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☆ Think Clothes Were ‘Better’ 50 Years Ago? Our Investigation Might Surprise You
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Jamie Waters | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

LATE LAST YEAR, old trench coats began trending on X (formerly known as Twitter). As ammunition she supplied a swoon-worthy shot of model-actress Lauren Hutton taken at the 1983 premiere of “Starflight.” Hutton has a twinkle in her eye. Today, the average trench is cut more skimpily, according to Dione Davis, a stylist in New York and Paris. As can other laments that went viral in recent months focused on sweaters, tailored trousers, even T-shirts. Conventional wisdom holds that wardrobe classics were better in previous generations.

Persons: Savannah Bradley, Lauren Hutton, “, ” Hutton, Dione Davis Organizations: LAST Locations: New York, Paris

FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS a pair of round, gold glasses has shown me the world. But the lenses have grown so scratched and cloudy that it feels like I’m peering through a fog. Since glasses so prominently guard the windows to our souls, they arguably define our look and vibe more than any other item. Skimp on sweaters and sneakers if you must, but don’t settle for ho-hum frames. New specs “redefine who you are,” said Julie Ragolia, a fashion editor and stylist based between Paris and New York.

Persons: willy, ”, Julie Ragolia, “ Organizations: SIX Locations: Paris, New York

☆ Costco Men’s Clothing: We Heard Your Reviews and Decided to Investigate
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Jamie Waters | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

With a couple of caveats, the clothes—sturdy and perfectly fine, if not quite handsome—pleasantly surprised me. In one case I was thrilled: Thick, plush and as comfy as hotel slippers, Kirkland’s white athletic socks knocked my socks off. (They come in packs of eight for $14. I wish they were packs of 80.) F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal; Prop Styling By Judith Trezza for R.J. Bennett Represents

Persons: Martin Ramin, Judith Trezza, Bennett Organizations: R.J

☆ Costco Clothing Is Cheap. WSJ Readers Love It. But Is It Actually Good Value?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Jamie Waters | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ONE RECENT WEEKEND, in a Manhattan warehouse whose lighting wasn’t doing anyone any favors, I nearly knocked over a tub of M&M’s while trying on a $27 jacket. I passed a rack of Spider-Man costumes en route to fishing a pair of jeans out of a towering stack. While other fashion editors were attending runway shows in Milan, blowing air kisses and clinking Champagne coupes, I was pawing at six-packs of T-shirts beside a fridge filled with breaded chicken fingers.

Organizations: & $ Locations: Manhattan, Milan

☆ Finding an Actually Cool Men’s Shirt for $150? Surprisingly Hard. But We Did It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Jamie Waters | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

C’MON DOWN! A few winning $150-and-under designs. Illustration: Mojo Wang“PLEASE SPEND no time on this silly request,” ordered an email that recently shot into my fashion editor’s inbox. The woman behind it wanted to buy a casual button-up as a birthday gift for her boyfriend, and was hoping for leads. The first was that the shirt be “hip but not too hip.” The second turned this “silly request” into my new Everest: Her price limit was $150.

Persons: Mojo Wang “, ”

☆ 5 Chore Coats for Men That Aren’t…Super Boring
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Jamie Waters | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/stylish-chore-coats-for-men-b1217a53

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ The Quickest Way to Ruin Your Outfit Without Even Knowing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Jamie Waters | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Be honest: Are your pants pockets near-bursting with earphones, keys, the latest iPhone Gigundo? If so, I’m afraid you’re suffering from Bulging Pocket Syndrome (BPS). And the prognosis is fatally unattractive. No other style affliction ruins a guy’s outfit so quickly (or makes walking so uncomfortable). “It comes across as clumsy and clunky,” said New York stylist Michaela Murray, being kind.

