In a conversation with my brother, he brought up how messy girls can be. Using ex-girlfriends for reference, he pointed out how ridiculous we are, specifically with our ‘3 piles of dirty [clothes]’—dirty but can wear again, dirty but can wear around the house, filthy and needs to be washed.

I’m somewhat of a neat freak, but I realized I too use this system. My brother’s observation was funny, admittedly sad and very true. While I still think we dominate as the cleaner sex, here is my reasoning for each pile; see if you feel me on this one!

1. Dirty but can wear again.

‘Hey, I wore this to lunch only!’ We girls do tend to unknowingly put an ‘hour’ minimum on something before it qualifies to be washed. (Note: if you have to use a laundry mat to wash your clothes, the minimum is upped.)

2. Dirty but can wear around the house.

‘I’m sorry, do my sweatpants need to be freshly pressed?!’ Contradicting the above hour requirement, somehow 8 hours of sleeping doesn’t seem to ‘count’!

3. Filthy and needs to be washed.

Anything that’s been sweated in, spilled on, touched an airplane seat, smells like Mexican food or has been worn multiple times in the above numbers 1 & 2.

So yes, he’s right. We’re somewhat dirty. But, I would like to point out a few statements I’ve heard guys say…and disagree with them.

* Just because you dry clean everything does not mean you are cleaner or neater!

* A few strands of our hair in the bathroom is waaaay less gross than your trails of facial hair (from shaving) around the sink.

* We may use ‘3 piles of dirty’ but at least we wash (& use) our sheets!

P.S. Check out my commentary on Sunday’s U2 concert with Florence and the Machine:

U2 & Florence and the Machine at Spartan Stadium: what they wore

Hi!

I was in Las Vegas last week for J.Hilburn meetings. We launched suits, sport coats, light weight sweaters, tees, ties, custom belts, outwear (vests) and a partnership with AG jeans. Exciting stuff! We also added on to our core (more custom shirting fabrics and cuff link styles). Oh boy, American men are going to be looking better than ever!

I stayed at The Cosmopolitan; have you been? Probably not. It opened in January.

Below are a variety of pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Have an awesome weekend people!

Should mention—if you like any of these sharp clothes, go to www.JHilburn.com to set up a time to get measured for your new custom digs. Or email me: [email protected] and I’ll do it for you. Bam!

A coat, a jacket, it’s important to make sure whichever type of outerwear you have on fits. Your clothes should be doing you a favor, not hurting your chances (at a job, with a girl etc).

Coats are the trickiest piece of clothing to fit correctly. Unlike a dress shirt or even a suit, alterations can be made to the parts of the garment that need adjusting (taking in a shirt, hemming a pant leg and so on). Alterations for a coat are not easy (or cheap). We’re dealing with a lot of material here, so most tailors don’t want to touch a coat that needs to be altered. After taking it apart and the lining, it’s hardly worth putting it back together—you are better off having a coat custom made.

Now obviously I’m a big fan of custom made apparel, but I’m also well aware that not everyone wants to go that route (maybe you’re intimidated, don’t want to spend the extra money…or can’t sit still for a 10 minute fitting?).

If this sounds like you, on your next trip to buy a coat, pay attention to these details to ensure you pick the one that makes you look your best.

See below. Here is an example of sloping shoulders. What that means is that typically most seams on a coat or shirt will fall past his natural shoulder. (Conversely, men with very broad shoulders usually experience off-the-rack shirts to have the seem in the middle of their shoulder—too short of where it should be.)

If you’re a guy with sloping shoulders, remember to look where the seam falls on the coat;—past your shoulder and it looks dopey, before your shoulder and you won’t be able to extend your arms!

Next, epaulets are your biggest asset! What originated from military uniforms can now be seen on casual shirts, coats and jackets. An epaulet is the strip of fabric on top of each shoulder, usually with a button. These serve no purpose other than to build up one’s shoulder and for design.

As you can see in the picture, the addition of epaulets, along with the stiffer material, makes this option so much better than the wool coat. And yes, the navy jacket does fit closer to the natural shoulder to begin with, so we aren’t comparing apples to apples here. :)

Another detail to look for is shoulder pads. I know that may sound terribly girly, but guys, you have padding in your suit jackets, so this isn’t anything new. If the grey wool coat had some type of reinforcement in the shoulder, it would have laid much better.

