Guys know to stick to basics
9/13/08 | 1 comment

Guys know to stick to basics


By Kristen Andresen
Special to the NEWS
Banana Republic chinos.

It’s not the most scientific of experiments, but I believe my theory on menswear can be proved by one photo: a man strutting down the catwalk in a floral embroidered linen shorts-suit.

One look at The New York Times’ fashion-week coverage, and it was clear why most men couldn’t care less about fashion. The hooded windbreaker under mesh blazer? Not so much. Cotton voile V-neck over plaid shirt and white shorts? Looks like something my mom would’ve nixed at Chico’s. All this, and more, dubbed “sports fashion.” I can just see it now — Kevin Youkilis in ribbon-thin suspenders, pegged skinny jeans and a skin-tight polo.

For a long time, I’ve wondered why even the most adventurous guys I know stick to the basics: khakis, jeans, button-down, polo. But the photo spread really said it all: When you wear a wild tie, a co-worker might make fun of you. Throw on a floral linen shorts-suit and all hell could break loose.

This also explains the fierce loyalty I see among the guys in my life. The phrase “men in uniform” hardly is limited to those in the military and public safety professions. Don’t believe me? Take a look around at your male friends, colleagues and acquaintances. They may stick to an outfit. Or a brand. Or an entire “look.” But they will not stray.

My cartoonist friend George keeps it simple with classic khakis and a blue Oxford. The outfit is such a given that an entire department at the Bangor Daily News named a holiday in his honor and all arrived at the office wearing the same outfit. My editor friend Dale prefers jeans and a T-shirt or button-down. My columnist friend Chris swears by Banana Republic chinos and a dark shirt. And my pal Jon used to wear his Carhartts so often, we joked that they’d walk away on their own if they could.

Over Labor Day weekend, ShopGuy and I had a wedding to attend. Due to the trials he puts his clothes through, this required a shopping trip. Or several shopping trips, as the case may be.

He struck it rich early on when he found Banana Republic classic chinos at Marden’s for $7, and he bought every pair in his size. Why? Because they normally cost $58, and he swears they’re the best. He would know — he does not believe in changing before working around the house, which means the same pair of pants transitions seamlessly from weddings to weedwhacking, golf to gutter repair.

Oh, and the chinos at the outlet? Not nearly as durable.

Finding high-quality, affordable clothes for men in Bangor can sometimes be a dicey proposition. We went to T.J.’s and Marshalls five, maybe six times before ShopGuy found

one blue shirt and one white shirt that wasn’t see-through thin. Ties also required a few trips, but he did find a black silk Brooks Brothers tie for $5 at Marshalls and a striped Nautica tie as well.

The sportcoat was a different story. He wanted something that would last years and years, and in his pursuit, I think he tried on every jacket and blazer in the Bangor area — there was a nice classic navy blazer at the L.L. Bean outlet, but the cut wasn’t quite right. We found a few OK suits, but very few separates. We surfed the Web for ages, but even the best discounters — Sierra Trading Post and Overstock.com among them — didn’t have much for under $200.

So we decided to press our luck and head to Freeport. The gods must’ve been smiling on us, because we found a parking space directly in front of the Brooks Brothers outlet. When we walked in, we found exactly the jacket he wanted — and everything in the store was on sale. It ended up costing about as much as the jackets online, but a mere fraction of the regular $600 price tag.

The brass buttons are a little too preppy for ShopGuy, but I’m in the process of searching for a replacement. I’ll ask the guys at www.askandyaboutclothes.com, a forum about men’s clothing. They’ll help me out. And fortunately, brass buttons are easy to fix. Which is more than I can say for a floral shorts-suit.

Let’s hear it from the boys!

Guys have been known to stand by their brand, so I want to know what men in the Bangor area and beyond are wearing. Visit the ShopBlog (http://shopblogbdn.blogspot.com) and drop me a line. Let me know what brands you love and which stores you’d like to see here. If you want, you can post anonymously, and gals, you can post on behalf of your man, too. As always, happy shopping!

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1 comment on this item
On 9/14/08 at 9:44 PM, Johninphilippines wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

George, in your office, seems to keep hold onto one of the most long-standing "uniforms" men wear. The khaki pants, dark blazer, blue shirt and a Rooster tie...or one that the wearer thinks is "nice". I have no idea why men often think this style is so popular...I certainly do not want people to see me wearing the same "uniform" as George, especially if everybody else wears the same thing at a restaurant, a bar, at work, at church, or when I go to buy a car...all the guys are wearing it. Stupid! When I was with companies out west in California, Arizona and Texas, the same thing I'am about to tell you now, applied: at Lockheed-Martin in Harlingen, Texas, for instance, some of the enginneers were caught with this same "uniform", of sorts, George wore. They quickly did away with their khaki pants and blue shirts about 1992, to wear only to BBQ picnics or beer busts on holidays the company sponsored or at parties. But like me, most of the managers, after 1992 or so, always wore very expensive slacks...generally tailor-mades, same with the shirts...you never bought them off the shelf, wrapped in plastic bags, or ties that came hanging on spinning racks in the stores...only the ones in the glass cases (like Countess Mara's), and of course, everything came from the cleaners, pressed, starched and neat. As for shoes, always leather or other animal or reptile skins. Socks? Of course, only the tailor chose those. We also chose a day to wear the kind of pants and shoes we wanted to wear with one exception...the shirts. The day was "Thursday", and we "honored" the homosexuals on that day. We wore pink dress shirts. I doubt if anyone of us were of the homosexual kind...and if anyone was, so be it; but that was our Thursday "uniform". I remember back in school in Bangor back in the late 50's and 60's..."Thursday" honored the homosexuals on the same day. Getting back to your story, What we wear in the Philippines, is very simple, but as most professionals (such as politicans, municipal leaders, etc - and myself) wear this line of style, most of the population cannot afford it. This is the style I wear, also; a "Barong Tagalog". That is a very stylish, shirt, worn without it being tucked-in under the belt. Never tuck a shirt in here. They have stylish embroidery down the front, both sides. They come in all basic colors, and of course, fashion colors, too. They are not flowery...just plain or soft design cloth that has this embroidery down the front. The pants are nice pants, often tailor-made, with shoes that are also made in the Philippines, and last for years and years. Barongs can be purchased from (in US dollars) from $7.00 to $75.00. Pants, they go for (in US dollars) from $5.00 to $100.00, depending on material. The general population of men only wear sneakers, no socks, "garbage" pants like cut-off khaki pants cut at or below the knee, a tee-shirt...and that's it! Even local businessmen wear that. Except, in Manila, you will find most governmental officials wearing "western" styles...suit and ties, nice pants with a blazer...but never...ever...will you see khakis and a blue shirt, and a blazer, and a power or fashion tie, with Sears shoes worn anywhere in Asia...except for tourists from the USA. They do not like that "uniform" for some reason, the people in Asia. To the population here, pricing on men's clothes are high, but as I have investment and retirement dollars coming in, for me the sky is the limit. As I sit here at the computer, all I'am in is a pair of flip-flops (Islanders) and a pair of "Barbarian" shorts, as I plan to get in the pool later and float around with a San Miguel in a cooler beside me. But, Kristen, nobody here in Asia likes that "college-boy" prep-school appearance. That went out years and years ago...even in the US.

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