Persons: you’re, ”, Michaela Murray Locations: New York

☆ Can Men Wear Baseball Caps to the Office? Our Poll Results May Surprise You
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Jamie Waters | Illustrations Paul Tuller | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Office dress-codes have skewed more casual postpandemic, but opinions on what constitutes too casual vary greatly—including between generations. To determine which laid-back items the public deems acceptable deskside, we hit up global research company Ipsos. Between June 30 and July 2, it surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,020 U.S. adults. And no, it’s not always a young vs. old face-off: Gen Zers can be stricter, and boomers less formal, than one might think. Here, the 411 on the most contentious items.

Persons: it’s

☆ Can Men Ever Wear Shorts to the Office? What About Baseball Caps? Our Poll Results May Surprise You.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Jamie Waters | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ The Shorts That’ll Soon Be Everywhere—and 6 Other Standout Trends From Men’s Fashion Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Jamie Waters | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

THE WIDE AND SHORT OF IT Roomy shorts like these—as well as extra-long pants and a specific style of sandals—ruled at the spring shows. Photo: Maria Valentino MCV Photo (Sacai)SPOTTED AT Milan fashion week: actor Chris Pine strolling the streets barefoot, pants messily cuffed, loafers in hand. Though scorching heat likely explained the hoof-baring move, it had echoes of “man stumbles home at dawn after raucous wedding.” Soon after, Pine redeemed himself. He breezed into the Zegna show, his pleated pants now unrolled and pooling over his loafers. His slouchy elegance would’ve looked at home on many of this season’s runways.

Persons: —, Maria Valentino MCV, Chris Pine, baring, ”, Pine, would’ve Organizations: Milan

☆ Could You Be Dressing Sexier? A Guide For Men
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Jamie Waters | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Do men want to look sexy? I think so, yes,” said Fredric Cibelli, a principal at a big New York consulting firm. Derek Vick’s spin on sexy skews more “Butch Cassidy” machismo. Chunky-heel cowboy boots, which bump his height from 5-foot-10 to about 6-foot, complete the look. “When I go out, I want to turn heads,” he said.

Persons: ”, Fredric Cibelli, baring, Channing Tatum, Mike, ” Rather, Derek Vick’s, Butch Cassidy ” machismo Locations: New York, Hattiesburg, Miss, Wranglers

☆ Father’s Day Gift Guide 2023: 11 Presents to Help Dad Chill Out
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Jamie Waters | Katharine K. Zarrella | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ ‘Lazy Luxury’ Sneakers: Are These the Most-Worn Shoes on Private Jets?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Jamie Waters | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TYING SHOELACES is a ho-hum task, but in 2023, many moneyed men have expunged that 20 seconds of tedium from their mornings. Postpandemic, C-suite sorts are padding about in slip-on shoes sophisticated enough for the boardroom yet as comfy as cashmere pajamas, according to personal stylists who cater to the one percent. Laceless footwear is “very, very popular at the moment” due to its convenience, said Milda Chellingsworth, a London stylist who counsels corporate heavyweights aged 40 to 70 from around the world. Cassandra Sethi, a Los Angeles stylist, is also fielding more requests for slip-ons from CEO types who’d rather not have to do any knotting. “Non-lace footwear is really valuable for them,” she said.

A CERTAIN style move terrifies countless men with a passing interest in fashion. Some would sooner streak through Times Square than be seen sporting this “faux pas.” The avoid-at-all-costs abomination? Wearing black and navy together. With a discipline that would impress a four-star general, guys both young and old abide by such staid rules on not mixing certain colors. Ask them to wear, say, green head-to-toe and you might witness a conniption.

Even worse than a cheesy shirt? Bed head in the boardroom. No matter how bad the morning crunch, wet those locks. If you don't have time to shower, shove your head briefly under the bathroom tap, then comb those strands into place before applying pomade, says Greg Dasaro, co-owner of New York City’s Friend of a Barber. Peter Gamlen

UNTIL 2020, I would primp like a prize poodle before heading to the office. I’d press shirts, ponder outfits, sculpt my pompadour with a one-two punch of hair spray and pomade. This show dog has turned into a racing greyhound. Two and a half years of working from home—a setup that let me sleep until 8:55 a.m. and still be at my desk by 9—changed the game. When I finally returned to an office job, I wasn’t about to sacrifice my snooze schedule to that elaborate, get-ready rigmarole I once performed.

