Casual Mens Clothes Shopping Adventure

I recently went clothes shopping with a male friend who has little (read: almost no) interest in fashion. Sure, he cares about how he looks -- something he lacked when we met as teens, though has happily grown into in his 20s -- but he was clueless about where to get clothing or what to try on.

Thankfully, he was an eager and willing participant when it came to trying on plenty of clothes during our shopping adventure.

Over the course of two days, we went to several affordably-priced retailers with heaps of men's clothes. We saw it all -- from shirts labeled "medium" that looked more like XXL at the regional department store Bon Ton, to turquoise, acid-washed men's skinny jeans at Pac Sun.

Despite its poor size selection, Bon Ton was still the first place he made a purchase: a pair of Calvin Klein jeans with a low-rise waist, straight leg, medium wash. The pants have a grayish/rusted wash which is stylish but subtle. And they are cut much less baggy around the hip area than most of his other jeans, making them significantly more flattering to his physique.


The next day he got a black button down shirt and a plaid short sleeved button down at Sears. Pretty standard fair, but keep in mind we were looking for additions to a wardrobe largely comprised of polo shirts purchased by his mom and screen print tees that went out of style after high school.

The patterns on these shirts look more subtle in person, I took the photos in a dark room so the colors are skewed.

(This would look great with a suit jacket and jeans.)

(Dark jean friendly -- didn't look as good with the new CK jeans, since it was too gray all over.)

Finally, we hit the jackpot when it came to our main quest for the trip -- t-shirts. My friend wanted casual t-shirts he can throw on to go to school instead of wearing one of the aforementioned polos every day. (He says his screen print tees are relegated to in-house wear and don't see the light of day. Probably a wise move.)

And we found them at (drum roll please)...Old Navy. Five dollar tees that look awesome and feel awesome.

For $25 he left with five well-fitting, attractive, versatile shirts. In black and light gray he got this classic tee with a round neck, though it's also available with a v neck.

My favorite shirt though was this ringer tee with contrast trim that he got in greenish turquoise, charcoal gray and navy blue. It feels soft and really makes the shoulders look broad. I think it's one of the most flattering, effortlessly cool things I've ever seen my friend wear.


And to think he was relucatant to go into Old Navy! It typically isn't the first store I hit either, but from what I recently saw, I think their quality has significantly improved in the past few years.

Thrifted Finds

Many of the thrift stores I've gone to have been of the megamart variety, filled with musty air and racks upon racks of well-worn, outdated clothing. (Or clothing that never was stylish.) Others have been upscale little vintage places so expensive you'd hardly believe that the wares are second-hand.

On a recent lunch break from work, I discovered a delightful place in Kensington, Md. that falls somewhere in the middle. Of course, I can't find my receipt and remember its name right now...it's a small store on a side street, just a short walk away from some sandwich joints, a gas station and a CVS. It's not a place you'd necessarily expect a cute thrift boutique in part of an old converted house, well-lit with natural light, clean, and accented by charmingly creaky wooden floors. It felt like I was browsing through someone's personal closet.

The women's things were mostly in one bedroom-sized room. Not a huge selection but a diverse one, from Guess jeans and Ralph Lauren shirts to shoes from Target. I tried on a bunch of things and ended up with this:

FCUK jeans with embroidery -- $17



Very comfy! I love the weathering on these jeans and the awesome embroidery. Even though they were labeled as capris, they fit me as full-length pants. :)

Express pink suede skirt -- $4

This skirt was on clearance after originally having been $18. It's real suede and has a lining, too. It fits very well, so even though I'm not yet sure *how* I will wear a pink suede skirt...I'll find a way. Probably with black heels and a black sweater. In the photos I have it paired with chocolate brown. (And below...that's me standing on the side of my bathtub, lol, facing the only full-length mirror in my aparment.)

Fashion Tips for the Office Gal

As easy as it is to just throw on black slacks, a shirt and call it an outfit, there's more to dressing like a professional woman than that. But I didn't have any resources to regularly reference for this kind of attire until I came across Corporette.com.

"Corporette is a fashion and lifestyle blog for women lawyers, bankers, MBAs, consultants, and otherwise overachieving chicks who work in conservative offices and need to look professional, but want to be fashionable," the site says.

