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Holiday Dressing Tips For Men Only

As the holiday season hits full swing, it's time to pull your look together to hit the soiree circuit. Whether it's an office party, drinks with your college buddies, a family gathering, or the dreaded party down the street at 'the Jones's', it's important to put some thought into your evening outfits.
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Co-founder, Visual Therapy

Co-founder, Visual Therapy
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As the holiday season hits full swing, it's time to pull your look together to hit the soiree circuit. Whether it's an office party, drinks with your college buddies, a family gathering, or the dreaded party down the street at "the Jones's", it's important to put some thought into your evening outfits.

IT'S IN THE FLANNEL

Instead of the typical holiday sweater in red or green, consider wearing a gray flannel blazer or even full flannel suit. I am a believer in breaking up your suit and wearing the gray flannel jacket on its own with jeans or cords. If you do break it up, try wearing a pocket square in a rich texture that will compliment your shirt. Depending on your coloration, you can go light, medium or dark charcoal. All tones are acceptable when dressing for evening. No tie necessary in this case because the pocket square will complete this more casual approach.


Image courtesy of Suit Supply.


Image courtesy of Suit Supply.

THE SUIT ROUTE

If you go the full suit route, I would suggest either a tie or pocket square, or both. Keep it simple by wearing a crisp white shirt with a white linen pocket square, adding an eggplant, bright blue or even wine colored tie. A burgundy wool tie provides incredible texture and a bold splash of color. I also like wearing a lightweight v-neck sweater in the same tone as the suit jacket, it's all about layering.


Burgundy wool slim tie, image courtesy of Charles Tyrwhitt.


Flannel suit, image courtesy of Brooks Brothers.


Images courtesy of J. Crew.

Image courtesy of Made Clothing Co on Tumblr.

GET TEXTURED

Texture is in this season! Go for neckwear in wool or cashmere as opposed to traditional silk. Not only is it trendy, but also more practical. To add more texture, you can try a slim wale corduroy shirt in a saturated color, think blue, emerald, eggplant, or another shade of gray with dark denim jeans on the bottom. You can also look at a dressier solid cotton flannel button-down, which will look great with cords. A gray-washed cotton flannel shirt with white detail is incredibly chic with a gray jacket and white pocket square.

Wool tie and English herringbone pocket square, mages courtesy of J.Crew.

Image courtesy of Charles Tyrwhitt.


Corduroy and flannel shirts, images courtesy of Uniqlo.

THE WING-TIP MAN

For shoes, go with the wing-tip boot. There are many options available at every price point. Wear your wing-tips with a suit or a jacket and jeans. It will give your look a slightly sportier feeling and will allow you to stand out in a tasteful and subtle way.

Images courtesy of Frye and Massimo Dutti.

Remember, great taste is in the details. Happy Holidays! Follow my men's column on the Visual Therapy blog for more tips.

Earlier on Huff/Post50:

