When it comes to my husband and his clothing and style, I am the one who decides on what he wears. While his wardrobe has not drastically changed much since we first met (shorts and flip flops for life!), I have slowly helped curate a stylish closet while still remaining true to my husband's personality.
We have been married for five years and together for ten, and I honestly can say that it has only been in the last few years that I have had this much say in what he wears. It is a process. I never want my husband to feel like I do not respect his taste or to make him appear to be something he is not. But with some gentle promptings and kind encouragement, he has grown to let me pick out what he wears.
My husband is a masculine guy with a strong build and so I don't try to put him in skinny jeans or tight v-necks. Instead I look to what is in style, consider classic pieces, as well as his body frame when picking out clothes and accessories for him.
It is a little silly but my main source of men's style inspiration comes from television and movies. We watch a lot of action movies and cop shows where the men wear a lot of black and masculine cut clothing. As I watch I take note of certain cuts and styles that are on trend without trying to dress him like a men's magazine cover model.
One of my biggest style investments was his jacket (seen below). The military shoulder detail as well as the straight collar make this jacket masculine and dressy. He has worn it in a lot of our travel and holiday photos that add an element of layering that pulls together his look.
In the last few years, he has been wearing a lot of plaid. The type of plaid I look for are large patterns to match his muscular build. I also look for them in certain colors I like and that he wears well like navy, black, and red. These are also the colors I tend to wear so there is no surprise here! It actually makes all our photos together pretty flattering that we are almost always wearing the same color scheme.
While I do not wear a lot of patterns, his plaid adds that element to our combined look.
Besides shirts, he has a few sweaters that fit these same qualifications - straight collar and neutral colors. As for jeans, he has a few pairs in the same style that are straight leg and a dark wash. Really they are the straightest fitting jeans that he still feels comfortable in. Far from anything like a skinny jean. But again, it matches his style and comfort needs while remaining stylish but not necessarily super trendy.
As for dressing up and work clothes, he has a variety of dress style pants that are either navy, black, or grey. He has a selection of neutral collared shirts and some patterned ties in the same color scheme. Many of the ties I have bought for him since we were married I picked up at thrift stores. He has one nice suit style jacket (seen below) that he can dress up with a tie or dress down with a shirt and jeans.
Just in the past few months I have been on the look out for casual collared shirts in plain colors to mix in with his plaid. I have found a few long sleeve and short sleeve that have updated his wardrobe while still staying true to his general style.
When it comes to actually purchasing items, besides pants, I often just buy items when I see them and bring them home for him to try on. I have had pretty good luck with finding things that fit and work well based off of my general idea of what style I like him to wear. Plus for easy reference, I have a piece of paper I carry in my wallet with all his different sizes for when I am out shopping without him.
As for accessories he wears sunglasses and watches. These are little harder to pick out on my own as they are more expensive investment items so I like to get his opinions on these ones. Our most recent addition is this wood watch from Jord - the 94A Series in Chocolate. I love the uniqueness in the wood and design while still looking classic and stylish. We both looked at the selection from Jord but he let me decide on the final choice. We both really love the modern and masculine style.
Jord is Sweedish for earth, soil, and land. The wood watch company believes in natural elements combined with modern design. Wood is the main feature of each watch that is sustainable, efficient, simple, and influenced by experimental living. Their unique story and design sets them apart making their watches not just stylish but a piece of art.
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Using these guidelines as the foundation to dressing my husband has been able to keep us both happy when it comes to what he wears. I get to pick out new items to keep him stylish while still considering his personal needs and interests when it comes to getting dressed each day. It has been a win win for us but one that has also taken time and investment in each other and our marriage.
I received this Jord watch in exchange for this post. All opinions are mine. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Domestic Fashionista possible.
