dapper 101: style inspiration for men

I realized while tweeting with a gentleman friend of mine that I've never actually posted something on my blog for the guys. Now, most of my audience is ladies, but there might be a dude or two mixed in there! And if not, some of you ladies might have dudes in your life who could benefit from some fashion! Or, you all should know how I feel about crossdressing (spoiler: I LOVE IT). I think dapper is an adjective we can all aspire to! I'll be referring to men/guys/dudes/bros/fellas because that's who appears in the pictures I found (and because it was requested by a gentleman!)

First of all, I had a devil of a time figuring out where to look for cool menswear that wasn't A) full-on suits/super formal or B) excessively hipster. Both styles are fine if that's what you're going for, but I wanted something that applied a bit more broadly. Then I found Tetino-tĂȘte, where the photos that follow were collected! (I have them all pinned to Manwear if you'd like to click through the specific posts)

My gentleman friend, whose name is Michael and I'm not sure why I was coy about it to begin with, specifically was inspired by my grey inspiration post from earlier this week. He was hoping for some manly outfit inspiration using a lime green/grey color scheme; I wasn't able to find exactly what he was hoping for, but I definitely found some good stuff.







Boys: get a blazer. Get lots of blazers! Also vests! Really, adding a sport coat to basically any look, from a t-shirt and jeans to slacks and a sweater/vest (or sweatervest!), pulls everything together in the way I've found cardigans to function in womenswear. And while the second two looks are fairly standard, be inspired by the mixing of color and pattern in the first look! Teal plaid meets blue checks and it looks good. I think that the latter outfits would actually be improved with sassier ties. A bright color or fun pattern could really pump them up, but if you want to really let your nerdy style come through, why not consider a Toybreaker tie? Their motto is "Ties that don't suck" and they definitely live up to it.


Photos via Toybreaker


These ties come in numerous patterns and colors; I just picked the patterns I thought might particularly interest Michael, since he is my gentleman prompter for this post (from left to right: circuit board, tentacles, hops/barley/wheat, gears).

Now, like I said, I had a little trouble finding grey/lime green inspiration pics, but I did find some lovely examples of another vibrant color combo: grey/orange! The mixture of cool, neutral grey with the warmth and brightness of orange is a lot of fun; I think you could sub in the color of your heart's deepest desire (like, perhaps, green) with the orange very easily in any of these looks.



Plaid! Plaid is one of the greatest things in the entire world, and it can add a little touch of lumberjack realness to an otherwise streamlined look. Basically, I love plaid.



Love the mix of the blazer with the t-shirt; it's a great way for a man to continue a style without looking stuffy or over-dressed. There's just a touch of the orange, but you can see he's also rocking colored pants. Not for the faint of heart, but a cool look!



To be honest, I'm not crazy about that scarf, but I really liked this example of using more of the bolder color. The orange jacket is such a statement piece, and you know how fashion bloggers love statement pieces! And maybe it's hipstery, but I'll admit that I'm fond of fingerless gloves. Not with a suit, obviously, but if you're going for a little funkier vibe, the gloves add a bit of an irreverent Artful Dodger sort of touch.

Hopefully this inspiration will help both guys and dolls feel a little bit more dapper! I'll admit, it was weird to write about clothes that I wouldn't necessarily wear; I tried to apply my usual style concepts to menswear (and added in a healthy dose of things I like to see, shall we say!).

PS: I have a special treat coming up that some dapper ladies and gents will hopefully appreciate, so keep you eyes peeled!

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