the clothing menu — An inspirational blog about what to wear to work.

2013 fall fashion trends for men from New York Fashion Week

February 18, 2013 by kristen Leave a Comment

Yes, I get it..we’re barely through winter, but fall collections were shown at New York Fashion Week last week, so it’s worth sharing what was shown right? Here are some of the top fall fashion trends for men:

Red

Hugo / Kenneth Cole Collection

Black and white

Kenneth Cole Collection / Hugo

Bright colors

Michael Kors / Dsquared

Lots of layers

Kenneth Cole Collection / Nicholas K

Eye print (random, but showed up a couple times!)

Libertine / Jeremy Scott

Want to see more from New York Fashion Week? Check out this NYFW fall fashion Pinterest board (it includes some additional men’s looks)!

2013 fall fashion trends for work from NYFW

February 15, 2013 by kristen Leave a Comment

I know, it’s a little too early to be thinking about fall fashion trends, but the fall fashion runway shows at New York Fashion Week just wrapped, so consider this a heads-up for your fall shopping! There were lots of trends that I’m excited about that will be very easy to incorporate into a work wardrobe. Here are the top 10 2013 fall fashion trends:

Shapes

Jen Kao / Libertine / Carolina Herrara

Menswear inspired

Micheal Kors / Phillip Lim 3.1 / Marc Jacobs

Colored fur

Monique Lhuillier / Phillip Lim 3.1 / Reem Acra

Bright colors

Tibi / Anna Sui / Honor

Black and white

Erin Fetherston / J Mendel / Narciso Rodriguez

Red

Jason Wu / Jill Stuart / Reem Acra

Emphasized sleeves

Rebecca Minkoff / Catherine Malandrino / Vera Wang

Animal print

Kate Spade / DKNY / Elie Tahari

Skinny belt

Oscar de la Renta / Calvin Klein Collection / Marc Jacobs

Mixed prints (PS – this is my favorite trend)

Diane von Furstenberg / J. Crew / Lela Rose

Want to see more from New York Fashion Week? See my favorite looks on this NYFW fall fashion Pinterest board!

All pics from style.com

Filed Under: what to wear to work Tagged With: 2013 fall fashion, fall fashion trends 2013, nyfw

Bright men’s accessories inspired by Pharrell Williams at the Grammy’s

February 13, 2013 by kristen 1 Comment

(from people.com)

I really liked how Pharrell Williams looked classy with a pop of fun wearing a turquoise bow tie to the Grammy’s this past weekend. It reminded me that guys could easily have fun with their work wardrobe by adding a pop of color through accessories, like a pocket square, tie, socks or watch. Just remember to wear only one of these bright colors at a time – all four at once would look ridiculous.

Salvatore Ferragamo silk pocket square / Calibrate satin tie / Trukfit socks / Casio G-Shock watch

Filed Under: what to wear to work men Tagged With: men's accessories, men's fashion, menswear

Day-to-night Valentine’s Day outfits for dates and singles

February 11, 2013 by kristen 2 Comments

I don’t get Valentine’s Day. When I was single, it was annoying and stressful and now that I’m in a relationship, it feels forced. The one time we tried doing the go out to dinner Valentine’s Day thing, we ended up getting lost on the way and our meals came out wrong. So, it’s just a confusing day for me. But that’s just me. If the day makes you happy , I’m happy for you! Whether you’re going out for Valentine’s Day on a date or with your single friends, here are some day-to-night outfit ideas.

Day-to-night Valentine’s Day date outfit

Kimchi Blue white blouse / Express red peplum pencil skirt / Nine West brown heels / Ann Taylor red and pink clutch / tuleste market heart chain bracelet

Day-to-night Valentine’s Day single girls night out outfit

French Connection black lace peplum top / Citizens of Humanity skinny jeans / Badgley Mischka black satin heels / Banana Republic silver necklace

Filed Under: holidays Tagged With: day-to-night outfits, valentine's day, valentine's day outfits

How to wear booties to work

January 31, 2013 by kristen 1 Comment

What are booties? Booties are boots with heels that go up to around the ankle. They’re a stylish alternate to heels for the winter. The fun thing about booties is there are so many ways you can wear them – with leggings and skirts, tights and dresses, tailored pants, jeans. How do you wear booties to work?

