What shirt collar should you wear?

Can you name this collar?

Guys, were you aware of the numerous shirt collars out there? You might think of the mandarin collar, but can you name any of the others? You’re probably familiar with the point collar, but did you even know it had a name?

We know many guys out there just pick a shirt of the rack and that’s the end of that. We want to give you some background on the types of collars out there so you don’t end up with a club collar when you actually wanted a button down collar.

Aspects of a collar

According to Real Men Real Style, there are 6 features of a collar:

• Collar points- tip of the collar
• Collar point length- distance from collar point to where they meet the collar band
• Collar band- fabric that wraps around the neck
• Collar height
• Tie space- distance between top of folded collar parts when shirt is buttoned
• Spread- distance between collar points

If all of this sounds like gibberish, the site created a handy illustration to showcase each collar feature.

Realmenrealstyle.com

Types of collars

Thanks to the handy illustration above, you can clearly see all the different types of collars that are out there.

If you head to Hugh & Crye’s A Guide to Men’s Dress Shirt Collars, you will see real-life examples of these collars on dress shirts. This can help give you an idea of how each collar will look.

Huge & Crye A Guide to Men’s Dress Shirt Collars

The Urban Gent has a great tip sheet on which collars to wear and which to avoid based on the shape of your face, size of your head, and size of your neck.

Tie or no tie?

Not all collars are created equal. And not all collars should be worn without ties.

Spread
Can be worn without a tie

Tab
Can NOT be worn without a tie

Cutaway
Can NOT be worn without a tie

Club
Can be worn without a tie

Button Down
Can be worn without a tie

Forward Point
Can NOT be worn without a tie

The Best Inspiration for Men’s Fashion

It can be tough to stay relevant in the ever-changing world of men’s fashion. Lucky for you, we put together some of the top blogs and social media accounts to give you the inspiration you need to always look fresh.

One of the best things to do to keep up with all these fashion blogs is to sign up for their newsletters. Another tip is to keep up with them on social media like Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter to ensure you never miss anything.

We also recommend you keep up with us on social media! Follow us on Facebook, tweet at us on Twitter, pin our posts on Pinterest, or check out our images on Instagram.

Do you have a favorite men’s fashion blog or site that we missed? Be sure to leave it in the comments below so we can add it to the list!

Fashion Beans
For fashion, style, grooming, street style, and lifestyle

Sample articles to check out:

How to Wear Green This Season

Summer 2016 Fashion Hot List

How to Pick the Perfect Beard Length for You

MenStyle1
Tons of images of the latest styles in menswear from formal to streetwear

He Spoke Style
One of the top men’s style blogs out there.

Sample articles to check out:

Why No White Pants After Labor Day?

The HSS Guide to Dress Shirt Collars

Khakis vs Chinos: What’s the Difference?

Gentleman’s Gazette
This site is all about classic men’s fashion. If you’re looking for classic styles and looks, recommendations, and articles, this is your site.

Sample articles to check out:

Monk Strap Shoe Guide

Dress Code Primer

Dappered
If you’re looking to dress well and not break the bank, Dappered is for you. Learn about clothing, drinks, grooming, watches, shoes, women and more. They also have a forum so you can chat with those of a similar style.

Sample articles to check out:

Best Dress Shirts to Own

How to go tieless with a suit

How much does it cost to tailor

Articles of Style
This is for those of you who consider themselves fashion forward. Lots of great images to get style inspiration.

Skills Every Guy Should Know

There are some things we are born with, and some things we have to learn. For guys, there tend to be a few basic skills we learn at a young age. These include fishing, hunting, and knowing when to stop talking in an argument. As we age, we start realizing there are many other skills we need to learn, either from someone else or have to teach ourselves. In this age of YouTube, you can find a tutorial on almost anything. You don’t really need to know any skill in too much depth, it’s just a click away.

But there are plenty of basic skills you should know because you won’t always be near a computer. If you don’t know the following skills, take a few hours to learn them. It will save you tons of time, money, and headache in the future.

Changing a Tire
This is a given! There will come a time when you need to change your own tire, or want to help a stranded driver. It will save you a lot of money as well. Having to call a tow company to change your tire can cost much more than you think.

Changing Oil
Getting the oil changed in your car is a must. It can cost over $100 at an auto shop, but doing it on your own it will cost just the oil and tub for clean up.

How to Match Clothes
If you want to make a great impression, a stylish outfit is needed. If your clothes don’t match, you may not notice, but others will.

Stop a Running Toilet
There’s no need to call a plumber for this simple fix. You will save tons of money by learning to fix this mess.

How to Filet a Fish
If you are a fisherman, you should know this skill. You will be able to safely consumer any fish you catch if you learn to filet one.

How to Drive Stick Shift
Even if your car isn’t a stick shift, it’s fun to learn. Maybe you’ll become a valet and need to know this. Or maybe you will inherit a Ferrari that only runs in manual.

Top Men’s Hairstyles

Have you been keeping up with the latest trends in men’s hairstyles? Man buns are in, as is the undercut, and top knit. These styles have become popular just recently, so don’t be surprised if you start seeing guys sporting these soon. You may even want to try one out yourself. The infographic below from Hairstyleonpoint will help you visualize each of these top styles. So you will know a pompadour from a side part. These styles may not last forever (remember the last time guys had pony tails? Yeah we don’t want to remember either). So get in on these trends while they last.

hairstyleonpoint.com

Grooming Gifts for Guys

Many girls love shopping for personal care items, whether it’s lotion, face cream, makeup, hairstyling products. This isn’t the same for guys. It seems like there really isn’t a lot out there made for me, but that’s totally false! There is a growing trend of guys getting into grooming and keeping up their appearance. You will look fresh, and feel good with these grooming products.

