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Staff Picks: Summer Date Outfits

by Gotstyle in New Arrivals, Stuff We Like, Trend Watch on May 15th, 2013 Discussion

Summer, summer, summertime. Time to sit back and unwind, party, tan and go on dates. Everyone knows that summer is the time when people come out of hibernation and look to get out, reconnect with old friends and more importantly make new ones. With Spring being break-up season, its only fitting that summer is matting season, make-up season, dating season…you get the idea. Summer offers some great options on what you can do when planning a date, from afternoon picnics, late night dinner, to casual walks by the water. Unlike winter where you are confined to being indoors, summer definitely opens the doors to possibilities, which can only work in your favour.

Once you’ve got the girl and activity nailed down, pardon the innuendo, the next step is to figure out what you’re going to wear. Your outfit is key in ensuring that you put your best foot forward, because there is no doubt that she will be paying attention. To help you in that department we reached out to our stylists to put together some of their best “Summer Date” outfits.

Neal: My inspiration for my Summer Date outfit was a nice day in the park or on the beach. I wanted a look that would be nice and fashionable yet light and airy. To start with I picked these great shorts by Parke and Ronen, they offer a great fit and are made of a nice light weight cotton making them very breathable and comfortable for long walks. I paired that with a Parke and Ronen mesh cardigan which I layered with a fun stripped tank by Benson. Mesh cardigans are on trend right now and offer a nice twist to classic sartorial style.

No picnic or beach date is complete without the appropriate accessories. For this outfit I included a large tote bag from benson for all your sunscreen, towels, hats and flask incase you get “thirsty”. I also added a light John Varvatos scarf so you’re prepared incase it gets a little cooler in the evening.

Benson Beach Bag: $150
Parke & Ronen King’s Mesh Cardigan: $220
Parke & Ronen Slim Board Shorts: $138 Shop Now
Strellson Skinny Leather Belt: $120 Shop Now
Benson Stripe Jersey Tank: $60 Shop Now
Goorin Streetwise Paper Straw Fedora: $75
Maians Sisto Clasico Spanish Canvas Shoe: $120
Samy Stripe Scarf: $110
In God We Trust Flask: $60

Daria: My Summer Date outfit revolves around going on a nice dinner where you want to dress up but not look overly stuffy. It’s all about keeping it summery and light, yet sophisticated. I started with a classic navy Oscar shirt. This shirt is a no-brainer as it goes with everything and require very little finessing. Same is true of the sport jacket, the great check pattern allows the wearer to pretty much pair it with any colour or style. You can dress it up, as we’ve done here with a pair of Hiltil trousers or down with a nice pair of jeans for a casual afternoon brunch.

One of my favourite items in this look are the light grey brogues from John Varvatos. These shoes are simply great, the light shade offers a nice twist to a smart summer shoe, while still being versatile enough that you can wear them with trousers or jeans. It’s a perfect example of what we like to call “sophisticated casual”.

Anderson’s Textile Woven Belt: $135
Oscar Solid Slim Fit Shirt: $198
Hiltl Piacenza Check Pant: $228
Sand Wool/Linen Blazer w/ Suede Elblow Patches: $698
Base London Catch Suede Shoe: $175
A Christensen Pocketsquare: $45

Nicole: My inspiration is based on a man that is very well put together, he has a good full time job and someone who takes a lot of pride in the way he dresses. For that man there was no other option than our stunning double breasted jacket. This isn’t your fathers old double breasted jacket, it’s modern, stylish and sure to make you stand out from the crowd. What makes this blazer great is that its 1/4 lined making it light weight and ideal for warm summer dates on the boardwalk.

But let’s not forget that any well dressed man knows the importance of details, which is why I added this great WOOD watch which goes perfectly with our monk strap shoes. And for the cherry on top, I threw in one our floral print linen pocket squares…just cause!

