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You might think that by being a man and knowing the basics you know almost everything about styling and men’s clothing. Well I can assure you that the world of shirts, suits and accessories are so much wider than most of us will ever know (unless you’re one of the stars of Pitti Uomo, of course.) Our blog is here to introduce the world of stylish men (and women) to everyone. So even if you are not into the fashion world, it’s good to know more than matching your brown briefcase with brown shoes (you knew that, right?)

This article will focus on men’s shirts. And to be more precise – the collars of the shirt. Everyone have seen different collars but do you know what they’re called and why they are different from each other? What are the occasions for which they are best suited? Read on…

1. The forward point collar

The “point collar” dress shirt is the most traditional of them all. So you probably have one or more in the wardrobe. The collar points have narrow distance and they are often covered by a jacket’s lapels. This is a traditional shirt and it tells that your style is classic. This is your everyday basic shirt.

2. The button down collar

The button down collar was innovated for just being practical. They were introduced to the world by polo players and the buttons were a way to keep the collars from flapping up and down while they were riding. It has been a staple of classic, preppy style ever since. If you are not the one who wears a tie every day (it looks good with or without tie) then this relaxed style is for you. General dress acumen dictates that you not wear a tie with a button-down collar.

3. The spread collar

This style is pretty much the middle ground of dress shirt collars. The one who prefers collars like that is someone in the middle of strict traditionalist and modern trendsetter. The way the collar points end and disappear right where they meet the jacket is very elegant and symmetrical. It’s a good option when you work in a corporate environment but would still like to stand out. But not too much, not the Italian way. This is the practical shirt type because it really works in just about every situation imaginable. And it just looks so good with or without a tie.

4. The tab collar

The tab collar has been around for ages. I mean these were worn a really long time ago – when the collars were removable and not attached to the rest of the shirt. These days this style is hard to find. But if you want to earn some style points – it’s worth the hunt. You can recognize the shirt by the tab that is fastened by a button hidden underneath the tie knot.

5. The cutaway collar

This is one bold, modern and sartorially-advanced style choice we are talking about. The cutaway collar dress shirt emerged in the 1930’s following the longer and narrower collars of the 1920s. This style can also be referred to as a Windsor collar because its origin means to fit Windsor tie knots. Men who prefer that collar type are bold and confident (and possibly Italian-speaking). This means the collar is not for everyone. But if you feel that this style suits you and you like it then feel free to wear it for different occasions – from office to a wedding.

6. The band collar

A band collar shirt is easy to recognize because it’s simply a shirt with a band for the collar – meaning there is no actual collar at all. If you prefer that collar type it says you are easy going and your motto is that rules were made for breaking. If you feel like experimenting, taking risks and you feel confident then go ahead! The best styling advice for that kind of shirt is to stay more casual. This way it works the best. It’s the perfect option to travel and summer vacations.

7. The club collar

This used to be a style of the students at Eton college who wanted to “distinguish” themselves and their uniforms from other schools. They took the standard collar points and merely rounded them off. And the new collar style was born! It became known as the club collar. If you feel like style is about having a little fun every now and then and when it’s the right time to do so, then this style is a good option for experimenting.

8. The pin collar

Functionally the pin collar shirt is right in line with a tab collar. While tab collar has an extended tab of fabric that buttons under the tie, a pin collar shirt replaces the tab with a bar. The bar elegantly lifts the tie knot, creating a luxurious arch below the tie knot while also holding the knot itself firmly in place. The eyelets on each collar point are fastened together with either a collar bar or a collar pin. This style is for someone who knows a lot about classic tailored menswear. If you prefer this style, you are probably working in the fashion business or you have a well educated stylist. You really need a right occasion for pin collar shirt. If it’s a less formal event then substitute the collar pin for the bar to tone down the formality. See – it can be versatile style after all.

If you are following LGFG Fashion House social media then you probably have noticed that we share our weekly style tips videos. The girls on the video are not hired as actors/models- they are indeed working at LGFG Fashion House. Lilian is our fashion and marketing analyst and you can read more about her HERE. The other lady is our executive clothier Inga Romasko. Now it’s time to get to know her better as well.

Inga grew up in Minsk, Belarus and then she moved to Vilnius to study International Business and Communication and to discover her Lithuanian roots. This decision gave her the chance to see the world: “While studying I had a chance to work and live in different countries like South Korea, USA and France. As a result, an international company with a great culture was the only option for me. I can definitely say that I love my job and I’m in the right place. The best example would be to hear from my client: “Inga, you can choose some shirts and match with ties, I trust you”.

