I like to say that Andrew has been my most successful makeover. I’ve taken him from tapered acid wash jeans and mandals to dark wash slim denim and sleek leather lace ups. But even though he now dresses WAY better, there are still some things we don’t agree on. The number one thing that comes up over and over: horizontal striped tops and sweaters. There is only one known incident in which Andrew has worn a horizontal stripe sweater and it was 1) forced and 2) while in Newport, so in other words, the only setting in which he felt it was maybe okay. (I’m gonna get in so much trouble for posting this)…
(he’s drinking so much to forget he’s wearing the sweater)
And the whole time he was wearing it he could be heard muttering “I look stupid”, as if I made him wear a hot pink wrap dress to cocktail hour. The only exception to this rule are striped polo golf shirts, which somehow are the ONLY allowed exception to this “no horizontal stripes” rule.
I however, think stripes look cute on guys! If i manage to get Andrew to even try something on like that it goes a little something like this:
Me: OMG, you look so cute!
Him: No.
Me: But I think you look hot, do you not want to look hot for me?
Him: No.
Me: ARRRGGGHHHHHH!
So here’s some evidence to back up my opinion:
“Hey girl, striped shirts are awesome”
Um, hello, the quintessential “bad boy” even worse stripes, with a sailor collar no less!
So what do you think? Can you help settle this long time argument? Do you like men in stripes?
If you agree, here are some picks:
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OMG Andrew, you look just as good as any of these other pics Erin posted. Keep listening to your smart woman!
I adore all of these looks (Andrew look great, too!). Stripes are just the best sartorial pattern, I think. Great post – now I want to go shopping!
Well you can pull them off NO SWEAT. :)
I love men in stripes! My husband wears them but will not wear equally spaced 1″ stripes because he thinks it makes him look like Freddy Kruger! (so strange but he has some beautiful cashmere sweaters with the 1″ stripes that have been in his closet for years and he will not touch them and I will not give them away:) He will however wear more “sporty looking” thinner or thicker stripes. Very strange. Men will wear anything on a golf shirt! But for some reason are much pickier about sweaters. Did Tom Brady help your case with the shawl collar?
Heck yes! Andrew, come on, listen to your wife. Oh and I’ll take beard-o there rifling through that duffle bag on a platter.
He’s my favorite ;)
I’m actually with Andrew on this one….too catalog modelish. Just be thankful he got rid of the tapered acid washed jeans. When I first met my husband he was partial to a pair of tapered-relaxed fit Levi’s and a (used to be black) “mock” turtleneck. Yikes!
Umm…feels like I could have been warned about this. For the record, I am not completely opposed…and some of these you show here I would consider. It is the thin, equidistant stripes that are the least appealing to me. And the crew neck t-shirts I am just not a fan of, stripes or not. I think I look goofy in them.
Hee hee. I’m the worst.
I’d also like to know which items you would consider so I can order them STAT.
Andrew, I think you always look handsome and stylish! Wear what you feel comfortable in! I’m not a fan of the striped shirt either. Although you did look great in your sweater!
I have to side with Andrew. The stripes look sailor/New England/preppy, which is ok in a catalog but not a look that comes across TO ME as very appealing. I think it almost looks like putting a man (or woman) in children’s clothes. However, I’m from Texas so you don’t see as much of that style here, or if you do it comes across as more of a caricature.
Otherwise your style is impeccable, though!
Yep, I’m with Ashley. I live at the beach in California though so I’m likely swayed by the fact that no man wears stripes here. I do think all of the guys you posted (including Andrew!) look fantastic in their stripes, but it’s not something my husband would ever wear and I’d fully back him up on that :) In my mind it’s just an East Coast vs West Coast thing. Maybe if we ever make it to the East Coast I’ll make my husband wear stripes to fit in.
Damn, girl, you are right on….
I say let andrew have a say in SOMETHING in his life!
The fact that you got him to wear it once is a testament to your powers, girl–my husband would NEVER. And in a way, isn’t it hotter that he doesn’t just bend to your desire to play dress up on him? That’s what your little man is for. ;)
YASSS!! Hi-5’s all day for this post! I’m constantly telling my husband MORE STRIPES! Literally just emailed him this post.
ps- must have been awful rifling through all the options for these pics! just terrible…. *wipes up puddle of drool* oh sweet jesus the man with the duffle…
Mandles Andrew? Really? I hope they were burned in a blaze of glory along with Kirks
“Are You Experienced?” Lambda Chi fraternity shirt I found the other day.
