Aliya S. King

Fellas. It’s your turn.

Meet Shydel James. By day he’s an analyst at New Jersey Transit. By night, he’s an actor and a freelance writer.

Oh. And when he was 16, he was a student in my African-American History Class at Clifford Scott High School in East Orange, New Jersey. He was the class president. I was the class advisor. We go back like that.

Oh. And he’s been my personal assistant for three years, doing everything from calculating my expenses, additional reporting for my stories and faux-sitting Tog. (Faux-sitting means her ass better be already asleep when he gets there and I better have some snacks and cable television at the ready for him. And if she wakes up, oh well too bad. And no diaper changing. Ever. That’s faux-sitting.) And he doesn’t transcribe. Ever. Will just straight up say, um, no. not doing it when I tell him I need it done. Even though I pay him. What is that?!

Anyway. Del is a snazzy dresser. Even as a teenager. I liked the way he put things together but I’m curious about what Lil Miss Brown, (and all of you), will have to say about his style.

Herewith, Mr. James’ steelo this week. And Miss Brown’s thoughts. Enjoy.

MONDAY

I feel super comfortable in slacks and sneakers, especially these All Stars.  Love them! They are filthy but aren’t Chucks supposed to be dirty?  I was headed to work this day.  I think the pants are a bit too big around the pocket area, but they were dirt cheap and still look great on me.  I copped the lid from Target. They have some dope fedoras up in that piece. Better get up on it!  I think this is a yay. Is it?

Littlemissbrown:
I agree…this look is a definite yay!  I love it!  Love the hat…fedoras are totally on trend right now.  I think more men should follow the sneaker/slacks look…the look is good enough for the office, but is casual enough to hit up happy hour after work.

For briefcases similar to Shydel’s check these out…

There’s a navy bag that is amazing!  It a collaboration between Apolis Activism & Filson.  Filson is an outdoor company and the bag is made of this heavy canvas with these brown leather straps.  Love the details and it looks perfect to throw your laptop in or files for work…

If some guys think the fedora isn’t for you…try rocking the classic Kangol or something like this look…

TUESDAY

Again, I was headed to work in this outfit. I like this.  I haven’t worn this shirt in years.  Should I keep it that way?  I found it in the back of my closet.  Got it from H&M.  It’s a very light material (perfect for summer) and it’s very scary how comfortable I feel in a shirt with pink flowers on it. I like it. I think light colors look good on me.

I think the jeans are too long. I have friends who have their denim altered by a tailor. I’ve been thinking about doing that myself.  Are really long jeans played out now?

The sneakers are similar to the chucks I LOVE, but a bit more dressy.

I’m split on this one.  I felt fine in this, but something about it screams Nay

Littlemissbrown:
Shydel I agree with you…the look is fine, but it’s not fab…somethings missing!  I like the shirt and that you’re comfortable wearing pink and flowers!  The jeans are great too…you can never go wrong with a dark wash, especially when you are buying less expensive jeans.  The jeans aren’t too long, the sneakers are the problem.  Cute sneaks, but they are not substantial enough for the jeans…the jeans are overpowering them!  Something like these would work better:

Overall the look is a nay…it needs a little more work and it will be perfect!

WEDNESDAY

Was headed out to the club with my homeboys.  Not a hard-bottom shoes dressy type of club. It was a hood club in BK.

I really like this look.  I LOVE henleys.  My only reservation are the horizontal stripes.  Is it true one should NEVER EVER wear horizontal stripes?  Or does that only apply to people who are overweight? I think I pull off this henley well. I also like the dark denim Kenneth Cole joints I have on.  I’ve had these jeans for two years and I’ve never, ever washed them. Ever. And I never will.  Don’t want them to fade in any way.  I added a lil cuff to make the outfit a bit more funky. Are cuffs funky? Are cuffs whack? I think mine work here.
And of course I’ve got my Chucks on AGAIN!  Do I wear these too much?

Littlemissbrown:
No…it’s not true that you should never wear horizontal stripes, people who are larger or overweight should be more careful, this includes vertical stripes as well.  Since you’re into henleys…here’s a long sleeve version to transition into fall with…

I’m sorry, did you say you’ve NEVER washed your jeans in two years??!!!  Are you dry cleaning them?  Either dry clean them or turn them inside out and wash them…after several washes they’ll eventually fade…but not immediately!  Cuffs are not necessarily funky, but they are on trend and give you the option of changing up your jean look just a tad.

I would scratch the Chucks with this outfit or maybe just change the color…grey or navy Chucks would have been better.

If you wanted to make this look a little dressier…throw a blazer on!

You think it’s a Yay…I’m going with Nay.  Almost there though…

UGH. It was HOT that day. I like what I have on.  I hung out with Mom in the city that day. We walked around A LOT. So of course I had to have my very favorite Chucks on.

I cut the shorts myself. They are some GAP 1969 type joints.  Folks like Urban Outfitter are selling these same type of cut of shorts upwards of  $60. Why pay that, when I can cut my own jeans into shorts?

Littlemissbrown:
I’m with you on cutting your own shorts!  Me and one of my BFF’s went to a thrift store in Williamsburg and scored some old Levis that we intend on cutting up and making into shorts…paid $12 a pair!

I love graphic tees for guys…good interesting ones!  Good places to find some are:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com
http://www.stussy.com
http://www.brooklynindustries.com

How cute is this one!  Go Brooklyn!

I like the look…casual and perfect for roaming around the city…my one little complaint would be that the shirt appears to be a lil snug and short.  If it was just a size up…it would be perfect!  I’ll give you a yay…it’s a cute look and you were inventive with the shorts!

FRIDAY

Another HOT day.  I had just got in from work.  I think this look embodies how I like to dress: Classic. Simple. To the point.

The gray Polo is from the GAP. I love solid color polos.  I’ve got Gap ones, Old Navy ones and Lacoste ones in every color. They are great for throwing on with some slacks for work, or with some jeans or shorts for a casual day out.  Love ’em!

The pants are by Kenneth Cole. They’re kinda linen-like, but not completely – maybe like 30% linen or something.  I’m not really into 100% linen.  I like my pants to have some body/stiffness to them.  I like these joints in particular cause they have pockets on the side.  So they are dressy with a cargo feel.

The moccasins I got like 5 years ago, but I just started really rocking them this summer.  They are mad comfortable and go with everything.  I wear them with everything from slacks to army shorts. And I like to wear them with no socks.  Gives me a rich man swagger.

Littlemissbrown:
You got this one in the bag! Definite Yay!  Perfect…the polo, pants and especially the moccasins!  They’re like the perfect work shoe for the spring/summer and you can even wear them when the weather starts getting a little chilly.

For guys who want a similar look check these out…

And since Fall is soon approaching…you can add a cardigan or crewneck cashmere sweater to layer this look…

Overall, great job! A few minor tweaks and you are ready for a GQ profile!

________________________________________________________________________________________

Dear readers: Are you feeling Shydel’s style? Do you agree with Lil Miss Brown’s comments? I do! I’m forwarding this post to TH. (Not that you’re not a snazzy dresser babe. But the industry give-a-way promotional t-shirts? From ten years ago? I love Big L too but….)

Anyway, we’d all love to hear from you!!

This entry was posted on September 4, 2009 at 11:45 am and is filed under Fashion Friday: Yay or Nay?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.