Chicismo

Pinterest

Ann Taylor

Filed Under: what to wear to work Tagged With: how to wear booties to work, what to wear to work, winter work outfits, work outfits

Men’s work style inspired by Justin Timberlake at the SAG awards

January 29, 2013 by kristen 3 Comments

(Tom + Lorenzo)

Justin Timberlake’s style at this past weekend’s SAG awards was one of the more bold choices in a checkered vintage-looking print – and it worked well! Similar to last week’s post about wearing plaid shirts at work, Justin’s outfit here is a reminder that plaid pants are also a good alternative to the plain black, navy and grays. Here are some options:

Perry Ellis

The Red Code Authority

Calvin Klein

Messagarie

Filed Under: what to wear to work men Tagged With: justin timberlake, men's fashion, men's style, menswear

London work fashion (guest post)

January 28, 2013 by kristen Leave a Comment

Thanks to Clare from penny for a girl for writing this post!

Inspired by Kristen’s post on wide-leg trousers I thought I’d knock up a little post detailing how I like to wear these lovelies over here in London town. This particular *ahem* understated pair are from Topshop and have got more wear than I ever thought possible when I bought them. Here I’ve teamed them with a 70′s shirt I got in vintage staple-shop Rokit in Covent Garden and a lace waistcoat from Marks & Spencers.

I love these trousers because they are floral, shiny and LOUD but I don’t think that means they can’t be chic or professional. I think we all spent lots of time in our youth working jobs that required polyester-heavy, flammable clothing completely devoid of personality or style. As proper grown-ups, to not inject a little fun into our work-wear I think would be a real shame. Clashing metallics and navy and black – why not? The necklace I’ve teamed this with is from New Look (which isn’t really worth a visit if you’re in town – head to Primark instead, it’s much cheaper and on-the-pulse.) Now I’ve never been a big fan of heels at work – I think you should be ready to spring into action so here I’m wearing flat leather boots from TK Maxx – a brilliant shop that sells a pick’n'mix of discounted labels. The bag is from Accessorize and one of the only ones I own that’s big enough to lug around all my rubbish.

For me the important part of dressing for work is remembering that there are a lot of things that you’re not in control of – whether you need to get there via the underground (which in London resembles a tropical rainforest in rush hour), or whether your desk is next to a draught (or the communal biscuit tin – elasticated trousers required!) So my final words – layers are your friends, spandex is not!

Filed Under: what to wear to work Tagged With: london fashion, topshop, wide leg pants, winter fashion, work outfit

What to wear to work when it’s freezing out

January 24, 2013 by kristen 3 Comments

It’s in the teens here in Boston..yup, cold enough! The key to dressing for work on days like this is to layer up. A warm coat, hat, gloves, warm shoes and scarf are necessary, especially if you take public transportation. But once you’re on the train, bus or at your office, you’ll (hopefully) get a blast of heat and need to cool down. Here are some layered outfits to stay warm and cute at work!

dropstitch

Pinterest

Small Town, Big Wardrobe

O My Heart

Which is your fav?

Filed Under: what to wear to work Tagged With: what to wear to work, winter fashion, winter work outfits, work outfits

HBO Girls Jessa style

January 23, 2013 by kristen 1 Comment

I just finished watching the second episode of this season. Shorteralls anyone? Jessa hasn’t been in this season much so far. I think she was pregnant or just had a baby during the filming. Did anyone else hear that? Anyway, for the brief times we’ve seen her this season, Jessa’s style remains the same as last season. I think she primarily shops vintage but might also shop at places like Urban Outfitters or Gypsy Warrior. Where do you think Jessa shops for clothes?

Gypsy Warrior off-the-shoulder dress / Urban Outfitters disk earrings / Gypsy Warrior printed skinny jeans / Urban Renewal tie dye sweatshirt / Urban Renewal studded leather ankle boots

Filed Under: what to wear to work girls hbo Tagged With: gypsy warrior, hbo girls, hbo girls fashion, hbo girls jessa style, urban outfitters

How to wear plaid shirts to work (men’s style)

January 21, 2013 by kristen 3 Comments

One easy way for a man to add variety to your work wardrobe is to incorporate patterns, like plaid. There are a lot of options for plaid, however you should be aware of whether the plaid print is casual or dressy to make sure it’s appropriate for your work environment.

Business casual plaid shirts usually have large check marks with 2 or more colors. They can be worn with jeans or neutral casual pants that are gray, tan or black. To figure out which color pant, just look for which of those colors is in the plaid.

Ben Sherman red plaid shirt / Ralph Lauren blue plaid shirt / Orvis green plaid shirt

Dressy plaid shirts usually have a subtle print and one main color where the lines forming the plaid print are in a complementary color. These should be worn with gray, navy or black dress pants based off the main color of the shirt.

Hugo Boss gray plaid shirt / Ralph Lauren red plaid shirt / Bloomingdale’s blue plaid shirt

This post is a submission for IFB Project #80: Menswear for Everyone

Filed Under: what to wear to work men Tagged With: ben sherman, hugo boss, men's fashion, plaid shirts men, ralph lauren, what to wear to work men