Hello summer. Glad you’re here. I mean, c’mon… what’s not to love about this time of year? The list is endless: backyard bbq’s, outdoor happy hours, wasting the weekends away on boats, etc.  However, if you’re not dressed appropriately, a midsummer night’s dream can become a hot, unbearable night.

For some strange reason, I swear I get invited to more events that require me to wear a suit than during any other season.  Although I know I, and most women love the way I look in a suit, this is the time of year I probably LEAST want to be dressed up. Nonetheless, duty calls. 

What do I do? If you’re like me, you’ve been to that beautiful summer wedding when you’ve sweated like an indentured servant under the southern Mississippi sun.  Since guys like us usually refuse to turn off our cool, regardless of the weather, we may find ourselves dress like this, when we’d much rather be dressed in a way that made us feel like this.

Accordingly, here are two key looks to take advantage of  to maintain your cool:

Seersucker, as modeled here, is perfect for hot weather because of its natural ability to “wick” moisture away from the skin.  The wavy, crinkled finish of the cloth allows only part of the fabric to actually touch the skin.  This effect promotes greater circulation and evaporation during steamy conditions. You can buy seersucker today in suits, shirts, trousers, and even shorts.  

A Light Colored Suit, as modeled here, is a must have for the summer.  Also, just in case you didn’t know, light-brown, beige, and tan suits should be worn with a brown belt and matching brown shoes. A pair of black shoes and/or belt will look out of place!

Great dress shirt colors are light blues, light pink, and of course the all-time classic white (you know, like these). Darker dress shirts such as maroon, gray, and navy blue are better suited for “Winter Suits”. The type of necktie you wear should also be more of the “summer tie”. Pinks, coral red, and light blue ties (you know, like these) are an excellent choice.

So go ahead, not that you know it can be done, don’t shy away from wearing a suit in the summer heat. Be that man. Now that you know better, you’ll do better…Maybe even with that willing bridesmaid at your buddy’s summer wedding. Veritas.

Hey guys. Sorry it’s been awhile. Happy belated Memorial Day.  Hope you got to take a chance of the Instructions sale. Please indulge my absence. I’ve been REALLY busy eating too much BBQ, drinking a tad too much Whiskey with really important stuff regarding the brand. No worries. You guys will stay in the loop. Ok, down to business.

Usually what we do is provide “Instructions” (pun intended) on what to do and what to wear, etc. Why? Because it’s on us to look and behave our best for the continued forward progress of this manhood thing.  However, this go around, courtesy of a great author, Brian Frazer, here are a few things NOT to do before you die:

1) Ride on a motorcycle with your arms wrapped around another man’s waist

2) Bunt in Softball

3) Start a fan club for yourself (not your Business, ahem,…. become a fan of ours on facebook!)

4) Fight someone in anything octagon-shaped

5) Spend the weekend writing Netflix reviews

6) Voluntarily see Sex and the City 2

7) Trust Hamid Karzai

8) Correct spelling on Tea Partiers’ signs

9)Go out to eat with Michael Pollan

10) Ask the pope for babysitting referrals.

As always, we make you know better so that you do better. This means you, sir, the one that’s spending his Saturday night doing #6.  Stay thirsty my friends. Veritas.

There are a few things I swear by: my mom’s macaroni and cheese is better than yours, Tom Brady is better than Peyton Manning, a guy can never be over-dressed, and…Complex Magazine.

Complex Magazine runs the gamut with respect what lays between the cover and last page, but above all else, it’s my go-to for all things related to men’s style. True story. 

One of my favorite articles in the magazine is the “Props Over Here / F#$% Outta Here” section where they essentially give a “thumbs-up” or a “thumbs-down” to different people, places, and things, etc.

Since imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and I think Complex magazine kicks major asphalt, it’s befitting that Instructions proffers it’s own version of  ”Props Over Here / F$#! Outta Here. Thus:

Props Over Here:                                                                                                                                                                                                               

1) Instructions Shirts

2) Instructions Ties

3) Two Button Suits

4) Double-Breasted Suits

5) Denim Everything…Just not at the same time

6) Khaki Suits

7) Mala Prayer Beads

8) Fundraisers that serve free alcohol

9) Beards in the summer

10) MGMT’s new CD

F$#! Outta Here:

1) Steve Harvey

2)  Jean Shorts

3) Wearing a College T-Shirt when you didn’t go to school there.

4) Brunch without bottomless mimoses

5) Not being able to find Devin the Dude’s new CD with ease

6) Rush Limbaugh

7) Any Wesley Snipes’ movie post-Blade

8) Guys over 21 wearing earrings

9) Magic Johnson’s color commentary

10) NBA Basketball Wives

Style is kind of like being a Quarterback. You’re either born that way or not… and I like to think of myself as Mr. Maybelline. Get it?  Ok, now that I’ve gotten my self-aggrandizement on for the day, let’s get down to business. Well, kinda.

I remember reading an article in GQ a few months ago about the “Penny Pincher’s Guide to Better Style”. Given our last blog entry about Champagne Taste with Beer Money, I thought it’d be befitting to touch on this subject a tad further, as many of us (especially myself) are  ”recession hustling” as I’ve coined the phrase to describe the battle between what you want in your closet and what’s in your checking account. 

Here below are a few tips from the article that I’ve employed and I’d implore you to do so as well:

-Know where to splurge and where to save.  What does this mean? This means that you shouldn’t spend $75 on a dress shirt, $55 on a tie… .while walking around in $45 dress shoes. Great shoes always stand the test of time. Don’t ever find yourself spending a penny more on a shirt or tie than it costs to purchase an Instructions shirt and tie. Now this isn’t me being biased, this is me telling you that you can get a super-fly shirt and tie combo without breaking the bank.

- Learn to navigate the outlet mall.  Why an outlet mall? I’ll give you two great reasons: 1) Many famous retailers (J.Crew and Banana Republic are great examples of this) make apparel specifically for their outlet stores, that looks great and is waaaaycheaper than their regular retail stores; and 2) Many retailers often have the same clothes at the outlet mall that they’d have in their regular store for waaay cheaper as well.

-Mix the high with the low.  I briefly touched on this in the last blog.  If you wear the bright  right watch, the right shoes, and your Instructions shirt and tie, you can wear a $10 pair of slacks and will look like new money. Believe that. It’s tried and tested.

***My personal favorite***

Take care of what’s already in your closet. This usually means one of two things: Basic maintenance of stuff you already own or making a slight change to something you own. I’ll give you a couple examples.

1)I once paid almost $400 for a pair of Gucci Loafers. Now to most of you I’m sure that seems absurd. But to me, it beat paying $80 or $90 bucks every year for a  new pair of shoes. I kept ‘em in the shoe horn and they looked like new money until a few happy hours of spilling beer and wine on them put an end to them.

2) My big brother Marcus added elbow pads one of his shirts. He spent  like $2 for the elbow pads… but they breathed new life into a shirt he’d had for a month of Sundays. Amazing how those $2bucks made all the difference, eh?

Make your money work for you especially when it comes to looking good. Know better and do better. Veritas.