Hot guys wear sport coats
I probably lost a few geek readers with the words, "sport coat," but a sport coat (also called a suit jacket or blazer) can make the most awkwardly shaped man look more attractive. Besides, if you own a suit - and you should - you already own a jacket you can wear with casual clothes, why not get some value out of it?
How to buy a sport coat
Get measured at a store that sells suits like Men's Wearhouse, Filene's, or Macy's. They will let you know your jacket size. You want a black or charcoal coat if you do not already own one, because it is the most versatile. If they ask you whether you want single- or double-breasted, select a single breasted for the same reason. You will also have to select between a two- or three-button jacket. Personally, I do not think it matters. Just be aware that when buttoning a suit, you only ever button one button. On a two-button suit, it's the top button. On a three-button suit, it is the middle button.
Get your sport coat tailored. A coat that is untailored may make you look disproportional. You do not want to look like you are trying on your father's clothes, or vice versa. The tailor will either take in or let out the sleeves and adjust the fit. This is always necessary, but particularly if you buy a used coat.
Wearing a sport coat casually
A dark sport coat, such as black, navy blue, or charcoal, will complement jeans, khakis, or dress pants in most situations. Make sure that your belt and shoes match the jacket, and that your shirt is a contrasting color. For example, you would not want to wear a blue shirt and blue blazer because it washes out the effect, making your torso look like a giant blob instead of defining its contours. You can throw a sport coat over jeans and a t-shirt for a "Ryan Seacrest" effect, or over a collared shirt for something more formal. Tuck or untuck the undershirt based on the situation, a sport coat makes everything look a little better.
A sport coat does not go with sweat pants or stovepipe jeans. The rest of your outfit must be a good fit, or the coat is going to look silly. I am personally against wearing sport coats with sneakers, though I have seen it done to positive effect. For example, John Cusack often wore/wears Converse with a sport coat.
You need not worry about the coat defining your contours if they are, say, gelatinous. Sport coats make fat men appear trim, skinny geeks bigger and more defined, and everyone look a bit more manly. You will always look better in a sport coat.
While you might not want to wear a sport coat to the mall, you will look better at a high-cl@ss bar, pool hall, or dinner. Matching a coat to casual pants or even jeans is great for family gatherings and church as well, and would make mom proud.
Geek objections
Save your, "That's not my sty1e," arguments, wearing the wrong clothes can be as rude as giving someone the middle finger. Regardless of race or religion, all men should own at least one suit for weddings and funerals, at a minimum. Even if your entire wardrobe came from Eastern Mountain Sports, you need to own a suit. Going to a formal event in slacks and a collared shirt is disrespectful to the host, and it may be disrespectful to your date.
The Geek
Our geek has come a long way from his oversized T-shirt and tapered jeans. Let us put a sport coat over his existing clothes to see how it changes his appearance.
Not bad, appropriate for cocktails.
Very nice, great for shooting pool.
These clothes are all the same clothes he was wearing in prior Geek to Chic entries. This underscores the versatility of the sport coat. I hope I encourage at least one geek to impress his girlfriend or spouse with a nice dinner!
Still need more help?
Tailors and suit salesmen are as slimy as used car salesmen. However, they almost always know what they are doing. Try on an ugly coat to be sure they would not let you buy it, effectively verifying the validity of their advice.
A word on dry cleaning
Dry cleaning lowers the life-expectancy of your clothes. Dry cleaning is a misleading statement, as dry-cleaned clothes are typically washed using special - and often harsh - chemicals. Thankfully, you almost never need to dry clean a suit. I have read once every two to three months with wear, but if it's just sitting in the closet and you wear it once a week in the evening or less, it can go a year or more without dry cleaning. The smell test is absolutely valid, just make sure someone else does the smelling (it can be tough to smell ourselves).