Evening & Weekend Blazer

Every well dressed man should have a few items that really make him stand out in a crowd...

Most men's wardrobes consist of suits and other more formal clothing for work and more casual clothing for weekends. The very well prepared also have some clothing for black tie affairs. Then on weekends and evenings when he needs to dress nice, the outfit will consist of a mix between the work items and weekend items. Most of the time, this is acceptable and actually encouraged. As a well rounded wardrobe should allow for such versatility.

But what happens when a man wants to stand out from the crowd? Wear something daring, with style and character. The evenings and weekends a man is allowed and often expected to show off his peacock feathers. This of course does not mean he should wear embroided and studded jacket with "Attitude" or "Dangerous" across the back. Any man with an Affliction or Ed Hardy jacket needs to stop reading this blog... I'll wait for you.

So how does a man appropriately strut his personal style without looking like a douchebag or a baffoon, or worse? He invests in a few stand out jackets.

Take this Tallia blazer for example. This is sold at Macys for $275, is classically designed but has bold colors, a modern slim fit and is not commonly seen adorned. Wear it with a crisp white shirt, raw denim jeans and a pair of well polished black boots and every woman in the room will notice you, and not because your jacket declares you as "Badass".
 
A few other options that will make heads turn, in a good way:
 

Indochino Metallic Suits - $369 full suit - Comes in either Midnight Blue or Silver
 

J.Crew Velvet Jacket - $275 - Slim "Ludlow" fit
 

Plaid Jacket - Top photo: Ashton Kutcher in charcoal plaid (a similar jacket sold at Express for around $100).  Bottom photo: John Varvatos light gray plaid
 

Express Satin Shawl Collar Blazer - $148 - Shawl Collar jackets are a great look.  Vintage, modern and fresh all at the same time.  Get one for nights out, you will not regret it.
 

Velvet Satin Trimmed Jacket by 2am - This jacket is available at Nordstroms for around $275.  I am cautious with satin trimmed jackets, they are becoming "fashionable" and not in a good way.  I like the look on this jacket, but if your are fearful of looking too fashionable, stay away from this jacket and opt for something less "in".

John Varvatos Pants Update...

A few weeks ago I went to the John Varvatos Warehouse sale at the Convention Center in Downtown. I was disappointed in the selection but I did find a pair of lightweight chinos, which had to be shortened by a tailor to fit my legs. After finding the time to take them in and pick them up again, they are finally back. Shortened to my preferred hem length the chinos look great, well at least as good as anything can look on me.

Excuse the horrible pictures, I am not adept at taking pictures in mirrors, but I will try to get better.  Also realize the pants look as those they have a stain on them, which is in reality a smudge on the mirror and not the pants.  I also provided a picture of my complete outfit which was taken in the hallway mirror, excuse the bad lighting. I am certainly glad that we have fall like weather in LA, at least for the beginning of the week. It is nice to break out the sweaters and trench/over coats. We are supposed to have weather in the mid 60s with a chance of rain for the first three days of the week, before it jumps back up to the 80s.  LA weather certainly keeps you on your toes this time of year.

Today, I decided to wear the new John Varvatos pants, I am always antsy to wear the new stuff, with green gray slip-ons. On top is a blue micro-check gingham light blue & white shirt, a navy sweater with a blue gray, light blue & white argyle pattern on the front. And finally, a Banana Republic trench coat just in case it rains, like the weather man warned. The trench coat might be the best pick up of the early fall, I bought it on sale for $35 since few in LA feel the need to be appropriately prepared for rain, rain essentials are often steeply discounted at retail chains so that they will not take up space in the stores for long.  One of the advantages of living in LA, a disadvantage is the selection is always drastically limited.

After all the ramblings, I have to say I am pleased with the John Varvatos Warehouse Sale purchase.

Update on John Varvatos Warehouse Sale

I went on Saturday afternoon to the John Varvatos Warehouse Sale in Downtown Los Angeles at the LA Convention Center, close to Staples Center and the Fashion District.

Overall, I was fairly disappointed in the selection, I have been to much more enjoyable Warehouse sales with wider selections of clothes and accessories. The John Varvatos selection was limited and frankly disappointing. The jackets were odd looking with a minimal selection. The shirts were abundant, but nothing I was drawn to. The best stuff, were the pants, which fit great and had interesting designs. After trying on almost every style they had the only pair I could see myself wearing again were a pair of khaki dress pants. Originally the pants sold for $245, but were on sale for $50.

I had to have the length tailored to fit, so I will provide a picture once they are have been finished.

Since the shopping experience was such a dud, I ended up spending the afternoon scouring the Fashion District for deals. I will update you all on that adventure later on, the story is still evolving.

Warehouse Sale This Weekend - John Varvatos

Bring on the deals!  Tonight, tomorrow & Sunday is the John Varvatos Warehouse Sale in Los Angeles. They are filling up the convention store with clothes that are up to 90% off and selling them off.  Like most Warehouse sales it is clothes from past seasons as well as irregulars, so try everything on. Each day the prices will drop but so will the best items. You have to register before hand for the event, but it is worth checking it out.

I am definitely checking in out on Saturday. I wish I could make it on Friday night, but I already have plans. I personally am hoping that they have some good accessories, shoes and slacks. They may even have a suit, but I doubt they will have it in my size. I really dig the John Varvatos converse shoes, hopefully they will have those on sale and in my size.

A few more hints:

• Accessories (watches, sunglasses, etc.) & shoes are the best deals at the Warehouse sales.  Not that the items are the cheapest, but they are high quality and a lot less expensive then you will find in stores.
• Grab pants in your size and one size up and one size down, and grab a bunch of pairs before trying them on.  It is a community dressing room so it is really a hassle to try stuff on, make it worth your time. 
• Remember you can tailor it. If the pants fit but are too long, buy them and have them tailored.  If the jacket sleeves are too long, you can have them tailored.  If the pants are slightly big, but fit otherwise, have them tailored.  You probably won't find clothes that fit perfectly at a Warehouse sale so rely on a tailor to make the few nips and tucks needed to make it fit. It will be less expensive than buying it new.
• Remember a tailor can't fix everything.  If the jeans are too small, a tailor can't help. If the jacket is too big all around, a tailor can make it smaller, but it will lose its silhouette.  A good tailor can help make your clothes fit, but they are not a miracle worker.
• You can't take the items back.  Once they have been bought you won't be able to exchange them or return them. Buy them only if you are going to wear them.

Maybe I will see you there!  You can register for the event at the link below: http://www.johnvarvatos.thewarehousesale.com/