Its posts are descriptive but succinct, and often feature one specific item of clothing (ie: St. John's paisley print top) to highlight general style tips (the kinds of things you can wear with said top). There are also posts with reader questions, interesting links from other blogs and a 'suit of the week.' They also suggest pieces in a variety of price ranges throughout the week, starting with a splurge and ending with a bargain. (Which can still be a bit pricey, such as a $44 sweater on sale at the Gap, but I figure that anyone can take the ideas and work with them. And maybe once I've been in the working world a few more years, those prices will seem more attainable?)

Corporette's aesthetic is in line with Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, J.Crew, the Gap, etc. Professional, polished, a little bit fun, feminine, confident. I will definitely be checking it out for attire ideas that are both office- and style-friendly.

I'm Not a Big Fan of Renee Z. But...

I think this Carolina Herrera gown is fantastic. The silver is just dark enough to compliment her uber-fair skin, and the cut highlights her strong shoulders. Zellweger wore it to the 69th Annual American Spring Gala in New York on Monday, May 18. (Photo from WENN via Radar Online.)


On the topic...I also love the color of Mariska Hargitay's dress, but don't think the fit is quite right, or maybe it's her pose. Her hair and necklace are great, though. As with above, the dress is Carolina Herrera. (Photo from PR Photos via Monsters and Critics.)

Zebra Skirt <3

I don't wear this very often, but I love it. It's too bold for too often. Catch me in the right mood, though, and putting this on makes me feel sexy in a sophisticated way.

It's made of soft, fine wool. A $170 skirt I got for $17 at a Lord and Taylor outlet. (My mouth almost gaped open when I got to the register.) Fits very well.

Even though it's mid-May, I'm planning to wear this baby to the office sometime this week.

Is It Weird...

I kind of like this dress.



It was featured on Yahoo's OMG entertainment news site in the "What were they thinking" category.

To me, though, the textures are interesting, the colors work, and the whole look comes across as effortlessly pretty and fun. I don't know who the actress is or if it's necessarily red carpet appropriate, but I think she pulls it off. I especially like how the white contrasts with the black accessories and her dark hair. What a lovely face too.

I'll admit that the top looks a bit strange -- I wonder what that mesh-like material is. And it's not that I'd ever wear this dress, or can't see how people might say 'wow, that's bizarre looking.'

But there's just something about it that I like.

Pretty in Gray

Yesterday morning I did something cool at work for once -- went to a press screening of the Luis Melendez exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.

Melendez is regarded as the greatest Spanish still-life painter of the eighteenth century. His paintings of cheeses, vegetables, breads and other staples of Spanish cuisine looks so realistic you just want to grab them off the canvas! And his mastery with a brush was such that your eye is drawn to the textures of the foods, not the brush strokes on the canvas themselves.

Anyway, I'm no master of self-photography, but I felt very cute in the pictured outfit. Instead of wearing a suit, I opted for a feminine gray sweater-shirt (with white blouse sleeves and a white tie at the top) and a gray-and-black sweater. (From Target, no less!) I wore it with black slacks and brick red maryjane flats, for a subdued pop of color.

It was a good outfit for the event and for enjoying yesterday's beautiful weather while strolling through the city.

Rude Shoppers and Fun Purchases

I went to Kohl's this weekend looking for undies, a picture frame and whatever else caught my eye. They had a promotion in which if you spent $50 you'd get a $10 coupon off a future purchase, so that's what I did. The promotion ended Monday in stores, but is still running online until April 29.

I have a love/hate relationship with Kohl's...err, as much as one can have with a store. I like that they offer lots of good deals and have begun stocking relatively more upscale goods -- ie: with a Vera Wang clothing line and Food Network kitchenware -- while maintaining reasonable prices. The problem is that you have to do a lot of digging to find the hidden gems. I'd say overall Kohl's hit-or-miss on quality, and that over the past few years, prices have gone up while overall quality of the merchandise has not.

Maybe it's because my scope of the store has expanded beyond the juniors section.

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to enter my local Kohl's a see a huge, attractive display of beauty products. They looked nice, but not tempting enough to lure me in...though I could hardly believe their wide range of fancy perfumes, including my beloved "Daisy" by Marc Jacobs, which I gave to my little sis for the holidays.

I went home with:
A copper picture frame to go on my fireplace mantel; gold-plated flower earrings; a lion broach.


