Frugal Fashion men’s edition: Andrew Garfield looking sharp in a suit
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Frugal Fashion thought it was time to show some love to the stylish men of L.A. and focus on quintessential menswear: the suit. A man’s suit is a classic uniform of the best kind with ample room for self expression. It’s synonymous with a women’s little black dress and just as diverse with designers like Armani, Gucci and Versace unveiling all sorts of patterns, cuts and colors each season.
I’m the first to admit that I’m no expert on menswear; that’s definitely more Adam Tschorn’s forte, but I can say with confidence that I know when a man looks good. From a woman’s point of view, a man looks his best and sexiest in a well-tailored suit.
Right now, the trend in men’s suits is to shave off the excess material and go slim –- real slim. From a men’s tie to his jacket and down to his slacks, the boys are sucking it in as things get narrow.
Actor Andrew Garfield looked sharp in a slim black suit, crisp white shirt and super-skinny black tie at the ‘Never Let Me Go’ premiere during the London Film Festival. ‘The Social Network’ star took a classic black suit with a modern fit and a sleek tie to match.
It doesn’t take a lot to look good in a suit; The suit kind of does all the work, but it could cost a ridiculous amount of money. A plain black wool suit from Gucci can cost around $1,490. That’s just the suit. If you add a shirt and tie the total starts to creep toward $2,000. A suit is supposed to be a good investment and something worth spending some money on, but there’s no reason to miss your rent payment.
Zara has an entire line of men’s suit separates at reasonable prices. Our pick is the Shiny Checked Blazer for $189 and the Shiny Checked Trousers for $89. Both the jacket and pants are made of 100% wool and just as chic as the designer version.
With these prices you can afford to complete the look with the Zara ‘Peter Pan’-collar white shirt for $59.90 and ‘Narrow, Plain Tie’ in black for $39.90.
The grand total for the suit, shirt and tie is $377.80 before taxes. Wear this sharp suit ensemble to any party, any time of the year.
Happy shopping. And for more on looking good, watch for the Image section’s Men’s Grooming Guide, coming in Sunday’s Los Angeles Times.
Have an outfit you’re dying to buy, but need a frugal alternative? E-mail us a picture. We’re up for the challenge.
-- Jenn Harris
Photos, from top: Andrew Garfield at the London Film Festival (credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images); Shiny Checked blazer and trousers from Zara (credit: Zara); ‘Peter Pan’-collar shirt and ‘Narrow, Plain Tie’ from Zara (credit: Zara).
