Welcome back Sassy ' N ' New York lovers! This weeks post is centered around casual wear. This sort of street style comes in various forms. Initially, it depends on your definition of casual and the way you feel that day. For example, you're running to the store, going shopping around your neighborhood, running errands etc. What do you wear? That gentlemen, is what you can consider your casual wear.
Remember, the clothes don't make the man, the MAN makes the clothes. Some men step out in outrageous outfits, wearing colors that you thought would never look good together but THEY make it work. Casual looks can be just as fabulous as outfits that take time to put together. Why, because casual outfits that look good look effortless...effortlessly dope.
Luckily for us, our two representatives are a bit familiar. They have been featured in a couple of posts so far, so you should have a good understanding of their style. For this segment there will be two outfits per model. Four examples of different casual wear looks. Great. lets get started!
Our first model is Maalik Murphy the "Mr. ShoW-OWt"
Maalik's casual look is simple yet chic. Based on this outfit and a few of the others we have seen from him, it is clear that he is a wiz at matching. Though his hat is a slightly different shade of red than his sneakers they still seem to blend effortlessly.
I've seen a million and one men walking around with these Adidas track pants, but who knew they could be stylish?
How cool is his shirt? I love the paint spill colors. The brightest colors in the shirt are yellow, light blue, and green, yet he chose to accent it with tinges of red. I guess we can consider this a form of color blocking. Pretty cool if you ask me.
Paring the track pants with funky sneakers and a color infused shirt, his look is complete. Effortless chic.
TIP: How to make your T-shirt POP.
When purchasing a shirt with multiple colors you can definitely follow Maalik's example. Examine your new or old shirt and look for a color(s) that are less obvious than the brighter colors in the shirt. In the shirt pictured above the most obvious color is yellow, you can barely see the red/orange hues. By accenting with that "hidden" color your outfit begins to POP. The first thing people will see when they look at you are the accent colors (colors of your sneakers, hat, watch etc.) Then they'll peep the shirt, and it will all make sense. "Ahh! I see what he did there!" And just like that...you're awesome.
So! How does he figure out how to put outfits together? Everyone's fashion process is different of course, no two people are the same. Here is how Maalik creates his outfits.
"In essence, everything is determined by the sneaker, all the way down to the watch I'm wearing. You wouldn't want to wear a G-Shock with lets say some slacks and high fashion shoes. For those occasions I would throw on a Michael Kors watch to accent the rest of the wardrobe. In rare occasions if an outfit speaks to me then I will purchase it and later I would contemplate which shoes would accent it best. This is difficult to do most times but if you're lucky enough you may end up with a look you never thought would work. That is how you can start to broaden your fashion horizons."
From the sneakers to the pants and the shirt this outfit looks comfortable and effortless. The highlight of the outfit is definitely the T-shirt. Maalik proves that simple sweatpants can be deemed fashion forward. It's all about presentation and accessories.
Interested in the outfit? Check out the deets below!
Hat - Custom Piece
Shirt - Urban Outfitters
Pants - Addida Track Pants
Sneakers - Ewing Athletics
Watch - Apple
Bracelet - Haute Look
Two Fashion Tips of the Week From Maalik:
1. When buying clothing, to guarantee you get more bang for your buck have 2 or 3 different items in your closet that you can match the piece with. You don't want to buy that 1 shirt that only goes with that one pair of shoes and those one pair of pants. Think versatility.
2. If you don't have the money to afford the clothing you want to buy DO NOT BUY IT. Trying to impress people with money you don't have only makes you look the fool, a broke fool actually.
Up next we have Kaleb Hopkins the "Classic Man"
Kaleb's look is completely different compared to Maalik's. This gentlemen, is the freedom of self expression that fashion offers.
By paring a busy button up with causal black pants and an oversized cardigan Kaleb is ready for pretty much anything.
Most importantly, clearly you can wear loafers with just about anything. How great do they look with this outfit?
You all should be inspired to purchase some loafers. I'm not a loafer kind of person but this ensemble definitely makes me want to purchase a pair.
