How to Build Your Golf Wardrobe…

Recently I read a Golf Digest article that suggested you do not need “golf clothing” and  to just “dress casual”. Here at Les Richards, golf is a major part of our lives and even at varying skill levels golf clothing is important. A regular polo will not flex or stretch. Additionally, regular cotton or linen pants will not flex the same way performance pants from brands like Puma and Callaway will. Golf shorts and polos from top brands will also wick sweat and keep you cool while you play. For both performance and comfort, golf clothing is important to own.

Here is what to buy…

1. Two pair of performance golf shorts in a solid basic color like black or blue from Puma, Callaway, Oakley, Nike, etc.

2. One pair of performance golf pants in solid black.

3. One reversible belt black on one side and white on the other.

4. Three performance golf polos and make them colorful (think Rickie Fowler or Bubba Watson).

5. A great pair of golf spikes. Nike and Adidas have more sneaker like spikes available that look great and are extremely comfortable. Although Footjoy is a comfort king and a go to brand in spikes.

Les Richards Style Advice on What to Wear to a Summer Wedding

It’s that time of year where all of us have a grocery list worth of friends tying the knot. If you are in the wedding the attire is pretty simple. In order to help out the groom, you should go to a store that makes custom suits and get a jacket measurement, waist measurement, neck measurement, sleeve measurement, and an outseam measurement at the very least. However, most of us are just attending the wedding and this article is for you.

There are two very popular suit options that work great for a summer event. A light grey or light blue suit is where I would start. Jack Victor has a light grey and a light blue pinstripe that would serve as a great template. There are some other brands that have great affordable options in those color palates like H&M, J. Crew, and Banana Republic. At the higher end of things, there are great light grey options available in Versace and for light blue try Etro or Tom Ford.

The shirt and tie for a wedding can be fun. Light color suits match anything and pastel colors in blue, lavender, and pink are a great look. We recommend mini-checks in any pastel color. Check out brands like Hugo Boss, Facconable, and Ted Baker for great checks and multi-color vertical stripes. The tie to match should be either a solid in a brighter color, a stripe in a color that matches the shirt color, or a miniature pattern.

The shoe and belt should match and the shoe color should be lighter if possible. Black matches both light grey and blue and so does brown, but the color of choice is tan. Some people call this color cognac or British tan but nonetheless it is the shoe color. Allen Edmonds makes a few great options. Check out the Strand and the Flatiron in what they call Walnut. Mezlan has a few great options as well, but then again so does Alden, Boss, Cole Haan, and several others. As always if there are any additional question feel free to email us. 

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Top 5 Items that should be in every man’s professional wardrobe

5. One Pair of Dark Jeans…Dark jeans are the casual Friday go to. They are the easiest thing to match because you can wear black or brown shoes and anything up top. I recommend either AG or Citizens for a good pair. I know those brands run near $200 a pair, but they are made here at home and they feel like sweat pants they are so comfortable.

4. Two Button Down Shirts…Everyone looks clean in a nice white button down. It also seems to be the shirt women are most attracted to, but my sample size is small (1). The other color is a toss up, but I recommend a solid blue. The shirts should fit correctly to support a tie if necessary. Through the sides the shirts should fit your body’s shape and not have too much excess material. Its amazing how getting a shirt that’s just an inch or two more fitted (if you are accustom to wearing a tent) will make you look significantly thinner.

3. Two Accessory Sets…I’m grouping shoes into accessories because they really are. A lot of men could care less how what’s on their feet matches what’s on their body. A lot of men should start caring a lot more. Is it true that women look at shoes? I have no earthly idea. However, I do know that looking put together requires the whole look not ¾ of it. So, you need two shoes (black and brown), two matching belts, at least two pair of dress socks, and optimally two watches to match the whole look.

