Put This On

Q and Answer: The Pants After Jeans

James writes: Recently I’ve been paying more attention to my clothes and their quality — that meant scrapping a lot of boxy khakis and ill-fitting jeans for a pair of APCs, but I’m looking for more than one pair of “everyday pants.” I feel like khakis make me look like my Dad (I feel like every generation of dudes wants to look as much like their grandfather as they can but as little like their father as they can) and after wearing pants cut for humans everything else feels baggy and awkward. Where can a guy go to get a pair of pants after he’s used to the durability of raw denim?

If you’re talking about a casual wardrobe, the next logical step after a good pair of jeans is a good pair of chinos.  Not all chinos are the triple-pleated monstrosities that you associate with your dad and Frasier Crane.

There are plenty of options these days for chinos with a trim fit.  Above are J. Crew’s “Urban Slim Fit” pants, which come in several colors - we prefer the slightly sandier British Khaki to the standard khaki.  A little more flavor.  They’re about $60 at full price.

My own favorite chinos are ones that I’ve recommended here several times before - the Uniqlo Vintage Chino.  A great fit, some great details, and they’re usually about $35.  If you live in New York, you can go into the store, but if you don’t, they ship, just call them (917-237-8811) and ask for phone orders.  I like that the Uniqlos retain a bit of a military feel - it makes them more useful as a casual pant, rather than as a second-rate substitute for dress pants.

Dockers, feeling the pressure to update their image, have released the K-1.  It’s inspired by WW2 military chinos, but with a dramatically slimmer cut.  I haven’t touched them, but I’ve heard good things from the clothes nerds.  They’re inexpensive as well, at $68.

Everyone seems to agree that Bill’s Khakis are the bee’s knees when it comes to quality in a chino.  Their M3 size isn’t quite as trim (from what we’ve heard) as the J. Crews, for example, but it’s pretty solid.  The price is a bit higher at $135, but the khaki aficionados say Bill’s are worth the scratch, especially if toughness is what you’re after.

Go flat-front, slim-fitting, and possibly with a little bit of military, period detail - like a wider belt loop, a richer color, a heavier twill.  Don’t buy them pre-destroyed.  Start them a bit more formal, and move them towards casual as they wear.  Your goal here should be to rock these as effortlessly as JFK on his boat.  With some good accessories and a nice fit, you’ll look great.  Then, you’ll be ready for some gray flannels.

Q and Answer: How High Should I Wear My Pants?

Alan asks: Where on a man’s waist area should his pant’s
waistband rest? Most all of my pants seem to naturally (and
comfortably) rest a little higher than halfway between the top of the
pelvis bone and the hip joint. Perhaps it depends on the type or style
or cut of pant. Maybe it all comes down to comfort and I should just
play it where it lies. My concern though, as irrational as it may
seem, is that if I wear them too low it’ll look douchey; too high on
the hip and people will take me for a bit of a milquetoast.

Until I can properly consult with a tailor, what’s the word on the
streets, as they say?

It does indeed depend on the pants.

One of the key measurements of a pair of pants is the rise.  That’s the distance between the waistline and the end of the crotch.  It can vary significantly between pant styles - which is why we use inseam (the length of the inside of the leg) rather than outseam (the length from the waistband on the outside of the leg) to indicate pant length.

Over the past twenty years, and particularly in the past ten or so, the waistline of men’s pants has been creeping ever lower, as more and more men have worn their pants in the way they might wear their jeans - well below their waistlines.  The dominance of flat-front pants and the stereotype of the old man with high-waisted pants have fed into this phenomenon as well.

Low-waisted pants have advantages and disadvantages.  They can look cleaner and more contemporary, for one thing.  They can make the torso look longer.  They also make it more difficult to keep one’s pants up, more difficult to keep one’s shirt tucked in a flattering manner, and can create a “no man’s land” between the waist button on a coat and the belt line.  And while they can sit more comfortably below a gut, they also can emphasize said gut.

So: take note of the rise on your pants, and how you look in pants of various styles.  Take note, too, of the fashion world’s preferences, because you’ll be seen through that lense whether you like it or not.

