This one’s for the Fellas “Why try to fit in, when you’re a standout” with Willard A
Jan 13th, 2009 | By Willard Alexander | Category: Male Style - Willard AIn a bid to stay current on both sides of the spectrum…I’ve brought in Mr. GQ himself, Willard Alexander to drop a few style notes for all ma cool dudes. He’s a pretty fly guy…I knew he’d have a wealth of good stuff to share…and his first check in with FOS didn’t disappoint………………..
So, if you’re a male, straight, don’t like "skinny" (read: TIGHT) jeans, scarves and most of the items on the more popular style blogs, because they don’t fit you right or make you feel UNCOMFORTABLE, this is for you. I’m not sure how long this will run for, but I’m going to be real, let the tips of my personal style flow from the top of my head, and we’ll see. It’ll continue for as long as it feels authentic. The overriding factor in all of this is to do what makes you feel comfortable.
That said, here are a few basics, let’s go:
- ALWAYS match your belt and shoes, all the time. An exception: if your shoes are a colour other than black or brown, then feel free to exercise some flexibility. If like myself you wear a lot of white shoes, do yourself a favour and invest in a white belt.
- When wearing dressier pants, match your socks to your pants. Not to the shoes, the pants! No exceptions. And ensure the socks reach your calves, gentlemen. Nobody wants to be seeing your scrawny legs with the hairs sticking out eh?
- Tailor your pants/jeans (yes, jeans.) I hate nothing more than seeing jeans which are OBVIOUSLY too long. C’mon now.
- Nails, fix them. If manicures are your thing, get them. Whatever you do though, you owe it to yourself to ensure your nails appear to be nothing but clear (i.e. get the dirt out). I do not believe any woman finds nails with dirt under them to be attractive. Ladies?
- Suits: wow, this will be another column in and of itself. Just know if you can’t make yourself look good in one, leave the game. And for the record, every man can learn how to rock a suit. Note I said, "learn".
- Brown goes better with Navy Blue (and most other colours) than Black.
- Real men wear Pink. Gentlemen, we live in a tropical climate with a lot of sunshine, so please do yourselves a favour and get acquainted with brighter hues and resist the temptation to wear navy blue all day. Lighten up, for goodness’ sake!
I feel awkward sharing some of the tips I’ve literally spent years acquiring, but once you don’t follow EVERYTHING you read here and end up looking like my twin if I ever see you out in the streets, I don’t think we’ll have a problem. So for now, that’s it.
About the columnist
My influences? Well I’m a bits and pieces kind of guy. I pick what I can from the staples magazines like GQ, Men’s Health, Esquire, Trash and Ready etc. I also buy an annual publication which I will not name here except to say that it’s black and it is a book. I abide by a few truths:
(1) I don’t usually follow trends (hence my writing for Fashion Over Style, because uhmmm, I’m about Fashion, over, Style [which is fleeting]), and I just do me. Really. If something’s hot now and everyone’s doing it, it won’t suddenly stop being hot (to me) in 5 years’ time when the hype has died down. Therefore, I’ll just wait 5 years and resurrect an "old" style, because I hate to follow crowds. I am not into the multi-coloured $300 (assuming they’re authentic) t-shirts I see cats wearing these days for a number of reasons. Firstly, I’d rather put that money towards a nice watch, secondly, how many times can (read: WILL) you wear a single tee?
(2.) I believe that style is an expression of self to one’s SELF firstly, and then the world. That says to me that one doesn’t have to be all "in your face" to be stylish. This is why I place great emphasis on being understated (and here I go writing columns, they say) and focussing on what most people won’t notice.
The funny thing is, despite these tips (not nail tips, style tips, even though I do get manicures every once in a while), and claims that I am a metrosexual (I am NOT) I’m a white tee/blue jeans/white shoes guy 99% of the time. Weird huh? What I would say sets me apart from the average "stylish" dude is my attention to detail, which I will expand on another time. An example is, well, as I just mentioned, the whole thing with my jeans being tailored.
Signing off, in my next column I’ll expand on the suit thing a bit more. So stay tuned eh? Thanks for reading. Peace & Love.
Sincerely yours,
Willard A.
willard_a@fashionoverstyle.net
Honor|Pride|Glory
pic source diddy , will ,becks
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glad to see you’ve shifted the focus a bit, all the posts have been all about abt womens fashion except for that one you did closer to when you had launched…not that i have anything against womens fashion…
I wonder who this Willard A could be???…..this guys sounds like he knows what he’s talking about…i agree with guys wearing pinks and purples …..but keep it in the pastels ehh….dun know….school the guys Will!
P ? What yuh REALLY deh pon ?? == Let me mek Jason si this — He usually has some solid views on such things….. Nails etc..
a true fashion icon does not follow trends but wears what suits his or her personal style and body type i agree wit him 100% as i too don’t copy but set trends which makes us trendsetters… ihate people who r copycats be uself!!
Willard, article wasn’t bad, thanks for the tips. There, however, is a lot more to fashion than fit and colour! The look and feel of what you wear starts long before you put on the clothes, long before you decide on the outfit, long before you are told of the event! Many try to duplicate, the Beckham look, try to match the style of Sean Combs, or even the swagger of a Will Smith or a Jay Z, but end up looking like an over priced, under coordinated mess.
In an effort not to sound too metro, it is important to note that fashion starts from what you eat and how you take care of your temple! Drinking beers everynight or late night eating is not goint to make that suit look good!
Guys, the women have always been the ones putting out effort to please us in the game, lets try and meet them half way.
BTW, men wear accessores too, and the best one is a watch that matches the look.
My 2 cents…
Marlon,
Duly noted and thanks for the comments.
I have taken the suggestion on board and will speak to the whole lifestyle and grooming aspects of men’s style in future articles. (read: very near future) After all, as you said, we cannot neglect the “Total Male” and since I play close attention to this in my personal life, I have a lot to say where grooming and nutrition/dieting etc are concerned.
To be honest with you, in laying a foundation I didn’t want to delve into the nitty-gritty from the very beginning, but you have almost forced my hand, almost, lol.
It will be discussed at length, you have my word.
All, going forward, I would love to hear more of your suggestions and perspectives.
Thanks a million.
Look out for Tuesday’s article as we witness history in D.C!
Peace
W.A
Thanks for the tips man. Diva’s been helping me a lot but it’s nice to have a male perspective on what fashion and style should be. Keep up the good work!
Bless.
It’s appreciated greatly.