Manly Monday

Hello, fashionistas! Yes, it is that time of week again- It's MANLY MONDAY! I am so excited to introduce you all to the fabulous Mr. Justin Komins, who will be guest blogging for us this week, and I KNOW you all will adore his words of wisdom! Without any further adieu, here with this week's Manly Monday post is Justin Komins...

With the television and radio being so saturated with fist-pumping morons, egotistic bro's, and other social miscreants, it is hard to find people in good taste now-a-days. People look to what they see on TV to wear, and there is nothing wrong with it. For girls, its rather simple; Watch the Kardashians and you'll know how to dress somewhat presentable. For us men, its a totally different story.

The fashion forward male, (NO NOT A "METROSEXUAL"), has many places to look for today's fashion. You can look at the gold standard GQ magazine has set for men's fashion, or you could go the route of a Hypebeast (Hypebeast.com follower/a person who buys into the hype for ANY fashion release) which is geared towards the youthful streetwear enthusiast, or maybe you can go your own way. For those who do the latter, they still need that influence, that spark of creation that you can gear your wardrobe after.

Sadly, this spark seems to be coming from MTV, and no, it is not Teen Mom. JERSEY SHORE has tainted the world of men's fashion. You watch the show, you know the characters, and you know the fist-pumping. Have you noticed the attire? From Ronnie's walking billboard outfits for Emporio Armani aka Eurotrash's Finest, to Pauly D and Situation's "HEY LOOK IM ITALIAN!" graphic T's and bedazzled jeans, to Vinny's somewhat respectable button ups, Jersey Shore is spoiling the fashion sense of today's American male. Before we delve into the nitty gritty of the Jersey Shore fashion taking of America dilemma, let me just clear the air. A TEE SHIRT AND JEANS IS NOT FASHION. IT IS A SIMPLE OUTFIT.

Some may think of Jersey Shore and immediately relate Ed Hardy, orange tans, and True Religion jeans with gigantic horseshoes on the pockets. Their "club attire" and the rituals they follow on every club night are the epitome of ridiculous. Now, you may think "they only dress like that because they are celebrities. they can get away with anything". WRONG. Take a celebrity that dresses very well, say, KanYe West. Just because he is a rapper means that he can skate with his leather pants. Fashion does not discriminate. If you follow the bedazzled graphic tee shirt and gaudy bootcut jeans with some rips in them, be prepared to be hit on by typical Jersey trash or to be laughed out of the club.

More and more often, and maybe it is just Boston's new thing, but if you are under the age of 30 and go out on the scene, you are most likely wearing Tapout, Christian Audigier, Affliction, or some other Metropark branded gaudy tee with some form of denim that hasn't really been classified by science yet. Not that there is anything wrong with those brands, but the purpose of the club is to actually interact with other people (normally women) and try to make friends. No girl wants to get with a tool who looks like a Jersey Shore extra.

Instead of dressing like a UFC fighter or the Situation, why not look into a more classy direction. H&M, Express, and Gap all carry exceptional menswear, ranging from the scene/hipster style to business casual to clubwear. H&M, the least expensive of the trio, has phenomenal basic button up shirts in an assortment of colors. Gap, with prices in the mid-range area, carries great denim. When I say great, I mean it. Their denim jeans are selvedge, which is truly the best structure for seams of jeans. They are around $90 and come with little to no branding on them. Can't beat a pair of jeans that are under $100 and give you the same style index as a pair of True's or 7's that cost 3x the price.

Express is a little more expensive than the other two, but definitely worth it if you find the right things. Their MK2 shirts, which are a military styled button up, cannot be beat. I own atleast 4 of them, and get compliments every time I wear them. Equipped with straps on the shoulders, collar stays, and chest pockets, these shirts give you a professional and clean cut look with the "hey, I'm here to party" swagger as well. The MK2's are about $65+ and come in a wide variety of colors. The only downside to Express is that there can be an awful lot of trashy and gaudy graphic tee's and denim. Find your way past the nonsense and you are golden. Look at it this way, if you don't think these clothes are fit for the club after you buy them, they are always great for that job interview, date night, or entertaining at your own place.

Let's go over some final things. This is WRONG.

Do not do that. (above)

This is clean, cool, and classy. (above)

Dress like JT = WIN.

All in all, men's fashion isn't a hard thing to master. Fashion differentiates from person to person, and that's where perspective and good taste come into play. All I will say about that is this, if your shirt or pants have more bedazzles, sparkles, silver or gold screen printing, or logos than a fishing lure, it is probably not a good look. You will get noticed if you wear Jersey Shore attire, do not kid yourself. But if you want to be noticed in a positive light, try dressing to impress, not by being an attention whoring, fist pumping sleezball drinking jeigerbombs at the club.

Thanks so much for reading this week's Manly Monday post! We hope you enjoyed it :) Special thanks to Justin for guest blogging this week- Let us know what you think in a comment on this post

Stay Fabulous xoxo

~Miss Glamour Giirl & Justin Komins