As for where to wear your pants - let the rise tell you.  Your pants are cut so that their crotch is immediately below your crotch.  If they have a longer rise, they’ll be higher at the waist.  If they have a shorter rise, they’ll be lower.

(Above: Tobey Radloff, “The Genuine Nerd”)

Q and Answer: The Pocket Square and How She Is Worn

Liz writes: My boyfriend and I have been re-watching the last few seasons of Mad Men, and for all the fashion in the show to have questions about, we were most curious about the pocket square. There seem to be myriad ways to wear it, but we’re wondering if different folds suit different occasions or styles. What’s the deal?

After all but disappearing in the 1990s, the pocket square has returned full force, and we’re just pleased as punch about it.  It’s a wonderful place to show a little taste and personality in an otherwise simple and uniform outfit.

The square can take a couple of forms, the simplest of which is plain white linen.  The square’s origins are as a handkerchief, and this style is closest to those roots.  A white linen square can be worn in almost any situation, in the breast pocket of almost any suit coat, sport coat or blazer.  Our only advice: don’t use it to blow your nose.  If you need one for that purpose (or for a lady’s tears), keep it in a pocket.  White linen handkerchiefs are available at any decent men’s store, or online.  Look for hand-rolled edges - they’ll be nice and round, rather than flat and hard. Colored or patterned linen is also perfectly appropriate, particularly in warmer months.

One step dandier than plain linen is silk.  The variety of patterns and colors is immeasurable.  Pick one out to compliment your clothes, not match them.  No tie-and-handkerchief sets, unless you’re sharing a bill with Steve Harvey.  Try colors that pick up the secondary colors in your outfit, like the check of a suit or the stripes on a shirt.  Again, hand-rolled edges are a must.  They should be full and plump.

There are as many ways to wear a pocket square as there are styles of silk square.  Don Draper wears a TV fold - a white linen square folded so only a white line peeks above the pocket.  This is appropriate for even very conservative business environments, but it can be a little dull, and won’t work with a silk square.  Linen can also be folded to show one, two or even three points.  Two is the middle path here, and most recommended if you want a precision folding job in your pocket.  The folks at Sam Hober have how-tos on all of these.

Generally, though, there’s no need to fold.  Pinch the center of your square, and let the points fall down below.  Then adjust the length by folding so it fits neatly in your pocket.  You can leave the “poof” out, leave the ends out, or even fold it roughly in half and put the poof behind the ends.  Tug it into place as necessary, and go forth! Your goal should be to seem to say, “what this?  It just happens to be there, and also to be spectacularly lovely.”

(above: JKissi from Street Etiquette rocks a square loudly and proudly)

Q and Answer: The Case of the “Uncomfortable” Shirt

Emily writes: My husband works in an office job and has a basically set uniform of khakis and polo shirts with a swap out of cotton sweaters (with an undershirt) in the winter. I’ve encouraged him to wear button downs because I think they’re super cute on him, but he thinks they’re really uncomfortable - he has broad shoulders and button downs are tight across his chest and shoulders.

Is there something I’m missing that can get him out of this polo shirt hell but won’t be uncomfortable? I’ve thought of custom dress shirts.  Would they be worth it?  What are your thoughts?

How big is this husband’s chest?  The chest of the average American shirt is designed to fit someone of Kubiac-level hugeness.  The only time I really find that a too-small chest is a legitimate concern is for men with swimmer-ish athletic bodies - in other words, their necks are very small in proportion to their chest and shoulders.  Even then, it’s very rare, and usually the problem is more oversized waist than undersized chest.

If your husband does have a super-huge chest and a tiny neck, then custom shirts might be a good option.  More likely, though, he’s just making excuses because he doesn’t have the guts to wear something different from what he’s been wearing for years.  This is a sad, but all-too-frequent condition among men without style.  They think that just because they’ve committed to something it works for them.  They don’t recognize, in other words, that the things that have gone right for them (like meeting and marrying a nice girl) have gone right despite, not because of, their dress.  Then they make all manner of excuses to cover for this failing.

