Tag / blue OCBD

by Beau H.

Show Time: Packing for a music festival in style

This weekend, I’m heading to Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco. Along with being excited to see some great music (including personal favorites like The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Haim, CHVRCHES, Local Natives, Bleachers and Lucius) I’m also excited to get out of New York City and experience all that San Fran has to offer alongside my lovely girlfriend, Liz. This, of course, presents a pretty neat opportunity to hit the road in style! And while what I’m wearing certainly won’t be a central focus of the trip, it’s always nice to be dressed appropriately for any situation, including festival-going.

While that could quickly devolve into wearing clothes more suited for a rave than being out among real people, for instance, it’s my goal to not let that happen. That’s why I’ll be bringing the following assortment of clothing on the road with me, packed into my Navali Stowaway Weekender Bag (look for a full product review on this piece in the coming weeks).

Most of the spread for the weekend.

Most of the spread for the weekend.

Chambray shirt (J. Crew)

Short-sleeve geometric popover (J. Crew — similar here)

Striped tank top (Bonobos)

Charcoal pocket T-shirt (American Apparel)

White V-neck T-shirt (Not pictured — similar here)

Dark denim (Uniqlo)

Black denim (Not pictured — American Apparel)

Khaki shorts (Banana Republic — similar here)

Braided leather belt (Target)

White sneakers (Tretorn)

Brown desert boots (Steve Madden)

Two pairs of patterned socks (Similar styles here)

Brown leather watch (Stuhrling)

Black Timex Weekender watch with patterned strap (The Knottery)

Light charcoal cardigan (Frank and Oak) — similar here

Black Harrington jacket (Not pictured – -Ben Sherman)

Now, when packing for a trip like this, I took care of the obvious first — checking the weather. The forecast in San Francisco through the weekend calls for temperatures in the high 60’s to low 70’s, with partly cloud skies — ideal weather for escaping the sometimes-crushing heat of NYC and also a nice, temperate way to spend some time outdoors. Of course, being on the water and all, I expect it’ll get chiller at night and potentially rainy (genius thinking, right??). So with all that in mind, here’s more on what I came up with.

Blue on blue on blue.

Blue on blue on blue.

Yes, the popover, chambray shirt and tank top all feature shades of blue. Like others, I have a bit of a thing for that color — but I’m breaking away from it, or trying to, at least. I plan to wear the chambray shirt with dark denim and desert boots for travel. as the desert boot is polished and yet sturdy enough to allow me to get through the airport, and around the city, in style. And the great thing about the chambray shirt is that I can definitely see myself pairing it with black denim and sneakers to head to the festival, or wearing it with khaki shorts elsewhere.

The popover serves much the same function — if it does heat up, I can turn to a short-sleeve option and pair it equally well with black or blue denim, and sneakers or desert boots in turn. The breezy tank top is yet another option to turn to if it gets warmer than expected — the stripes are bold and bright, perfect for a summer festival without straying too far into neon territory. And in case I feel like a change of shirt in between the festival and dinner, I wanted to have a couple versatile extras on hand — the charcoal pocket tee is just different enough than a regular T-shirt, and a white V-neck is simple and straightforward.

On the accessories front, a pair of patterned socks in a relatively neutral grey or black can work interchangeably with the desert boots, blue denim and any of the tops. And because my black jeans are slim enough to wear sans belt, a braided brown leather belt will work the rest of the time with my dark denim and brown leather strap watch. The brown watch is dressy enough to wear out to dinner, but clean and minimal enough to wear at a show, while the Timex Weekender with interchangeable straps creates another set of colorful, coordinated options. To top it all off, if it gets chilly or rainy (or both), I can throw on either the black Harrington jacket or the charcoal cardigan and still look polished and crisp. At least, that’s the plan anyways.

Look for a recap next week of what worked (and what didn’t work) with this packing plan!

What’s your go-to festival get-up and what’s in your bag to get there? Leave it in the comments below.

by Beau H.