Blame the ex-wife for those. :)
heehee
I think I have to agree with Andrew. Maybe it’s more of a New England thing? ( You don’t see a lot of men in stripes in the South. ) I just don’t love the look on men, although Andrew looks just as good as the other pictures you posted. Regardless, you deserve kudos for your powers of persuasion.
It’s TOTALLY a New England thing. Maybe it’s his Southern roots that are the cause for the dislike!
ok is it too shallow to say this is your best post ever:)
i wholeheartedly agree stripes for everyone, they are like the seratonin/happy drug for the brain. Horizontal rules be damned!
This post made me laugh out loud! Thanks, I needed that this morning! And – ALL of the men wearing the stripes are so hot. Is it the stripes that make them look so appealing? I’ve gotta get my husband a stripped shirt ASAP!
Well, now I know what to get the hubs for Father’s Day!
You know what else I discovered is hot? Pastel dress shirts on men. Now that mine has to wear a suit every day, he’s expanding his shirt wardrobe and has this lavender dress shirt that looks amazing on him. I never would have thought I’d like that look!
Lavender and light pink dress shirts = amazing.
Oh lord, YES to stripes!! I am working on my husband – he’s a midwesterner and is coming around to the New England way. #2 seems like a good gateway stripe (ha, as if it’s an addiction…IT IS), but duffle-bag-on-stairs guy is the absolute best. Where do I find those pants??
I love that whole New England look on guys, so I’m definitely on board with this. Although I can’t say I’ve really seen a guy rocking this look in real life (only in J. Crew catalogs), I would definitely be a fan if I did!
It’s all about men in stripes. Yes!
Yes, to stripes!!! My husband also has this same aversion for some reason (for the record he has worn stripes a few times, but it took a lot of convincing on my part). He won’t wear v-necks willingly either… Sheesh.
Trying not to show my stupidity here but what are mandles?
man + sandles = Mandles
That conversation sounds exactly like ours – my husband will NEVER wear a stripped shirt. I’ve given up after 15 years. Not going to happen…….
HA! This is such a great post….cracked me up. Andrew, sorry, but I gotta side with your wife here…I love men in stripes – AND pastels!! My husband is a total hottie in pink and aqua (not at the same time, however), although he would HATE me for posting this!
Good luck with the sartorial struggle, Erin! :)
Two words: Where’s Waldo. Sorry, I have to side with Andrew… otherwise I love your style! And adore your blog every day!!!
I think the stripes you have pictured all look a little feminine…especially Ryan Gosling ‘s outfit. It looks like he was shopping in the women’s J Crew catalog
No. At least for these examples. Too metrosexual for my taste.
While I think Andrew looks totally cute in the striped sweater, I have to agree that I’m not a big fan of horizontal stripes on men generally. My boys have worn them and looked adorable but on adult men? Not sure it’s my fave. (Maybe it can be a Baby Gates look…) I love a vertical striped button-down shirt on my husband though – and gingham! Love gingham button-downs!!
I think I agree with your hubby. These models are hot, so they would look good in anything, (and obviously your husband is very handsome and I’m sure he’d look nice too), but in general it’s not my favorite look. It’s not very rugged or masculine–a bit girly for my taste. Buuut, my husband wears a tool belt and work boots all day, so I might be a person who prefers super-masculine looks on dudes. If you prefer the prep-school, fratty look, then that’s your prerogative. It would be a sad and lonely world if we were all attracted to the same type of man!
After reading these comments, this might sound foreign – but I didn’t even realize this was a thing to dislike!? I thought stripes were considered a pattern “neutral”! It’s not like you’re asking him to dress in head to toe pink paisley.
I am really loving your readers today frog. :)
Erin, I love your blog. It’s just the right combination of “keeping it real” and deco wonderful. I think men look nice in stripes but having said that I bought a polo shirt for my brother for Christmas with strict instructions from my niece to buy nothing but solid navy! I complied knowing that if I went out on a limb it would end up at the back of his closet.
But there’s hope…I’m sure Baby Gates will look adorable in little French sailor one piece outfits, stripped t’s and polos. Don’t delay because when they hit the three year mark they start to get their own ideas about what they will and won’t wear. Imagine that!! Much to my dismay my son refused to wear polo shirts with buttons! Before daycare I would dress him in said cute striped polo only to find him walking out of his room shirtless. Finally I gave up. Not worth fighting about button down polo shirts . The good news: he was onside with wearing stripped t-shirts! Good luck!!