So how did she join the team? Inga answers: “I found out about LGFG from the Internet. The combination of sales and fashion seemed like a perfect match for me. Furthermore, after joining I noticed that LGFG’s culture and the way it treats its employees reminded me of AIESEC – the organization I was volunteering before. I realized it’s the right place to start my professional career where company goals would match mine.
LGFG showed me how to become successful. Everything is simple: no magic, only hard work. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a tailor, lawyer or have your own business there is no shortcuts to success – only hard work. However, being average in this company is not the right choice, you need to strive for excellence and think long term. That, perhaps, is the biggest lesson I’ve learned here. Undoubtedly, there is no other way as to grow fast when you are surrounded with highly educated professionals. And that is what we value and invest the most in here – people.”

Inga sharing her style tips for LGFG Fashion House customers in the weekly videos

Inga’s biggest passion is travelling. She travels a lot for work and she loves to do it on her spare time as well. “I think it is the best way of education,” she explains.
When already talking about spare time, we asked what else she likes to do: “I have spent 7 years of my childhood doing acrobatics so I can’t live without sports. Wakeboarding, going for a good run or biking by the Baltic Sea is my type of spare time. And of course, I never forget to find some time for my family.”

Inga during her business trip to Moscow

And as a fashion business specialist we asked her to give our readers some style advice that she always follows: “Talking about style, I am very classy and with confidence can say that as every woman should have a black dress, every man can’t do business without a classical blue suit. My absolute favourite suit is 3-piece navy suit for that occasion when a two-piece suit doesn’t cut it and a dinner suit is too much.

And my only advice would be to wear a suit that fits you!”

In this blog post you’ll find three LGFG Fashion House clients that were brave enough to try something new and something different for their fancy events. So let’s meet these brave souls:

 
Italo Paris

He is the man behind the largest retail flower shop chain in Toronto, Canada – Ital Florist. He likes to wear casual during the work hours, as he’s literally surrounded by flowers, but likes to dress up after work. Of course his work brings him to a lot of events and for the summer, the season of weddings, he picked himself up a new custom blazer, slacks and shirt by LGFG Fashion House. The items are from our Paris line which matches well to his name. He is totally ready to kick off the wedding season thanks to his tailor Aiva Ozolina.

Jean Philippe Stijns

Jean Philippe Stijns from EIB Luxembourg is rocking his new LGFG Fashion House summer outfit – notice the bowtie, contrast vest, light blue pocket puff that matches with the blue checks on this light grey houndstooth. He already got all the must have basic suits from LGFG Fashion House, so this time he wanted something different – more casual. His new suit and shirt is from our London line and vest is from our Paris line. Jean Philippe trusts his suits to be done by his personal LGFG tailor, Katrin Kiviselg.

 
Mike Burke

Point 16 business consultant Mike Burke from Auckland, New Zealand, is showcasing how to look like a million dollar man! A great inspiration on how to wear a 3-piece suit, the work of art he is wearing comes from LGFG Fashion House London line and a job well done by LGFG clothier, Rachel Gibbings.

As much as we’d like the suit to be an essential outfit to all the guys out there, we know it’s not. Some like to wear it everyday, others wear it to work, some wear it only on special occasion. I am not sure but I have heard that even guys without any suits exist. I hope it’s a rumour! Anyway, we totally get it that no one wears suit seven days a week. Sometimes you just wear a blazer with a jeans. Sometimes you want to wear a sweater over your collared shirt and some chinos with it. Talking about chinos, let’s continue discussing trousers.

Jeans have conquered the world but as comfortable as they are, we must admit, they are not solid enough to wear everywhere. That’s where other trousers come in. So we were thinking how many trousers should a men own? We are not going to explain which styles you should own but we’ll give you some colour advice. If you own these six pairs of pants, we are sure you are totally covered for every style and outfit.

First pair is beige. The classics. They are good to go with almost everything. You can wear these on a casual setting, to the office or for a drinks with friends. Pair these with your favorite shirt or blazer that has some darker shades – navy, burgundy or dark grey. They will make the look harmonious.

Black is also a classic. Black trousers go with almost everything. You can create so many different looks with one single pair of black pants! And they are the most stain-proof of them all. Usually white or beige trousers need to be washed after every time you wear them. Black trousers are also a great option for a night out.

Navy. Yet another classic. Beige, black and navy are the base of your wardrobe, so these are the colour of pants that every man really should own. They are so easy to wear – just like jeans. Keep the look with navy trousers casual.

Grey is such a great option because it is suitable for every skin tone and it’s the perfect base to build your work week looks. You can also pretty much wear those with everything.

If grey is not your thing, why not try olive green. For some, olive green is still associated with army. Don’t be frightened because of this. Olive green is actually a great way to add some colour to your look, especially if you are not used to wearing much colour. It’s a good colour to start experimenting with.

