Questions from the readers

I recently was told that some people would like to hear about men's fashion and so forth. I love men's fashion so I'm more than happy to oblique. However, yesterday someone sent me a very thoughtful email and I thought it would be a good idea to do this instead of what I was originally going to post.

"I know that ties are all the rave in the men's world. I just recently bought a skinny tie with my girlfriend because she likes the way it looks on Pete Doherty. But I'm pretty clueless when it comes to what to wear with it. I'm used to regular ties. What should I do?"

Ah the question of the tie. So many of my guy friends, despite being male, have no idea of the various types out there. But I will not point fingers. Well my friend, this is going to be pretty easy and basic...but perhaps not so cheap. To wear a skinny tie in it's full regalia and trendy sense, you should go for a small-collar dress shirt (yes there are MANY different collars).

They key to a successful shirt-tie combo isn't just color and pattern; it's proportion too. So as slim/ skinny ties have grown in popularity several designers have responded with proportionally small-collar dress shirts. It makes sense, think about it: your tie and collar (and even lapels) aren't individuals-they're a team. They should be more or less with the same width. Remember balance is crucial.

Unfortunately, since it's not very traditional...the majority of the well made small collar dress shirts are expensive. I've searched and I've found some cheap ones on bluefly, but you must keep looking my friend. The shirts that Pete wears generally are from the Gucci and Dior homme collection, which are about $310. There's a reason why he's so trendy...and why he looks good. because he can afford it. Keep looking though, sometimes you can find great replacements. H&M sometimes has some great shirts, and Zara (though more expensive than your average dress-shirt place) have pretty cheap "trend" shirts.

Good luck my friend.



These are examples of shirts with "skinny-Tie" compatibility. And to show you what I mean, here are two great examples of the skinny tie-small collar-suit combo. one being right of the runway, and the other being in a popular movie scene that many people forget, but so badass (so the skinny tie isn't just for gay fashionistas). Enjoy boys!