To trench or not to trench

Since my last post was kpop related, here is another tangent to get me back on track. 

This is Tao from EXO-M, a new boy group that made their debut under SM Entertainment. This is his official picture from the jacket of the CD case. You can thank his momma for that face. Aside from being into EXO, one thing that heavily attracted me to this picture in particular in Tao's overcoat. 

I like it very much. It looks medium weight, but like a longer over shirt. I also like the way he's wearing it. Simple t-shirt over a pair of black slacks. This is what I would consider unisex, but it leans more towards the masculine style. This, I like and I would wear the full outfit. This brings my thinking to a whole new level when it comes to trench coats. There's a certain suaveness that comes with a trench that elevates the level of the t-shirt and slacks combo by itself. The trench is more of an accessory than an outerwear piece. My main problem is finding THAT trench. That, and also living in Texas. It's been raining lately though, so I think it's a sign of the times. Where can I find a lightweight trench coat?

Miss Androgyny: Beautiful Men, Handsome Women

It’s never been good for a boy to be pretty; nor has it ever been good for a girl to be masculine, but in an alternate world, life takes on a few different standards and in some of the larger facets of my world, namely K-Pop and fashion models, anything goes. 

First, redefining the idea of “girly man” would be Choi Minki of NU’EST.

    

Maybe I just appreciate pretty things. Maybe this is a testament to my profession as a teacher that I like it when things are done well and Minki’s concept was done well…almost too well. Depending on the angle, he easily blurs the line between male and female, while at other times he is just a really beautiful boy. I think any person, regardless of biological sex cannot help if they are beautiful. For a guy, would this be a quality worth playing down when, evolutionarily, it can be advantageous? The main male opinion in my life commented that only manly men could earn both the admiration of women as well as the respect of men, but I feel that before gaining admiration or respect, you have to gain interest and curiosity. Being the most popular member, I feel the pretty boy has done that more so than his more manly peers in the group. People recognize that it is his concept and not necessarily his own choosing to wear headbands, and his hair in updos. Oh Boy George! Minki looks like he came out of a Madonna music video. As a matter of fact, the majority of the comments about him are either from girls enamored with his prettiness, or boys questioning their sexual preferences (Talk about pushing love to the Borderline!). The beauty of the entire thing is that currently his feminine beauty is being played up to an extreme; that is not to say that Minki is not capable of being a beautiful manly man. Beauty definitely has a bias on the female of the species in the human realm, but Michaelangelos “David” is both strong and beautiful and so are many depictions of Greco-Roman gods. The world is watching to see how he develops.

On a semi related note, here’s my favorite member of NU’EST, Minhyun. 

I like this pose for him because  1) it shows off his Adams apple. 2) It reminds me of this 

Amanda Moore's Vogue Italia cover.

 The first time I ever heard of a woman being handsome was Mr. Darcy referring to Elizabeth Bennet in “The Pride and Prejudice.” While she was pretty, I found handsome fitting in reference to her strength and spunk. (Sigh) masculine adjectives always get the more fun associations. Generally, a female being masculine is worse than a man being feminine. Amanda Moore may not be overly feminine, she may not be everyone’s cup-of-tea, but I find her pretty freaking awesome. Girls who can walk this line are cool (KPOP reference, f(x)’s Amber).

 Recall that this is coming from someone whose favorite Sailor Moon Scout was Sailor Uranus. I'm not bashing on girly girls, but masculine features on a woman can be worth playing up: cheek bones, jaw line, sleek frame. Not everyone has the ability to look sharp. I see it as worth emphasizing. Good looking is good looking regardless of who it's on.

If it doesn't already stick out, I’m a massive fan of androgyny. I find it interesting and I don’t need to explain myself. 

Moreso, I like the being able to emphasize features of the opposite sex while maintaining being myself, being a girl. It's like a drag queen taking her makeup off at the end of the day. I like that men can be beautiful like women. I like the lines and movements that a lot good male dancers can achieve and it’s mad cool when I see women do that (reference: Rino Nakasone). While I can’t say I’m a fan of testosterone fed manly men, I do like womanly women like Marilyn Monroe and Christina Hendricks, but for me, being THAT feminine looking is impractical. I have a smaller sleeker frame, my waist to hip ratio is not as extreme, my jaw-line is a little square. As a result, I pull menswear off pretty nicely. I’m pretty good with slim dresses and pencil skirts also. I’m just making the best of my features which fall a little more in the average range between horribly manly and voluptuously girly. I can admire Amanda Moore and Choi Minki’s abilities to play the second guess gender game. I can admire the extremes. I'm working just fine with what I have. 

Color Exercise

Engaging in art is a good way to test your color coordinating skills. As such, I have a wide array of art supplies that go widely unused. It's quite unfortunate. It's kind of like knowing that you have a genre preference in books and when you try to read out of your genre, it just feels more like work. I like having art supplies, but I really don't use them much at all. What I prefer for my color exercise is flower arranging. It follows my own style of just slapping things together, doing a quick check to make sure everything looks good from all angles. As much as I would like to, I don't have time to design things from the heel up. I'll find a way to put my art supplies to use, just not now.