If you are already used to playing with colours, why not add some pastel coloured trousers to your wardrobe? The only rule is to keep every other piece in your outfit laid back. Think of pastel pink, blue, yellow, green, orange or even purple hues.

Yes! Drum roll please because it’s time again to show you what our LGFG Fashion House Executive Clothiers have been up to! Since our clothiers work worldwide, unfortunately, we just don’t have the space here to show each of their work, but we will choose 3 from each month. So let’s see who managed to get to be best suits of April.

Sam Speranini

Sam Speranini from Global Markets Tech Finance Consulting got ready for the new season ahead with a new suit. He chose a dark navy suit from LGFG Fashion House London line. Such a great option for a business suit! He likes to style it with a crisp white shirt and classic black shoes. The purple pocket square adds extra style points and highlights the checks on the suit very well. Sam’s clothier is Aiva Ozolina.

Dean O’Rourke

Dean O’Rourke from ABN Group also got a navy suit that he preferred to wear with white shirt and a purple patterned pocket square. His suit is from LGFG Fashion House Paris line. Dean’s tailor is Maiko Mathiesen. And no – Maiko’s suits don’t come with matching flowers. 🙂

Sean Greaves

Sean Greaves from State Street is looking sharp in his first LGFG Fashion House suit! He chose his first suit to be charcoal grey. A burgundy coloured tie is the perfect match with a grey suit! His suit is from our Performance line – but it wasn’t his last suit. Sean now ordered four more suits from LGFG Fashion House! His tailor is Daryl Rivera.

It’s something that we do everyday. We wake up, we do our morning routine and when we leave our house, we pick shoes to match our clothing. Sounds simple, right? However, many people don’t have a clue how to match items correctly (Hey – that’s why stylists exist).

For example – people tend to think that black is a universal color and that black shoes match with everything. Well, wrong. Can you actually imagine black shoes with brown suits? They do not match well. There are 3 main colors for shoes (that every man should have in their wardrobe at least): black, brown and oxblood/burgundy. But they don’t just go with any of the 5 main colors for suits: navy blue, light or medium-grey, charcoal grey, brown and black. The wrong shoe can ruin even the best suit. So we are here to let you know the right color combinations:

1. Navy blue suits: Goes with black, brown and oxblood/burgundy. Yes, this is the one suit color that goes with all the main shoe colors.

2. Light/Medium-grey suits: Goes with black, brown and oxblood/burgundy. Grey suits are less formal than blue suits, but they’re equal in terms of flexibility. You can pair them effectively with all three shoe colors.

3. Charcoal grey suits: Goes with black and oxblood/burgundy shoes. Avoid brown! Charcoal grey is a color that’s almost as versatile as navy blue. But, brown leather shoes just don’t match as well. It’s because brown is naturally less formal than the other two and the contrast created between brown and charcoal grey (which is similar to black) is quite stark.

4. Brown suits: Goes with brown and oxblood/burgundy. Avoid black. Brown suits go with most brown shoes until the shoes are darker than the suit. It’s the simple contrast that makes it look good. The reason why black is a no-go is the same reason charcoal grey doesn’t go with brown shoes. Those pairings just “clash” a little too much.

5. Black suits: Goes with black. Avoid brown and oxblood/burgundy. A pure black suit is the least flexible. Only pair a black suit with black shoes. Any other shoe color will look too casual with it. But, a black suit is never meant for casual occasions.

We have written blog posts about suits that every man should own, suits that work the best to business environment, and suits that look the best on older gents. However, we have totally forgotten young men. Why so? Because graduations are actually the events where many young men get their first suit! And, on that note, guys in their early twenties are already fully grown to be purchasing a proper suit. So, it’s the best time to start looking for a personal tailor.

After all your hard work, you deserve to look good on your graduation day. And yes, we totally get that a tailor made suit can sometimes be expensive for guys who are just graduating and not earning money of their own, so that’s why we think that a nice tailor made suit could be the best present for a graduating child. This is the time when most of them are starting a career of their own and what would be better than go to your first job interviews wearing a nice suit. Of course the suit shouldn’t be too flashy, so we are here to give you some advice about the first suit that a young man should get.

Skip the flashy patterns and bright colors. The best option is to be classical yet chic. The most classical combo is a crisp white shirt, a dark suit, and don’t forget polished shoes and a matching tie. The tie is the place where you can have some color to make your suit look interesting, but it’s totally up to you if you’d like to wear a matching suit or mix and match your jacket and trousers. A matching suit will give a more formal vibe but you can mix up the colors and shades if you want to leave a lasting effect.

