Washignton City Paper Cover Story

Originally posted by econo:
I didn't believe people like this actually existed.

have you ever BEEN to potomac??

Originally posted by Hoya Paranoia:
The bar-scene-themed Web site

maybe someday this forum will evolve into something equally cool. all you boardees with low member numbers - hang in there, the indie poon-train will be pulling in soon!

Originally posted by manimtired:
I doubt Angela went into covering this "story" with any other agenda than to make these people out as crass, sex crazed, retard frat boys/sorority girls. Not saying the ones she met were not, I have no idea. Im just saying Angela was painting with a wide brush

hey, if it's a good enough mindset for WaPo's concert reviewer, it should be good enough to city papER

maybe someday this forum will evolve into something equally cool. all you boardees with low member numbers - hang in there, the indie poon-train will be pulling in soon!

wait. i thought i was the indie poon train? damnit.

Originally posted by you be betty:

Originally posted by econo:
I didn't believe people like this actually existed.

have you ever BEEN to potomac??

Betty, you seem to know a bit about fashion. I on the other hand, know very, very little and I'm always looking for tips. Can you break this excerpt down for me and let me know what you think of the following style so I know whether or not I should copy it down the next time I go shopping for clothes? I know we've never met personally, but I'm no model - I'm just a working-class guy looking for a style that would be accepted by the fellas at the local bar during happy hour AND would work with the ladies as well, if I were looking for a trip to Poundtown. Thanks.

"Both are wearing polo shirts, collars neatly folded down. The men in the bar sport a classic look: Along with the red polos, they wear blue blazers, madras shorts, loafers, and boat shoes. Khakis are flat-fronted and top-shelfâ??Brooks Brothers, J. Crew, etc."

Originally posted by PigIron:

Originally posted by you be betty:

Originally posted by econo:
I didn't believe people like this actually existed.

have you ever BEEN to potomac??

Betty, you seem to know a bit about fashion. I on the other hand, know very, very little and I'm always looking for tips. Can you break this excerpt down for me and let me know what you think of the following style so I know whether or not I should copy it down the next time I go shopping for clothes? I know we've never met personally, but I'm no model - I'm just a working-class guy looking for a style that would be accepted by the fellas at the local bar during happy hour AND would work with the ladies as well, if I were looking for a trip to Poundtown. Thanks.

"Both are wearing polo shirts, collars neatly folded down. The men in the bar sport a classic look: Along with the red polos, they wear blue blazers, madras shorts, loafers, and boat shoes. Khakis are flat-fronted and top-shelfâ??Brooks Brothers, J. Crew, etc."

haha, for real?

okay. so i really don't like grouping or judging people based on what they look like, but if you don't want to get the shit kicked out of you, don't wear it all together at once.
i actually have a lot of preppy clothing because i like having a balance between tailored and crisp and all over the place. i also live in bethesda and have to attend bullshit "society" type events and look somewhat polished without cramping on my personal style. so it is all about balancing.

ex. if you wear a polo (and lacoste polos fit exceptionally and are always a good investment because they never go out of style), maybe wear it with slim fitting jeans and chucks/some other non-preppy shoe. NEVER POP THE COLLAR unless it is a clear 80s reference, or you will look like a complete douchebag.
if you wear madras/plaid shorts (which i think can be really cool if done right), wear them with a funkier tee shirt or blazer or something like that. also, with a different sneaker - flip flops or loafers or birks will make you look preppier.
i recently bought a pair of sperry topsiders, which are great, but i end up wearing them with other really trashy looking things. they are really comfy shoes.

as far as going out to a bar or scoring some ladies, i gotta say i love a boy in a slim fitting polo and slim fitting pants and some bright, cool kicks. also, if you can rock the plaid shorts, do it. but be careful…

in my opinion, wear what you like and what you are comfortable in and wear what makes you happy. but if you are specifically trying to avoid looking too preppy, don't wear it all together at once. it's all about mixing items until you get the desired affect.

OH and invest in a good pair of jeans. for men my favorites are Levi's, Ksubi, Diesel, and Marc Jacobs. but really anything that fits you well. my number one bone to pick with mens fashion is that most guys put on pants that are too loose or baggy on them and they just get swallowed. just wear something that fits your body. they don't have to be skintight, but just a little tightness even at the top and then some give towards the bottom can be fine - just make sure they fit. when they don't, it just does nothing for you.

Betty, maybe you should let me handle mens fashion and you can handle chick's fashion.

Originally posted by you be betty:
if you wear a polo…and chucks

You deserve to be beaten up. If you wear a polo, you had better be on a golf course. And if you're wearing chucks on a golf course, it's probably a laid back enough golf course to wear a t-shirt. Don't mix Chucks and polo shirts. Ever. Chucks are cool, polo shirts are not.