So: let this be a challenge, not just to Mr. Emily, but also to all of us.  NO MORE EXCUSES.  No more being Mr. Office Casual in an ill-fitting polo.  No more doing the minimum.  No more bitching that you’d rather spend the money on one more tier of cable TV or that it’s too hard to work a button instead just stretching elastic or whatever the excuse du jour is.  LET’S DO THIS.

Q and Answer: Hem, Cuff or Stack Your Jeans?

Jesse (not me) asks: So since these new Levi’s you posted only come in one length, what do I do with the extra length? Roll it? Have them hemmed? Help!

This one’s a matter of personal taste.

First of all: remember to get the shrink out first.  Even if the jeans are sanforized, they’ll lose a little length, so do your hemming after your soak.

Then, there are three choices: hemming, cuffing, or stacking.

A tailor can hem your jeans for you.  If you happen to live somewhere with a fancy jeans store like Self Edge, they’ll have a chain stitch machine that can hem your jeans industrial-style.  If you don’t live in a major metropolitan area, any tailor or alterationist can use some fancy fabric work to retain the original hem while shortening the inseam.

Some people prefer to cuff their jeans a few inches.  Until the middle of the 20th century, denim wasn’t widely available in varying lengths, so it was often cuffed rather than being hemmed.  We’re fine with this, though you should know that it’s a much bolder choice aesthetically than uncuffed.

You can also “stack” your jeans.  Unlike dress pants, it’s totally fine to wear jeans a little long.  How this looks will depend on how wide the legs of the jeans are (on either extreme it starts to look silly).  Some people are totally for this, some totally against, we try not to worry about it too much.

So: if your preference is neutrality, have them hemmed.  If you feel comfortable looking a bit like a person who might use the phrase, “Hey youse guys!” then cuffing is for you.  Stacking will give you a bit of attitude but a less clean look.

The choice is yours.

Q and Answer: Suspenders and Belts

William writes: What are your thoughts on wearing braces/suspenders?  Personally, I love the look, but a suit without a belt makes no sense to me. Is it overkill to wear both?

Particularly for relatively high-waisted pants, I love suspenders (or braces, as they’re known in the UK).  Particularly for those of us with, let us say, ill-defined waists, they can really help keep pants up and shirts down.  I also find them exceedingly comfortable.

A few guidelines:

• Avoid clip-on suspenders, unless you’re a contractor and need help holding up a tool belt.  (In which case, you should definitely get the kind that looks like a measuring tape.)
• Suspenders should be under a coat or vest.  Wearing them (as Andre Benjamin is above) as an accessory should be reserved for skins and people comfortable with sartorial power moves.
• Don’t wear a belt and suspenders, it’ll make you look like a tool.

Q and Answer: Undershirts

Chris writes: I’ve worn Hanes undershirts for years (crewneck), and the most recent purchase has been a disappointment. They seem several inches shorter and continually come untucked. It doesn’t help that I’m 6′0″ and weigh 130lbs. (where’s the small & tall clothing?).

I was wondering if you could weigh-in on undershirts. I’m thinking it’s time to graduate to shirts a little nicer in quality than Hanes, and I’m looking for opinions.

First of all: I’m sincerely not trying to be a jerk or anything, but you’re six feet tall and weigh 130 pounds?  Man alive.  There was a time when I could literally see me ribs, and I weighed 155.  You’re going to have a hard time finding something for a frame that out-of-the-norm.

One of the big problems with undershirts is that most of them are manufactured under license - Calvin Klein doesn’t make Calvin Klein undershirts.  Even those that aren’t, such as those made by undershirt-specific manufacturers, are often made in second-rate overseas factories and are wildly inconsistent.

The other is that they’re rarely long enough to be worn as undershirts.  Many, after washing, barely reach the beltline… and if you buy your normal size, they tend to balloon around the body in an exceedingly unflattering way.

You should be looking for undershirts that fit your body tightly but comfortably, are soft and are durable.  You should also be wearing v-necks any time you are wearing an open collar.

So, given those goals, what are your options?