Swiss Army Hanging Travel Kit
If you travel and plan to bring your grooming products along you will need this hanging organizer. It’s big enough for a full-size bottle of your favorite shampoo, and has multiple zipped pockets.

Boscia Super-Cool De-Puffing Eye Balm
This is made for men and women and works wonders on tired-looking eyes. It will cool and sooth puffiness around the eyes as well as dark circles and fine lines.

Tree Ranger Beardsman’s Kit
This is the ultimate beard guy box. It comes with beard oil, mustache wax, mustache comb, pocket beard comb, large beard comb, boar’s hair brush, and bear trimming scissors. It’s made in the US and comes in a fancy wooden box.

Marc Jacobs Brow Tamer
This soft gel formula will shape and hold your eyebrows all day. If you find your eyebrows are a mess after a few hours out, you need this formula.

Men’s Bathing Suit Guide

Luckily for Floridians, we get to enjoy a much milder and shorter winter than the rest of the country. So it’s almost time to shed those sweaters and long pants in exchange for swimsuits and towels at the beach. You check your closet only to see old, outdated trunks that don’t even fit anymore. Time to go out and find that perfect swimsuit! Here’s what is in style now and what trends you want to be sporting at the beach.

Trunks

This is the most common swimwear for men in the US. They look just like shorts, which is probably why they have gained such popularity. The fabric is different from shorts in that it is a fast-drying material like nylon or polyester. They may also contain an interior lining.

Boardshorts

I thought these were the same as trunks? Some places like to interchange the term. Boardshorts are just longer versions of trunks. Usually they come to or past the knee. The waste is typically non-elastic.

Square Cut Shorts

These are similar to trunks but are skin-tight. They are much better for active use, like swimming laps or competitive sport. They come in long and short versions.

Swim briefs (Speedos)

These are typically popular in Europe, though many Americans like to sport them. They are similar to briefs and are tight.

So which is right for me?

Sportswear

If you plan to use this swimsuit mainly for doing laps in the pool, you will want to go for a tighter fitting suit. Trucks and boardshorts will just get in the way. Stick with the tighter square cut shorts to give yourself a streamlined movement.

In Style

Definitely the most trendy swimwear for men are shorter trunks. These don’t need to be extremely short, nor should they be tight. The bottom of the trunks should reach about mid to ¾ of the way down the thigh. Get them fitted, as bulky trunks are unflattering. Go for a stylish color, maybe a turquoise or peach.

Conservative

There are many swim trunks available that look just like regular shorts. Get them in your regular length, and a simple, solid color like black, navy, or tan. This will give you a professional look while you’re out on the water.

At Joseph Wendt Custom Clothiers, we offer the best custom suits! Though we don’t carry swimsuits, you will be sure to find everything else you could need for your wardrobe. Our Fifth Avenue South location offers an array of ready-to-wear items, as well as accessories and shoes. Get your perfect outfit to wear after a day out at the beach at Joseph Wendt Custom Clothiers.

 

Learn to Tie a Proper Scarf

It’s starting to get chilly, even some nights here in Florida it has been hitting the 40s. For those of us living in the northern region of the US, snow has already started falling. It’s time to pull out those winter clothes and bundle up. You want to keep warm as best as possible, but do you know the best way to wear that scarf? There are many ways to tie a scarf, you should learn a few that you can use to keep yourself warm and looking good. This infographic from Real Men Real Style has eleven ways to tie a scarf, and even tells you what temperatures and scarf types each style works best for.

Bespoke Vs. Made-to-Measure

This infographic from Executive Image Consulting provides a great cheat sheet about the differences of bespoke and made-to-measure outfits. Bespoke refers to custom men’s suits, often handmade, and generally quite expensive. Made-to-measure is not quite bespoke but also not ready-to-wear (outfits you buy pre-made, such as in a store).

Made-to-measure garments feature some amount of tailoring and personalization, though not nearly the amount of bespoke. Bespoke offers almost limitless options for customization, which is why the prices can get very high. If you are looking for something custom, but a little less pricey, then made-to-measure offers customization up to a point. Learn more about the differences and similarities to these two tailoring methods from the infographic.

No Shave November

Have you participated in the annual “No Shave November” event? It takes place each November, most likely thanks to alliteration, and requires participants to do just one thing: not shave the whole month. It is open to both men and women, though it is likely more geared towards men. Learn about the origins of this interesting event.

Origin

No Shave November started as a Cancer fundraising idea by two friends in 2009. The idea was to have people forgo shaving and instead donate the money they would have spent on grooming. The idea is also to embrace our hair, which many Cancer patients lose during treatment. It started as a Facebook page with only 50 participants. The event grew in popularity and in 2013 the American Cancer Society partnered with No Shave November to raise even more funds and promote Cancer awareness. They are now a web-based, non-profit with a large fanbase.

How to Participate

It’s easy! Grow your hair freely during the month of November. Donate the money you would spend on grooming to help the fight against cancer. You can sign up solo or as a team on their site (http://www.no-shave.org/#!get-involved/clse). You can also donate straight to the American Cancer Society or purchase No-Shave November gear with proceeds going to the ACS. There are shirts, hoodies, and bracelets. Use the hashtag #LetItGrow to show your support on social media sites.

Men’s Shoe Style Guide

Buying the right men’s shoe for your outfit is a challenge. How do you pick the right color? Or the proper style? What about socks? This infographic by GroomU illustrates dress, casual, athletic shoes and boots. It also covers shoe care, choosing a color, and socks. When it comes to choosing a color, be sure to get brown shoes for neutral color clothes. Wear black shoes with black, deep, or rich color outfits. They recommend not to wear novelty socks, but a bit of color in your outfit is not a bad thing.