Move Over Grandpa.. Short Sleeve Button-Ups Are Back!

So just about everyone I know (especially my guy friends) thinks it’s straight up hilarious that I would be the guy to write a fashion blog.  Even my wife’s coworkers think I’m some made-up husband who is handy around the house AND very well put together for a night out.  Honestly though, if you knew my wife, it would be hard to believe that she married a dude who blogs at all.  In the end, no matter what you do, what you wear or what you say, people are going to judge and have an opinion (a wrong opinion if you’ve been following my advice, but nonetheless an opinion) about how you dress.

As I climb the age ladder and come closer to no longer being a twenty-something, I’m starting to learn that you need to do whatever makes you feel good and not worry about what other people think.  I truly believe in everything that I write in this blog, but if you feel like wearing sweatpants on the weekend, just do it. I realize this is the same statement you got out of your fortune cookie last week, but rest assured that you will not scroll down and find Chinese characters for the word horse.  What I’m saying is the truth and you’ll be able to use this advice for the rest of your life.  By the way, who thought that knowing the Chinese word for horse would be helpful?  How many times do you use the word horse in your everyday vocab?

Almost done on the soapbox…stay with me.

Your fashion really is intended to make you feel good.  I feel in the past I’ve given some pretty solid advice about looking good in the office by suggesting items that are easy to find and pair with what you already have in your closet.  In this way, I’m hoping that you can merge your personal style with today’s fashion.   If you’ve followed me in the past, it’s pretty easy to tell that I’m a big J. Crew fan, but that doesn’t mean that I dress myself like one of the manikins I see in the window at the mall.  We all have limited funds (and prefer you not to look like a manikin), so we need to blend in bits and pieces to put our look together for the day.  In the end, take what works for you, ignore the rest and you will be just fine.

So, now that you’ve heard my schpeal, I want to leave you with some advice about a new item that you may want to add to your collection…a short-sleeved button-up.  I became interested in this piece of clothing because of a friend (his wife happens to own this blog).  Fortunately for me, he put up with a lot of teasing at the office so that I could discover this shirt.  I had always thought that button-ups were for men over 50 as weekend-wear, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.  The fit and the colors popping up in stores are very modern and sharp-looking.  You might have to try a few different stores to find the right fit for you (for example, some brands run too small in the shoulders), but it just might be what you’ve been looking for.  Until next time…

Style is a choice, so make your’s.

J.K. is a 20 something transplant to Cincinnati.  He works for a national engineering firm and is a newcomer to the fashion blogging scene.  Follow J.K.’s style for guys every other Wednesday and post questions on www.realitychicblog.com.