Sunday, August 23, 2009

Manly Monday: Fashion Blogs for Men

{photo via The Sartorialist}

In the somewhat eccentric world of literature graduate students, almost anything goes fashion-wise {mostly because we're poor and have to be creative}. But when school is finally over, we are thrust into a very competitive professional market, where appearances and grooming -- or lack thereof -- can cost an otherwise intelligent candidate a potential job. It's certainly not fair, but it's the state of things, nevertheless!

It's no wonder then that my friend Matt, who recently completed his PhD {woot!}, has started to worry more about his professional appearance on the job-market. Guys seem to have a harder time making a smooth transition from the typical jeans/t-shirt look to an appropriate "professional uniform." Luckily, there are many fun, informative online resources for the man who would never consider buying a GQ magazine at the store, but might be a little curious about how to step-up his look a notch or two in the hopes of making an appealing overall impression:

::Wasabi Nights -- excellent, real-world tips on everything from how to roll up your sleeves to keeping your clothing in pristine condition.

::Fashion Beans -- up-to-date fashion and trends for men.

::Street Etiquette -- two well-dressed men from NYC show off their personal style.

::The Sartorialist -- the original street-fashion blog features stylish men from around the world.

::Easy and Elegant Life -- this modern dandy perfectly balances elegance and ease with a bit of vintage charm {impressive drink tips and recipes, too!}

::Nerd Boyfriend -- a shopping and style guide for the fashionably-nerdy man.

::Refinery 29 -- a bit more advanced, right-off-the-runway style for the truly adventurous man.

Of course, once you've nailed a tenured position in academia, you can pretty much let yourself go -- as evidenced by the large amounts of corduroy, sandals with socks, middle-age-man ponytails, and Grizzly Adams beards among literature professors...

**Hope this helps, Matt!

Are there any men's fashion/style blogs that you would recommend, my stylish readers? What is your opinion on "professional dress" for men??

5 comments:

Sam said...

Hmmm...interesting! Cerebral folk have a hard time shopping full stop I think! I often pop in to Dapper Kid - he has some interesting stuff from time to time - I have his link in my blog roll. He's for gals also...

Eli said...

Sartorialist for men yes! Sometimes I drool over how the guys look, much better than the women photos I think.
Sometimes I admire the guys' style on drop snap
http://www.dropsnap.jp/pc/snap.php
some of them are really out there but theres a lot of good stuff too. thank you for the birthday wishes.

Anonymous said...

I love the Street Etiquette site, Tara! I sometimes prefer to wear men's clothes, and I have actually been getting a lot of inspiration for myself from this site. I'm finding new ways to wear old clothes and getting in touch with my masculine side. Also, besides the fact that the clothes and accessories all look awesome, the models are all GORGEOUS!

{Tara} said...

Sam -- I will check it out, thanks for the tip!

Eli -- The men on Sartorialist are so handsome and old-world. I just love looking at them!

Okie -- Yay! Glad you love those sexy mens as much me!!

Easy and Elegant Life said...

Thank you very much for the compliment! Some of what I wear isn't appropriate for the entry level employee, but the general spirit fits the bill. Fortunately keeping it classically tasteful is a bit easier on the wallet thanks to the Mad Men effect.

Best of luck to your friend Matt.

Wonderful header you have.