2. Two suits…Everyone wears suits. The last wedding I attended there were a hand full of construction workers, a golf pro, and at least one truck driver. Now those are three of the first occupations that will tell you they do not wear suits, but occasions come up. We suggest a solid navy and a solid grey. You have now created four outfits. You can wear the suits as they are or you can “break the suit” and wear the navy jacket with the grey pant and visa versa. Also, grey and navy are the best for interviews and in today’s iron curtain job market there will likely be a second interview where you will want a different suit.

1. One Jacket…There are certain areas of the world where this does not apply. Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and the majority of other major metropolitan areas are not those areas. I recommend a rain coat with a liner. If you are going to have one jacket it might as well do everything. A rain coat without the liner is light and keeps you dry. With the liner, the rain coat becomes a winter coat and even repels snow. Most importantly, rain coats can be worn just as professionally as an overcoat over the suit.

images from Ben Sherman, Faconnable, Allen Edmonds, Cole Haan, Citizens, Jack Victor 2013

Fashionable Father's Day Gift Ideas

Gift ideas for Fathers Day can be tough. If your dad is anything like ours, he always says he doesn’t need anything. If you are thinking clothing, my suggestion is to think about what he can use in either daily work life or leisure. 

source

Does your dad golf? There are countless brands like Golf by James Warren, Faconable, Puma, Oakley, Nike, etc. Does your dad fish? I would suggest Tommy Bahama or something in a light linen in any color including pastels. Does your dad like to party? There are countless brands that offer contrast color and cuff or mixed media options like Robert Graham. Does your dad wear a suit and tie everyday? I would not suggest buying dad a suit unless he wears one brand and one size and has forever, but a tie is always a great gift. I recommend small patterns and stripes because every man can wear them. 

Shoes are another easy gift. Sneak into Dad’s closet and check his shoe size and get him some Sperry's or a new pair of running shoes. An easy way to handle gifting apparel and shoes for your dad or any other special person in your life, is sneaking into the persons closet and checking out what their sizes are. Next, Flag Day. 

Sperry Top-Sider

                                                           

Robert Graham

Faconnable

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Suits 101 - Men's Suit Lapel Styles

VIA WSJ

Men’s fashion is normally a slow moving beast, but today things are starting to speed up. The dress code for work has gone casual and the closet has been filled with unstructured suits and sport coats. News happens in a far away country and we can report it via Twitter before its in the hands of CNN or the Huffington Post. So if this means men’s fashion is starting to react a little quicker we should be telling you what’s next. 

In suits, the next big thing is a wider lapel. I want to stress that just the LAPEL is getting wider and not the suit. Pleats and larger jackets have been seen on runways for brands like Burberry (Prorsum) but this will not go main stream. Slim fit, two button, side vent is the template. However, a ticket or hacking pocket and a wider lapel are certainly welcome to the party. 

Most lapels are between 2 ¾” and 3 ¼” wide. Now lapels up to 5” are in stock and in style. Tom Ford would tell you that this is old hat and for him it is. The wardrobe team for the popular show “Suits” would tell you the same thing (See Harvey Specter). However, everyone else is just getting on board with wider lapels, 3-piece suits, and double breasted jackets.

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Suits 101-Matching with your Classic Suit Colors

via GQ

People often ask what matches with navy, grey, or black. The simple answer is everything. The long answer that always follows involves proving to people that everything, including pastel colors, match. Think about a suit like the paint on your car. The paint is on the outside and now you get to choose the interior (shirt and tie). Black Porsche, black rims, yellow calipers, red seats. What I just described is outlandish, but the colors work because the backdrop, the paint, is basic. 

via Getty and RCFA

In suiting, solid black, grey, and navy are the most basic options. Navy and grey are the real winners though. The reason why is unless you are at the height of confidence (not fashion) you should not wear black and brown together. However, blue and grey can be worn with brown and black shoes and therefore with almost anything. This is also the reason why we suggest people purchase either a grey or navy suit for their first interview or first suit. So, for our sake and your own, stop asking what matches grey and navy and start thinking about what you would like to wear. 

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