Slightly OT - can you help me with DH's casual capsule on the sly...

So, we have some travel coming up - one work trip and then later on, a vacation. Meanwhile, most of the shopping we've been doing for my DH has been for work clothes...as it was needed going from being a telecommuter type to in-the-office all the time.

In the meantime, the casual capsule has been somewhat neglected.

...long story short?

I have a clipboard on the kitchen counter, with a list - "Trip Wish List" - where we're both jotting things down as we think of them - eg. spare batteries for cameras, Via coffee, ear plugs for the plane etc. My DH has scrawled, "polo shirts" in there...

It came up again last night, we were discussing that we'll need to go through his clothes for a big vacation coming up in just a few weeks...and he mentioned the polo shirts again.

Um...I'm not crazy about them. I think they can look sporty and almost vintage if the rest of the outfit is super-sharply styled. But this isn't my DH - he's very conservative. So it's not like a fun, sporty, vintage-ish polo shirt with slim pants and loafers. No...it's more like old-fashioned looking polo, tucked into old-fashioned looking jeans. He looks 100% conservative corporate manager. I was able to get him one slightly more stylish pair of jeans by ordering them online myself, and raving about them. I will get more of the better jeans. I will *not* be able to get him into a store.

Is there a way for me to find polo shirts that will look stylish? Any recommendations from YLF'ers who might be in the know about such a thing?

Or should I avoid this like the plague and focus on casual shirts? He did say to me last night, "I feel comfortable in polo shirts".

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions on my polo shirt conundrum.

13 years ago

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Veteran

No help here on polos. Both my BF and I HATE polo shirts. I mean really detest them. My BF likes Kweejibo shirts for dressy casual but they went out of business http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos.....FtyeTSEM-w Now he has a selection of crinkled tees by Wicked Quick http://store.wickedquick.com/p.....cts_id=250 They are casual, but a little more interesting than your basic tee. Maybe your SO can get out of the polo mindset?

velvetychocolate

Thanks Mo!

I doubt I'd be able to get him into one of those crinkled tees. Thanks for the suggestion though, really appreciate any/all ideas in this vein.

I will keep an eye out for casual shirts as well.

Angie

Fashion Stylist

I vote no polos too. How about just a great selection of shirts, jeans and casual shoes.

Thank you! I'm going to do my best to just forget to buy some...or run out of time or not be able to find anything good. In the meantime, I'll buy a bunch of other stuff and hopefully it'll be so fab and just as comfortable that it'll all work out.

Vix

I am not at all kidding when I say I could have written most of your post! Dying over the corporate manager comment.

Congrats on getting the jeans into his world, though -- I know that can be a delicate negotiation.

Re the polos -- it is what is is, right?

Mr Vix now owns some nicer, interlock ones in neutral shades that look good on him (vs the sportier pique fabric ones in BRIGHT colors). Worn untucked, amen, with dark non-pleated Lees/Dockers etc or dark wash jeans.

[Sort of like the shirts below, but probably bought for 2.99 at Marshalls since mainstream men's clothes seem to be marked down to 90% off all the time. /bitter]

http://www1.macys.com/shop/pro.....Type=PDPZ1

He also has a few of what he terms "blouses" -- short-sleeved cotton button-front types (pic 2 and 3). This may be what your husband is calling casual shirts, not sure -- but the more subtle patterns are kind of nice IMO.

Is your husband a t-shirt fan (graphic or otherwise)?

I may have convinced my beloved he could get extra value with his few "jaunty" (striped, dotted) long-sleeved button ups by wearing them open over a T -- see pic 4. [Bonus: partially covering up the mustard T which is a horrid shade on him with good colors.]

What about the shoe situation? Does he have a nice low-profile non-white sneaker-y type of thing or those casual lug sole leather slip-ons? Or decent sandals?

Good luck! I am rooting for you both...

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Thank you so much Vix! I really appreciate your post and suggestions.

Yes, I just recently got him some non-white runner type shoes that aren't work shoes. So, for now - I sort of have the jeans solved (at least, slightly updated from before), and there are some new-ish, more stylish looking casual shoes.They're not the clunky white tennis shoes, and they aren't his work shoes either. I've managed to get him two pairs of 'fashion' sneakers (ie. not white tennis shoes or "runners"), plus two pairs of casual/comfortable shoes that don't look all corporate/office-y. The casual shoes I got are almost identical to those posted in your photo #4. He's got brown fashion sneakers, grey fashion sneakers, brown/cognac-ish casual shoes and black casual shoes. Sandals aren't quite there yet, the newest pair are Tevas, but I don't think they look bad. Not the best, but not bad either.

I just got a bit stuck with the polo shirts, since I am not that crazy about them myself. The truth is, I stopped buying them, even though they are something he's worn in casual settings for years. Because it's been work, work, work lately - he didn't notice that there weren't really any polo shirts there. Like I said though, they suddenly appeared on the "trip wish list."

I think what I'm going to do is get a couple of the ones you've suggested in pic #1 in very neutral colours, and focus in on the casual shirts (ie. "blouses" as your DH calls them). Also like the idea that it's perfectly stylish to wear a long-sleeved shirt atop a tee in a casual setting. I *did* buy him quite a few nice long-sleeved casual shirts.

Thank you! I feel a lot better now.

Glad I could help. Also envious of your partner's casual shoe situation -- have not seen much movement in that direction myself.

I hear you on the non-love for polos, but like anything believe (tell myself?) there are better and worse versions. Maybe if you scrounge up the alternatives along with the new polos he'll prefer the former!

At any rate, I'm sure you'll have a blast on your trip. Now...what are you packing?

I have no idea what I'm packing...in a bit of a panic about it to be honest.

In the meantime, the shoes thing with my husband isn't that exciting. I bought a pair of fashion sneakers for him at one of those "buy one get the second pair half off" type of sales, and of course, I ended up buying the second pair. He's worn one pair once or twice - but mind you, it's been insanely hot here since the beginning of June (sandals all weekend long). During fall and winter, he has alternated between the black and brown/cognac-ish casual shoes on weekends. The "not-clunky runners" are very new - and it's been too hot for anything but sandals for the past three plus months. They grey pair are still in the box.

Thank you for your suggestion that there might be better or worse versions of something re: polos. I *will* make sure I get some other non-polo casual tops ("blouses" - that made me smile), will probably get one or two of the "not so bad" polos just to get past the hump. Hopefully the non-polos win out over time.

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