"He was dressed now..." ~ Jane Eyre

As much as I love reading the Women's Fashion of the Times, I equally enjoy reading the Men's Fashion of the Times. The fall 2006 edition was in the paper today and I was quite excited when I got a sneak peak at J. Sarah's yesterday evening. I read it cover to cover this morning as I sipped my coffee and I really like some of the new trends for men, which included jackets with tails!

I must preface this post by saying I am not a firm believer in the statement "the clothes make the man." I tend to disagree for the most part. My grandfather, Krikor, was probably the best man in this world to date, and he wore his pants Urkel style with a belt practically around his waist that tucked in a flannel plaid shirt. Despite my grandfather's fashion faux pas, he did have this hip horn rimmed glasses that were ubercool and quite stylish.

The Metrosexual Male is a man I never really warmed up to despite the fact that so many New York men are dressing as such. I enjoy a conservative "metro male", but anything more than a pink Polo or purple button down shirt with a grey suit is just a bit too much.

Thursday's Top Ten Clothing Articles Recommended for Men:
1) Anything from Brook's Brothers, and I mean anything. There is nothing hotter than a 30 year old man dressing like he is the Millionaire from Giligan's Island in a nice navy blazer, white button down shirt, and khacki pants.
2) I love caps and I think men look wonderful in nice "chappy" caps. Tweed caps are especially my favorite; they are quite classy. If any man is daring enough to wear a deerstalker cap, well, to put it in elementary terms, that is just hot.
3) A suit seems like an obvious choice, but I cannot emphasize enough how amazing a man looks in a suit. Ironically, I think a man looks much more attractive in a suit than he does in a tuxedo.
4) Camouflage seems to be quite "in" this season according to The Times, and I like the pattern both for men and for women. I may have to enlist D.R. to get me some.
5) Long before Burberry became mainstream, I was a fan of the pattern. Whilst I realize they are ridiculously overpriced, I can't help but love that classic plaid pattern. This past summer I saw many men wearing Burberry polos in solid colors with the plaid pattern accented under the color and sleeves; it is one handsome shirt.
6) A New York Yankees baseball cap.
7) The white tee shirt and jeans are like the peanut butter and jelly of men's fashion: they just go so well together. Men who wear this combination are fulfilling every woman's dream of Danny Zucco (or Kenickie if he is more your type).
8) A nice beige rain trench coat is very attractive on a man and makes rainy days much more bearable for a woman walking down the streets of New York City if a handsome man is wearing one.
9) In the wintertime, I find it very sexy for a man to wear a knit cap. Although its a bit Abercrombie, it is still a really nice rugged look for the cold months.
10) Boxer briefs. No elaboration needed. I saved the best article of (non) clothing for last.

Thursday's Top Five Clothing Articles NOT Recommended for Men:
1) Any article of clothing or accessory from one or all of the following sports franchises: Mets, Jets, Rangers, Red Sox, Cowboys, and Eagles. I would rather be out with a man in a potato sack than be seen with him wearing any of those logos.
2) Any shirts that have beer images or beer sayings on it. You drink beer, gentleman, you don't wear beer.
3) Baggy pants are just a no-no unless you are one of my fifteen year old teenage students who is going through his awkward fashion phase at school and wearing chains attached to the aforementioned balloon pants.
4) Socks with sandals makes you look very very very granola. I like granola on my yogurt, not my man. When in doubt when dressing, think "What Would Cary Grant Do?" WWCGD? Chances are, Cary would not do the socks with Birkenstocks.
5) Any shirt that has more than three buttons opened at the chest. Please leave the look to Tony Soprano and the Long Island guidos that surround me daily. Thank you.