I went to the "shirts + blouses" section for women and the "shirts" section for men.  And I came up with some examples...

Here is a women's blouse and a men's shirt.  Both are things that you could wear to somewhat dressed up occasions (the top with a skirt/trousers/nice jeans, the shirt with chinos/dark jeans).  What I found in the women's category however was the large majority (if not all blouses) were either polyester, rayon, or a blend of the two.  Whereas in the men's section it was 100% cotton for all but 1 shirt (one that included lycra that I suggest no male ever wear).  Onto denim...

Extra crazy.  Literally every pair of men's denim was 100% cotton (and I wouldn't want it any other way...stretch would be WEIRD).  Conversely every pair of women's denim...if you could even call it that, had a combo of three fabrics, some cotton, a percentage of lycra and a percentage of polyester or rayon.  Can't a girl just get some real denim, and maybe for a pair of skinnie's 1% of lycra or spandex for the purpose of being able to move.

I find it interesting that women can be such shoppers, yet we're getting duped without realizing it.  Yes sometimes we can't all afford silk everything, but I know (based on years of buying at J.Crew factory stores) that you can get silk for cheap.  The problem that Gap and other stores might see with that is a smaller profit.  This is me ranting, but I think it's a fascinating topic.

Thanks to a few men for getting me thinking about this with all of their selvedge denim, cotton shirts and wonderful shoes... the men of The Midwestyle and Indigo & Cotton in Charleston.

photos via Gap.com