This American classic probably appears more often in clubs in our great cities than it does out on the range. Even so, it still hints of a can-do man, a guy who knows how to string barbed wire.
Just avoid the cardinal sin, warns Michael Bastian, men's fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman: "Don't ever wear a jean jacket with a pair of jeans. No denim leisure suits." You'll also want to avoid mixing rough-hewn with elegant--unless you're pairing a cashmere sweater with jeans. For some reason, this works.
Pull off a velvet or corduroy jacket
Corduroy, cashmere, and velvet cry out for tender hands. And if she touches, she'll buy. "Velvet blazers can have a great high-roller Vegas feel or a sort of to-the-manor-born style, depending on how you accessorize," says Lloyd Boston, author of Make Over Your Man. Velvet's not for everybody, nor is it right for daytime, but we've seen our fashion director, Brian Boye', wearing just this foursome of iconic clothes--including the pocket square--and he can blend plush and proletarian.
Be a rebel in leather
We love everything about leather jackets--the way they feel, the way they smell. Hell, we love the way they sound--the soft creak as she shoves it off us in the leaf pile. Wear one and you're ready to rebel against whatever they've got, or take back Europe from the Axis. Any garment that speaks of both flyboys and hoodlums has to be the ultimate guy gear.
Wear a two-button jacket
Silicon Valley is still stubbornly khaki-and-denim, but the comeback of the business suit is complete in the corporate capitals. There's still life in the three-button suit, which has reigned for a while, but there's good news for the noseguards (under 5'10'') among us: The two-buttoner is on the come. Because the top button closes lower on the chest, the lapels form a deeper V than in the three-button style, creating a north-south meridian that makes us all look a little more like Terrell Owens.
"The shape trend is toward a slightly angular look: broader up top, narrowing a bit as it goes down," says Brian Boye, Men's Health fashion director. And hey, no buttoning that bottom button.
