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Archive for the ‘Don’ts’ Category

The Man Tan

Monday, April 12th, 2010

A friend of mine was at a fundraising event to help support women get out of the slave trade in Africa. Good guy, right? Right. Unfortunately for him, all of his purchased raffle tickets led to his winnings of not a signed football, not dinner for two at Hooters, and not a fine bottle of scotch, but to his winnings of a package for two whole sessions of spray tanning!!! First, haaaaaaaaaaaaa! Second, he did the right thing and sold it for a little $$ in his pocket….no guy should be spray tanning, or tanning at all.

LKc Style says regular tanning in tanning beds ruins your skin by either baking it or putting chemicals on it. In order to look your best, catch a few rays outside occassionally while wearing SPF100000000000. It will keep your skin sunkissed instead of sun-dry-dryhumped.


Neutrogena Ultimate Sport Sunblock SPF70 $11.49


Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunblock Lotion SPF60 $11.16

Blogulator Guest Post: Everyday Doug Funnie

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

We at The Blogulator pretty much live and breathe all things pop culture. Our obsession with pop culture started as far back as the days when I (Qualler) used to sit in my basement (sometimes even with friends!) on a Saturday evening, bag of Doritos Nacho Cheesier chips and Mountain Dew in hand, and take in an evening of “SNICK”, aka Nickelodeon’s Saturday night lineup of original programming. That occasionally meant some parental misunderstandings of the shows I watched (for example, in “Clarissa Explains It All”, does she really explain it all, ifyouknowwhatimean?), some seriously scary quasi-nightmares (courtesy of “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” and occasionally some queasy feelings about what I was watching (is “Rugrats” really a show that an 11-year-old should watch, or is it for littler kids?)

But one program I truly had no unusual relationship with was the one and only “Doug.” Douglas Yancy Funnie was a young man who truly lived in his own imagination, usually to endearing effect. His undying love for Patty Mayonnaise reflected a 9-year-old boy’s unusual feelings that pertained to unrequited crushes. His steadfast commitment to his journal was greatly admired. And his bromance with his pal Skeeter was doubtless a model bromance for budding pop culture mavens like me.

(You’re probably wondering at this point – what does this have to do with LKc Style?! Well, here comes the tie-in.)

One influence of Mr. Funnie that did NOT translate to real-world me, though, was his wardrobe. Now, on a day-to-day basis, there’s nothing wrong with what he wears, in my book. Green sweater vest, white shirt, khaki shorts, buzzcut, skateboard, dog pal Porkchop on his side. But, the fact that Doug wore this clothing ensemble every day of his life was, well, a fashion faux-pas, if translated to the real world.

I do not live in a cartoon world in my day-to-day life. In my day job, I work in the public accounting industry, where it’s pretty typical to sit in the same desk every day, doing the same type of work. And, that means, there is the occasional co-worker who wears a Doug Funnie-style wardrobe to work every day. Again: nothing particularly wrong with wearing Doug Funnie’s clothing options on one day, but when one wears a light-blue button-up dress shirt, light khakis, and brown shoes every day, one starts starting to tread into Doug Funnie territory. This works in the world of SNICK but does not work in the world of public accounting.

Now, I don’t deign to call myself a men’s fashion expert by any means. But if I’ve learned anything from religiously following LKc Style on a daily basis, it’s to mix it up occasionally. Vests, for example, are good to wear, and are flexible for both work and nightlife (but she probably would be wary of the green sweater-vest on a daily basis.) Dress shirts are good, too, but don’t let that crew-neck undershirt poke through like a fuddy-duddy. Be confident in what you wear to work, but don’t over-do your favorite combo to a Doug Funnie level of repetition.

My message is this, pop culture / men’s fashion fans: Be like Doug Funnie in your life, not in your wardrobe. Now, bring yourself back to your basement couch, crack open a Mountain Dew and chomp on some Doritos Nacho Cheesier chips, and take in some “Doug”.

Pulling it Off? Sneakers with Suits.

Saturday, December 26th, 2009
Courtesy of Simply Magic

Courtesy of Simply Magic

Against the recent trends, and unless you think you are Kanye, DON’T try to pull off sneakers with your suit at the office, Christmas party, or generally anywhere. If you ARE Kanye, ummm, Imma Let You Wear Those Sneakers With That Suit, But Uhhhhhhhh, Black Dress Shoes Might Be Better.

Cleveland Potbelly??

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Is it just me or does this floating Cleveland Browns t-shirt look like it already has a potbelly?!?!? I don’t know if this is a horrible or awesome sales tactic for the Browns…


Fingerless Gloves???