My Worst Fashion Faux Pas
'I Was Fashion Roadkill'(01 of21)
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After a series of nerdy slights and faux boob embarrasment, Mary Anne Payne wasn't surprised when she didn't make the JV cheerleading squad, she writes. "So, not to be left behind, and wanting to be a part of all that was football, soccer, and the local 4th of July Parade in my small New Jersey town, I decided, or rather, was prodded, in to becoming the school mascot in the fall of my sophomore year. I would do anything to be a part of those activities. It wasn’t that cute blue jumper, the band uniform or the pep squad jackets, but it was close. "Talk about a poor fashion choice."To read about Payne's high school fashion and social redemption, visit her blog, Forever 51. (credit:Courtesy of Mary Anne Payne)
'My Biggest Fashion Mistake'(02 of21)
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"My biggest fashion mistake was wearing my padded shoulder leather jacket with my leather skirt," writes Raquel Pineira on her blog, Organized Island. "Yep, I wore them together. Here is the photo from the late 80s as proof. The big shoulder pads are hidden a bit by my big hair." (credit:Courtesy of Raquel Pineira)
'The Decade Of Dressing Badly: Fashion Mistakes Of My Youth'(03 of21)
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"[This] was a little black velvet number with a fuchsia ruffle Carmen Miranda would have killed for that I just had to have for my engagement party," recalls Linda Wolff. "I have learned a thing or two over the years. I no longer wear anything puffy or with shoulder pads."What other outfit makes Wolff shudder? Read the post on her blog Carpool Goddess. (credit:Courtesy of Linda Wolff)
'Being Ugly Was Not Enough For This Suit'(04 of21)
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"I didn’t have much occasion to go to court as a first year real estate attorney. But on my first such occasion, I dressed for success," Ronna Benjamin of Better After 50 recalls. "I carefully donned my pale yellow suit, panty hose, black pumps and briefcase."As court began ... I walked confidently up to the judge and pleaded my motion. [As] I walked back, the clerk took me aside. 'Your skirt is stuck up in your pantyhose in the back,' he informed me, pointing to my rear end." (credit:Courtesy of Ronna Benjamin)
Pleated Jeans(05 of21)
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"I thought I was fat in 1989 when this picture was taken," Joy Weese Moll recalls on her blog. "Sheesh. I had no idea."To read a breakdown of what's wrong with this outfit, visit Weese Moll's blog. (credit:Courtesy of Joy Weese Moll )
Achy-Breaky Hair Cut(06 of21)
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"The year was 1984," Shannon Bradley-Colleary writes in her blog The Woman Formerly Known As Beautiful. "I was the recipient of the haircut where they shave the sides of your head next to your ears in order to keep your naturally bushy hair from bushing out. Also, you can look just like Billy Ray Cyrus." (credit:Courtesy of Shannon Bradley-Colleary )
'Most Likely to Frizz: My Worst Fashion Mistake'(07 of21)
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"Ladies, let me tell you a few things I’ve learned about hair," writes Anne Parris, sharing her Most Likely to Succeed yearbook photo. "Never get a haircut from the same lady who does your grandmother’s hair, never make a drastic change before a big event like Senior pictures, and -- most importantly -- never shampoo a new perm and use a brush on it."To see Parris' senior year book picture and read more about her battle with frizz, read her blog, Not A Supermom. (credit:Courtesy of Anne Parris)
'A Fashion Disaster Averts A Disney Disaster'(08 of21)
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"It’s not just that I’m dressed exactly like my 5 year old," writes Darryle Pollack. "In my early years of motherhood, my habit of dressing us as twinsies wasn’t an occasional occurrence; it was a fashion statement -- maybe not daily, but way too often."To see more of Pollack's mommy and me fashions, visit her blog.
'Remember How Chic We Looked In The 80′s? Neither Do I'(09 of21)
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"How about the horizontal striped sweater? That’s a no-no in any decade," says Sharon Greenthal on her blog Empty House, Full Mind. "That was [also] the last perm I ever had. For good reason." (credit:Courtesy of Sharon Greenthal)
'Smokin' Hot: A Complete Fashion Disaster'(10 of21)
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"Let's face it, a cigarette is not exactly an attractive fashion accessory. But apparently I thought it was at the time," says Bonnie Dingus of the blog Home Place. "That cigarette, and many others, caused discolored teeth, premature wrinkling, and at one time, excessive coughing, chronic colds and upper respiratory infections. Talk about a fashion nightmare!" (credit:Courtesy of Bonnie Dingus)
'Fashion Faux Pas Or Face Plant?'(11 of21)