Whenever I have some excess flowers, I like making an arrangement. The red and white queen Anne's Lace came from Valentines day. I decided to go to the grocery store to pick up some cheap flowers, they should have been cheap considering that it was after Valentine's Day. I found some orange carnations and purple mum looking things.

Purple, red, white, and orange...I think that almost any color combination can work as long as the color are in the right proportions and dispersed properly. I personally like orange and purple together so having them in chunks isn't so bad. The Queen Anne's Lace serves as more of an accent. Here's the finished product:

Take the time to work with color. It's not exactly playing dress up, but it will make getting dressed a lot easier in the mornings or evenings.

Making a Basic Career Wardrobe During College

Reflecting back to some very awkward pictures of myself in college, in the midst of trying to perfect my "ill-fitting little boy shirts with dress slacks" look, one thing that got lost in the college image crisis was the need to develop a professional wardrobe.

It is hard to exude confidence when you look in the mirror and feel awkward because of how you're dressed. It's also hard to spend the money on a professional wardrobe when you're not making any money. Think of it as an investment.

Throughout college, opportunity pops up and is often times accompanied by the need to look professional.

-Internship Opportunities

-Interviews (medical school, law school, graduate school)

-Presentations (my roommate had to present her senior project to a fairly high ranked official from the US Navy)

-Job Fairs

-Teaching Experiences (if you go this route, they get you in a classroom fast, so be prepared)

These situations are not always few and far in between and even more so, usually the last thing you'd want to worry about is what you're wearing for these, that way you can focus more on the presentation or interview.

It felt odd to have to borrow clothes from my sister and my mom, especially when our individual styles are very distinct. Not having any means to dress professionally, I went into some interviews looking like a 40 year old stuck in the 1980s. Awkward...very awkward. Apparently, there's an awkward stage for every occasion in life and professional wardrobe development is definitely one of them. With every awkward stage comes a few takeaways:

#1: You don't necessarily need a black suit

That doesn't mean you don't need a suit, you just don't need a black one. It's good to refer to classics when you're clueless on developing a professional wardrobe, but I feel that the black suit as a professional piece has been through a cycle of misunderstanding. Many people get one because it's a classic, and it's a classic because many people have one. See the circular argument? I have one. I haven't worn it. I think the blazer still has the tag on it actually. Black doesn't suit everyone, and sometimes it's just not the best option. There are other neutral options out there worth exploring like navy, and charcoal, but if black is your neutral of choice, have at it.

#2: "Professional" doesn't mean "wear high heels"

Contrary to how Victoria's Secret markets their suitings, you don't have to wear 5" platform heels. You don't even have to wear heels. Yes, they look nice, and can elongate a leg line, but professionalism is about being presentable and looking neat. The primary focus should be on your portfolio. The right places will not dismiss you for not wearing heels. Another issue that arises with this situation is the hemming of slacks, if you develop the impression that you will be wearing heels with your slacks instead of flats or lower heels, you end up rendering your slacks mostly unwearable if you do go for lower shoes. Refer back to the shoes you wear more frequently for professional occasions. They don't have to be flats, but they do have to be dress shoes, which, for most of us would mean some kind of heel (small to medium). Keep it smart, nothing overly embellished. For about 3-4 years, my only pair of dress shoes was a pair of square-toed wing tips...I had a very expanded definition of what "basic" meant. For reference, there's no such thing as a "crazy basic."

#3: Pay attention to where you shop.

Getting a black suit blazer from Banana Republic and BCBG are two very different things. Pay attention to the reputation of the shop since it tends to indicate their specialty. I remember a time when Victoria's Secret seemed to focus a little more on their professional line. I bought a few things here and there, but as of late, I find more displays of wearing a suit with just a bra under the blazer, pencil skirts where there's a 6 inch slit in the front, or blazers with full lace backs. VS saw what makes it's money. Maybe it's more to remind you to buy lingerie. More likely, you'll find a functional suit at a place like Banana Republic or J. Crew. It's a better bargain if you don't have the time to experiment with VS suits, or Express. Now, I did have the time to do some experimentation with places, I find that Victoria's Secret makes french cuff blouses that I default on, the cut works for my small frame, they're semi-fitted, but not bulging tight and they actually button all the way up instead of having that awkward gap between the chest and neck. When it comes to suits though, I feel for my first round, I should have invested in J. Crew.

#4 If you're limited in the places that you can shop...

Pay attention to cut. Cut will make or break any clothing item and will determine your tendency to wear said items. You want to look good for an interview, and the presumption with interview clothes is that you don't wear them too often, but that is no reason to settle for a cheaper awkward fitting interview outfit. Oddly enough, there are times when interview clothes may cycle in and out of your regular wardrobe. (Who likes blazers? I like blazers!) Having clothes that are cut well for yourself expand your options and give you something to build on rather than just regulate to the corner of your closet.

#5 Your starting career wardrobe doesn't have to be big anyway...

There's still a fair amount of weight fluctuation that goes on before and after college.

So...What is the recipe for a starting career wardrobe?

1 - suit

1 - coordinating bottom (skirt or pants) that goes with the blazer of your suit

1 - pair of shoes that works with all of the above

2 - 3 coordinating tops that work with all of the above, preferably one being a button down.

and matching socks.

It's small, but it's enough to get you through. When it's small, you need to be more discriminating, and that's a good thing.