Hilton Double Breasted Peak Lapel Jacket: $730
WeWood Metis Watch: $120
Haight & Ashbury Slim Fit Shirt: $120
Strellson Belt: $108 Shop Now
Matteo Massimo Monk Strap Shoe: $450 Shop Now

Joel: I think the best dates are spontaneous and you never know where they are going to lead you, so I picked an outfit that would be very versatile and literally take you anywhere. You could go to a fancy dinner or a walk in the park, there are no limitations to where you can go in this outfit.

Wearing colour is on trend right now, which is why I chose these cotton trousers as they are very easy to wear. I paired it with a lot of neutral so that it wasn’t overwhelming in colour. The other main feature of this outfit is the cotton blazer because it adds that bit of formal edge while keeping the look very light weight and easy going. I also love the shoes because even though they seem a little trendy they are a classic and can be worn in the future.

Tiger Of Sweden Evert Blazer: $499
Tiger Of Sweden Rodman Chinos: $199
Rogue Rodman Distressed Wingtip Shoe: $250
Strellson Suede Belt: $108
Haight & Ashbury Slim Fit Shirt: $95
A Christensen Linen Pocketsquare: $45

Lindsay: Mid-Summer night picnic in the park was my inspiration behind my Summer date outfit. With the great summer weather, dates in the park are always a sure bet at being romantic. Keeping that in mind I started with this sport jacket just incase it gets a little chilly as the evening progresses. We added some pop of colour under jacket with with a cool pink shirt (real men wear pink) and green scarf. No picnic is complete without some “beverages” which is why I included our great flask set, incase you guys get a little thirsty.

To round it off I paired this outfit with a nice WOOD watch, AG denim, and classic canvas brogue shoes.

Ted Baker: Rolando Cotton Check Blazer: $498
Strellson Scarf: $98 Shop Now
Adriano Goldschmied Jean: $310
WeWood Voyage Watch: $140
Oscar Shirt: $198
Wolverine Two-Tone Brogue Shoes: $300
Daines & Hathaway Triple Bar Set: $358

Shop the brands:
A. Christensen, Strellson, Ted Baker, Tiger of Sweden, Hiltl, Sand

Scott Monty: Innovator in Social Media and Ford’s Top Social Genius Visits the Groom Room

by Gotstyle in Press, Trend Watch on March 7th, 2013 Discussion

Sharad Mohan, Melissa Austria, Scott Monty & Reggie Ramone

Last night, thanks to our friends at Ford Canada we had distinct pleasure to have Scott Monty (Global head of social media at Ford Motor Company) drop by our Distillery District location for a quick browse and chat. Ranked by Forbes as one of the top 10 influencers in social media, Scott Monty has been hailed by his peers as ”an unstoppable force of nature,” & “the best corporate social media lead on the planet,”. Not hard to imagine considering he and his work have been featured in countless articles, over 19 different published books, and his social media presence rivals that of many great celebrities.

To many Scott is a visionary, but as we soon realized he’s also quite the style aficionado. Check out this awesome chat we had with Scott in our Groomsroom over friendly game of pool.

Scott Monty playing pool in our Grooms-Room

1) Where do you get your fashion advice?

I don’t really have any one particular place; it is more of an amalgimation of a lot of different sources. I have followed a blog for about 3 years called a A Suitable Wardrobe written by a gentleman out of San Francisco who’s a men’s fashion consultant, very old school. I have gotten the Ben Silver catalogue for the last 15 years, and while I can’t really afford many things in there… I find it’s a great inspiration for things I like. Classic stuff never goes out of style: yes, your ties and lapels are going to widen and narrow over time but if you can get something that looks good and you can mix with a lot of different patterns and colours and what not, it’s universal.

2) Who would you consider some of your style icons?

Cary Grant, Fred Astaire & Frank Sinatra: classic guys, old Hollywood. I swear one of the pinacles of what I want to achieve is to get down to Savile Row, London and have them make me a bespoke suit. The same one that Cary Grant wore in North by Northwest!

3) Do you think your current occupation allows or restricts your personal style?