A (much-needed) black bra; three pairs of undies; and a pink and black hoodie (from Avril Lavigne's line...makes me shudder a bit, but it looks really cute on).

Nothing to wear to work, but fun things to jazz up under and around my 9-to-5 outfits.. I've already worn most of the items and have the picture frame -- still empty, sadly -- on my mantle.

Lastly, the "rude shoppers." I was at the register behind a group of teens and two women, who already had one or two purchases rung up separately. The women were also buying about 20 watches in individual boxes. They'd put on some fuss before I got on line, and then more of a fuss with the watches -- to the point that the teens left for another line.

After the cashier rung the women up, they suddenly started asking how to remove the watches from the boxes. They said that in the past, they haven't been able to remove the zip ties holding the watches into the box. They asked the clerk to show them how to do it. How to cut a zip tie. After they'd held up the line and had 20 boxes rung up.

So the clerk took out a scissors but (smartly) refused to try cutting herself, and asked them to try. After a half-assed attempt, they requested a manager.

A manager came over and told them to cut with a scissors or a knife or a razor at home. They looked dumbfounded when it came to this suggestion until the manager had repeated herself half a dozen times.

They finally left (in their matching "Princess" shirts) and I got up to the register and said to the cashier 'wow, that was kind of obnoxious.' Like the manager really had a better idea to open the package?

Outfit: Hip Yet Work Appropriate

Here's me feeling a bit clever the other day in dark skinny jeans, a patterned shirt and a black suit jacket.

This was after a long day at the office and 40 mins in traffic, so my mug wasn't much to look at, hehe.

I love dark jeans with suit jackets. I think the combination looks polished but fun. It certainly beats the khakis and sweater sets I usually wear to work; not that there's anything wrong with them, but sometimes I like dressing with some spunk too. At 22, I'm half the age of most of my coworkers, and more than that, I work around senior and baby boomer issues all day...and it's easy to forget that I should be enjoying my youth!

The shirt I purchased on my recent outlet mall excursion at Ann Taylor. The jacket is also Ann Taylor -- one of my first two jackets, I got it when I was 16 or 17. It fit my body shape back then, but the many buttons don't flatter my bustier frame now, so I'm hopefully going to replace it soon. The jeans are "Morgan" from Delia's (I wrote about them in one of my first posts, awww).

Unfree To Buy Undewear

A group of women in Saudi Arabia launched a campaign this week to boycott lingerie stores until they employ women, according to the Associated Press.

But this isn't just about hiring women. In a country in which the genders are very strictly segregated in public, it's also about how uncomfortable it is for women to buy underwear in an all male-staffed shops.

I still get bashful perusing the lingerie sections of departments stores. I can't imagine if Victoria's Secret was staffed by all dudes. And, more than that, the salesmen who are sizing these women up can't see much more than their eyes.

Under Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islamic law, women are required to cover themselves head-to-toe in black robes in public. But in the privacy of their own homes — and bedrooms — they can wear whatever they want, and sexy undergarments are popular.

But buying them is another story. Fitting rooms are banned in the kingdom — the idea of a woman undressing in a public place with men just outside is unthinkable. So a woman is never sure she has chosen the right size until she gets it home.

Sounds like an uncomfortable crap shoot.

With the way things are, the salesmen are embarrassed, the female customers are embarrassed, their (non-mandatory but common) male chaperons are embarrassed. Could you take your brother thong shopping??

Women supporting the boycott campaign want enforcement of a 2006 law which says that all female staff can be employed in women's apparel stores.

The law has never been put into effect, partly due to hard-liners in the religious establishment who oppose employing women in mixed environments like malls, where religious police are always on the lookout to keep men and women from interacting.

Hiring women would also deprive men of jobs in a country where more than 10 percent of men are unemployed.

The campaign [also] calls on women to shop at the country's few women-only lingerie stores. Usually stand-alone boutiques or located in malls that have women-only sections, these shops have no windows to ensure passing men cannot look in — and giving women the freedom to actually try things on.

I'm not surprised that attractive lingerie is popular in a place where women have to hide in public, though -- it seems to me like there'd be a lot of people itching for a little bit of independence, to make themselves feel beautiful and feminine even if it must be hidden. And it certainly makes me think a bit differently about my ability to go into any number of malls and stores and buy whatever underwear I want, largely unnoticed.