If you want to stand out from the crowd, skip the white shirt and go for pastels – light blue or pink are the best options. These will add color and texture to your look, making it more of an eye catcher. Don’t wear a black shirt – these are more for casual shirts or the funerals. You want to keep it bright and cheerful.

If wearing a tie is really not your thing, then skip it, but you should definitely wear a buttoned shirt. And, if you skip the tie, then maybe opt for a pocket square to add a festive touch.

For a young man, the best option usually is a slim fit suit. It’ll emulate a young style and can take you straight from the stage to a celebration in a restaurant or a pub. It also works great in a business environment as well. But this is something that you can consult with your tailor.

The point is you should look as formal as possible without compromising your style. If you are not sure how you’d like to look or style is something you couldn’t care less about, then contacting a tailor is best possible solution: they know what fits the best to your body type, can give excellent style advice, and they also know the etiquette. Find your personal tailor here: www.lgfgfashionhouse.com/en/contact-lgfg/

Photos: Marzoni lookbook

It’s time to reveal the best suits of March. And, as the Spring is here and the colors around us are getting brighter everyday, the best suits of March were chosen by color as well. It seems that our clients have discovered royal blue this Spring. And what a great option it is! A blue suit is as classic as a white or grey. These three colors should be the base of a man’s suit wardrobe. The essentials as some people like to say. So, let’s see how our clients chose to style their blue suits!

Mathew Chamberlain from Perth, Australia awards himself this Spring for all his hard work with a new bespoke suit from the LGFG Fashion House Paris line. And his styling is very chic – brown leather matches perfectly with your navy blue suit. A purple pocket square adds some extra color. And, instead of classic white shirt, Mathew chose a striped one also from our Paris line, which is a great style touch – he is ready for Spring!

Marc Reardon from Halifax, Canada is another gentleman who knows you can never go wrong with a solid royal blue suit. Marc also chose a suit from our LGFG Fashion House Paris line. He wore his new bespoke suit with a blue shirt a few shades lighter and a burgundy tie. Yes – burgundy is another color that adds cool notes to your blue suit. Marc’s tailor is Andrew McArthur.

Madis Kollo from Tallinn, Estonia is looking sharp in his new bespoke cobalt suit. His suit is from our White Label Technical line and the material is stretch – that adds a lot of comfort. Madis wanted a slim fit suit; an excellent choice for summer! His tailor is Laura Meimer.

Now let’s wait and see what April has coming for our clients.

Although everyone is trying to be forever young and living by the YOLO motto (You Only Live Once), we must admit that aging means some changes in our lives. And, wether we want it or not, it’ll affect the style rules as well. I must say that I think it’s far more difficult for women. Of course we are all afraid of the wrinkles and grey hair – but grey hair can look oh so very good on a gentleman wearing a classy suit. But females – no, we are the ones running to the hair stylist after a single grey hair. The same goes for style rules: women think about which colours they should be wearing when they’re not in their 30’s anymore. Is pink too much? What about the length of the skirt? Mini is definitely too much, or not? Can we show some knees at least? So yes, these things are far more simpler for a man. But they still have some rules. Or maybe rules are too harsh, maybe we’d call them some style advice to follow after reaching a certain age where you are not a boy anymore (yes – we all know men will always be boys from the inside but style is an outside job right?).

* As we’ve already said, grey can look amazingly good on men and we are not only talking about suits. Just take a look at George Clooney. Grey hair has never stopped him for being the man crush for almost half of the women on this planet. So why not emphasise your grey hair? It will goes perfectly with a blue suit!

* Avoid skinny jeans. Even if you are skinny they will look ridiculous on you. Remember – slim fit and skinny is not the same. You don’t need to start wearing saggy clothes. You just don’t want to look like one of the One Direction singers.

* Stay true to your style. If you’ve liked your look a bit edgy then don’t lose it. It’s perfectly fine for older men to wear their jeans with blazers. By all means, adapt it to fit with your touch of grey.

* Logo t-shirts are unfortunately a no-go for older gents. Big logos and messages on your chest will look desperate if you are already above fifty.

* The same goes for white running shoes. It just won’t look good if you wear them when not doing sports.

* Select good, unpretentious shoes and a solid colour button-down shirt. If you’re in the mood, a subtle patterned tie is always appropriate and will pull your look together.

* A bit longer hair can look cool on a older gentleman (look Brad Pitt!) but skip the pony tail. If you still have hair, keep in mind – anything that ties in the back should not even be an option.

* If you didn’t take your style very seriously when you were younger then this is the time to start making sure that your clothes fit right. And a gentleman who takes himself seriously knows that the best way to do it is having your own personal tailor. By the age 50, every man should own at least one tailor-made suit that fits him perfectly.

* And last but not least – at that solid age, always choose quality over quantity.