10 Essentials: Susan

Female, Los Angeles, 28

All my life, I’ve had the pleasure of enchanting men who are eternally in casual clothing: engineers, graphic designers, grad students, and once – a wannabe rapper. Clearly, my charm doesn’t work on William Morris agents, investment bankers, or anyone with considerable assets. I suppose I’m okay with this. But what I’m not okay with — is men who think that dressing casually means dressing carelessly in whatever is most worn-in and within reach of his bed in the morning. So, in order to aid those hard working handsome boys in dressing well enough to get a girl like me – I’d like to provide my list of 10 casual essentials:

Style 101: Vest and Jeans

We’re definitely glad to see the waistcoat being embraced by modern man, but we do have concerns that poor execution could sink an otherwise noble attempt at stylish self-expression. On the left, photographer Alexi Lubomirski shows why he is one of GQ’s most stylish men in America. His counterpart on the right, on the other hand, gives off the hipster-in-a-shrunken-vest vibe. The styling between the two pictures is similar enough to show that the difference between good and bad comes down to proportions. The visual lines created by the GQ version paint a long, lean figure with broad shoulders, while the Nitrolicious version comes across a little disjointed and oddly shaped. Here’s why:

What Women Hate: Loud Denim

Remember when premium denim first became all the rage? It was all about the back pocket design. Every brand had their signature design and it distinguished those who spent $40 on their denim versus $150-200 for True Religions, Rock & Republics, Sevens etc… Since then the back pockets have become louder, uglier, and more ostentatious from big stitching to crystallized and bedazzled pockets. Bedazzled pockets even on men’s jeans! BARF. This post applies to both guys and gals. Please stay away from denim like this: