Is it possible to be both safe and stylish at the same time? We think so!

Helmet

From personal choice, I recommend using a dark coloured helmet with no major brands displayed. A clean dark helmet definitely looks great with matching leather jackets and trousers.

Boots

If you intend to ride for extra long periods of time then the boot should definitely be shock and vibration absorbent.

The boots are a very important factor for style, we have seen on occasions bikers wear trainers or different coloured boots, we don’t recommend this style. If you intend to ride for extra long periods of time then the boot should definitely be shock and vibration absorbent. We definitely recommend you to invest in the best leather boots on the market, a good set is definitely worth the money. The Best Budget Motorcycle Boots can be seen in the guide by Bike Bandit.

Motorcycle Jacket

Probably the most important part of any biker outfit is the motorcycle jacket. We advise to purchase one with protection armour in the elbows, forearms, shoulders, and all along the back. The stitching on a high quality jacket will be at least double. Our recommended website for Motorcycle jackets for men is here. In my opinion, the best jackets for motorbikes are those which are plain and don’t contain group badges or sponsors. A good leather jacket can be worn both on the bike and off whilst still being stylish.

Fitting

Not only is it safe and stylish to wear clothes that fit when riding a motorcycle it is also smart. Get a jacket and trousers that fit your body type and are also flexible for you to move freely. Baginess or excess material is not recommended.

Color: The most popular colour for motorcycle clothing and equipment is black. This is for a reason and is definitely the smartest and most stylish. Other colours can easily become stained and marked with oil etc.

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Blazers have “casual” written all over them.

That’s why the choice of shirt is very wide. Very wide indeed. So let’s start with the blazer, because I assume you’ll buy less blazers than suits (obviously).

The “big idea” is to get one or two blazers and 5 or 6 shirts that you can wear interchangeably. All shirts should match either one or both blazers.

When choosing a blazer, you can opt for one with or without a pattern. Personally I recommend you get the first one in a solid color and the second one in either pinstripe or checks.

This way you’ll achieve two things:

1. Keep you on the safe side when matching blazers and shirts
2. Give you more freedom of choice when matching patterned shirts (otherwise you would have to match two patterns – not an easy thing to do)

The solid colored blazer

OK, so you’re off to buy a solid color blazer. You can go for a “safe” color or for something a little edgy – your choice. Safe (non)colors include: black, navy blue, dark blue, dark brown and different shades of gray.

If this is your first blazer, I recommend you go for one of these colors. The best part is that these “safe” colors are in fact neutrals, meaning they will work with pretty much any shirt in your closet, as long as they contrast with them.

If you’re wearing a black, navy or gray blazer, a light blue or a white shirt are the obvious choices.

The Golden Rule of Blazers: always try to make a contrast between the blazer and the shirt. Always. Yes, there are exceptions but unless you’re trying a more advanced outfit, you shouldn’t worry about them. For now, stick with a good contrast.

So if you’re wearing a black blazer, you have to remember that black works with everything except brown and navy blue.

With that said, you can wear a wide variety of light colors. You can stick with a simple white shirt but that would be pretty boring (unless you add a white pocket square). You can go for pale colors such as pale blue, pale yellow etc.

Another thing you can do is go for patterned shirts with your black/blue/gray blazer. I usually wear my black blazer with a checked shirt (white shirt blue checks) or a striped shirt (light blue and blue alternating stripes).

Sometimes, when I want to go crazy, I like to wear a pink shirt. The combination is eye-popping but the blazer’s color is there to make sure my outfit is still on the safe side. This is something you might want to wear when going to a club, for instance.

What about a brown blazer? A white shirt is the best thing you can pair it with (white shirts are very versatile, by the way).

Now let’s talk a little about blazers in bold colors. If the blazer is in a bold color, the secret is to wear a shirt in a “safe” color. You don’t want to mix a red blazer with a bright blue shirt – trust me.

So what color choices do you have?Here’s a few and I recommend that you stick with them. If the bold color is not in the list – don’t buy the blazer:

– white
– red
– light blue

Wear a white or a red blazer with a black shirt. Wear light blue blazers with either a black or a white shirt.

Patterned blazers

Wearing a patterned blazer can be difficult but the final result will most likely impress everyone. Take a look at the photo below.

By far the easiest pattern you can wear is the pinstripe. Pinstripes are very thin vertical stripes on a blazer or a suit jacket:

Matching a pinstripe blazer with a shirt is just like matching a solid color blazer. The pinstripes are almost invisible BUT…

the really cool thing you could do is to repeat the color of the pinstripes. Color repetition is great in any outfit.

Some really cool patterns…

Let’s take for instance this checked blazer. It’s made of tweed so you wear it on colder autumn and spring days. In the picture below, the guy paired it with a madras shirt (not a bad result though I’m not a fan of the madras shirt).

Here’s another checked blazer with a simple white shirt:

photo: curiousgraffiti.tumblr.com

If you’re a newbie, simply wearing a patterned blazer with a uni shirt is enough. But if you want to go for a two patterns (pattern over a pattern), I definitely encourage you to try it before dismissing it as not being for you.

To contrast or not to contrast

If you’re somewhat advanced, you might get bored following the same old style rules. Some folks like to break them every once in a while. So how about you match, just this once, a blazer and a shirt of the same color? Mmmm, maybe the colors can be of slightly different shades.

Well, as long as you don’t do this with black or with bold or with colors that are too light, this might actually work.

For example, how about a dark blue blazer with a slightly lighter shirt? Or, the same thing only with brown?

I’m not even gonna show you photos of these, I want you to try experiment on yourself and, if you want, you can share the results with everyone else by placing a comment below.

The post How to Match Blazers and Shirts appeared first on Be Stylish!.

I have to admit, some time ago I was really confused. Blazer, sports jacket, suit jacket, what’s the difference? Although the blazer and the sports jacket are many times mistaken, there are some big differences.A sports jacket is textured and oftentimes patterned, whereas a blazer is a solid color (usually navy or black), made of smooth fabric and is traditionally seen with naval-style brass buttons.

If we look at these three garments as a family, the sports jacket and the blazer are cousins, whereas the suit jacket is their father. So, let me help you get your mind straight on this issue and devote 15 minutes of your life reading this article.

The sports jacket

The sports jacket derives from the experimentation with sports clothes in the mid-nineteenth century. By the early twentieth century, men were seeking comfort and high fashion in their clothing, and turned to the ever-evolving sports jacket as a fashion-forward.

Today’s sports jacket, however, has a very different meaning as it can also be dressed down with a pair of jeans or chinos for more casual functions.

The odd jacket

photo:manolomen.com

Named after its lack of matching trousers, the odd jacket was known mostly as sporting-event and clubhouse attire. The odd jacket is also known for incorporating distinctive detailing like pleats, stitched belts and offbeat pockets into the ever-evolving design. The blazer is often described as a derivative of the odd jacket, although it incorporates enough differences to belong in a category all its own.

The patterned sports jacket

The patterned sports jacket appeared after World War II to accommodate the business casual lifestyle that men began leading. Incorporating bold patterns like Shetland stripes.

photo: flickr.com

and madras plaids

photo:katyelliott.com

Sports jackets made sure you look elegant while avoiding the rigors of a suit jacket.

A very good choice is the houndstooth jacket, paired with a denim. Let’s see how a houndstooth looks like:

photo:fabdab.com

The blazer

By 1938, blazers were the fashionable odd jacket of choice for style connoisseurs. Originally a part of the English cricket club scene, the blazer was often striped and in club colors.

Let’s have a look at the model where it all started, the cricket blazer:

photo:materialiste.com

This look eventually evolved to include brass buttons, single and double-breasted models, and a club badge on the breast pocket. Blazers are offered in a variety of styles with different detail options, including flap or patch pockets and peak or notch lapels.

