BorderStyle September Issue(s), Vol. 3: Do’s and Don’ts With Tops

From Khelan Bhatia. You can follow Khelan on Twitter @KhelanB. He lives in the U Street area and writes about style for Borderstan.

Welcome back, Borderstanis, for the third installment of a series I like to call “The September Issue(s).” (It’s my little way of paying homage to Anna Wintour). In volume 1, we focused on shoes. And in the subsequent installment, we touched on the essential bottoms for the season. Obviously, the next stop on this train ride to the perfect fall outfit is the right top.

Bridge and Tunnel

But before we get to that, I’ve noticed a small, yet disturbing trend with some shirts that are basically the sartorial equivalent to a NASCAR race car. You know what I’m talking about… extraneous patches and designs that have no business being on our bodies.

Bridge and Tunnel by khelan on Polyvore.com

I’ve been saying for months that the District (and Borderstan especially!) has kicked it up a notch in the style department, but every time I see one of these abominations I die a little. And my corpse gets dragged across the bridge and/or tunnel for an unceremonious funeral.

Okay, okay… I know I’m prone to hyperbole. But still, c’mon… these shirts are a lot a of look, to paraphrase the (hopefully) immortal Tim Gunn.

Now that we’ve gotten the negative out of the way (I feel a lot better btw, don’t you?), we can focus on a couple of items that are absolutely perfect for autumn.

 

 

 

 

Blue Oxford

First up, we have the classic, shorline blue oxford from J.Crew. This article of clothing is as essential to your wardrobe as a gray flannel suit, a pair of dark jeans or a khaki raincoat.

It’ll never, ever go out of style and you can layer it with a cardigan or v-neck sweater or pair it with a denim jacket or navy blazer. In other words, it’s a versatile top. Ba dump bump. Don’t forget to tip your waiter.

Anyways… moving on.

 

 

 

 

Gant Rugger

If you’re going to buy one plaid flannel shirt this season, make sure it’s this one by Gant Rugger.

Gant Rugger by khelan on Polyvore.com

Gant makes some of the most comfortable, yet stylish men’s shirts I’ve ever worn. This beautiful, red plaid wonder feels like a towel fresh out of the dryer and still cuts a very flattering silhouette.

That’s it for me this week, folks. Next time, we’ll chat about sweaters, cardigans and jackets oh my!