Shirt #14 - The Inagural Sean John Appearance

Manufacturer: Sean John
Brand: Sean John
Shirt Name: Sean John Powder Blue Short Sleeved Button Down
Year Purchased: 2008

It was all a dream. I used to read Word Up! magazine...
Man, the Sean John line always makes me reminisce on Biggie the greatest rapper of all time! I was so amped up to take this picture for the blog I had to make it an action shot. I'm pointing at you my friend. Only think is, I've never realized how long this shirt came down on my arms. it looks like I have no arms.
By the way, the opening lyrics, Biggie's Unbelievable. If you don't know now you know.

This is a great spring summer shirt. I can even see myself walking on the beach on a warm summer day with my shirt open and a tank top on. And of course I would have the chancletas on (look it up, it's a word) so my toes can enjoy the breeze.

So, what do you think?

What should I do with this shirt?

Please use the voting buttons to tell me if I should Keep, Donate, Burn, or Frame it.

Shirt #13 - LRG does not Stand for Large (Part 2 of 2)

Manufacturer: Lifted Research Group
Brand: LRG
Shirt Name: LRG GRASS ROOTS SIX KNIT TEE (B&T) - Brown
Year Purchased: 2009

So when I first wore this shirt a girl asked me if LRG stood for...oh wait, I already told this story. Well for those of you that don't know, I bought these shirts from one of the best stores around, Dr. Jays. No, they are not owned by the great basketball player Julius 'Dr. J' Erving, but if you grew up in NYC you will know the chain of stores as the #1 place to get the latest sneakers and gear. Fortunately they are now online so even though I am across the country in Seattle I can keep up on my fashion and rep NYC on the West Coast.

Really not much more to say about this shirt other than it is the brown version of the green shirt I posted earlier today. And for those of you wondering, I didn't wear both shirts today. I actually embarked on this journey last November. I've been committed to not repeating any of my shirts since the start so I am a bit behind on my blogging. I have a backlog of shirts that I am working through.

So, what do you think?

What should I do with this shirt?

Please use the voting buttons to tell me if I should Keep, Donate, Burn, or Frame it.

Shirt #12 - LRG does not Stand for Large (Part 1 of 2)

Manufacturer: Lifted Research Group
Brand: LRG
Shirt Name: LRG GRASS ROOTS SIX KNIT TEE (B&T) - Green
Year Purchased: 2009

So last year I realized that I don't have any LRG branded clothes in my closet, and as you all know, I love the brand names. [ed. note: Would it be inappropriate for me to add a "chika chika" sound right here? I really want to. Wouldn't it be funny?] I was like DAMN! LRG is popular. LRG makes clothes for the big man. LRG should be on my back. So I go out and buy a pair of LRG Tee's (that's why this is part 1 of 2 genius) and I proudly put it on the first time and wear it to work because it just meets the bar of not being too casual according to my loosly defined scale. Thing is, first day I wear it, with the matching sneaks from Rocket Dog Arsenals the first question I get is does LRG stand for large? How could she not know LRG, it's urban (and by that I mean that hip-hop heads wear it) and extreme (yeah, the skateboarders) I thought all bases were covered. It doesn't happen often, but I guess I was wrong (jokes).

Now about the shirt. It's still fairly new and it's a good looking shirt. Not to mention that I have a matching pair of shoes. I'm kind of a plain dude so this fits my style well.

So, what do you think?

What should I do with this shirt?

Please use the voting buttons to tell me if I should Keep, Donate, Burn, or Frame it.

Shirt #11 - The Weekender

Manufacturer: Marc Ecko Enterprises
Brand: Eckō Unlimited, Since 1972
Shirt Name: Eckō Unltd. Navy Crown and Sword Tee
Year Purchased: 2006

Have you ever noticed all these clothing companies that have a "Since [some year]" in their brand name? How is it that the Eckō brand has been around since 1972? The brand was founded in 1996 for Pete's sake (who is pete by the way?) Some might argue that since the founder, Marc Ecko, was born in 1972 that put the whole program in motion. Well if you're going to use that logic then wouldn't you use the night that he was concieved? Even still, the man was born Marc Milecofsky (bless you) so it can't be since 1972 because that person did not exist. This marks the end of the rant portion of this broadcast, we now return you to the regularly scheduled program.

Ok, so this shirt is a bit of weekend Mike. The logo down the left side is raised and textured (I know, cool huh) and for some reason I feel a bit weird about wearing it to work. I'm a super casual dude, but this one is almost too casual so this just becomes a weekend shirt. I probably picked this shirt up at the Burlington Coat Factory because I am cheap and have no problem wearing last year's style. Over the years I've done plenty of shopping there. Such great bargains if you are willing to weed through lots of crap. Then you find a jewel like this shirt.

So, what do you think?

What should I do with this shirt?

Please use the voting buttons to tell me if I should Keep, Donate, Burn, or Frame it.

Shirt #10 - Have No Fear People, the Plaids Are Back!

Manufacturer: Harbor Bay Clothing Company
Brand: HB SPORT by Harbor Bay
Shirt Name: Harbor Bay® Black Flannel Sport Shirt
Year Purchased: 2000

When Y2K became Y2-Nothing reality set in. I've gotta dress like the other folk I work with, you know, the professionals. See I worked for NDB.com and we were somewhere between the finance world of gray suits and the .com world of t-shirts. That combination produced a lot of plaids, polo's and in some rare and odd circumstances turtlenecks. Ha...ha...ha, turtlenecks make me laugh. Well since polo's are too preppy I stocked up on plaid. What a misguided soul I was. Fortunately I have come to realize that it's not about the clothes, but the man which means that I make everything look cool.