Does Size Matter?

After years of reading it, and even reciting it as a sales associate at a clothing store, a little part of me remains unconvinced that size doesn't matter.

Clothing size, of course.

The topic came to my mind over lunch this weekend. I was sitting in a casual restaurant across from a 30-something couple with two young children. The littlest was probably no older than 2 and still in a stroller. Dad looked fine, but mom was squeezed into clothes that looked like they were pre-maternity.

She wasn't heavy-set, just looked like a woman who'd recently had a baby and hadn't yet dropped all the weight. I probably wouldn't have noticed her if not for her outfit: a boxy-yet-clingy floral shirt and flimsy gray cargo flood pants (the kind that look good on almost no one) that were clinging to her hips within an inch of their life.

Well, I really noticed when she turned around to wrangle the kids and flashed a foot's worth of her back, love handles spilling over her pants in full-glory.

Clothes are understandably not the first thing on a mother-of-two's mind. And I don't know anything else about this woman's life or budget. But what I do know is that this is a look I've seen before -- women of all shapes and sizes squeezing themselves into clothes that are too small. (I know oversized is also an issue, but that's a blog for another day...)

Sometimes clothes shrink in the dryer. Sometimes you gain weight. Sometimes your body changes along with hormonal changes, like after having a baby or hitting puberty. Sometimes your size doesn't change at all, but one company's "small" is another company's "large."

Size doesn't matter, it's what looks good! Whatever the reason, when you're poking through your closet or out shopping, you really shouldn't fall victim to thinking a lower number is better. Frankly, no one knows what size you wear unless she looks inside the label! So if you want a number to be concerned with, focus on reaching a healthy Body Mass Index. And leave the clothing to what fits and what flatters your body.

Next time I have the little size voice pop up in my head, I'm just going to try remembering how foolish I could look in overly tight clothes and how uncomfortable they would be...and find something in whatever my size is that day from that particular brand. :)

Lovely and Not-so-lovely

Turns out I had strep throat and mononucleosis. (No, I don't think I got it from kissing! lol.) Antibiotics for the strep kicked in and I feel a lot better - ie: can swallow without wincing - though I'm still worn down and easily tired.

I also think being sick is affecting my motor skills. Seriously, I put the sheets on my bed on crooked the other day after washing everything because of the strep. And the past couple of days I've parked really poorly. And dropped things. Maybe just a clumsy coincidence??

Okay, so, last night I went on a shopping excursion at Eddie Bauer. Not for me, as the best purchase of the night was this handsome leather jacket that was 50 percent off:

The store is having big sales and the one I went to is going out of business, so everything is being cleared out. In between looking for menswear a pretty skirt caught my eye, and what would you know? There were two left, one in my size (including 'petite'!) and 60 percent off.

So lovely!


But on a not-so-good note (though comical), I broke the button on a pair of corduroy pants today at work. They're inexpensive juniors pants I've owned for a couple of years now and the button has been a bit messed up for a bit....then today, the top of the button just cracked off the base. Lame!

Anyone know how to fix that?

My Little Black (Friday) Dress

I wasn't playing to shop today, but after lunch with some high school friends we popped into a TJ Maxx for some directionless wandering. Though I wanted to get a pair of boots, I figured while were we there that I could look for a cocktail dress for a wedding I'm attending on Jan. 1.

After trying on four or five decent-but-not-fantastic dresses, I came upon this:

It might not look like anything super special on the mannequin but it looks great on me. All three of my friends sitting on a bench in the waiting area agreed, and they have very varied senses of style so I trust the collective judgment. It accentuates my hourglass figure without making me look too busty and smooths out flaws. Plus, I had no little black party dress! This will be great since I can wear it to many different types of functions.

Online at Overstock.com it's listed for $42.50 in a Black Friday sale (normally $49.99). But I got it for $25 + tax, not even on sale! I thought it was a good deal in the store (without sacrificing quality or fit) and this is just icing on the cake.

Now all I need to do is accessorize. Since I don't want to wear all black to a wedding I'm thinking a jewel toned violet shawl with gold paisley detail on the bottom and some metallic shoes. Or...something else. Luckily I have a few weeks to make a decision. Any suggestions?