Men’s Fashion Basics – Part 3 – Long Sleeved T-Shirts

Following on from our last article on T-shirts and how they are basic items for any man’s wardrobe, I thought I’d expand on the topic a little more and broaden our horizons into the world of long-sleeved T-shirts. Now there are quite a lot of them about on the high street at the moment with the coming of autumn/winter making them perfect for layering as a base for your outfit. I can’t say I’ve ever really been that much of a fan of long sleeve T-shirts in the past, other than using them for extra warmth under other items… but nonetheless I dived into all the stores in town and had a look at was on offer and what was being done with them.

Similarly to T-shirts, the long sleeved variety come in crew neck and v-neck styles and a myriad of colours to match. A big trend at the moment is the ribbed versions that are being sold in places such as Burton and Topman and seem mainly designed to be used as your first layer when dressing yourself. On the other hand, with the Henley-style (y-style neck with button opening) thick-knit jumpers and T-shirts making a big impact on most designer’s autumn and winter collections, long-sleeved varieties have appeared to become more of a focal point for outfits and can be used singularly when matched underneath some great open knitwear or statement jacket like a trench.

I have in fact purchased a black and charcoal grey striped one from H&M just the other day and think its amazing. When it comes to the Henley versions I would say you’d want to go for some kind of detailing like stripes or patterns, maybe even in bold colourings to differentiate them from your bog-standard under-layers, which should be without details and in neutral colours so they will go with most of your other clothes.

Quick Tips

As always, here are some fool-proof ways of using long-sleeve T-shirts in outfits:
The most obvious one here is the layered look and you’ve got two options. First would be a boldly coloured one in a sky blue, plum purple or a maroon over a neutral one (which hopefully you’ve remembered is either black, white, grey or navy) and just mix up the style of crew and V-neck (open cut version on top). Or go with a white or black crew neck and put a patterned Henley-style one over the top and let the top layer do the talking. Partner with dark-wash jeans, chinos, blazers, scarves, gloves, beanies, anything you can get your hands on.

Try pairing it with a T-shirt or even a Polo Shirt over the top. Kind of the same as what’s been said above but think about getting a graphic T-shirt involved giving the look more of a grungy/skater vibe to it. Go with a more relaxed jean in a lighter wash (but please not those baggy jean shorts from yester-years) and some Vans sneakers to round it off.

Swap them for the T-shirts that you use as the base layer for your casual shirts. Either keep it simple with a white or black crew neck or pick one that will highlight or co-ordinate with a colour already in the shirt. For example, with a red and black plaid shirt think about keeping it in the red family and go with a maroon long sleeve. But remember to roll up the shirt sleeves a little bit to show more of the layer underneath it.

Use a long sleeve t-shirt under a statement jacket on its own. This look can work with neautral colours with something like a mac or military coat to give a really clean and chic look. Alternatively you can use a thick statement long sleeve t-shirt under something like a gilet in order to show off the longer arms and pair with cut off gloves and a great winter scarf.

Don’t think or try too hard. Long sleeve t-shirts can essentially be used just like a normal short sleeved version worn on it’s own, under a hoody, under a check shirt or with a great piece of knitwear or statement jacket. Experiment with layering and using new items within your wardrobe.

So there you have it, something to think about as a variation to T-shirts now that the weather is getting worse and the wind is picking up. I know I’ve changed my mind on them just from walking around on a Saturday morning and checking them out. They’re great for that transition from autumn to winter when you need a little more warmth for your body. They are timeless items which can create a variety of casual or relaxed formal looks when paired with the right items. Find out which way of wearing them works for you and then go out and grab yourself a couple for the coming months and start of next year.

Example :

Source : www.fashionbeans.com

TYPOGRAPHYSHOP: CLOTHING AND ART FOR TYPE NERDS

Designer Patrick King sent me a link to his TypographyShop online shop for designers and typophiles but I had already known about it. However, I realized I never blogged about it… so here goes!

The shirts in the shop are not only for typophiles, but for graphic designers, too or anyone who might geek out over fonts. I’m particularly font of the “Sans” shirt and “Well Kerned”:

Also, he released a new endeavor – the George Lois Poster Project – in which they are debuting a new poster by Massimo Vignelli, with 10 other prominent designers’ entries in the works.