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"Half the fun of going to work in the mid-‘80s -- for me -- was wearing the businesswoman’s bow tie. Floppy or stiff. Bright red, blue or black. It didn’t matter," Julie Danis writes.Danis remembers a closet full of menswear pieces as she tried to follow the "to be as successful as a man, you have to dress like one" school of thought on her blog. (credit:Courtesy of Julie Danis)
'Shoe Blues'(12 of21)
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"I traveled two hours for a dinner date, just to realize as I stepped out of the car that I was wearing mismatched shoes," writes Renee Baribeau on her blog The Practical Shaman. (credit:Courtesy of Renee Baribeau)
'What Am I, A Farmer?'(13 of21)
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This faux pas had a pretty important audience -- Donna Highfill wore this to meet President George H.W. Bush in 1990. "The only piece of clothing I could fit into was my jean jumper and tennis shoes with no laces," she writes. "In addition, I had gotten a perm in my last trimester (which was considered safe for the baby) and my short hair kinked up to an unfortunate, Marge Simpson-like point on the top of my head. Luckily, the weight of my hair was balanced by the girth of my cankles."To read Highfill's funny tale of a Senator's embarrassing social faux pas, read her blog here. (credit:Courtesy of Donna Highfill)
'From Worst Fashion Moments to Best Fashion Years!'(14 of21)
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"I wish I only had one bad fashion moment," Pamela Lutrell writes. "Actually, it is more like bad fashion decades. My typical wardrobe...over sized men's shirts! ... As years passed, I neglected me for so long I forgot to even notice what was going on."Lutrell writes about the moment she knew she had to take control of her life, and style, in her blog post "From Worst Fashion Moments to Best Fashion Years!". (credit:Courtesy of Pamela Lutrell)
'Don’t Look: She’s Not Who You Think She Is'(15 of21)
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"The real fashion mistake here, aside from the tight curls that looked as though Harpo Marx dipped his head into a bowl of India ink, is the fact that this woman is not dressing for who she was," writes Marci Rich. "Can’t blame her, really; she didn’t even know who she was."Rich talks more about who was trying to be in this photo on her blog, The Midlife Second Wife. (credit:Courtesy of Marci Rich)
'Timeless Tips From A Fashionista'(16 of21)
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"This is perhaps my sexiest look," writes Connie McLeod. "The oversized retro tie-dye t-shirt also hide those holiday pounds. Tie it together with the exercise capris and you’ve got a look that will take you from daytime cleaning to that late afternoon yard work."To read more of McLeod's tongue-in-cheek fashion tips, visit her blog. (credit:Courtesy of Connie McLeod)
'The Search For Self Through Wearable Pelf'(17 of21)
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"Surely I wasn’t the only one channeling Elvira," writes D.A. Wolf. (credit:Courtesy of )
'My Worst Hairstyle. Ever.'(18 of21)
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A perm that was supposed to make the new mom feel better about herself led to an unexpected reaction, Lois Alter Mark writes on her blog Style Substance Soul."[My son] took one look at me, opened his eyes wide and burst out laughing. I burst out crying," she says. "This was the first time Alex had laughed! But the little devil was laughing at me!" (credit:Courtesy of Lois Alter Mark)
'Mis-impressions'(19 of21)
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Janie Emaus was never mistaken for a fashionista, she recalls on her blog The Boomer Rants. "Take this outfit I wore to my sister’s wedding," Emaus writes. "Looking back on it today, I can’t help but cringe. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that girl was looking to get laid." (credit:Courtesy of Janie Emaus)
'Crowning Glory? More Like Crown Of Thorns'(20 of21)
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"I revisited some scary fashion moments: saddle shoes … hot pants … white go-go boots … halter tops … clunky clogs … the list goes on," writes Helene Cohen Bludman. "But with the turn of each yellowing page, I came to realize that no fashion faux pas, not one, could surpass the extreme fashion dysfunction of my hair.To read more about how Cohen Bludman tried to wrestle with her natural curly locks into the stick-straight 70s ideal, visit her blog, Books Is Wonderful. (credit:Courtesy of Helene Cohen Bludman)
'Fashion-conscious, What’s That?'(21 of21)
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"Going through my old photos recently brought back lots of great memories," Laura Lee Carter says. "But my decision to perm my hair for over a decade was certainly not one of them."To read more of Carter's musings, read Midlife Crisis Queen. (credit:Courtesy of Laura Lee Carter)

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