A Makeover Story, Part Two

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Ta da!!! (Cue jazz hands.)
Right: shirt, Concept USA; tie, Penguin.

After a whirlwind day in the city, we present to you Stephen’s “after” photos. He’s quite dapper, right?

As we mentioned in “A Makeover Story, Part One,” our two overarching goals in this project were to bring a little color and a little polish to Stephen’s wardrobe.

Left: sweater, 1901; shoes, Diesl.
Center: shirt, Ben Sherman; tie, 1901.
Right: sweater, Axcess; pants, Perry Ellis Portfolio; shoes, Diesl.
Before hitting the stores, we consulted Stephen what he was looking for. While his work environment is pretty casual, he figured he could use some updated business-casual pieces. He also showed interest in adding some nice things to wear out, but wanted everything to be easy enough to throw on and go. We flipped through a stack of recent GQ magazines for inspiration, taking mental notes on what to look for (dark denim: yes / pleated pants: noooo.)
Stephen already had a ton of t-shirts and a handful of black and brown short-sleeved collared shirts, so we focused on supplying him with some well-fitting elements every young guy should have:
  • A couple of long-sleeved button-up shirts
  • A couple of patterned and/or colorful sweaters
  • A pair or two of simple, dark denim jeans
  • A pair of simple black slacks
  • A tie (but we ended up with two!)
  • Sneakers with a pop of color
Shopping and grooming madness!
Right: Lindsey’s husband Dale (and our men’s fashion consultant) teaches Stephen how to tie a tie.

The stars must have been aligned perfectly, as we found everything we were looking for at the Nordstrom Rack and Ross. Actually, we found more than we planned for. Jess, Dale, Stephen and I took turns lobbying for our favorite finds. The skinny jeans were left behind.

After a few hours of trying on everything we asked, Stephen rewarded himself with a shave and a haircut. The hot towel treatment made me jealous.

Stephen was a terrific sport through this whole process and seemed very happy with the results. He walked away with two pairs of shoes, three button-up shirts, two sweaters, a pair of jeans, and two ties. While far from men’s fashion experts, Jess and I learned a lot and had a ton of fun in giving Stephen this “makeover.” Isn’t Jess lucky to have such a courageous little brother?

 

 

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