As a Carmel Personal Stylist, I see that men do not know the importance of having some very basic pieces in your wardrobe. This will make it easier to get ready each day. Why care? For starters, we all have to wear clothes, every day. No matter what we are doing, we get dressed. Even if you are not really all that concerned about how you look, people notice. It is who are you, and you, alone, determine that. Why not make your image a positive one that works for you.
Carmel Personal Stylist Suggestions for Your Closet
Okay, enough of the Carmel Personal Stylist soapbox speech. What items I think you need in your closet? Here are my suggestions, after working with many male clients over the last 9 years.
Dark jeans. Men tend to wear their jeans many years. They may or may not ever update their styles. For instance, guys will tell me, “I am a Levi 501 guy.” That is great, but beyond that, dark jeans are a standard basic. For some, you can wear these to work. If not, wear them on the weekends when you want a more elevated look. I prefer a straight leg instead of skinny. It fits more guys. But often there are other options. Care good care of these jeans and plan to pay at least $100. Turn them inside out, wash in warm and dry only 5 minutes. Then hang them on a rack.- A sport coat in some type of neutral color or small print. This is not a jacket that is part of suit that you already have. A sport coat is slightly more unstructured in fit. As a Carmel Personal Stylist, I like them in navy, a small plaid or sometimes charcoal color. It should fit you well and be flattering.
- Dark, high quality T-shirts. You may find this an odd basic, but the dark T in black, grey, navy or olive will be an obvious pairing with your blazer and dark jeans. Buy a good quality T-shirt not one that will stretch out and fade. Expect to pay at least $75 for it in pure fiber such as cotton and smidge of stretch in it. See the jeans bullet above for washing instructions.
- High quality leather sneakers in a neutral color other than white. Expect to pay at least $175 and above for these. They have to fit. Be sure to try them on in the store. The right shoes will feel like “pillows?” I like shoes in brown, navy, grey suede, blue suede or leather. Keep the soles clean if they are white with magic eraser, Mr. Clean.
- For spring and fall, I like a trench coat–not the old very long trench coats, but shorter ones that hit above the knee in khaki or navy, or even olive. As a Carmel Personal Stylist, I shopped with a client recently and found a great trench coat at Bonobos.
- Button-down shirts in 100 percent cotton or wrinkle free. Watch the amount of polyester in shirts. They make them less able to breathable. You will need one white one, and 1-2 in colors such as light blue, pink, purple (light colors; not the 80s dark shirts I hope to never see again). Avoid buying plaid shirts over and over. Having 1-2 is okay.
Need help to build your ideal look, men? Reach out to your favorite Carmel Personal Stylist for a discovery call with me.
Keep it sassy, Indy.
Beth Divine, MA, AICI-CIC,
Carmel Personal Stylist
