The Mr: Must Haves & Must Nots

OK gentlemen, light your cigar, pour your snifter of brandy & sit back & listen to the DKGstyle "Must Haves & Must Nots," menswear edition.   Ladies, think of me as your messenger. We all know that this message has been repeated countless times by you, but as your 3rd party "expert" (take that loosely) perhaps this time it may stick. Now don't get me wrong, I am much more prepared, & passionate about womenswear, however, I do have a husband & I have pretty much dressed him since we met in 2001. So here are the basic rules (and if you know Frank, you know that left to his own devices he often breaks the rules):

Top 10 "Must Haves"
1. Designer (or at least nice) jeans
Sorry, I know you'd rather spend the cash on golf clubs or beer or fishing rods, but this is a menswear must.  Just buy 1-pair for goodness sake, they should last you a couple of years, then when you wear them out, buy 1 more.
2. Shoes (obvious, I know, but a few basics) 
A pair or two of each, depending on your lifestyle:  dress, casual, exercise, flops.  You can keep that 1 pair from high school that you can't give up but please don't wear them outside of your home.
3. Red tie  
Red means power!  Wear this on interviews, business presentations, or for times when you want to feel like the man in charge (but please spare the gal & don't wear it on a first date).
4. Belts
One or two (if you want different colors) of each:  dress, casual.  Match your shoe & belt leathers, black & black, brown & brown.
5. Some sweet shades
My first inclination was to insist on a pair of designer shades, but I am going to step down & let you choose between designer or sporty shades like Smith or VonZipper or if you want to be really cutting edge & charitable, Toms just came out with some sweet shades.
6. Clean white shirt
This means no stains & in relatively new condition.  Depending on your job, your style, & where you live this can range from a t-shirt to a button down w/french cuffs.  Paired with the designer jeans above, & matching leathers, this is one of my favorite, timeless looks for men.  I personally like the t-shirt option on my husband w/ nice jeans & the footwear of his choice (which means flops).
7. Blazer  
This is a lifelong staple, use your style & personality to compliment your wardrobe.
8. Outer coat
Depending on the climate & your occupation I would suggest 1 of each dress & casual, but you might be able to get away with one somewhere in the middle.
9.  Cologne
This is a hard one & you will definitely need some help from the nice lady at the counter or your wife or a girlfriend.  Find a signature cologne that suits you & apply (very subtly) for evenings out.  Less is more!
10. Bag or Brief
Something that suits your style & your lifestyle.  Have fun with this one.

Now that wasn't so bad, right?!  You probably have almost all of these in your wardrobe already.  If you are lacking an item or two (hopefully not the "shoes" item... if so this may not be the blog for you), I have put together a few menswear "looks" based on what I think 3 of my best guy friends (one being my husband, of course) would do with my list above.  I hope you enjoy & get a few ideas for yourself!


Ridgway is one of those modern day Renaissance guys, who every gal wants as a BFF.  He loves the arts, is incredibly athletic, & always has something interesting or inspiring to say.  He has great taste, so I hope I did him justice here.

Jim is married to my fabulous friend Judith, whom I've mentioned in posts-past.  Jim is from NYC (jealous!) & is very city chic.  He is a road warrior for work which takes him to cosmopolitan places on a daily basis.  He is a foodie, an art lover, & an athlete.

Lastly, my hubby, Frank.  Frank has worked in the finance world (ie. stock market) his whole career.  His occupation dictates a more formal look by day, but is a laid-back casual guy by night.  He is a stock market extraordinaire, an avid golfer, one who loves food, wine & friends, & just an all around fantastic guy (I am one lucky lady)!

Lastly, a few "Must Nots."  I will admit that "Must Nots" sounds a bit extreme, but I couldn't resist the play on words, so consider these friendly tips & reminders.

"Must Nots" & Maintenance

-Phase out pleats.  Don't go throw away every pair of pants you own, just commit to bringing in flat fronts as you buy new pants/shorts/suits.

-Holey socks, shirts, underwear... toss 'em!

-Keep the baseball hat wearing to a minimum unless you are attending a game or a beer fest in the park

-Maintain the mane.  If you can pull off a longer haired look, just keep it tidy, & remember, neck hair is never appealing no matter how long your locks may be.

-Tanning:  I'm not a huge fan of the super tan man, to me it just screams "higher maintenance than me," but this is probably a bit judgemental on my part, so just run your tanning plans by your lady friend & look for facial expressions as your cue rather than "sure, a spray tan sounds super" (as she turns & plunges her finger into her mouth).

Stylishly yours,
DKG