A rule of thumb says that blazers are easier to dress down than sports jackets, but it depends very much on your blazer’s style and what you wear it with.

Nautical blazers

Navy-colored blazers adorned with brass buttons were predominant throughout the 1920s, and made a stylish sports outfit when paired with white pants. And due to their lightweight fabric, these nautical-inspired blazers were summer sensations.

Thanks to the British wave of fashion sweeping our North American streets, the traditional nautical blazer may still look trendy in the late spring or early summer.

photo:mistercrew.com

Colored blazers

photo:4.bp.blogspot.com

Blazers rightfully got their name because they were “blazed” with more color and bolder patterns than the refined sports jacket. Blazers weren’t only striped, but they also came in a variety of bright colors, like powder blue

photo:mensusa.com

and purple

photo:s9.thisnext.com

The suit jacket

Frankly, there isn’t much to say about suit jackets. They are simply classic. It’s where it all started from. The blazers and sports jackets wouldn’t have been in our hands if it wasn’t for the suit jacket.

About the possibilities of wearing suit jackets, we have already talked in previous articles, so I won’t go through that again. The key word here is formal – remember that.

I think I have given you the biggest array of options to date. All you have to do now is to make your choice.

The post The Difference Between a Blazer, a Sports Jacket and a Suit Jacket appeared first on Be Stylish!.

What i mean is this: the question is not dumb… It’s a very good question and shows you really want to be stylish.

Let’s begin with a picture of a guy in jeans and a suit jacket:

photo: yimg.com

I know what you’re thinking: it looks like the perfect blend of formal and casual.

Nonsense!

This is plain wrong. The suit is sacred. The suit jacket is supposed to be worn together with the dress pants and there’s no way around that.

It’s commonly accepted that, if you want to stand out in a suit, you should play around with the model, the lapels, the shirt, tie or pocket square.

If you want to “borrow” from the suit’s “formality”… go for a sports jacket.

Sports jackets are made to be worn in casual situations (including jeans). The have a more casual air but still score plenty of points when it comes to you being classy.

Here’s a sports jacket with a suit:

photo: buzzillions.com

Much better, right?

Now, if you come back to the first picture and look at the black suit jacket…

do you notice the “disconnect”? The suit jacket looks just too… formal compared to the jeans.

So, remember this rule: a suit is a suit and you don’t want to wear it’s dress pants and jacket separately.

The post Can You Wear a Suit Jacket With Jeans? appeared first on Be Stylish!.

I have a pic at the end of this article. But please, please don’t scroll there yet! As always, I want to share some of my knowledge first.

The terms “blazer” and “sports jacket” are usually used interchangeably but this is actually a mistake. Both their origin and the way they look are different.

Let’s take a look.

This is a classic blazer, navy blue with gold buttons:

And this is the sports jacket:

If this is the first time you ever considered wearing a trendy blazer you probably don’t care too much about the difference so I’ll use both terms.

Ok, back to what I bought for myself.

As I had to appear on a local television 2 days later, I NEEDED something trendy. And a men’s blazer seemed like the perfect thing. I already had one but it didn’t fit me anymore so I had to make an investment.

After a few hours of running back and forth through the mall, I found this one:

(Noe: this picture was taken using my phone camera. The colors are somewhat distorted.)

Awesome, isn’t it?

You’re probably wondering about the Popeye t-shirt. Yep, I got that the same day specifically for my sports jacket. It gives a more playful tone to the otherwise very stylish outfit.

Btw, at the TV show I didn’t wear the t-shirt, it was snowing outside. I got it to update my spring wardrobe.

Blazers can be worn with a variety of items such as t-shirts, shirts (I have an AWESOME blue stripped shirt that goes awesome with my charcoal sports jacket), v-neck sweaters and more.

If you want to know more about blazers and casual outfits, check out my Be Stylish Package. It will change your style. And when your style changes, your life changes.

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