Style Suggestion: Thanksgiving Dinner

Before you dive into that turkey on Thanksgiving, step back a moment. Take the time to appreciate being with family and friends, and getting a little time off. And just as importantly, take the time to put a bit of effort into your appearance. Being around family members on a holiday should be some of the best times of the year, and it’s great to be able to reflect that enjoyment through what you wear — it should be appropriate and classy, because dressing up a bit is a nice nod to your family, too.

So, with the stage set for a great holiday, there are some important things to consider when on the go to turkey day celebrations. Namely, if you live in a climate where winter’s on the way, consider layering up. And more importantly, don’t overthink what to wear. Stick to a personal uniform, perhaps with some regionally appropriate touches thrown in — for example, being in Florida is markedly different than in Michigan. With that in mind, here’s a starter template that should work for just about everybody.

The Shirt

A classic blue OCBD from Old Navy.
A classic blue OCBD from Old Navy.

On a classic holiday like Thanksgiving that typically doesn’t involve anything too black-tie official, it’s best to keep it casual. Here, something like a blue or white Oxford cloth button-down is a great asset. It’s the shirt equivalent of “dressed-up, but not “too-dressed up.” In a shade like white, it can provide a great neutral base for any pops of color on the rest of the outfit, and it shouldn’t be too hot or cold to wear in any location.

The Tie

Frank and Oak's knit tie is woven with a thicker gauge and more bulk.

Frank and Oak’s knit tie is woven with a thicker gauge and more bulk.

While wool ties are fine for places where the temperature dips into the 20’s, 30’s or even 40’s, there are certainly more versatile pieces of neckwear out there — some of which you might already have in your closet. Since the days of James Bond, knit ties have been on our collective style radar. Sure, some might argue the knit tie is having a trending moment right now, but there’s a reason Sean Connery’s Bond wore classic black knit ties — a great knit tie will go with just about any outfit, and it’s appropriate for almost any climate, at any time of the year. For those on the heftier and more muscular side, a standard knit tie might be too slim — look for something in about the 2.75″ range (Frank & Oak’s knit ties feature a nice, thicker weave). In this particular instance, a dark knit tie won’t clash too markedly with any of the outfit’s other colors — which should preferably be more neutral anyway.

The Blazer (optional)

If putting on a jacket crosses the formality line at your family Thanksgiving, consider swapping that out for a v-neck or crew-neck sweater (and maybe ditch the tie too). However, throwing on a nice blazer should be an easy choice — a jacket tailored for someone’s body accentuates a man’s chest and shoulders, making almost any guy look instantly better. Here, texture and fabric matters. A heavier tweed blazer is a great pick for cold weather — the tweed’s thick weave provides warmth and doesn’t look out of place trekking through the snow. But for the rest of us, a simple navy blazer (potentially unstructured to stick with the generally casual vibe of Thanksgiving) can work wonders. It can even be thrown on over a crew-neck or v-neck sweater sans collared shirt if things turn that casual.

The Pants

Here too, it’s best to keep in mind the surrounding climate where you’re celebrating the holiday. Linen pants won’t exactly work in winter up north, and heavy wool trousers won’t do you much good in Florida, for example. That’s why sticking with a slim chino in a medium-weight fabric is a sure bet. If you’re in a colder clime, corduroys would work just as well as a substitute. Once again, stick with a nice neutral color (maybe in a richer hue for the fall?). Keeping the proportions slim will hopefully pair well with a tailored shirt.

Frank and Oak's Newport Chinos in Amber.

Frank and Oak’s Newport Chinos in Amber. Wool tie not recommended for warmer climes — see above.

