Photo cred: Caroline Wood

By guest blogger, Courtney 

Hey Qwearlings! I got back from London after spending January there for a Theatre course (liberal arts, y’all). London street fashion seems like the origination of certain hipster styles in the US. Going into most London stores, I found myself drooling over almost every item of hipster-tastic duds, and found myself back in America at the end of the month with a significantly heavier suitcase and significantly lighter wallet.  

I asked a few of my friends who came on my trip to represent some of the awesome fashion we saw there.

Photo cred: Caroline Wood

For starters: TOP-BUTTON SWAG. Literally everywhere. You’ll notice that we are all apparently wearing the same shirt. This is because we are, in fact, wearing the same shirt. We found an amazing store called Primark, which is apparently something like the British Walmart meets Forever 21. There were so many of these short sleeve printed beauties that we, plus two more of our friends, each own two, and none of them are the same. Printed shirts seem to be pretty big, but less plaid (like in the US) and more different prints like the fleur de lis, dots, and birds.

Photo cred: Caroline Wood

Becca (Left)
Shirt: Primark
Pants: H&M
Belt: Urban Outfitters*
Socks: Target
Shoes: Marshall’s

Courtney (Middle)
Shirt: Primark
Pants: Primark
Sweater: H&M
Blazer: Zara
Pocket Square: The Tie Bar
Belt: Lee River
Boots: Aldo

Andy (Right)
Shirt: Primark
Pants: Primark
Belt: H&M
Boots: All Saints

Something else the British seem to love is colored trousers. Andy and I are both wearing pants from— wait for it— Primark! And in the store there were stacks on stacks of colored pants in various fabrics and fits. Most pants on the street, however, are very much slim fit. In fact, I would say most of the London street style I observed was slim fit.  

Other things I saw: crew neck sweaters and sweatshirts, beanies, black boots (like mine and Andy’s), black jeans. And blazers. Going to a club in London, I asked my English friend what guys usually wore when going out. The reply was, “Suits.” And it was true. Tons of slim cut slim lapelled suits, or blazers over tanks with slim cotton pants. Swoon! Check out Topman for more examples of this sort of style.

Courtney is our petite menswear consultant. If you have any questions for her about menswear fit, style in general, or being a rockin badass, send your qwearies here.

*Urban Outfitters donates money to anti-gay campaigns. Learn more about their actions here. Buffalo Exchange and Ragstock are great hipster alternatives

In case you want cutie Andy as a friend on Facebook

Anonymous asked: Hi! I was wondering if you guys could help me find a dress shirt for petites. I'm 5'2" and my collar size is about 13". I would like one that fits my collar so I can wear my bow tie nicely.

Courtney says:

Nice button-up shirts can be very hard to find in small sizes, and even if you find a small size, men’s shirts off the rack tend to have more billowy arms to account for musculature. So if you’re going for men’s, arm length and width probably won’t fit exactly. That being said, I have several men’s dress shirts that I think fit me well enough for small qualms like these (I am 5’ 2”, 120). Tailoring is also always an option. In looking at men’s dress shirts, always look for slim fit. There are also many good women’s options if you’re going for a more feminine or androgynous look.  

My best-fitting dress shirt is a men’s x-small from Topman. The sleeves are slimmer and shorter, and the shoulders and general fit are excellent. Topman also offers xx-small sizes.

Topman: Heather Blue Smart Shirt, $40

My next best fitting shirts are from H&M. They have racks on racks of dress shirts in every country I’ve been to, usually for pretty decent prices. Though their quality isn’t the best, they have a wide selection, and the fit/price makes up for that for me. The ones I wear aren’t even x-small, actually; just smalls in slim fit. I also highly recommend H&M boys’ button-ups, I have two in 13-14yr and one in 14+, and they all fit me perfectly, as well as being built of heftier cloth.

H&M Men’s: Slim Fit Shirt, $19.95

The best women’s dress shirts I have ever found were from J.Crew.  They’re expensive, but they occasionally turn up in thrift stores, and are definitely worth it. They have a nice androgynous look to them in certain fits, and are a favorite of my femme-menswear darling. They also come in petite sizes, which is always pleasant.

J.Crew Women’s: Stretch Perfect Shirt, $75

Back in my women clothes wearing days, I also used to have good luck with American Eagle women’s button-ups. Femme-menswear master-thrifter darling likes to thrift anything that fits.

Good luck, and happy styling!

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With spring around the corner, I know what’s on everyone’s mind: Masculine Floral. Femmy femme floral. Overpowering Patterns. Take it from me… there is no such thing as being too faggy. My top retail places to pick up some floral this season are Topman, Topshop, H&M,  Forever 21, Modcloth  ASOS, J.Crew; and for ties, General Knot & Co, hands down. But my first plan is to scrounge the thrift stores to find men’s floral shirts and then get them tailored to fit. 

(from: lyst.com) Pants from H&M

Grey Floral Pattern Socks, $6.00 at Topman

(from dapperq.com) Shirt from ASOS

Walk on Flair Flat in Orange Blossom, $37.99 at Modcloth

UPDATE: This shirt costs ~ $262.96 + shipping and can be purchased by emailing klas@roseborn.com (from roseborn.com)

(from: lookbook.nu) Tie from General Knot & Co

Floral Print Pants, $22.80 at Forever 21

Floral Bow Tie, $55 at J.Crew

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Anonymous asked: recently, i’ve been on the lookout for a vest and today i tried a couple on at h&m. they didn’t look great buttoned (because of the whole i have boobs issue) and for them to work for me i would have to get them tailored. they looked alright unbuttoned though, and i was just wondering if you had any tips for the unbuttoned vest look. thanks!

(LK Weiss on dapperQ)

A.D. says:

PROTIP: Make sure everything else you’re wearing is well-fitted for you. Make sure your shirt isn’t too big or your pants aren’t too tight.

(Fourteen photoshoot with Patty Nash Photography)

PROTIP: Look super dapper everywhere else. You want people to know you’re purposefully not buttoning your vest.

(from lorrannyeerodrigo.com)

PROTIP: You’re great! ROCK IT.

More inspiration at Vests with A.D: The Suit Vest (Part 3 of 4)

“Is it me, or is ‘Veto’ starting to sound really good?” - Pheobe Buffay