12th annual Kids Convention and Jonathan Burke Sartotorial assistance

today was action packed at Spotsy Mall (now referred to as the town centre.) It was the 12th annual Kids convention... Sydney and I ventured out and hit all the booths there, we made a clay pot, a water balloon yo-yo(can't wait for that to pop), she made some slime, saw some bugs from the bug box and had her face painted... (classic). I also want to say that I was signed up to free memberships to like two or three gyms... What a waste. anyway a day full of laughing and having fun, complete with crying and a tantrum at the end (she was getting sleepy) was all had. Now, one thing i like about the mall in spotsy is Macy's... great selection, great price, and friendly staff. Macy's is by far the best store in that mall. I have been known to be some what of a fashion buff (not something you really want to brag about), but the fact of the matter is, I'm just a detail oriented guy when it comes to clothes. Let's go over the must haves... from the bottom up. Socks... you gotta at least get two pair (camel and charcoal) of thick wool socks... nothing says fall/winter like that. now for shoes i have two options... Hunter originals, an all out great shoe for those snowy or rainy days... be sure to tuck your trousers INSIDE the boot. you may say... that looks like a fashion Faux Pas, it's not, wet bottoms of your suit pants is. the other shoe, Aptly sported by my brother, Joshua Burke is the Wallabes, by clark. get them in tan... that is the original color. these can be dressed down with some nice DARK indigo jeans or even stepped up for the office, paired with some chinos or cords. since we're "moving on up" Jeans, Cords, Chinos.... all are in and all are great. the thing you are looking for here is fit and color... with jeans... the darker the better, Cords and Chinos... go with muted earth-tones... browns, tans (NOT LIGHT KHAKI!!! that's for the summer), even the hunter green is a good one. Here's a secret, the less break you have in your pants the taller and neater your pants will look, also, get them slim fitted, bell bottoms are not in style anymore... shirts, well it all depends... where are you going... the key point here is fit, most people, I was just as guilty, have this idea that if they get their shirts a little big, they can, 1)hide their weight, 2) have room to grow into the shirt... News flash, wearing a shirt that is even one size too big will not hide your weight, it will accentuate it, and room to grow... trust me, if you are over 18, you're done growing... buy a shirt that fits, or even have it altered so you don't look like you are wearing a trash bag. granted, we don't all have a Kevin Dowker or Bobby Oliveri physique, we can't all be so lucky... but I am saying get your shirt cut to fit. for guys like Kevin and Bobby... those shirts should be as snug in the mid torso as your pants, if you look more like me (198lbs of chewed bubble gum or a sack of potatoes) them get it with no more then two inches of play in the sides... not a skin fit, but no loose fabric. I have a Tailor that is amazing. go with some plaid, button-down collars or some v-neck sweaters, again FITTING NOT BAGGY... Just remember the 70's. same with jackets, get them to fit... it's not 1984 so loose the shoulder pads, get a jacket that hugs your shoulders, not hangs off. for fall/winter, tweed and cords seems to be the thing, earth tones are a must. as far as neck wear, YOU JUST GOTTA GET A KNIT TIE... I got mine from polo, I love it and plan on getting more, but you can get one from target... and the great thing is they are only 20 bucks there... target is still a great place to shop. finally let's nail down the outer wear. a six-button pea coat that is just below the waist or a leather "bomber-style" jacket that stops right at the waist is needed for your casual look. A mid thigh, three button, camel or tweed, or even navy over coat is a must for your dressier occasions. you'll notice that the mention of black was not in this set up for fall... while you can still wear it, why not take advantage of the change to see some new colors come out to play. here is a great opportunity to be "out there" and still be considered "business". as a final note, no winter wardrobe is complete without, these three items, Hat, Gloves and Scarf... as far as a hat, Tweed or wool, "news boy" is good for everyone, you want to step it up? get a fedora... gloves, I personally go for leather isotoners, you can get them at Khol's pretty cheap. and finally, a scarf... you can snatch one up about anywhere, but I would get it from S&K... that's about all i would buy from that place... you can secure one for about 20 bucks. feel free to post any questions about this...