The Shoes

With the rest of the outfit leaning towards polished-casual on the style spectrum, it’s best to keep the shoes in similar territory, too. Black shoes can seem too severe in all but the sharpest of combinations, and it’s likely there could be a sea of black shoes at the table come Thanksgiving. A rich, warm brown falls in line with the colors of the season, and should be much more versatile for other outfits later on. Reaching for a captoe/captoe-brogue combination or even a wingtip also pushes the shoe into the same polished-casual territory as the rest of the outfit. In colder climes, wingtip boots are a stellar option that can stand up to the elements — and the ‘eye test’ of your fellow diners. Of course, a true casual staple like desert boots is never objectionable when the situation calls for classic and polished footwear.

The Rest

Round out the ensemble by sticking to some clear fundamentals. Keeping your watch simple and unadorned (like this Timex Easy Reader) is the best way to go here — just be sure the watch, belt and shoes fall within the same color range in terms of leather. As always, colorful socks are today’s statement piece, an easy way to add personal flair to an outfit that mainly sticks to classic items.

With these essentials in mind, and with some crucial personal touches thrown in, you should be ready to conquer Thanksgiving in style. Until the tryptophan puts you to sleep, of course.

by Beau H.

Style Essentials: The Polo Alternative

If you’re searching for a slightly dressier alternative to a polo, the good news is, there are several places you can turn. The key with making the jump up from a polo is to not overdo it, and to pick the right time and place. Wearing a blue Oxford cloth button-down is absolutely a great step up from a polo; the texture is a bit more visually interesting, and if you like, it can be dressed up a bit more. The potential for the blue OCBD is practically limitless as far as pairing with other neutral, well-fitting items in your wardrobe.

A classic blue OCBD from Old Navy.

A classic blue OCBD from Old Navy.

Namely, the OCBD as a style staple has been worn in just about every way imaginable. It’s become standard business-casual dress for a lot of workers across the country, but there’s a difference between wearing one for the sake of wearing it, and wearing it the right way. The right blue OCBD fits trim through the body, has decently high armholes, and trim sleeves. Make sure it fits across the shoulders (doesn’t pull or tug when you move) is the first step, because a good tailor can always dial in the rest of the body. Once you’ve tracked down one at the right price, it can function in many of the same ways as the polo. To stray away from a  standard business casual look, avoid pairing it with khaki chinos. Shoot instead for a pant with a more dusty or visually appealing color.

Try and keep the fit slim, as well — a Levi’s 514 is a standard fit for many who have more leg muscle, but a 513 or a 511 (which you might already have in your closet), will keep the outfit on-point and trim. And when it comes to the belt, have fun with texture — a braided belt grounds the look more casually, as well. If you’d rather not wear brighter chinos or pants, dark denim is absolutely the way to go.

This might be repetitive to some, but the key with so many of these Style Essentials isn’t that they’re ground breaking or incredibly fashion-forward; the biggest key is that they work time and again in nearly any situation, helping you save money and fall into a trap of ‘too-fast’ fashion. As long as the basics fit well, other areas, like accessories, socks and watch straps, are ways to inject some personality into an outfit.

Dark denim paired with another shade of blue, the OCBD.

Dark denim paired with another shade of blue, the OCBD.

Now, back to the pants — slim, dark denim actually works very nicely with different shades of blue. Putting multiple shades together doesn’t inherently create a jarring clash, as Joe from Dappered notes here. In fact, the contrast between those shades is a good thing!

For other outfit ideas, throw on a navy blazer with that blue OCBD — once again, those shades of blue actually play well with each other. Additionally, v-neck sweaters can be a great layering piece once it gets cold. A rotation of different colors (like black, tan, or heather gray) could keep you in outfits for days, if not weeks.

If shorts are more your thing, look for a pair in a khaki or tan-colored shade, which plays off the blue nicely. And feel free to tuck that OCBD into the polo — it’s a way of polishing off the outfit. Again, that braided belt adds some nice visual interest, too.

It’s worth noting that the blue OCBD is only one alternative to a polo. Other solid-colored sport shirts, like a white OCBD, can be rotated in and out of each of these looks for something sporty or slightly more business casual. Start out by reaching for one of these shirts, and you’ll soon start to develop a rotation of solid “mini-uniforms” you can go to time and again.