Re: Rate My Style Redux

[Guest]

GJ, you look exactly as I imagined you. And I mean EXACTLY.

[kath]

Bunny, I also think the dress is the best option!

[Gentleman Johnny]

GJ, you look exactly as I imagined you.  And I mean EXACTLY.

Thanks, I hope.

I realized there's a little hidden fashion tip in those photos. If you wear black pants and a grey or black shirt, you can completely change your look with a couple of accessories. The steampunk outfit (without the hat) and the one with the vest are representative of my going out to make an impression look. The only real difference between them is the choice of vest and jacket.

[8bitGreyscale]

I'll start. In the old thread, you guys gave me a lot of great advice about how to improve my look. I updated my glasses to be thick plastic rimmed as opposed to the metallic half-rimmed ones I had previously. I didn't change my hairstyle, in the end, though I did have it cut a few months ago. I ditched my old, over-sized plaid collared shirts. To replace them, I got a some nice-fitting hanelys and a couple of v-neck t-shirts. I also bought a few new pairs of jeans, this time slim fit. Just finding clothes that fit better and glasses that looked better has improved my look dramatically. Thanks for the advice everybody!

Here's a few pictures I took yesterday of what I was wearing to give you an idea of my current style (I always feel like I look awkward in my photos, but maybe that's just me):
[picture removed]

You are adorable! And I mean that in the best way! If I randomly saw you (like, in line at a coffee shop or something like that), my immediate impression would be a quiet, thoughtful guy -- probably a tiny bit shy -- on the intellectual-but-not-arrogant-or-condescending side who has a strong sense of self and probably is really passionate about his hobbies (which could lean a bit esoteric*, but not necessarily). If those hobbies/interests come up in conversation, the focus is why they're awesome and wanting to share that awesomeness and NOT how they're sooooooo much better than other hobbies or to show off how much you know about them.

Also, I am seriously getting a "casual style young Spencer Reid" (Matthew Gray Gubler in Criminal Minds) vibe. Considering how many Reid fan girls there are, haaaaaaaaay! interestingly, your glasses play an important role in that vibe, even though Reid doesn't wear glasses.   Maybe they connect to Reid's slightly more formal dress?




* Like being into fountain pens or mapmaking, say.

[reboot]

Jeez, Wisp, you do resemble that actor a lot!

[8bitGreyscale]

May I request some suggestions from my recent weekend trip?

First a day look (if anybody remembers from the blog, this is the wool skirt I made from the patterns I was debating):

Cute! I FLOVE that skirt. The green of that shirt is one I would never have paired with the outfit (probably because I don't have anything in that shade of green, heh ) but looks amazing. It's a great punch of color that isn't  WOO, COLOR!!!*

As a nail polish obsessive**, I demand details of your manicure, as well. I can only see that you have polish on, but not the details.

Marty, that skirt is super cute! No other comments except that your jacket sleeves look a little long and you're probably already entirely aware of that.

Since shortening sleeves on that kind of jacket is annoyingly fussy, I just pretend it was an intentional style choice, and chalk it as up "eccentric cute."

I have a denim jacket with sleeves that are too long, too. I usually have the cuffs folded up 1-2x very tidily, just to bring them to proper long-sleeve length. It looks good (and not weird), IMO. But how about trying different rolled sleeve styles? It's fascinating that such a teeny detail actually does impact the look. It's almost like an accessory in its own right.

Would the jacket work better if the hem of the shirt was shorter? Potentially insecure question: does my stomach look huge in those outfits? I feel like no matter how I dress, I can't hide my large stomach.

The shirt length was the one thing I didn't care for. It visually chops you up into segments instead of just flowing/transitioning. I used to wear my shirts the same way and for the same reason. And I also still felt uncomfortable and insecure about my stomach (and hips). I highly recommend wearing the shirt higher up (so the hemline stops above the jacket hem) for a few reasons:

• It will be a sleeker line without chopping the look into discrete segments.
  
• it looks like a standard chick knit/jersey shirt, with thinner and stretchier fabric, yes? Raising the hem means you'll have extra fabric that you can arrange into.. I guess it'd kinda be ruching? The fabric just folds over onto itself since it has nowhere else to go. But you can manipulate the folds and actually camouflage or hide the areas you don't want. Best of all, it looks natural instead of looking like an obvious HEY EVERYONE, THIS PERSON IS TRYING TO HIDE THIS BODY PART RIGHT HERE LOOK LOOK. And the fabric is thin enough that it doesn't add bulk to the area.
  
• It would show more of that awesome skirt! A bonus result of this is:
  
• Your bottom half will appear longer in proportion, visually lengthening your legs (which then also draws the eye away from the stomach region).
  

* I am a huge fan of WOO, COLOR!!!, myself, but I know a bunch of (most?) people aren't.
** Seriously, my collection is riDONKulous and I could talk all day about nail polish, color subtleties, etc.

[kath]

YES you do totally look like Reid, Wisp! Which is a huge compliment in my book.