Source : design-milk.com

Men’s Fashion Basics – Part 2 – T-Shirts

With last week’s article on fit out of the way, it’s time to get stuck into the basic clothing that every guy needs. I decided that Tee’s would be a good place to start because they are something we should all be familiar with and should be a staple in your wardrobe’s fashion diet. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let me just clarify that I’m talking about a T-shirt here, NOT an undershirt. An undershirt does exactly what is says on the tin (and the loungewear article yesterday touched on this), it belongs under your shirt so that it can absorb all the sweat and manly smells you excrete throughout the day. This is never to be worn without a shirt, ever. If you do, it’s like showing the world your dirty laundry – ‘hey, look at me wearing clothes designed especially to collect dirt, great right?’. No, never.

What I am talking about are the basic cotton T-shirts that can be found in any good clothing store all around the country, that come in an array of colours and different stylings. The reason I think T-shirts are so great is because they’re a piece of clothing that we should all be comfortable with, but when done correctly can give you a really classic look to your outfit. This means that you can feel totally confident in what you’re wearing, whilst keeping your outfit as simple or as layered as you want.

Basic T-Shirts

Here’s a quick rundown of the types of T-shirts available to you: –

Crew Neck – these are the ones with the round collars and are probably what most men out there are used to wearing. They are great at being the base item for layering i.e. with sweaters, cardigans, shirts and even other T-shirts.

V-neck – very on trend right now. As a beginner in fashion, try not to go for anything that has an extremely deep V, more than a couple of inches and you’re pushing it. They are brilliant because they show a little more of your neck; making you appear and feel more relaxed and they help give guys with broader chins something to sit and frame them on underneath. A grey, black and white V-neck are classic items you should have that you can rely on to go with anything.

Y-neck/Granddad - These are for the fashion forward guys, with Henley-style inspired knitwear and long-sleeves making a big appearance this autumn. They have a button-up section that ends just below the chest. Extremely versatile for layering as they can be buttoned to the top like a crew neck, or opened up like a v-neck. You could maybe consider having a crew-neck printed Tee as your base and then layer a bright coloured open Y-neck over the top.

Basic T-Shirt Techniques

Now obviously, depending on your style or mood of casual attire then there are different ways you utilise T-shirts. For example you could use the T-shirt as your base or anchor for the outfit (see Jude Law and Zac Efron above) which would mean using a simple tee layered under a statement piece (blazer/check shirt) OR as a way of bringing life into an outfit that is otherwise very basic and monochromatic by using a bold statement colour.

Here are just a few fool-proof things you can try out with your T-shirts:
When using a tee as an anchor for the outfit layer it with a statement item. A big trend right now is worker wear so go for a plaid shirt in a bold blue or red – Look how Zac Efron pulls off that relaxed casual look above by pairing a white tee with a nice bold check shirt left open. Or perhaps you’d prefer a striped shirt in the same colours? You can then combined this simple look with some smart grey jeans and a navy blazer if you want to really get into advanced layering. Either way you have got a great look that’s held together in the middle by the neutral simple Tee. If you never button the top or bottom buttons of your shirts then wear a V-neck or alternatively, try it with only the top two or three buttons done up and pair it with a crew neck.
Use your crew necks as a way of bringing a pop of colour into your everyday wear, especially in winter. My standard go-to casual don’t-think-about-it wear for autumn and winter is a mid-blue pair of jeans with a black V-neck jumper over a crew neck in red, purples and greens. Or if I’m not in a jeans mood, it’ll be stone wash or navy chinos with a grey jumper, only this time the crew neck is in blues, pinks and purples.
Fashion can be simple! Look at Justin Timberlake and Brian Austin Green in the top picture.You CAN JUST wear a simple tee with some jeans and create a great outfit as long as they FIT correctly. This goes to show how easily fit can make or break an outfit, as if these t-shirts were oversized then these two would look terrible. It is not a very fashion forward approach, but it can be brought bang up to date using some great military boots/hi-tops with your jeans, or throwing on a simple statement jacket like a Mac or Military coat over the top of the t-shirt.
Finally, for when it does start to get a bit warmer, layering with other styles of T-shirts is cool too. Crew neck under a V neck, V neck under a Granddad, Crew neck and crew neck, who cares? Mix it up, have fun with it! That includes the colours as well. Combine it with your favourite pair of jeans and a neutral blazer (and by that I mean navy, grey or black) to make it a bit more formal if you want.

Source : www.fashionbeans.com