Well, we got a few free undershirts from our blog sponsor RibbedTee.com, and have been happy with them.  They’re ribbed, which you may or may not like, but that helps keep their shape.  They’re also long enough.  There are cheaper options, and softer jersey options, but RibbedTee.com is certainly worth considering.

If you’re looking for a heavier shirt, the Kirkland-branded shirts at Costco are of excellent quality, and very inexpensive.  The sizing is traditional-ish, but the jersey is soft enough and very heavy in weight.  They’re cheap, too - about $12 for a three pack, last time we bought them.

Lately, when I’m not wearing my RibbedTee freebies, I wear mostly Alternative Apparel.  They’re not as long as I’d like, but they’re not bad in that department, and they’re fantastically soft.  The “basic” model is plenty soft, no need to spend the extra for the “perfect” model.  I usually wear the aa1023 - basic v-neck, though it looks like they only sell it wholesale at the AA site.  You can give them a call and I’m sure they’ll help you find them, or sign up for a wholesale account.  American Apparel, which is a little longer and a little less soft, is also an option.

There are a few options if you’re looking for “tall” sized shirts.  Stafford, a house brand at JC Penney, offers tall shirts for a very reasonable price.  I’d usually wear a large, but would size down to a medium tall if I were buying Stafford.  The same applies to Lands’ End, which offers tall sizes for undershirts as well, and have very solid and consistent quality.

If you’ve found the perfect undershirt, let us know by email - contact@putthison.com.

Q and Answer: Old Navy

Devine writes: I wish I had a higher-fashion question here, but this morning, a utility quandary presented itself. I found an old $50 Old Navy gift card this morning while cleaning off my dresser, and while I’m not into their clothes, $50 is $50.  I’m thinking of using it for undershirts/boxers, but I figured I’d ask — are there any surprises there worth spending (already spent) money on?

Your instinct, to go undershirts-and-boxers, is not off-base.  We have one more idea to add to the mix, though: linen.

It’s not quite linen season in your local Old Navy - that’ll come in March and April or so - but summer shirts are the perfect thing to buy from the Gap’s shittier cousin.  The past couple of years, Old Navy’s cuts for summer shirts have been decent, and linen should have a little looseness anyway.  When you’re only paying $29.50 or $39.50, you won’t feel too bad when you spill some of that strawberry daiquiri on the front and have to go nuclear on that thing in the wash.  Get yourself a white long-sleeved linen shirt, with as little adornment as possible, and wear that mf’er every week all summer long.  If you’re lucky, you’ll get invited to an awesome tropical party at Diddy’s house.

If you have a Q for us to Answer, email us at contact@putthison.com.

Q and Answer: Shoes in the Rain

Andrew writes:  Here is my problem: Corporate casual dress code.  Leather soled shoes.  Rain.  What is a good choice to prevent the ruination of good shoes?  Rubber soles?  If so, what are good ones?

Well, we’re pretty ambivalent about rubber-soled dress shoes generally.  It can be done well, but it often isn’t.  For that reason, we’re hesitant to steer you in that direction.

If you have dress shoes you like, you can buy a pair of Swims or Tingley’s overshoes.  These slip over your dress shoes, protecting them from the rain.  We live in Los Angeles, so we don’t have much use for them, but we kind of want a pair because they’re really neat.  Swims have the added benefit of being lined, so they won’t dull the finish of your shoes.

Many folks also simply wear rain shoes to and from work, which we’re not opposed to, either.  You can either lug your good shoes with you, or leave a pair in your desk during rainy weeks.  When it rains outside, I get so excited that I get to wear my duck boots that it’s a non-issue.

Q and Answer: The Non-Douchey Hat

Jacob from Seattle writes: I’ve always been a hat wearing type, but only recently have I decided to make an effort to not dress like a 16 year old (up to this point, it’s been pretty much beanies and baseball caps). I work in an office that lets me wear whatever I want, but some upcoming business trips prompted me to buy some more adult clothes. With this, I’d like at least one somewhat classy men’s hat.

I’m looking for something that will look good with a basic slacks/button up/tie. In other words, something nice but not crazy opulent. Is there something you can suggest? 