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

It’s winter time. It’s cold. Your fingers and toes are cold. So why are you wearing gloves with no fingers on them?!?! You can find fingerless gloves ALL over the place this season, but it’s NOT a recommened purchase from LKc Style. If you are wearing them for style…well, I think you probably look more like a bum than anything. If you are wearing them for function, perhaps you can find a glove with a tighter fit in the fingers instead. If you just HAVE to have them, at least consider fingerless gloves that allow you to cover your fingers most of the time:

UrbanOutfitters_ThinsulateConvertibleGlovesUrban Outfitters Thinsulate Convertible Gloves $24

When to Wear White Socks

Monday, December 14th, 2009

An adoring LKc Style friend texted me about when and when not to wear white socks. This seems like such a simple thing, but probably not considered as a “style” issue to the Average Joe. The idea is only wear white socks with sneakers, tennis shoes, or while playing sports or working out.  Also, consider getting white socks that don’t show over the shoe…you can get them anywhere for cheap. So here’s a quick guide to follow so you don’t look like a soccer dad or a high school kid at a summer desk job:

YOU MAY WEAR WHITE SOCKS WITH THESE KINDS OF SHOES:

Macy's_NikeHustleSneakersNike Hustle Sneakers $47.99

DSW_NewBalanceMens556New Balance Men’s 556 $49.95

YOU MAY NOT WEAR WHITE SOCKS WITH THESE KINDS OF SHOES:

Puma_AquaCatSandalsPuma Aqua Cat Sandals $22

Kohls_Apt9ChandlerSlipOns_435772Kohl’s Apt 9 Chandler Slip Ons $39.99

Stop with the 80′s Grandpa shirts

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

[regarding Time Out Chicago's Public Eye feature this week]

I don’t often try to negatively critique others, but I saw this photo, which is oh so public, and I couldn’t help but say something. Peter Ladwig, shame on you for making your other wiley hipster friends look like a follow-the-leader-but-I-don’t-actually-care genre. Clean yourself up and stop wearing jeans with holes in them. And worse, you’re representing my alma mater town: Madison, WI. And if you were really trying to look the part so hard…should you not have gone with Hamm’s??

Time Out Chicago

Photo courtesy of Time Out Chicago

Can anyone pull off a shirt with a wolf on it?

Monday, October 26th, 2009

da-076b

Answer: No.

(Caveat: Unless it’s a really good joke. Or Halloween.)

Sports Fetish: Baseball Game Attire

Thursday, August 27th, 2009
Sausage Race!

Sausage Race!

I’ve had the pure luck of being at three baseball games in three different stadiums in under three weeks. That’s a lot of organ music in a short amount of time. Sporting events always seem like one of the only places to truly “let loose” and do/say/wear whatever the hell you want. Let’s discuss the “wear” part of that and I’ll leave you to the do/say part. Don’t get caught on the jumbo-tron looking like a sloppy mess!

DON’T:

Sleeveless Joe Jackson

Sleeveless Joe Jackson

…WEAR THE CLOTHES YOU PAINT IN, YOU’RE STILL IN PUBLIC…

Flying Free Shit

Flying Free Shit

…WEAR THE FREE T-SHIRT YOU GOT AT THE LAST GAME…

No Tan Lines

No Tan Lines

…WEAR NOTHING…(seriously please)…

Layer Caked

Layer Caked

…WEAR MISMATCHED COLORS OR LAYERS UNDER YOUR JERSEY…

Daaaaaaaaa Wrong Team...

Daaaaaaaaa Wrong Team...

…WEAR SPORTS GEAR FOR A DIFFERENT TEAM (even if the city is the same)…

DO:

wrigley_aug09-006b

…WEAR A FITTED JACKET W/ TEAM COLORS AND NON-RUNNING SNEAKERS…

Sporty Spice

Sporty Spice

…WEAR A TEAM T-SHIRT THAT FITS YOU–>NOT TOO LONG OR BIG…

Good Luck Sports Fans!

Stop Haulin: Cargo Shorts

Saturday, August 8th, 2009

I most often don’t condone men over the age of 23 to wear shorts at any time unless an event specifically calls for it (swimming, etc). Most of you will go against this recommendation and wear shorts anyway. So, at least, may I say, if you are going to wear shorts, don’t wear stupidly huge cargo shorts. How much stuff do you really have to carry around that you can’t fit in a few pockets anyway?! Don’t let the pockets get crinkly and don’t leave them unbuttoned. Don’t let them hang below the knee. Don’t let the edges fray or, worse, buy them with frayed edges. Mostly just don’t.

Some examples of awful cargo shorts at the always amazing tourist trap Navy Pier today:

Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group

Mess.

Mess.

Furthermore, if you must wear shorts, do not wear them with white socks and running sneakers–unless you are actually running. The reason you may wear shorts is because it’s hot. So, wear something that indicates the same for your feat. Consider a flip-flop (see my post on manicures/pedicures before though), a nice boat loafer, or classy slip-ons depending on your taste and look…without breaking the bank.

Piperlime Flip Flops $12.50

Piperlime Flip Flops $12.50

Globe The Don Slipper $35-50

Globe The Don Slipper: $35-50

Slips Ons from Urban Outfitters: $24

Slip Ons from Urban Outfitters: $24

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