Neutral Colors
Last week we discussed the importance of neutral colors in high fashion. That fashion tip can be applied to all categories. As pictured below his shirt is white with tinges of dark grey. He completes the outfit with a cape in a similar shade of dark grey, and most importantly BLACK PANTS not jeans. Of course there is nothing wrong with jeans, I'm sure they would have looked fine with the outfit but we're trying to spice up our lives. Come on guys, try different types of pants, I guarantee you won't regret it.
His black pants and solid color cape helps his busy shirt offset the rest of the outfit. The shirt, is the centerpiece of the ensemble, meaning it is the first thing you look at.
By the way, the cape was designed by his brother Courtney Hopkins. He owns a clothing line called Le Mélange Des Remédes (LMDR). His store is currently located in France. The clothing website is currently under construction, I'm not sure when it will be finished, but if you're interested be on the look out.
Wise words from Kaleb - "The best word in life is SALE. Most of the stuff I have I got on sale! Make sure you look for sales, discounts, seasonal prices etc. Thats when you shop. You don't shop just because it's Wednesday, because you'll be paying full price for EVERYTHING. You shop during seasons, father's day, Thanksgiving, Christmas etc. Do like the women, catch a sale! Why, because
you want to look like money without spending large sums of money...Boom.
Be sure to check out the outfit details below.
Cape - LMDR (lmdr.com) - Coming soon
Shirt - Alfani - Macys
Pants - Zara Man
Shoes - Cole Han
Fashion Tip From Kaleb: Don't box yourself into a genre of clothing. People should know you for how you dress not what you wear specifically. People know me for suit and ties but I don't box myself into that category. I wear urban stuff, I wear sneaker stuff, I wear everything only because sometimes suit and ties are not appropriate. I wouldn't wear that to a BBQ, you know what I'm saying? Do stuff that compliments your personality. Experiment but wear things that work for you at the end of the day.
Second Round of Casual Outfits
This time around Maalik is sporting a white shirt, denim inspired joggers with white & blue kicks.
This casual get up isn't on the relaxed side, but it's an acceptable outfit for outings such as, hanging out with friends a chill date night etc.
From looking at his outfit we know he took his time putting it together but it doesn't come across as super fancy or over the top.
As mentioned earlier, Maalik is a wiz at matching. There isn't any color blocking in this outfit but the blue in his sneakers somehow manages to bring his
look together.
Which piece of clothing stands out the most?
If you said the T-shirt then you're right on the money! When wearing "busy" pieces of clothing it's best to have that be the center piece of your outfit. By pairing the busy shirt with solid colored pants our eyes are immediately drawn to the shirt.
Now imagine if he decided to wear checked or plaid pants... I'm sure a few of us would be giving him the side eye.
Look at the front of his pants, we notice that they are fitted but still offer enough room to breath. Fellas, there is nothing cute about overly tight pants. They may look good to you but 9 times out of 10 every time you walk past a female, she is wondering how you're able to move as quickly as you are in such restricting pants. The best thing about these types of joggers are, they are form fitting at the bottom and a bit loser at the top...which is important for breathing purposes. Loosen up the pants people...
Wise words from Maalik - "Clothes should always make a statement TO YOU. When you get dressed and look at the outfit you should feel like you're unstoppable in it and no one can tell you differently."
Check out the outfit deets below.
Shirt - Flash Hype
Sneakers - Jordan 11s Legend Blues
Watch - Apple
Out of all the fashion segments we've done so far, this ensemble is my absolute favorite! What can I say, I'm a sucker for pink button ups.
The simple combination of pink, brown, green, and black boost this outfit to the top of the list. Mainly because green is my favorite color and he looks amazing.
We can clearly see that a bit of thought was put into creating this outfit yet, it doesn't come across as extremely fancy.
Fashion Tip of the Week From Kaleb:
Do not be afraid of color. Girls love color, not too much color otherwise you'll look like the rainbow. If the color hits your skin well use it! Don't be afraid of pinks, some say pink isn't manly but girls like it if you wear it right.
Check out the outfit deets below!
Hat - Brixton (You can purchase at Urban Outfitters)
Shirt - GAP
Pants - The Hallenstein Brothers
Shoes - Cole Haan
Glasses - Gucci
Watch - Nooka
Be sure to check out next weeks fashion post.
Thanks for reading!
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- Sassy ' N ' New York