Originally posted by you be betty:
if you wear madras/plaid shorts…wear them with a blazer

Again, you deserve to be beaten up.

If you wear any shorts and a blazer, it's either too cold or not appropriate to wear shorts (or alternatively it's too hot for a blazer or the blazer is over dressing).

Loafers and boat shoes are never appropriate. Not even on a boat. I will no longer argue this, even with people from MA. Even if this works on Nantucket, remember, nobody ever said Nantucket is the place to define fashion since Kennedy was President.

Originally posted by you be betty:
OH and invest in a good pair of jeans…my number one bone to pick with mens fashion is that most guys put on pants that are too loose or baggy on them and they just get swallowed.

She's spot on in her comments about jeans though. Don't be afarid to take some chances with skinnier jeans, just keep them dark. Gentlemen, it's not a crime to show off your package in a smaller pair of jeans.

i'm spot on with all my other comments, too; sorry i know what i'm talking about :roll:

exhibit A: Voxtrot
some of the cutest and sweetest boys in indie rock right now…and quite well dressed…

<img src="http://www.sesac.com/news/images/voxtrot.jpg" alt=" - " />
<img src="http://lunapark6.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/voxtrot.jpg" alt=" - " />

Ramesh. wears his polos well. always a fox.

if you aren't feeling hipster enough in your polo head on over to fucking american apparel…

Originally posted by you be betty:
OH and invest in a good pair of jeans…my number one bone to pick with mens fashion is that most guys put on pants that are too loose or baggy on them and they just get swallowed.

She's spot on in her comments about jeans though. Don't be afarid to take some chances with skinnier jeans, just keep them dark. Gentlemen, it's not a crime to show off your package in a smaller pair of jeans. [/QB]


you have to mix it up. have some skinny and some loose. it's not about showing the package but it is about showing you have some shape and are not a blob!

This was a good article. It's the same thing. Some preppy kids want to be exclusive. If you have no individuality then it sucks to be you. The guys are some big hoes looking to get some and the females will let them because they think they have status. I can't believe that guy asked you about anal sex and to give him a hand job or the interview wouldn't go any further. If you allow someone to treat you like s***, then they will treat you that way. Let them live in their own delusional world. They have a long way to go. It is important that you not identify with a group 100% and have some of your own personality. We all go through the same phase…we are born, we live and breathe and then one day we die. If you want to have friends and associates based on the fact that you are preppy and have a little $$$$ then so be it.

Also, if you go to the pound to much, you're gonna get fleas!!!!

Originally posted by vansmack:
Betty, maybe you should let me handle mens fashion and you can handle chick's fashion…If you wear a polo, you had better be on a golf course…
Loafers and boat shoes are never appropriate. Not even on a boat…

vansmack—a rare occasion—I agree with you completely!

I think maybe the differences in opinion are in part due to age-based P.O.V.'s though…

I think it's best when a guy looks like he has more important things to do with his time than worry about fashion.

Just throw on a cool t-shirt or woven shirt with an interesting yet subtle print and jeans with some kind of boot or sneaker and you're good to go. Or the outdoorsy/hiker look is good.

DC is not a bastion of great men's looks.

I drove through there once in high school. The houses were pretty big. That's about all I remember.

Originally posted by you be betty:
have you ever BEEN to potomac??

Originally posted by vansmack:
Betty, maybe you should let me handle mens fashion and you can handle chick's fashion.

actually betty is spot-on… albeit for men under 30ish. especially with jeans and older(looking), nice and actually vintage pieces up top. i love seeing men in clothes that actuallly fit them. that's my biggest gripe about guys fashion, in fact.

for that LNS crew though, the attire is grown-up frat boy, which is fine. khakis - not cargo or pleated. slim-fitted dress shirts with ties are ok with jeans as well. i just broke up with one of these guys for god's sake. not litterally LNS. but, young republican and that is the attire.

also - if i see a guy in boots anywhere except on a hiking trip thats an instant turnoff.

Originally posted by you be betty:
exhibit A: Voxtrot

You show me one guy in a polo shirt, who you happen to think is dreamy, and that proves you're right? He could be wearing something hideous and you would still adore him. I would like to point out that the other 4 guys in the picture are not wearing polo shirts! They are actually much better dressed than your McDreamy boy.

Ok, I will title this essay:

The Polo Shirt Phenomenon
Who Plays Polo and Why Haven't They Been Shot?