Ha! When my son turned three, he wouldn’t wear jeans or khakis anymore. He only wanted to wear “soft pants”, aka sweatpants.
i never thought about men in stripes as in a NO,……. love them! if i had to analyze the picts you posted, while i like the striped shirts, sweaters, i like them sans sperrys– that’s just too too much!
fun post!
As a matter of fact, my husband is wearing a striped crew neck shirt right now. And he looks spiffy. I vote for team stripes.
But a guy’s gotta choose for himself. Unless his pregnant wife begs him to wear stripes.
And Cary Grant wore a striped sweater in “To Catch a Thief”, but he also ate Quiche Lorraine in that movie too. First known reference to Quiche.
But just one question; what the heck is a mandal?
Sorry but I’m with Andrew: ok on golf shirts or dress shirts (thin ones) but not so much on sweaters. He still looks handsome though!
From NC
UM…he NEEDS to wear stripes. Stripes are the best. He doesn’t have to look like a little sailor boy or anything but stripes are seriously so cute.
So long as he doesn’t ban stripes for Baby Gates. That baby better wear them all the time! Xo
I love stripes on men but alas my husband is a definite NO on this one. I have tried so many times to get him to wear stripes but anything I buy him remains in the wardrobe unworn. Maybe because we live at the beach in Australia and he is a marine engineer?!
Great pix of hot models, but I gotta say no to stripes on straight guys!
I’ve seen Navy SEALs wearing mandals – the Teva type: rubber sole, single strap across top of foot . . . even in the winter with socks (definitely not a fashion statement), but hey, if a SEAL can wear them . . .
Is that, like, a shawl collar on Andrew? If so, I think that’s a double sartorial whammy — he may be scarred irreparably;) — and he does look really unhappy while double fisting the Cabernet in Newport. Would he consider a striped rugby shirt? It is perhaps a not too distant relative of the striped polo golf shirt (on the sporting side of the family) . Maybe the rugby could function as a gateway (ahem) jersey into the majestic universe of striped dude pullovers.
Yes stripes. Yes. Yes.
Now I will say it does depend on the stripe and shirt but that applies to many things. And your husband is tall & thin which makes stripes a NO BRAINER. And you have it on record above that he is ok with some of these examples. That means he has to wear them once a week now.
I’m from NY originally, now in the Midwest, and may have just discovered why I love stripes so much and why everyone out here comments on it constantly. Never realized it was an east coast thing. Thank you for enlightening me. I feel the bag lifted off my head :)
Congratulations on your successful book, congratulations on your pregnancy, congratulations on finding a great guy. You have much to be proud but dressing your husband is not on a list of accomplishments. If he is good with it –go for it. But from this outsider it looks like you should leave his satorial decisions to him. He sounds like he is a wonderful husband and will be an exceptional father. Enough said. I really do love your blog and apppreciate your sharing. It is just this one thing I think you should let go.
I’m conflicted. Sometimes stripes look great on a guy, sometimes they just make him look little boy-ish.
Not really a fan of Breton-style stuff on guys, although I think they look great on women. And the big wide stripes just remind me of rugby teams. I do like the one that intersperses wide navy stripes with thin white ones, though.
And I totally dress my little dude in stripes of all sizes and colors! I really dislike stereotypical “boy” shirts that emphasize being an “MVP” (“you must be good at sports even at a young age!”) or a “trouble-maker” or a “hunk”, etc. so I like to stick to animals and stripes and more gender-neutral themes.
I’m telling ya… just be a dripping tap on this issue. My husband had previously refused to wear check/plaid shirts saying they were too lumberjack. So clearly (knowing better) I took matters into my own hands and bought him one for his birthday. He’s so hot in it, I can’t stand it. Now he sees me being all moon-eyed at him every time he wears it, he’s come around to the idea. Men liked to be jumped on. The end.
Btw – can we just imagine Chris Pratt in a striped number for a second? *stares into distance*
I kind of get Andrew’s POV on this one. Super cute in catalogs but not sure how it’d come across in real life. My husband would certainly object. BUT the huge upside is that you won’t ever have to worry about having the whole family in stripes at the same time!
He’s right. He looks stupid.