☆ What’s Next In Menswear? 6 Standout Trends From the Latest Runway Shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Jamie Waters | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

TRYING TO SPOT casual clothes at the recent menswear shows was a bit like playing “Where’s Waldo?” Sober, dressier items so outnumbered once-dominant streetwear staples on the catwalks that if you spied a hoodie, jeans or flashy sneakers, you felt like you’d won a game. This season belonged to investment pieces: sharp-shouldered suits, chunky polished-leather shoes, heirloom-quality coats. Guys bored of schlubby sweats and wary of splashing out money on overly loud, quick-to-date clothes when the cost of living is wincingly high. Less clear: How they will fare in the real world, when they hang off average-size mortals, not long-limbed models. One stylist friend announced, half-seriously, that he feared these coats would make his shorter clients look like kids who’d raided their dads’ closets.

☆ Corduroy: Everything You Thought You Knew Is Wrong
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Jamie Waters | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

YOU’LL FIND an inordinate amount of corduroy in the collections of trendy menswear brands such as Noah, Alex Mill and A Kind of Guise. But the furrowed, typically-cotton fabric is showing up in ways not borrowed from the past. These updated cord concepts—consider them dressed-up sweats—let you enjoy pajama-like comfort while looking fairly polished. Corduroy is “like a new, cool basic,” said New York-based celebrity stylist Michael Fisher. “It does look relevant again.” Yet if you aspire to be a modish prince of wales, you need to do more than buy that cord hoodie; you must reject three outdated assumptions about the corrugated cloth:

☆ Allbirds Were the Tech Bro ‘It’ Shoe. Then the Tech Bros Moved On.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Jamie Waters | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

AUSTEN ALLRED is a pretty typical tech guy. Until Covid, he lived in an affluent San Francisco neighborhood (he’s now based in Ephraim, Utah). Pre-pandemic, Allbirds were the dominant shoes among the clients of San Francisco dating coach Eddie Hernandez, including many tech professionals. Silicon Valley personal brander and stylist Victoria Hitchcock, most of whose 100 clients are dot-com types, has observed a similar disappearing act. Though she says she’s never advised anyone to buy Allbirds, about 40 of her clients sported them in 2019, she recalled.

☆ Want an Unboring Work Bag? Our Best Picks for Men
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Jamie Waters | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

I RECENTLY texted a good friend to solicit his thoughts on the shoulder bag that’s become my default work bag since I returned to the office this summer. I resolved to replace it with a new bag for the breezy new era of office dressing. Post-lockdown, like many, I’ve returned to work dressed more casually than I was pre-Covid. My 2022 deskside look relies heavily on corduroy drawstring pants and big-pocketed overshirts, and I wanted my bag to match. Meaning: coolly laid-back, but just polished enough to indicate that I’m here to Slack, not slack off.

ONE AFTERNOON last month, Eristheo Raif freed his shins with the swoosh of two zips. Mr. Raif, 35, a Los Angeles high-school teacher, had been in a chilly classroom all morning, but it was time for P.E. Since the bottom halves of his new convertible cargo pants detach above the knees, he could unsheath his shanks in seconds. When a student inquired, “Weren’t they pants?” Mr. Raif replied, “Yeah, but it got hot, so now they’re shorts!” He last wore convertible cargos in the early 2000s. Indeed: These pants are “a big thing,” said Katie Devlin, an analyst at trend-forecasting agency Stylus.

WE ALL MATURED in one way or another during lockdown. Some men became fathers, celebrated a milestone birthday or changed careers. And everyone got older. As we re-enter a world of ever-hazier dress codes, some folks are grappling with how to dress in a way that makes sense for who they are now.

FashionCelebrities are enlisting professional help to dress their young ones: “They’re like, Is it my turn yet? When is Mommy going to be done?”

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