NEW Contributing Writer & Resident Male Authority

Chandler Craig will be joining Style&Air as a contributing writer and resident male authority on arts and lifestyle in the big city. Here’s his opinion on the challenges straight men face when approaching fashion!

I’d say the eternal challenge of men’s fashion is how to stand out without looking too flamboyant or, in other words, how to simultaneously rock your personal flare and maintain your “manliness”. Most men give up on this daunting balancing act before they even try and end up dressing like Apple executives for the entirety of their sad, bland lives, an act that’s only truly admissible if you’re worth >1bil. In my opinion, it’s actually not all that difficult to be un-narcissistically unique. It’s all about being subtly captivating with a bit of thematic intent. In my case, I usually put on a cool pair of socks before all else, then wear whatever I have that a) makes sense with my sock choice and b) is clean and wrinkle-less. If I’m trying to step it up a little more than the next wrinkle-free man with a nice pair of socks and cuffed jeans (to showcase the socks of course), I’ll wear a single dark color with a colorful Hawaiian or otherwise patterned shirt popping out from my top sweater layer. The elements of surprise and nonchalance are the intended effects. I walk into a party, slowly unzip my navy blue jacket that I’m wearing with navy blue jeans and BOOM, a red floral shirt collar is folded neatly over a navy blue sweater. “Phew,” a relieved crowd of party-goers thinks, wiping the embarrassed-for-you sweat from their foreheads, “For a second we thought this navy blue dude was boring and not worth anyone’s time”. I smirk, walking to the bar to order a drink next to a solid 8.5. I sit on a stool. She looks down at my bending knees retracting my jeans enough to reveal the entirety of my dolphin print socks. She looks further down, then quickly up into my confident hazel eyes, and smiling declares, “I’m originally from Miami.”

-Chandler Craig