thoughts on spring menswear...

I can't quite believe it, but a few weeks ago I got an email from an actual man that I actually don't know, asking for some spring menswear tips. I really don't pontificate on it much unless I'm prompted to, so this is a great excuse. Bear in mind, as always, that I don't seriously know what I'm talking about, I only know what appeals to my wandering, always judging, secretly undressing you eye. So on that note, lets do this.

PS - That's not him on the right, in case you were confused. That's Gregory Peck, in all his warm-weather glory.

Dear Guys,

Hey! It's been a little while since we last chatted about menswear, and I've missed it a bit. From what I saw this fall and winter, many of you either took my advice or already knew what you were doing, because you looked great. Nice layering, great sweaters, and so many slim cut pants. I barely saw any square-toe shoes, so that's some real progress.

It's officially spring now, which means another transitional season. It's an opportunity to show off your layering chops again, try out some colors and maybe even a print or two. The weather is testy, and sometimes you're going to get it totally wrong, but if ever there were a season to dare, this is it. I love to think of spring as a season to be a little irreverent. Let your wardrobe have a sense of humor before it's too hot to be funny. Try colorful shoelaces or a bright plaid. A blazer with quirky lining. I'm pretty traditional in my menswear tastes and I bet you are too, so let's just put a little twist on it, shall we?

For this go-round, I'm not going to go into lengthy explanations of why you should wear certain things. I pretty much feel the same way about color, layering, and not wearing hats as I did in the fall. Spring is just about taking all those elements to a lighter, more playful, dare I even say - flirtier - place. I know that's a girly term, but lets be honest - April arrives and we're all ready to ditch the down, grab the gingham and hit on a few strangers on a sunny patio somewhere, right?

Never fear, this isn't the end.


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