This post wraps up our series on the six men’s clothing essentials. So far we’ve emphasized the importance of versatility when investing in shoes, belts, blazers, sweaters, and shirts. It’s only fitting, then, that we finish up with jeans, one of the most versatile items you’ll ever own.
While summarizing the six essentials for a magazine, our CEO offered this advice about jeans: “Invest in a great pair of high-end denim. Cleaner washes and rinses look better with blazers and dress shirts.”
Jason Smith, our V.P. of Product, prefers oxford shirts and loafers without socks. Michael Barkin, our Director of Sales (who also doubles as the mastermind behind our new custom-suiting service), favors well-appointed neckties, and has never needed a special occasion to break out the monogrammed tuxedo slippers.
Despite their differing styles, Jason and Michael both keep one particular item on heavy rotation: the navy blazer. Below you’ll see examples of how Michael dresses the blazer up, while Jason uses the same classic garment to anchor a more casual look.
“Most guys’ wardrobes are long in blue and white,” Michael says. “Those basic colors then branch out into lavender and pink, and navy looks the best with all of those. So you can easily dress the navy blazer up or down. It’s easy to wear.”
Our Director of Sales, Michael Barkin, shows how to fold a blazer—a skill that’s particularly useful when traveling.
We moved onto blazers after tackling the subject of how to tie a necktie. What other tips would you like to see?
During the next several weeks, we’ll feature each of the six clothing items that every guy should have in his wardrobe. As we’ll see, all of the pieces are incredibly versatile, able to be dressed up or down across a range of styles. This is particularly true of the crisp white shirt, which leads off our six-part series on the men’s clothing essentials.
Because it fits every situation from business casual to board meetings, we previously included the white shirt in our post on the office stash. The garment works just as hard off the clock, as the ideal complement to a casual blazer, or even on its own.
To fully understand the white shirt’s power, consider its relationship with two men widely recognized for their style.
In the beginning there was the Tetris layout. Then came then levitation shot. But nothing compares to the response we’ve received from the above image, which our photo team has dubbed the Sexy Trunk.
Thus far, the Sexy Trunk has exceeded 1,000 Facebook likes, and sparked an incredible response after appearing on Uncrate.com—all while racking up thousands of (sadly) unattributed notes on Tumblr. For an untold number of people, this image has served as their introduction to Trunk Club. We can’t think of a better way to say hello.
To those of you who arrived at this post after entering the term “sexy trunk” into a search engine, we offer our sincerest apologies. Carry on.
To get Trunk Club’s perspective on the year ahead, we sat down with Michael Barkin, Director of Sales (pictured below, left), and Jason Smith, V.P. of Product (below, right). Michael and Jason talked about which styles they’re excited to see in 2013, like bold colors and clean looks. We also learned which items of clothing not only fail to excite the guys, but also leave them feeling very, very confused.
We start with the sources of confusion, and then move onto the good stuff.
Questionable Style Moves for 2013 (Or Any Other Year)
Our last post on men’s accessories focused on bags, and referenced the “European carryall” made famous in an episode of Seinfeld. When putting together our recommendations for wallets, we again turned to the classic sitcom for inspiration.
George Costanza stuffed his wallet with receipts, Irish currency, and hard candy. Without question, the thing looked horrendous. Even worse, when squeezed shut and crammed into a back pocket, the monstrosity forced George to sit at an angle, causing back problems. Had he been a Trunk Club member, we would have given Mr. Costanza the following tips, for a better overall look and improved lumbar health.
Tip 1: Wallets are not miniature filing cabinets
Unlike the slimmed-down option pictured above, bulky wallets create unsightly bulges in trousers—something to be avoided at all costs in polite society. This is particularly true of wallets worn in front pants pockets. Flat-front trousers offer straight, clean lines, but add an overstuffed wallet to the mix and that all immediately changes, for the worse.
In an early episode of Mad Men, Don Draper shows up for work wearing the same clothes as the day before, having not made it home to his wife the previous night. Inside his office, Don opens a desk drawer to reveal a stack of crisp, identical white button-up shirts. He peels off the old shirt and reaches for a new one. This simple change is enough to recharge him for another day of chain smoking, highballing, and professional brilliance. Such is the power of the at-work clothes stash.
We’re not saying you should stuff an entire desk drawer with identical shirts, unless you, like Don, frequently wake up in clothes that reek of stale smoke and strange perfume (and we sincerely hope that you don’t). However, we do recommend that you have a stash of clothing and related essentials at work.
If you’re a frequent flyer, the article below might look familiar. In-flight magazines have recently featured the following tips from our CEO, as we continue to help guys looks their best for all occasions, including flying.
Click (and then click again) for the larger image.