[Gentleman Johnny]

I knew he reminded me of someone and that is definitely it and definitely a good thing. He's got that "seduce you with my awkwardness" vibe in a good way.

Had a casual acquaintance just blurt out "that is an amazing outfit" when I walked into her store over the weekend, so I'll have to rebuild it, snap a pic and see if anyone wants to help me dissect hat made it so amazing.

[The Wisp]

Ha, I'd never heard of the character before. I looked him up on YouTube and found a "Spencer Reid Funny Moments" video. I like this guy!

[reboundstudent]

Hey 8bitGreyscale,

Don't have time to comment on the rest of your post now (though thanks for the tips!), but my manicure is Jamberry. My friend recently introduced me to them, and I love them. So many fun designs and colors. This is what I was wearing that night to match my dress:

http://www.jamberrynails.net/product/porcelain

[kleenestar]

I have to jump on the "I LOVE THAT SKIRT" bandwagon. Want.

[eselle28]

Hey 8bitGreyscale,

Don't have time to comment on the rest of your post now (though thanks for the tips!), but my manicure is Jamberry. My friend recently introduced me to them, and I love them. So many fun designs and colors. This is what I was wearing that night to match my dress:

http://www.jamberrynails.net/product/porcelain

Oh, I've never seen those before! Do you have a rough difficulty level for how hard they are to apply? I do my nails pretty regularly, but not wraps, and I think I might be a tad behind you on dexterity type stuff!

I like the skirt too.

[reboundstudent]

Oh, I've never seen those before! Do you have a rough difficulty level for how hard they are to apply? I do my nails pretty regularly, but not wraps, and I think I might be a tad behind you on dexterity type stuff!

I like the skirt too.

They are super easy. They do require a little bit of dexterity when using your left hand, but once you get the hang of it, they're a piece of cake. Here's a video:


(Start at 1:57 if it doesn't automatically.)

They have a fancy heater and some nice nail tools, but I use a blow dryer and some toothpicks and it works just as well. :-)

The downside is they are a little expensive. A package costs about $15 (there are 18 strips; I cut the strips in half since I have shorter nails, which also helps use less packs last), and they usually last somewhere between 1-2 weeks. I've found I can make them last longer by using them as accent nails.

Yeah the skirt turned out well! I'm making another full black one as soon as I'm done with my corset. Is anyone interested in a sew-along video? We could do a thread where we all sew the skirt together!

[eselle28]

Thanks, Marty! That looks like it's completely within my left-handed powers. Like you, I have (and want to continue having) fairly short nails, so that seems like it's something I could manage, especially if it's not an every week sort of thing. This probably sounds a bit naive, but do they tear off the top bit of the nail like acrylic nails do when you remove them? (That'd be the difference between special occasion use and trying it on some random Thursday.)

As for the skirt, I don't own a sewing machine and am only tiptoeing into crafty stuff, but I think others might be interested.

[Conreezy]

Job interview time.  Criticism welcome.  Pocket square or no?  My tie seems like too much blue to me, but everything else I have is awfully dark, informal, or not conservative enough (I feel).



Ouch, bad picture, sorry. Lifeproof case and ancient phone.

[Lemminkainen]

Dude, I love your dome, and that suit makes you look professional as fuck!

[UristMcBunny]

I think you look good!

Positives:

• The suit jacket fits you very well, as does the shirt
  
• Tie adds a touch of colour without being bright or gaudy, and compliments the suit well
  
• Clean-shaven with a slick dome is an instantly smart, neat and crisp look for an interview
  
• Everything comes together well - no clashing.
  

Personally I would go either way on the pocket square. You'll still look very smart without it, but it's not something people are going to think is weird, so if you like it, keep it!

[Guest]

Seconding the "fantastic look," and adding that I dig the pocket square. The flash of contrast works really well.

[Guest]

Dapper. Extremely dapper.

[Gentleman Johnny]

I always thought the pocket square went corner up but otherwise its a bang up job.

[Guest]

So did I but not a fan of pocket squares so I'm fine with it.

[Conreezy]

I always thought the pocket square went corner up but otherwise its a bang up job.

I go with the flat "TV" fold with linen because I have a problem with overdoing things (and I don't want to come off as fopish.) I figured this was a decent compromise.

Thanks for the compliments. I haven't had a job interview since 2008, so my wardrobe seemed unprepared for stark professionalism.

[Jayce]

I think you look really smart and well dressed, kind of like a younger middle aged charles xavier.

[celette482]

I don't know if this is too late, but YES pocket square, partly because the suit, while very appropriate, is quite dark and the pocket square shows off the tailoring and provides contrast.

10/10 Would Hire

[Conreezy]

Thanks for the input. I got offered the job.

I think you look really smart and well dressed, kind of like a younger middle aged charles xavier.

LOL. Thanks. With all the bald jokes I've heard, that's a new comparison. I was going for Jason Statham, but Patrick Stewart works too.

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