More examples of epaulet styles:

One of my mentor’s in the men’s fashion world once told me, ‘When you own a tux, you get invited to the best parties.’ Do I have statical data to prove this? No. But just like in every aspect of your life, (the day you bought a smart phone for example), you have to spend money to make money…or step up your style, to feel more stylish.

We are in the thick of wedding season…from January to April, wedding planners and accountants are some of the busiest people. In an industry where decisions are predominantly made by women, it’s no wonder the gentlemen involved need some guidance.

I know some may find it ridiculous to own a tuxedo, thinking that’s reserved for the closets of politicians, athletes and celebrities (wait, most of them borrow…).

Let’s do some number crunching though. Remember the ‘cost per wear’ equation I’ve talked about? (cost of an item divided by the number of times you will wear it) If you spend at least $100 every time you rent a tux and you’ve done this a handful of times (let’s exclude your high school prom), you will have gotten your money’s worth. In addition, there comes a point in one’s life where you’re not thrilled to wear clothing that someone else just returned (and quite possibly puked in or…). So, you’re renting something, that doesn’t fit quite right, that someone else just sweated in and it’s not Halloween. Something to think about.

A few pointers on tuxedos and tuxedo shirts. I’ve been working with a bunch of bridal parties lately, so this is the Q & A I get most often:

What type of collar? Wing Tip or Classic, either is acceptable. (Bow ties usually look best on a Wing Tip collar and a Four-In-Hand Knot on a Classic collar.) If you’re going to be wearing a cumber bun and/or vest, then go for the bow-tie, it fits with the formal tone.

Should my wardrobe choice depend on the time of the ceremony? The ‘rule’ is that before 6 PM, you should not wear a tux but instead a suit or morning coat. I say go with whatever you are feeling and with what fits the vibe of the wedding. It’s a smart idea to check with another attendee beforehand. Looking sharp is cool, looking better than the groom, not cool.

Pocket Squares: Yes! A tux is the epitome of classiness, so stick with white and a simple straight fold, not some crazy colored ruffled option.

Can I wear my tux shirt with anything other than a tuxedo? Yes! A more versatile approach is to get a custom shirt without pleats (on the front). The first four buttons (where the studs go) are removable, so wearing the shirt as a dress shirt, extends the life of it. (You need white shirts to be in regular rotation—hanging in your closet and not being worn results in it turning yellow, really.)

For you fair-skinned fellas, opt for a dark navy tuxedo. (less harsh on your skin tone…& it’s different)

Shoes: Keep it simple. No need for wing tips or elaborate decorations—just plain black shoes, patent leather optional.

Photo: GQ.com

Guys are visual. They need to see it to believe it.

That may be the reason why so many take cues from TV shows. For portraying well-dressed men, two immediately come to mind:

1. Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) on White Collar

2. Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) on Modern Family

White Collar: I applaud any guy that can pull off a fedora and not look like he’s trying too hard or like he’s obsessed w. Michael Jackson. The accessories they dress Neal Caffrey up in are very cool. You notice them, but it’s not distracting. That half woven belt in last week’s episode is the perfect illustration of laid back but not sloppy. Pocket squares—folded neatly or stuff in there, he does that well too. His character also isn’t afraid of color. A striped shirt, a patterned shirt, I can see why Gilt Groupe created an entire clothing collection of their e-commerce site inspired by White Collar’s characters. From what I’ve seen, that’s what most ‘go for’—something you can wear and stand out in, but not feel overly dressed up or down.

PaulSmith suit and tie, Dolce and Gabbana shirt, Farragamo belt and shoes, Vintage tiebar. Photo: usanetwork.com

Modern Family: Cam’s a big boy and the perfect representation of how a custom shirt can make any size guy look great. You don’t have to be a stay-at-home gay dad to wear contrasting collars and cuffs. Sometimes you need to add a little something to your shirts—mix it up; you don’t want to get sick of what’s in your closet.

Photo: abc.com