Men’s Style: Wearing Vests During Casual Occasions

Vests can easily dress up outfits but are often overlooked in casual clothing. Vests are most often worn in formal wear but are changing in terms of style and use. Before throwing a vest on understand a few rules for coordination that help you put your outfit together in a way that doesn’t appear messy. With professional work clothes vests follow different rules than casual wear because of the inherent traditional nature of suits.  

Casual vest are more about clashing than matching and should seek to appear quickly put together but not sloppy. Solid earth colors are easier to work with as they match most other types of shirts and trousers. More pointedly, they complement jeans better than bright slacks. 

The vest is commonly worn with dress shirts and certainly will still work with a tie. That is way too stuffy for casual occasions. A solid dress t-shirt or a polo shirt with a earth tone or neutral color like white will work well in balancing the casual with something a step up from jeans and a t-shirt.  Your outfit will be appropriate for many different occasions. 

The type of events you would wear vests are in dining situations, casual social occasions our out running errands. It is not designed for formal events or lounging around the home. It does work well in most other situations except those that require professional clothing such as work.  

Rule 1: Vests should be a little snug around the abdomen with large arm holes for comfort. The snugness ensures that you are sliming the body. 

Rule 2: The vest and the shirt should be different but complementary colors. 

Rule 3: A patterned vest should be worn with a solid shirt or a solid vest can be worn with a patterned shirt. 

Rule 4: A plain T-shirt is highly casual while a polo rests in middle ground. A dress shirt can be worn if tucked into jeans or slacks. 

Rule 5: Close your vest with dress shirts and open your vest with casual clothes. 

Rule 6: A complementary derby hat can make a 1930’s theme out of it. 

Rule 7: Make sure the shirt you wear doesn’t stick out under the vest and below the waistline or you will appear sloppy. 

A few other tips in the video:

Keeping it Stylish and Comfortable with Urban Star Jeans

The classic jean has just made a turn to something comfortable. Jeans are just jeans right? Not really. Urban Star jeans by Road Runner Apparel offers something unique for those jean lovers who want to be comfortable but still look great. Just because you are putting your old jeans back in the drawer doesn't mean you can't still enjoy denim.

Price vs. Quality

For those who love their tough and tumble classic jeans, they may be a little put off by the $14 price tag. Price is important when buying products because we associate price with quality.  But this isn’t always the case.  Quality is in the material, design, fit, stitching and only partially in its brand image. A quality brand is that which can consistently provide a high quality product.

Those under the 40 category regularly purchase jeans at $100 or more. The problem is that they are wearing the brand and not necessarily the quality, fit or look. When you’re young fitting in is the most important consideration and just like expensive shoes, cars, and electronic items the clothing becomes an expression of who you are. 

But the jeans they buy are not necessarily better than cheaper alternatives and primarily show the brand conscious nature of social behavior. Urban Star is a brand that doesn’t sell on image only but also ranks high in quality and comfort. Unless someone lifts   your shirt no one is going to know the difference so save your $85 for something else. 

Active vs. Stagnant

Consider how traditional denim stretches and eventually is loose and baggy. By the end of the day the jeans are much looser then they were when you took them out of the dryer. Not particularly flattering considering they don't hug anymore.

Urban Star is active wear which means you can bend, run, move or do anything else and is nearly as comfortable as gym clothing. The clothing bends back in place without losing the original tightness found in traditional jeans. 

Pairing Your Denim

Jeans go well with most other types of clothing. The key to pairing jeans with shirts is to complement but clash. This means that dark jeans go well with white shirts and light colored shoes. They work equally well with black shirts and black shoes. The shirt, shoes, and belt must go together.

The type of shirt and shoes will determine whether you are casual or more stylish. Tennis shoes don’t work well but Converse All Star Sneakers and a t-shirt are strong combinations. For those who are more stylish try a sports jacket and dress shoes. When it was in style you may have also put on a tie. I wouldn't try that today unless you are looking to bring back the 70's.

Voting on NASA's New Space Suit Coming to a Close

The concept of development takes new heights as NASA finishes open voting on its next generation of space suits. In 2012 NASA released the Z-1 design which looks a little like Buzz Lightyear’s outfit (1). The design was voted on by 200,000 people from around the world. It blends the old features with new features to create greater levels of functionality. Developers are not ready to move to infinity and beyond but are making a small step in that direction.

The public could choose between the Biomimicry, Technology, and Trends in Society designs (2). The Z-2 will be the next generation to be bested around 2020. Tests will be conducted to Neural Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL). The suits will be better than ones developed in the past and contain features like pressurization, breathable atmospheres, regulate carbon dioxide, and controlled temperature and waste (3). 

In 2013 the ILC, the primary suit vendor, won $4.4 million contract to partner with Philadelphia University to develop, design and test the suit (4).  The goal is to move into the next level of development for Mars missions and ensure that the suits are safer, economic, and extremely functional. The hope is to develop a stronger space program. 

Why is this important? Space is still the next frontier. Not much has changed from Armstrong’s moon landing. It is still a step for mankind.  Modern science is moving into greater detail here on Earth as well as in outer space. Telescopes, private investments, interstellar mapping, and other developments in technology are making space travel an important function of scientific effort. When we someday make our way out there we may find things that may be useful for further science and development. 

You may see the designs here http://jscfeatures.jsc.nasa.gov/z2/