The most important thing to do when buying new clothes

Photo by Tres Bien

      Buying clothes for many men can be a hassle. It seems pointless to bother looking at something that you are just going to wear. Many men would rather just buy something given to them (which there are 2 options for, which will be in a later post), when in reality, they should know that people rely on clothes to get to
know someone. You cannot get to know someones personality, if there clothes tell you they aren't someone you want to associate with. So first it's important to come to terms with the fact that your clothes will represent you in some fashion, no matter how amazing of a personality you have. But what is the most important thing to do when going to buy clothes?

      The absolute biggest thing you can do is to try things on! Now perhaps some of you will remember that in a previous article, I mentioned this is important especially when buying online. This is why I highly encourage using sites that will allow you to have free returns, or the ability to return them to a store nearby. So the big question is: Why? Well trying on clothes is the absolute only way you will know beyond a reasonable doubt if it meets our 3 criteria: material, style, and fit. After that you have something that you have a definite potential item to use in your coming style. What follows will be guidelines on how to best try on clothes.

     1) Always bring in at least 3 items, preferably 5 items. The idea here is to bring in something that you REALLY like, something you sort of like, and something fun and interesting that you wouldn't normally wear. Often times, things you really like will not fit as well as you think, things you sort of like fit have a chance to be backup, and the fun thing is always a surprise. So of my style staples you will see me wearing were things I tried on for fun.

    2) Try to bring someone along you considered fashionable to help. This can include just about everyone, from people working at the store, to your mom. No, I am not telling you to listen to your mom for fashion advice, but she knows how things fit you best. Trust me. Bringing someone along helps you see things that you may not have even thought of and are often better at picking out the best item that you tried on.

     3) Do not limit yourself on what you try on. Besides undergarments, everything is fair game, and should be tried on. Do not take for granted you know how that hat will look on you.

    Have a question you want answered or need help with a style? Ask it in the comments below and I will give you a response, perhaps even a post!

   As always this is Ethan Moore, telling you to Be Moore Man!

The three most important things to know about clothes

Photo by BeliefNet

      Perhaps your like this man when trying to find new clothes for your new style. Perplexed, confused, have a pen in your hand, need a shave, doen't understand colour.  And it's justified. To many of us, clothes shopping was not something we grew up liking, or often times, even had a say in the matter. This led us to become this poor man while at least we shop for clothes. So how do you know what to look for in clothes? The next three things, from least to greatest, will let you know what to look for when buying clothes.

Photo by TexIndex

      3) Coming in at three is what your perspective clothes is made of. What an item is made of is often a big indicator about the item itself (and how it is made, but will be another post). Now unless you have an allergy, I can take a guess that you have never really paid attention to what your clothes are made of. When selecting an item, pay attention to the material. Your skin will react differently to different materials. I, for instance, try to avoid most polyesters because they irritate my skin. Unfortunately, this is the only real area where how much you pay matters. High priced clothing often uses better materials meaning more comfort and a higher likelihood to last longer. For example, most of you think of jeans as a rather solid item that isn't the most comfortable in the world. Buy a $170 dollar pair, and you will be in for a surprise. My $170 Paige denim is the most comfortable pants I own by far, but I had to avoid spending to afford them. Luckily, you don't have to pay as much attention to this when looking for clothes.

Shirt found here

      2)  The second most important thing is how an item looks. "Why is this only second?" you might ask. Well how an item looks is more a reflection of yourself then anything else. The way an item looks should obviously be appealing to you, but it should also be appealing to everyone around you. There is a reason everyone doesn't wear the clothes Spencer's sells. As you are building your style, I recommend having someone along who you consider stylish to help you with choosing the look of an item. Something you might think of as cool could be a fashion faux pas, and they can help to pick something out similar to that. This is a very deep topic, however, and I will be going into this at a later date.
For quick T-Shirts that are always stylish, I highly recommend Threadless. They are a fantastic site with shirts voted on, created by artists. I am not paid by them, simply love their products.

