Style expert Paul Galvin plays the role of agony uncle as he answers all of your style questions.
If you have doubts as to whether you should wear socks with sandals or wear a fanny pack to a wedding, you should definitely read this wonderful feature to perfect your style dos and don'ts (plus you should never wear a fanny pack at all, never mind to a wedding).
Are you trying to impress that girl you like, or simply want to have that "look good, feel good" mentality? This feature will help you dress in the latest affordable styles to make sure you are looking your best, while also helping you to get through some sticky fashion conundrums.
Dear Paul,
I have a style dilemma that I hope you may be able to help me with. I have a wedding in 4 weeks’ time. Normally, I would wear a regular tie or bow tie, but I feel like I would prefer to try some new neck wear this time round. Firstly, is it appropriate to not wear a tie to a wedding? Secondly, could you make some alternative, and appropriate, suggestions please?
Dan,
Tralee.
Dan,
This depends. Presuming you are not part of the wedding party then, to answer the first part of your mail, yes it is perfectly appropriate to wear something other than a tie.
Alternative suggestions? Considering you have also ruled out wearing a bow tie, the options are dwindling. The obvious option is a cravat. These are easy to wear and look very smart with an open neck shirt.
If you are feeling a little braver then there are riskier options. Collar bars are understated, yet grab attention at the same time. Just remember you need to have a shirt with the correct collar allowing you to wear a bar. Ted Baker do great collar bar shirts.
Finally, you could forego the collar bar and just buy a shirt with tipped collars. These tips can be taken off or changed as you wish and are available on the high street.
Hope this helps Dan.
Best,
Paul.
Dear Paul,
With winter and Christmas fast approaching, can you advise me on some alternate means of staying warm? I'm sick of wool jumpers and heavy overcoats. Some suggestions on warm, stylish and easy pieces to wear would be great, thanks.
Maurice in Claremorris.
Maurice,
It sounds to me like you need a polo-neck sweater. Worn under a blazer it is warm, stylish and easy to wear. A real Christmas treat.
Go debonair this winter Maurice. Claremorris won't know what hit it. Women will swoon and whisper excitedly in the local about the new sophisticate in town. Men will most probably just stare and talk out loud in the local about your jumper being "cat." This in turn will make you seem even more attractive and sophisticated to the local women who will frown upon the uncouth ignorance of the local men and their lack of style, which in turn may enrage the already emotionally fraught local men. You may be punched for no good reason, you may not. I'm just saying these things have been known to happen.
So beware Maurice, the polo neck has an unquantifiable charm and elegance that can make men seem irresistible to women, particularly to rural women. It happens in small villages all over Ireland. Just be careful, there could be affairs had, that's all I'm willing to say for now.
Hope this helps Moss old stock.
Take care,
Paul.
Dear Paul,
I saw a man on the telly the other night and he was wearing a black, short-sleeved shirt and a big gold chain hanging outside it. It was as if he didn't know that only girls wear chains outside their shirts. This is outrageous. What are we going to do about it?
Pat.
Dear Pat,
P*ss off.
Paul.
Dear Paul,
I have noticed online recently a growing trend for wearing black jeans on brown boots. I always thought that wearing black with brown was one of fashion's biggest faux pas' or whatever it is they're calling fashion mistakes these days? The more I see it however, the more I like it. My issue is this; I have lots of pairs of black jeans but I can't a decent pair of brown boots to help me wear the look.
Can you help?
Thanks,
Noel, Kerry.
Noel,
Firstly yes, you are correct, black on brown has been a growing trend in men’s fashion for a while. As you can see in the picture below, I have been wearing black jeans on brown boots myself for quite a while. And yes, you are also correct in saying that historically or traditionally any combination of black and brown would have been sniffed at and maybe even scoffed at.
This is only goes to show that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to true style.
A few things to consider before you take the plunge. There are so many different shades of brown boot on the market now. Be sure and try out a few different colours. Whilst I believe in wearing anything you like and feel comfortable in, the wrong shade of brown boot under the wrong cut of jeans is a slagging waiting to happen.
Tan coloured boots like I'm wearing in the picture above can be a good alternative. Tan works great with black. Also the cut of your jeans are important. Too baggy and you can't see the boot, too skinny and you risk looking like a deep-sea diver flopping about the shoreline waiting for high-tide.
I’m surprised you haven't been able to find a pair to suit your needs up to now. Perhaps you haven't been looking in the right places? See below two alternatives. The more tan-coloured pair on the left are in the higher price range of €113, and are from House of Hounds available through ASOS. On the right, at €87, are a slightly more affordable pair from River Island.
Both look great though.
Images via asos (left) and River Island (right)
The choice, Noel, is yours.
I hope this may be of some help.
Thanks for your mail,
Paul.