Let's start with the basics. Who wears polo shirts:

(1) Preppy, mostly white males, ages 16-25, mostly on the eastern seaboard in megalopolis between DC and Boston
(2) A handful of Canadians on the East Coast influenced by fashions of neighboring US cities
(3) Golfers
(4) Tennis players in England who still use wood rackets
(5) A smattering of guys in the south of France who have their collars up and sweaters tied around their necks
(6) Frat Boys in colleges across America
(7) Kids in private schools as part of their required uniform
(8) Guys on yachts
(9) Guys who actually play polo

Now, who on this list has ever been considered cool? After Pony Boy and Johnny (and I guess the city paper article), I think we can rule out 1 and 6. OK, there's a much longer reason why preppy's and frat guys are not cool, but I will just use "The Outsiders" as Exhibit A.

The Canadians have never been cool, save for their moustaches in the 70's - that spread like wild fire. Too bad they still have the 70's version.

3,4 and 5 are basically your dad at one point or another while you were growing up. Admit it.

8 and 9 are the same person. And nobody really likes him.

So that leaves us with 7 - and a good rule with only one exception: if the article of clothing is part of a required school uniform, it cannot be cool. The only excpetion, of course, is the Catholic Schoolgirl Skirt, which is always appropriate.

I've never understood why the polo shirt is so accepted on the East Coast. Betty, next time you come to LA to buy fabric, look around and tell me how many polo shirts you see. Do the same in SF, Seattle, any other major city in America that is not in megalopolis (excpet for Chicago, they tend to copy anybody). When you get to Europe, look around and tell me how many polo shirts you see. Asia, do the same.

And here's the real kicker, something you're completely over looking: How many gay guys do you see wearing polo shirts in public? If gays won't wear it, it can't be good fashion.

So gentlemen, I implore you, when you get your J Crew catalog in the mail, throw it away immediately (after you check out the cute red head with the freckles in the bathing suit section - I just adore her…). It's bad fashion. I used to make an exception for a polo shirt with the Penguin logo on it, but even now, I can no longer do that.

I'm sorry to ruin your entire up bringing by dropping this knowledge on you. You've become accustomed to it by virtue of your surroundings so it's not your fault, but I'm sorry, Polo Shirts are bad fashion.

And just the fact that someone would ever consider putting a blazer over a polo shirt, well that is just an amazing faux pas that I didn't even think existed. But then again, I haven't lived on the east coast in years….

My Father will wear polo shirts until the day he dies. He may suffer from bad fashion but he's a good man so I have to let it slide.

I had to do this once on a business trip. I felt like an asshole.

Originally posted by vansmack:
And just the fact that someone would ever consider putting a blazer over a polo shirt, well that is just an amazing faux pas that I didn't even think existed. But then again, I haven't lived on the east coast in years….

Polo shirts are no good? I'm friggin' screwed then. What if you're over 30, like I am? Does that matter? If not polo shirts, what? Button-down shirts?
With the exception of interviews, weddings, and the like, I have never, ever considered wearing a blazer anywhere. I had to Google "madras shorts" and "boat shoes" and now realize that they mean "colorful, checkered shorts" and "those gay shoes I had to wear when I went to Catholic school for two years as a kid", respectively.
I don't want jeans that are drooping off my ass but there is no way that I'm wearing tight jeans, as I feel that I'm too old to be showcasing the curvature of my nutsack to people in public.

Here's a simple tip Pig, that will surely get you noticed by the ladies. You'll take a little heat from the guys, but it's just jealousy. Trust me.

Buy a white belt. Not one with studs or holes, just a regular width, simple white leather belt. Wear it with your jeans and a shorter t-shirt or vintage looking short sleeve button down that is slightly covering your belt but not too much so that when you reach for a drink, your belt is exposed. Trust me. I wear mine all the time and I don't go a week without a girl pointing it out and complimenting it.

It says stylish and bold, but is subtle enough to make you feel comfortable wearing it.

Originally posted by vansmack:
Here's a simple tip Pig, that will surely get you noticed by the ladies…Buy a white belt.

You're kidding, right? This is, like, Killers circa '04…

You're still wrong.
If you don't like polos that's fine, it's your personal style. But really, they CAN be worn if you aren't a preppy asshole. You can wear a slim fitting polo with slim fitting pants and huge, colorful hi top nike dunks for example and look great.

That guy from Voxtrot looks good in what he is wearing and that's why I posted it. Fits him well.

These looks from Dior Homme are quite nice…
<img src="http://men.style.com/slideshows/mens/fashionshows/S2005MEN/CDMEN/RUNWAY/00041m.jpg" alt=" - " />
<img src="http://men.style.com/slideshows/mens/fashionshows/S2006MEN/CDMEN/RUNWAY/00330m.jpg" alt=" - " />
<img src="http://men.style.com/slideshows/mens/fashionshows/S2006MEN/CDMEN/RUNWAY/00520m.jpg" alt=" - " />
<img src="http://men.style.com/slideshows/mens/fashionshows/S2006MEN/CDMEN/RUNWAY/00540m.jpg" alt=" - " />