Photo by Marketing for Scientists

      1) The single most important thing to look for in an item is fit! This is by far, the single biggest offender of men in style to date. Know your size it is your friend. More important, know that your size will change, and so do your clothes. Most important, know your body. Take my brother, for instance. He has massive muscles in his legs and bum. This means he needs to size up and wear a belt for the best fit. It also means that he understands not to wear certain brands. Every brand will fit differently even if it is your size. This is why I implore you to try clothes on before buying them. When you try on something, look at yourself in the mirror and look for the clothes to silhouette your body. If you need help, bring someone along, or ask one of the employees, they are their to help you. If you buy online, find a site with a free return policy and thank me later. Some people may try to buy clothes bigger because they find them more comfortable. I challenge them to find something that fits their body, as I guarantee it will look and feel better. The reason why the look of an item isn't number one is because no matter how cool something is, if it doesn't fit, it will look bad on you.

Have a question you want answered? Ask it in the comments below. I will either answer personally or write a post about it. (You don't need an account to ask a question.)

As always this has been Ethan Moore, telling you to Be Moore Man!

Why you should always wear a belt

Photo by Beatrice Mulch

       Belts. Such a simple concept. Something you tie around your waist to keep your pants up. But for such an incredibly useful item, why don't more people wear them. Clearly gangsters have taken a step back from when they used to dress nicely and wear belts to commit murder and what not. If not even gangsters will wear belts, then what does that say about society?!

Photo by Esquire

     Belts are much more then a useful item to have in your fashion arsenal. They are a valuable accessory that makes almost any pant look better (sweatpants excluded). It doesn't matter what kind of belt, they all serve a purpose. When building your style to what you want to become, you should have belts that go along with this and to help accent the look you want to go for.

Photo by BeltsNJewlery

     The single most important thing belts do, however, is help the fit of a pant. The way something fits is the most important thing about any article of clothing. It doesn't matter how much you paid for it, if it doesn't fit well, it isn't for you. Belts help the pant fit better so that you can have more options when shopping for pants, and help you look better. 

     So belts help your pants stay up and making your lower body look dashing. So where do you start? Well belts can fit just about any price range, and they only depend on how much you are willing to spend. A $10 belt works just as well as $500 belt and might be even better for your style. Take advantage of some shorts that come with belts (if the fit is right). Often times you would be surprised how much you can do with one belt.

As a starting belt, I recommend getting 1 canvas belts, as pictured above in the 3rd image, and one reversible belt that gives you two color options.

I personally recommend these: Reversible, Canvas. But often times you can get a very nice, cheap reversible belt at TJ Maxx or Marshalls, and I highly recommend them. 

As always, this is Ethan Moore telling you to BeMooreMan!

What this blog will be

     Men's fashion is often neglected. For decades, fashion was considered something that was secondhand. It is not uncommon, even today for a fashionable man to be asked why he dresses the way he does. Once an artform, it slowly degraded to just getting by. Just wearing what you found in the closet that day was and is not only acceptable, but expected.

    My grandfather was not what you would call a fashionable man. If he were to answer the door before noon on a weekend, it would likely be in his underwear; and it wouldn't be uncommon for him to wear overalls and flannel together. Somehow. He grew up on a small farm about 90 years ago. His entire life was spent adhering to Catholicism. He married my grandmother at a young age and worked as a carpenter all his life, going to church nearly everyday. They had 8 children, one of which being my mother. My grandfather, however, made sure things were done right, and that's what I try to take from him, not his fashion taste.

    I am a perfectionist. I must know every little detail of something I'm interested in, and I must do everything associated with whatever that interest is But I wasn't always fashionable. To be honest I'm not even certain when it happened. I grew as most little boys did, hating clothes shopping and hating wearing them even more. It was not only a chore, but a bore. Who cares what I wore? Gonna get dirty anyways. This where I think we find most males today, but they are starting to try and be fashionable. Becoming fashionable, however, is not always easy.

    So what will this blog be about? Well, it will be centrally focused about fashion, as has been presented. But my interest go far beyond fashion, so I will be discussing most anything that I happen to be drooling over any particular day. Call it General Interest.

My name is Ethan Moore, and I'm gonna teach you to Be Moore Man