Last week we rolled out a new design for this blog, giving ourselves a renovated online home. Sounds like the perfect time to revisit our fall Homecoming editorial, which we shared with Trunk Club members in September. Even though it’s three months later, autumn doesn’t officially end until December 21st. Besides, the following tips will help you look good well into spring.
Our star is Dan Sullivan, a Chicago architect and Trunk Club member, who volunteered to take a crash course in fall style.
Course I: Investigating the Autumn Effect
As you can see in the above photo, just moments after he arrived at Trunk Club University, Dan was transformed into the BDMOC (Best Dressed Man On Campus). He’s wearing heavier clothes to welcome the cooler temperatures, and when it comes to his use of seasonal tones like orange, Dan passes with flying colors. Most impressively, he nails the autumn art of layering with the sweater / shirt / blazer combo.
Every morning Brad commutes from the suburbs to downtown Chicago, where he works at a plucky little startup called Facebook. Add in business traveling and evenings dedicated to family, and he has no time to shop for clothes, even though he wants to look good. Lucky for Brad, in addition to our well-known trunk service, Trunk Club also offers in-house appointments at our Chicago headquarters.
Having built a relationship with Brad over the last couple of years, his personal stylist, Lisa Bubes, can anticipate which clothes he will like, allowing her to prepare selections ahead of appointments.
Lisa walks Brad through her picks, with the couch serving as their keep pile.
Moments later, the time-pressed executive emerges from Trunk Club on schedule and, in terms of style, well ahead of the game.
“Brad is a casual guy and his workplace is casual, too,” Lisa says. “My whole goal is getting him stuff that he can wear to work but also out to dinner and on the weekends with his family. Here’s why I chose the clothes for this outfit:
“When Brad first started with Trunk Club he was a little bit more restricted on what to try. Now we’ve built a level of trust, and he has a foundation of basics in his closet, so we can try working in more fun pieces.”
Trunk Club members are always welcome for in-house appointments at our River North loft: 311 West Superior, Suite 504. Your stylist will by happy to set up a time at your convenience. Members outside Chicago, while continuing to enjoy our trunk service, should by all means visit whenever they’re in the Windy City.
Lisa Bubes is a Trunk Club Senior Stylist and can be reached via Twitter: @LBTheStylist.
Tim Wilson joined Trunk Club in 2010. He recently took time away from his MBA studies for some photos near our Chicago HQ. Afterwards, we sat down for a little back-and-forth.
Any good stories about how your Trunk Club clothes have helped you out?
Um … yes, although I’m going to have to be pretty vague here. I’ll just say that I was wearing a pair of red AG pants this past weekend for Cinco de Derby, and they resulted in me getting called over from across the bar to meet a girl who had been an object of extremely high interest at our table for most of the day. I find Trunk Club clothes result in introductions like that a lot.
How does Trunk Club compare to your previous shopping experiences?
There’s no comparison. Trunk Club is infinitely simpler, with a much higher satisfaction level. I feel like before when I shopped on my own, (1) I hated it, and (2) I’d end up wearing about half of the things I got, whereas now I know I’ll wear and love everything I get from Trunk Club. Plus everything fits much better now.
What’s the best part about working with Lisa? (Lisa Bubes is Tim’s Trunk Club stylist. Her Twitter: @LBTheStylist.)
My favorite part has been Lisa’s ability to push me a little bit on what clothes I’m comfortable with, while staying within the range of style that I like. For example, I’ve now got both red and green pants, as well as a pair of white jeans, all of which I wear.
Overall, how has Trunk Club changed your experience with clothing?
It’s simplified my life a lot and just given me a much higher level of confidence in the clothes I wear. It’s helped me actually enjoy buying and owning clothes.
Want to hear more about Tim’s experience as a Trunk Club member, or debate the merits of Carly Rae Jepsen’s pop-rock stylings? You can do both by hitting him up on Twitter: @twilson22.
Neutrals love bright color. (Case in point: the Swiss flag.) In these two photos, we have white, tan and brown launching a pair of lively plaids into the foreground. Seriously, just look at those blues—they’re coming at you like proverbial spider monkeys.
For the man about town, May is the last month to enjoy long-sleeved henleys and sweaters. Make the most of it, gents, and get those summer blazers ready.
Our signature “Tetris” layout. To have game, all you need is that square piece in the middle.
You ask Criss Angel to pack a trunk of high-end men’s clothing, this is what you get. At least he was over his “buried alive” phase.
Winter, we know you were no good for us. You were cold, harsh and really slushy. But every so often we open the hall closet and catch a glimpse of the cozy jacket or knit hat that kept us toasty, and we secretly can’t wait until the next time you come back around.
