Let's get with the times (a typical old school rant)

there is truth behind fashion trending... it is an ever changing beast. I work in corporate America where a stylish cat just can't get a break... The women love it, people your age applaud your bravery and the old men look down on you in disgust... Typical. While for women fashion is an up and down roller coaster bi-seasonally, for men there is usually a ramp up, and then something stays fashionable for a good 4-5 years. given the life of suits is usually about 6-8 years, you can be reasonably in fashion and be a "Classic Gent." A few rules to follow and you'll be the best dressed cat where ever you go... I have devoted a few years of my free time to learning some of this and I'd like to share it with you now: 1) there are several colors of suits, don't restrict yours to black and navy blue. fight the urge to find "Year round suits". if you have three for each season, you'll be able to rotate your style and not wear the suit out as fast. 2) GET A TAILOR!!! why is everyone obsessed with buying something off the rack? Your body I can assure you is not the same as the factory settings. get a suit that fits you right and you'll love the way you look and feel. 3) brown shoes go with everything (but a black suit)... honestly, in the summertime when it is 100+ outside, do you want to be standing in the slug lot with shoes as black as the asphalt your standing on? 4) socks should match your suit, not your shoes. 5) if you live in the south, and yes Virginia is considered the south, don't wear socks in the summer time... you may contend that sounds silly, it's not. 6) DO NOT BUTTON THE BOTTOM BUTTON ON YOUR JACKET!!! unless you are in the military, that is a terrible rookie mistake. 7) if you insist on having more than a two-button jacket, get no more than three. 8) since i'm on jackets here are two things that are imperative : a) make sure the jacket has a vent in the back and b) wear a clean white pocket square, square being the term. 9) have your shirts altered to fit you, you don't want to look like your wearing a trash bag with a collar. and 10) Learn new ways to tie a neck-tie and make sure they are on the slim side.

In closing I will say this... you don't need to spend thousands of dollars to look good, as a matter of fact, GQ (gentlemen's quarterly) has tons of great ideas and thoughts. I have a ton of sources for people looking for everything from shoes to hats to bow ties to a tailor... please shout if you need some help in the style department. I've attached a link so you can see... I actually own the suit from target that is listed here... Target is probably one of the best stores on the face of the earth... http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_6771