I see a lot of nice hats being worn by douchebags these days. I would like to wear a spiffy hat, but would hate to be confused with a douchebag. Is is possible for a young-ish man (I’m 27) to wear a fedora without looking like a douchebag?

The answer to your question is that it is certainly possible to wear a nice hat without looking like a douchebag, even if you’re a young man.  A bigger question, though, is whether you are able to, and whether you should.  That’s a bit murkier.

The fedora (and it’s cousins the trilby, homburg, bowler &etc) is second only to the black duster in the heirarchy of Megadork Garments.  Rare is the Dungeons & Dragons game without one player wearing a fedora he thinks makes him look like Indiana Jones.  The sad fact is that these megadorks have tainted the hat for everyone else.  If you want to wear a hat, you have to: A) have a great reason or B) look really awesome.

I figured I’d find some shots of guys looking great in their hats, and so I headed over to the “What Hat Are You Wearing Now?” thread on The Fedora Lounge, the internet’s home for hat enthusiasts.  Frankly, what I found was disheartening.  Some of the hats looked bad in and of themselves, but the bigger problem was the dudes wearing them.  A profusion of bolo ties, acid-washed jeans, fat-guy goatees and other aesthetic nightmares made it hard to see most of the hats as anything other than Superdork Garb. There were even relatively few of what I had assumed I’d see: Costumey Hats, which in my book are one small step above Superdork Hats.

After looking at a few dozen pages of the thread, I gave up, and decided to post the five pictures above, all of which are at least a solid B.

Here are some points to remember when wearing a hat:

• The best way to wear a hat is as functional headgear.  A nice Panama when it’s hot outside, a nice felt hat when it’s cold or rainy.  A hat rarely looks out of place with a suit, tie and topcoat, set against gray skies.  A more casual hat, like the Western hat on the horse guy above, looks great when working outdoors.  Similarly, a modest Panama can look good whenever the sun is shining brightly.
• Wear a good hat.  Unfortunately, even at a specialty hat store, you’ll find relatively few quality hats on the shelves.  Only a few companies still make hats to the standards of the hat you might have bought in JC Penney in the middle of the 20th century.  Many of the ones that did don’t anymore.  Even if you’re at Optimo Hats in Chicago, who make the good stuff, they’ll be prohibitively expensive.  Like cuff links, a hat is something you’ll definitely want to buy vintage.  Get a sense of what shape and color hat looks good on you, and hit ebay.  For a hundred bucks or so, you should be able to buy a great-quality vintage piece - Borsalino is a good place to start, but there are plenty of other choices - Stetson (especially the Royal Stetson line), Dobbs, Locke and so forth.  Poke around on The Fedora Lounge - those guys do know their hats, even if many of them don’t know their, uhm, every other item of clothing.
• Respect hat etiquette.  Don’t wear it indoors unless you’re on your way in or on your way out.
• Most hats will look best with a coat and tie.  That’s just the reality of the situation.  Certainly there are exceptions, but that’s where you’re starting from.
• A stingier brim will make you look douchier, but will also make you look less megadorky.  For a young guy, I think that’s usually a fair trade-off.  If the rest of your style makes clear that you’re not a douche, the hat won’t tip the scales.
• Be awesome in your hat.  If you don’t look great wearing what you’re wearing, you won’t look good in your hat.  You’ll look like a Megadork.  A hat is a sartorial power move, and should only be attempted with confidence and flair.  It also helps if you’re holding a guitar.

A lot of style isn’t about a single item of clothing, it’s about the overall picture.  If someone looks at you and thinks, “that guy’s got his act together,” you can pull off a lot.  Including hats.  If they look at you and think, “this guys a goofus,” you’ll fail.  One item of clothing won’t, generally, be the make-or-break.

I’m a big hat booster - I’ve always loved them, and now that my hair’s starting to thin, they’ve become quite functionally important as well - but they’re a difficult thing to pull off.  They take guts and panache to wear well, and they also require a man who can inspire trust in his audience.  Or just a man who’s super, super handsome.