posted
Trust me, fashion or lack thereof is no barrier to being hit on by a guy.
The stereotype of all gay men being fashionable is just that, a stereotype. A fun one, but by no means true.
By throwing out his old, tattered wardrobe and buying clothes that aren't hanging on to decency by a thread will not announce to the world he's gay.
If he starts cruising men, however - the wardrobe change had nothing to do with it.
As for handling unwanted advances - "I'm not interested, thanks" is usually enough. The aggressiveness of the approach is in keeping with the environment. A simple "no thanks" will suffice in most situations.
posted
Really, I don't think purple looks gay. But then I come from a county where one of the college football team colors in purple ( and who is going to tell a bunch of football players, "Y'all look gay"?) Khal, listening to your sister was the right thing.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
As suits go, Dag is right....simple is better when starting a wardrobe. Stay away from fads....no more than 3 buttons, which has been a good choice for decades so therefore isn't a fad. Most suits in the US have been 2 button suits, with a center vent, for about the last 50 years, but the 3 button suit never went completely out of style.
Don't do double breasted, unless you really like it...it have been out of style for years now.
If you only have one suit, there are really only 3 colors most people should consider:
1) Navy....if you only have one suit or blazer, this is a great choice. It can be very dressy and traditional with white shirts or blue, or any traditional color, really. It can also be fashionable for younger people by adding some color....burdendy, wine, pale yellow, cream...just about any color, other than black, dark brown or navy.
2) Charcoal Gray: If you don't like Navy, then dark Grey is great. It can be formal or more casual, very similar to Navy...but some people just don't like blue...
3) Black: The reason I put black last is that unlike the first two color recommendations black is always the most formal color, regardless of what colors you accessiorize it with, and sometimes people feel it is too formal for anything other than Weddings and Wakes/Funerals. I still put it in, because lets face it...a suit is the most formal piece of clothing most guys wear...the most formal other than a Tux, period. Wedding/Wakes are a primary function of clothes this dressy, and so black is still a good overall choice, if not the best for more conventional wear anymore.
Pinstripes are appropriate for just about any function, but I would hold off on pinstripes ..unless you already have a good solid-color suit, and are looking to add to the collection.
Also, if you are younger I would consider looking at a European tapered suit, like a Pierre Cardin. The European tapered (3-button)suit is a more "fitted" look, and it looks great on tall, lanky people. It feels a little tighter because it IS tighter...the taper from chest to waist goes close to the body, about 2 inches closer than a traditional American cut suit. There is no vent on three button suits either, which is something most younger buyers like. It doesn't look as good on shorter people unless you are very thin as well.
Keep in mind, if you go with a solid color you can wear the jacket as a sports coat as well. That is something that comes in handy when you go on a cruise, where you have to wear formal wear to dinner every night. Usually there are 2 nights where suits are required, and blazers are needed for the rest of he nights...but if you bring one suit and one blazer, you can use the coat of the suit for the less formal nights...that way you don't have to buy (or pack) multiples!
JC Pennys sells PC suits for $395, but a lot of the time they are on sale for somewhere around the $200 mark. If the European taper doesn't feel good, or if like me you are more comfortable with a traditional 2 button suit, I would highly recommend the Stafford line of suits. They are a JC Penny suit, and more people in the US wear them than any other suit....they are made by the same company that makes the PC, Izod, Bill Blass, and other brands, but they are a JC Penny store brand so they cost between $50-150 less than the others.
Last but not least (about suits, anyway), make sure that you go with a wool suit. Wool is a natural fiber, so it breathes better than polyester. Wool will keep you warmer in the winter, but cooler in the summer. It also wears MUCH better, so that the suit will last for years. My Dad have suits (mainly Staffords) that are 5-8 years old, and they still look brand new....or close enough to make it hard to tell...
Please remember that black shoes will go with any suit, but brown does't, unless it is a brown suit...or some other earth tone. Also, whatever color shoes you wear, please make sure that your belt matches it! Black, brown, cordavan....just make sure the belt and shoes match. Although cordovan matches with brown sometimes....
I really like my Deer Stag (TM) shoes, and I have 2 pair I wear all the time. If I wear any other shoe to work my feet hurt, but with either pair of Deer Stag shoes on I feel fine at the end of the day. They are about %50, but are often on sale for $40.
posted
See, purple doesn't say "gay" to me. It says "Roman nobility". But then, I've never been one to talk to about fashion. My idea of "dressing down" is to wear a tie with smiley faces on it.
Posts: 1814 | Registered: Jul 2004
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quote: and who is going to tell a bunch of football players, "Y'all look gay"? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A track star...or another football team... Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
I feel like resurrection is not nearly so impressive if the resurrected being simply dies immediately after.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I started reading it and thought everyone was being oddly much nicer than our current discourse, then noticed the date
Posts: 2332 | Registered: Jul 2003
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Go to Macy's at their yearly sale and pick up a CK for the same price. Have them hem the pants to a low break. And buy a black pair and a brown pair of Clark's.
You'll thank me later.
Posts: 688 | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
If you really must buy store brands, the Alfani stuff blows Stafford out of the water. They have a lot of new french cuff dress shirts with a really smart fit.
Only old men shop at Penny's.
Posts: 688 | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
Yeah ... not anywhere as old as the current Stafford collection. Is that the style advice we really want on record for posterity?
Posts: 688 | Registered: Nov 2008
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