At my current company, it allows it. Before I joined Ford I was working from home. I was in a virtual environment… didn’t even matter if I was wearing pants on any given day, if you’re on Skype you see people from the waist up, that’s all you need. But at Ford it’s a very conservative company, and at the world HQ where I am it is very business formal. So, for me that was like one of the greatest gifts I could ever have, not only the job that I have but the fashion sense it allows me to express.

4) When it comes to your personal style, is there any particular item you’re known for?

Well it’s going to be the cliche, you could say the bowtie… You wear a bow tie once and suddenly you’re branded as the bow tie guy. But, I maybe wear one every two weeks, I try to keep people on edge so they don’t know what to expect. But I also wear a pocket square everyday, whether it’s a white linen pocket square or the one you see here.

After our little chat was over, there was one last thing Scott wanted to add with respect to fashion and his style that totally made us smile.

“My relationship with my tailor is probably one of the more important relationships in my life”

No truer words have ever been spoken with regard to men’s fashion and ones personal style. Well done Mr. Monty!

Melissa Austria & Scott Monty

Reggie Ramone, Sharad Mohan, Scott Monty, Melissa Austria

Runway to Reality: Bradley Cooper

by Reggie in Celeb Style, Trend Watch on February 4th, 2013 Discussion

Let’s face it: Bradley Cooper has never been know for his style, but since the growing popularity of his Oscar nominated movie Silver Linings Playbook, the actor has stepped up his game. This was him on the red carpet at the 2013 Sag Awards, where he wore a classic navy blue, black shawl collar satin lapel tux by Tom Ford. He paired this with a black bow tie and black patent leather shoes.

Now, we dont know the exact price of this suit, but suffice it to say given that it is Tom Ford you know you’ll be paying upwards of $3,000, for the suit alone! Luckily, you have us and it wouldn’t be runway to reality if we couldn’t offer you something stunningly comparable. Check out this tailored navy blue tux from SAND ($1250), paired with a crisp white Caliban shirt ($175), Dion black bow-tie ($94), and Luca Vero patent leather shoes ($250).

Runway to Reality – Must-Have Social Items for Spring

by Courtney in Trend Watch on April 6th, 2012 Discussion

Like the must-have casual looks, slimmer fits are ruling the runways this season. Colours are more subdued, but the attention is all on the details.

Runway to Reality – Must-Have Casual Items for Spring

by Courtney in Trend Watch on April 4th, 2012 Discussion

Fall is often seen as the ideal season for menswear. Textured suits, rich patterns, colours, and fabrics rule the runway and the stores; but with Spring comes colour and fresh looks. This Spring is a great season, we’re seeing slimmer fits and even more colour.

Runway to Reality: Jil Sander vs. Gotstyle

by Courtney in Trend Watch on April 2nd, 2012 Discussion

John Slattery is looking dapper in one of Spring’s hottest trends: the grey suit. The Mad Men star is wearing a Jil Sander suit, complete with accessories this look would set you back over $2,500. We’ve got a similar suit with all the right accessories to match this look for under $1,200.

Trend Watch: Red Pants

by Courtney in Trend Watch on March 29th, 2012 Discussion

Menswear is getting more colourful, and there’s no better way to do it than with red pants as seen in GQ. Whether you’re going out at night or having a casual Saturday, red pants are as easy to wear as your go-to jeans.

Know Your Suits: Full Canvas vs. Half Canvas vs. Fused

by Melissa in Trend Watch on March 13th, 2012 Discussion

Full Canvas Suits

→ The best quality you can buy in a suit, but are generally more expensive.

Back in the day, all suits were made of canvas. It was usually a horsehair canvas, which is sewn between the lining and the cloth of the jacket. The canvas allows the suit fabric to drape properly and will mold to your body over time (for the perfect fit). It aids in the longevity of the suit by distributing tension at stress points (shoulders, elbows), it allows the suit to “breathe” and holds up to repeated dry cleaning. Costly to make, full canvas suits usually retail for $1,500+.