El Principio

Male fashion gets a bad hype.

Zoolander - The male model imbecile.
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy - I don't care who you are you've at least heard SOMETHING in your life about this old show.
Abercrombie and Fitch - Showing the world that only those young, muscularly inclined and attractive are worthy of stepping into a "popular" store.
And that's only to name a few -

Who needs that? Looking good is reserved for the clueless, those with 3% body fat or less, and those attracted to other men?

No - don't think so.

It's my intention with this blog to expose the art of looking good to any guy that needs the help. I don't claim myself an expert, and I don't believe I'm the one with all the answers. Men's style is an intensely personal thing, and as much as one may not want to believe it, it really DOES matter how you look in this world. You can go on and on about "not wanting to stick out" or fashion as a "prideful venture" or that "it really doesn't matter."

But it does matter. Hypothetically, let's assume you show up at a job interview in a pair of wrinkled chinos and an open-collared shirt a size too big. You hand in your resume. The next guy, with the SAME EXACT RESUME, comes in wearing a tailored suit, freshly pressed shirt, perfectly knotted tie, and newly polished oxfords. Who's going to get that job?

You can come from the exact same place, with the exact same abilities and attributes, and the other guy will STILL beat you out for that job. Why? Because he looked good while he shoved your unshaven face into the ground.

Situation #2 - and I don't even know where to begin with this one... - Dating. Guys, let's think about this one for a second. Have you ever considered how much time she puts into getting ready to go out with you? The hair, and the makeup, and the choosing an outfit (perhaps even necessitating a quick shopping expedition)... and then you're going to show up wearing uni-color Vans and a t-shirt that reaches below your crotch? Do you think it might even be a TAD beneficial to your cause to make the lady feel appreciated by dressing up a bit? You don't have to don a tux to head out to Chipotle, but you shouldn't come off as pothead either.

And let's face it guys - we know if we look good and when we don't. Painful as it may be to admit, and as much as we may not want to, we know somewhere deep down what looks attractive, professional, dignified... and what looks juvenile, unkempt, and just plain retarded.

This blog should be a tool to help us attain fashion consciousness. Clothing and fashion SHOULDN'T be something that controls our life (the movie "Confessions of a Shopaholic") but it does exist, and in the right hands can be an enabling tool to open many doors that otherwise appear locked and sealed.

The world is getting more and more relaxed in a lot of areas; let's not even begin a policital discussion now... craz no, but look at how your grandparents dressed to go out, then how your parents did, and now how you do. You chuckle silently that your grandpa wouldn't leave home without his hat perhaps? - and now it's hard to find a child alive that knows what "Buisness Casual" really means. Formal? Informal? Black Tie (Optional)...

So, I hope y'all enjoy gleaning from this whatever you can. Just remember I'm NOT trying to impose my "style" on the world, but rather trying to resurrect common decency in dress and grooming, and show the difference between "having style" and "following the trend."

They're not one in the same.