The Three Categories of Dressing For Men

There are three categories of dressing for men. None of them is better than the other. Each one is based on a man's level of comfort, how well he knows his body and his sense of style and adventure. It is also worth noting that the same man can achieve all three levels of dressing at any given time.
First, there is the guy for whom dressing is just a basic need. Not a lot of thought goes into it. I will call him the Basic Man.
Then there is the gentleman who, though he’s not necessarily a fashion connoisseur, does enjoy staying current in his look. Let’s call him the Current Man.
Finally we have the gentleman who enjoys fashion, has an adventurous sense of style and is not afraid to take chances. This guy is called the Daring Man.
To illustrate my point I will choose one garment, the navy sport coat, which is one of the primary items in every men's wardrobe.

 

Basic Man

This is the guy whose wardrobe is primarily comprised of the fundamentals. In his closet you will find the classic two button navy sport coat with traditional medium width lapel and a lose fit. This guy will feel most natural wearing it with a white dress shirt and a simple solid or striped tie, pairing the coat with gray flannel slacks and black shoes. His look is simple, elegant, and safe.

Not Just A Plain White Tee Shirt Anymore!

Not just an undergarment anymore, the tee shirt has been re-invented over and over and it's still going strong. But nobody really talks about it!

According to the highly resourceful and mostly accurate Wikipedia, the T-shirt evolved from undergarments used in the 19th century, through cutting the one-piece union suit underwear into separate top and bottom garments, with the top long enough to tuck under the waistband of the bottoms.

What About If You're Over 50?

Recently on my Facebook "Fashion Tip of the Day" I posted this photograph as an option for a Fall look that is at the same time contemporary, relaxed and easy to achieve. I even went as far as calling it the new All-American look. The posting was well received  but then I also received several responses with the question: 

What about if you're over 50?

This got my attention since it never really occurred to me that this outfit was inappropriate for someone over 50 - I'm 50 and I feel very comfortable wearing this as a matter of fact, jeans and a blazer are a big part of how I dress most days - so I knew there was a bigger question to answer here.

What does turning 50 mean?