So, they can give us a bottle of brandy, and we can give them a detailed story about men’s clothing that they can put on for the holidays.
If your life is so wonderful that every day is a holiday for you, we will also tell you about fashion trends in everyday clothes. And indeed, if you like yourself, why spare any effort! And not just on holidays, but every day.
There are as many men as there are preferences. Some prefer to wear a tie even at home, but it is more usual to wear a suit to work, and jeans when on holiday. A mixture between the two is becoming increasingly popular, known as smart casual, and we should discuss it in more detail. Regardless of your specific case we will start with pleasant and favorite clothes for relaxation.
Good old ribs
In any European city, the main seasonal distinction stands out: in summer everyone, from children to adults, is dressed in jeans, and in winter they wear corduroy trousers. And of course, the latter is much more interesting: the color spectrum is quite spectacular, and there are also variations in the width of the ribs, and also in the length and cut of the pants!
At the moment, corduroy trousers for men have an average width and classical length. They are made of cotton, sometimes with the addition of elastic, and so they are convenient to wear and last a long time: veterans of fashion may remember the last corduroy boom at the end of the 1970s, when the trousers were worn until the ribs disappeared and they became completely threadbare. Today’s trousers are unlikely to reach this state, unless they are sold with a fashionable worn look.
An important thing to remember about corduroy trousers is that unlike jeans, they never try to drop below the waist in an attempt to make their owner look like a rapper. They’re quite the opposite! For example, if you are trying to let your girlfriend know that she will never find a more reliable man, then corduroy trousers will make your image as convincing as possible.
And last of all, corduroy goes with almost everything in your wardrobe, thanks to its simple and natural colors – which are usually taken straight from nature. The next time you’re staring out the window in the Petersburg-Moscow fast train or sitting in a traffic jam at the turn off to the northern capital, choose a couple of shades from the surrounding landscape that you particularly like. As soon as you get into town, go to a store for new corduroy pants of this color.
Smart casual
For men who want to look like real gentlemen even on holiday, special suits and shirts have been created with a certain deviation from the strict rules of the business suit.
We’ll start with shirts: the popular button-downs which many wear to the office are in fact sporty; as the collar is not stiff, a tie is not necessarily. And a loose jacket goes well with these shirts, and not a cardigan or sport jacket.
Another option for a casual shirt has colors that are far removed from traditional and reserved ones: they are plant or ethnic patterns, writing in various languages and in different fonts, images from comic books or cartoons… They are considered to be shirts for very young men who like to pretend to be adults. But modelers say that you can not only wear them with practicable denim jackets, but even with dinner jackets – a way of laughing at the rules in the boring adult world.
Another type of shirt which is certainly not suitable for the office is a striped shirt with white cuffs and a collar. Retro is back in fashion, but this option is probably only suitable for minor clerks: it’s an amusing choice. And if you wear it with suspenders and a bowtie, it will certainly not conform with the dress code of your business center.
Many office workers may think it crazy to wear a formal jacket on holiday. But this trend is also becoming popular. Try to remove yourself from everyday life: what about a black army jacket, a checkered jacket or a velour dinner jacket? As with the corduroy jacket, these items give the wearer the aura of an eccentric dandy or even a free artist. The choice of tie and shirt for these items requires some intuition. To complete the picture, add a bohemian scarf – silk with embroidery, or coarse wool.
Vivid individuality
This year, modelers suggest that men try out very bright colors instead of the usual reserved spectrum, if only on holiday. So if you want to keep in step with fashion, then angry blue, aggressive red or triumphant yellow are indispensable. However, modelers won’t be angry if you only have one bright item in your wardrobe. And what do you think it should be? Your jacket!
It doesn’t matter whether it’s long or short, made of down or synthetic materials, the color decides everything: the brighter the better. Especially chic are all colors with a light metal sheen – but not glitter!
Sweaters can also have very happy colors – monotone, striped or with a pattern. Today designers insist on very large, oversize models – or models which fit the muscular torso very gently. Unlike women’s fashion, where several types of knit are required in the same item, men’s sweaters are simple. All that is left to men for self-expression in knitwear are the colors: neon stripes – diagonal, vertical and horizontal in the same time; segments of different but always rich shades; and even a monochrome sweater may shine a bright orange color from the other side of the street.
Dress properly
What’s appropriate evening dress for a man these days? Depending on the type of event and the dress-code, it may include:
A monochrome suit with a white (only white!) shirt, a serious tie and with a white handkerchief in the breast pocket, preferably linen. This is the simplest option. The suit may be of any shade – from dark gray to blue. It’s good if there is some mohair in the fabric: it will guarantee a gentle shine. The most important thing is that the suit must be sewn individually, by a good tailor, and even better by a foreign couturier. The shirt should be pure cotton and the tie should be silk, ideally handmade; ties of medium width are considered fashionable today.
For a special occasion, put on a dinner jacket, or tuxedo as they are known in the US (if the dress code is black tie). It made be a single-breasted suit with one button, or more rarely a double-breasted suit. If you’re Adrian Brody, you can wear a black shirt with a black tuxedo, and (how awful!) an ordinary tie. Johnny Depp can even get away with a white tuxedo with a white shirt and a black bowtie. The latest trend comes from the Italian Brioni - colored tuxedos in calm and noble shades: bottle green, aubergine and claret. The only question is, are you prepared for this innovation? The main thing that you need to be able to do when the time comes to wear your tuxedo, is to tie your bowtie yourself and feel comfortable in a silk belt with horizontal folds (see December Pulse).
Finally, for very special occasions, you can wear a coat with tails. It is always black (the only exception is a clown’s costume), while the dress code is given as white tie, the obligatory color for this item. Fashion does not encroach on this sacred territory, so it does not face any progressive changes.
After the holidays, you will return to the everyday striped shirts. They are an obvious international bestseller, with different colors leading into infinity. Office suits, even single-breasted and with striped, are once more declaring their rights to your body… But this will all happen later, after the holidays. For the moment, enjoy your brandy. Pleasure is best not delayed, right?