Pressed & Proper Blog

Pop quiz: what’s the most common mistake men make when it comes to their style?

No, it’s not pairing socks with shorts—although on another day we might have a few words to say on that subject.

No, it’s not pairing a light brown belt with dark brown shoes.

And no, it’s not buying clothes that are too expensive.

It’s buying clothes that are too large. Most men make the assumption that as long as they buy the right type of shirt, then they’re already doing the right thing—nevermind how it actually looks when they put it on. Of course, you’re not most men. You pay attention to issues like size, which is why you’re going to learn today some very important signs that you need to move a size down in your wardrobe.

Here at Berle, we’re all about the art of wearing pants. And yes, it’s more of an art than a science. But wearing pants isn’t only about the pants themselves—it’s also about what you surround the pants with. Shoes, shirts, accessories—they all influence how your pants look when you wear them. And perhaps the most visible sign of whether or not you have your trouser act together is whether or not you know how to pick the right belt for your trousers.

But picking the right belt for your trousers is also an art form, which is why we can’t give you distinct rules. We can, however, offer you a few helpful tips along the way.

So you’ve mastered the art of trousers. Congratulations. Maybe you’ve read some of our previous posts like matching socks with trousers or dressing in the summertime. Great! You’re on the path to sartorial brilliance.

Of course, when it comes to the area outside of the trousers, it can sometimes get a little more complicated.

We at Berle like to focus on the art of the trouser, of course, but we also acknowledge that trousers don’t live in a vacuum. Eventually, you’ll have to look in your closet and decide to pair those trousers with something, and that “something” will vary, depending on the situations in which you find yourself.

We know. If you read that blog title, you might think that we here at Berle are somehow against the idea of variety and style options. The truth is, we’re not talking about one week, per se: we’re talking about how to make your style so versatile that you can easily use one pair of pants for every type of occasion. 

So let’s take a look at five variations you might use on a familiar item from the Berle collection—our flat-front Charleston khakis—and learn how to dress it up, dress it down, and make it look like a new outfit five times over.

Admit it: this one particular moment vexes you. You’ve just showered and you’re ready to conquer another day. Suddenly you’re faced with a fateful decision: what to wear? After a considerable amount of frustration, you’ve got it down to one decision: finding the right pair of socks to match your pants.

Then, you freeze. You have no idea how to match your socks with your pants. Don't worry. We've got you covered with this quick guide!

A bowler hat. A thick mustache. Thick twill pants, a pair of dress shoes, and a cane – and maybe a monocle if you have the need.

We just described what might have made a fashionable gentleman in one age. But we live in the modern age. Style is much more minimal now, and with that summer is here, it’s not always easy to study up on your sartorial know-how in time to make an impression. Unless you find the right guides, of course. Let Berle be your guide this week: we’ll show you how to put together a quick, easy outfit that will have you feeling 100% summer-appropriate and, of course, confident.

Having the right style with well-fitting clothes is the perfect way to look the part of a well-put together adult. But just when you have the hang of it, life throws you a curveball: bad weather. The most common form of Mother Nature’s attempts to mess with your wardrobe is that deluge known as rain.

Some people let the rain ruin their day. They fret about their soaked clothes, slip on concrete because they’re running to their car, and generally act like the sky is falling. Relax. Only water is falling. And if you know how to dress for the rainy weather, you can proceed with your normal, relaxed, confident day.

Father’s Day is fast approaching, and if you want to get your father something that he’ll not only truly appreciate, but be able to use throughout the year, then giving him the gift of an upgraded wardrobe is the way to go.

Of course, if you don’t know much about style yourself, that can seem like a tall order. For that reason, we’ve put together a brief guide to a few select choices that can make great gifts for dads of any size this Father’s Day.

It’s wedding season. That means that as a fully autonomous adult, you’ve got some thinking to do about dressing yourself. Gone are the days of having your clothes picked out by a parent. Gone are the days of school uniforms. And, on weekends, you don’t have a company dress code to guide you. When you have to put together an outfit for a wedding, you have to do it entirely yourself—and that means you’ll want to know a thing or two if you want to make a good impression.

Fortunately, it’s not as difficult as it sounds—as long as you stick to a few key tips.

Sometimes, it’s the little things that bother you: a shirt that seems to stay wrinkled or misshapen even after you’ve left it hanging in the closet for days, or possibly a stubborn stain that won’t seem to come out, or maybe even fraying button threads that will never stay put.

Luckily, in the world of clothes, there are solutions for most of these problems. These little “lifehacks” will help keep your clothes newer longer, as well as resolve those stubborn stains and wrinkles that keep giving you from looking your absolute best. Follow these wardrobe lifehacks, and you’ll be well on your way to being dressed to impress.

Shorts, come summertime, will stop being casual wear and become essential wear. That means if your wardrobe is a little light on stylish shorts this summer, or if you own plenty of shorts that don’t fit, it’s time to update the closet.

What’s the easiest way to make this happen? Sometimes, it helps to know what not to do. That’s why we’ve put together five common “shorts” mistakes to avoid when you update your wardrobe this season:

We’ve all been there. You spot a pair of trousers online that looks like it will fit in nicely with your wardrobe—the kind of pants that seem to match your needs, your style, and your budget. Everything looks right. You get out the credit card, place the order, and wait.

Then, the trousers come. They’re not like what you saw online, and when you try them on, they look nothing like how you imagined this pair of pants would fit. Disappointed, you fold the pants away into some forgotten corner of your dresser. Years later, when you move, you find that old pair of pants and wonder where they even came from.

Needless to say, that’s not the kind of “five-star review” situation you were hoping for when you first made the purchase.