This is a classic plaid shirt. If you are going to have plaid in your wardrobe you have to have a red plaid. Since it's flannel I have also been known to wear it as a light jacket so it is quite versatile. I know, it's not very NYC, but hey I make this shirt look good don't I?

So, what do you think?

What should I do with this shirt?

Please use the voting buttons to tell me if I should Keep, Donate, Burn, or Frame it.

Shirt #9 - The Golf Shirt a.k.a. The Tiger Wooo!

Manufacturer: Oak Hill Clothing Company
Brand: Oak Hill, Established 1972
Shirt Name: Oak Hill® Windowpaned Wicking Polo (Yellow)
Year Purchased: 2009

I don't even know if I need votes on this one, for sure this shirt is a keeper. This shirt is fresh, and not the put it on the wall and frame it (yes, yes, yall) type of fresh. This might be my favorite shirt purchase last year. The shirt has DRY ACTION® (imagine me saying that with a booming deep voice) which means that it keeps me cool and well...fresh!

This shirt also fits me quite well. Not too big or too small, just right. It's the kind of shirt that I can wear out to work, to relax and chill, a casual dinenr at a nice restaurant. Oh so versatile. And if ever I decide I want to give golfing I don't have to buy new gear.

Honestly, I don't have a negative thing to say about this shirt. The yellow is soft so it doesn't hirt the eyes, and the blue boxes that make the window boxes are a great color compliment. With all this talk, if you want to get this shirt youself you can find a similar shirt in Midnight Blue at CasualMale.com ... you're welcome :?

So, what do you think?

What should I do with this shirt?

Please use the voting buttons to tell me if I should Keep, Donate, Burn, or Frame it.

Shirt #8 - Rocawear Green & Yellow Vertical Striped Button Down

Manufacturer: Rocawear Apparel
Brand: Rocawear
Shirt Name: Rocawear Lime & Lemon Short Sleeved Button Down
Year Purchased: 2005

When I moved out to the Bay Area I had to make a statement...New York is here, so yall better recognize. That's when I loaded up my closet with Rocawear and Sean John to let them all know that I wasn't the ordinary dude. Not sure if that move was good or bad, but I became know for my shirts and sneakers and this shirt was in heavy rotation.

These designers cam up with a classing vertical striped shirt and if you look really close you can see that they flipped the pattern on an angle to get some vertical stripes going on the breast pocket. In a word, HOT!

This really is a classic shirt that is perfect in the summer because of the bright colors, but I can also wear it in the winter so everyone knows my style is not dictated by a season. Now comes your part...

What should I do with this shirt?

Please use the voting buttons to tell me if I should Keep, Donate, Burn, or Frame it.

Shirt #7 - Enyce Yellow Polo with Blue Trim

Manufacturer: Enyce Clothing Company, Brand of Distinction
Brand: Enyce
Shirt Name: Enyce Yellow Polo with Blue Trim
Year Purchased: 2007

OK, so the year purchased is just a guess, but I think it was one of the last things I bought before moving from California to Seattle. With that as my memory whether accurate or not you've gotta understand the sentimental value that this shirt holds. Yeah, the shirt is a little big on me, but that't the style...right? Either way, I do look good in yellow if I may say so myself. For anyone that would disagree you are either dilusional or a liar. Your choice, just know that you are wrong.

What else makes this shirt special? Well, the brand name Enyce. The correct pronounciation is en-nee-che, which is a bastardization of the origin of its pronounciation the phonetic spelling of "NYC." A New York dude like myself is always geeked to see a New York reference. Even better, the three dudes that started the clothing label (Evan Davis, Lando Felix, and Tony Shellman) got together in Seattle, my current city of residence.

By the way, don't mind the water spots. I had just finished washing the dishes.

What should I do with this shirt?

Please use the voting buttons to tell me if I should Keep, Donate, Burn, or Frame it.

Shirt #6 - Shirt Calvin Klein Jeans Black Eagle T-Shirt

Manufacturer: Calvin Klein
Brand: Calvin Klein Jeans
Shirt Name: Shirt Calvin Klein Jeans Black Eagle T-Shirt
Year Purchased: 2008

If you read my last post you already know that I am drawn to the brand name. Don't be surprised that I went out and purchased a Calvin Clein product just be surprised that they actually had somehting in my size. All jokes aside, this is a classic t-shirt. Yeah, I know you usually expect to see a form fitting shirt so this is a bit on the big side but it give me good room to breathe.

My one qualm about this shirt is that it has that faded look. Like it's been through the dryer a few too many times. But I promise you I bought it like that. Thanks to my momma I am one helluva clothes washer. If there was a nationwide clothes washing competition I'm guaranteeing a top 5 finish. I wash clothes so good one time back in high school I took my sock off to show off my four toes (yup I'm missing one) and all they could do was admire how white my sock was...but I digress.

I've only had this shirt for a couple of years, so it still has a lot of wear left. I picked this shirt up on one of my many Rochester Clothing runs. Big shout to Rochester Clothing! You do a good job of outfitting big men across the globe. So far I've been to your stores in NYC, Cali, Seattle, and London.

What should I do with this shirt?

Please use the voting buttons to tell me if I should Keep, Donate, Burn, or Frame it.

Shirt #5 - Chaps Long Sleeve Plaid Shirt

Manufacturer: Ralph Lauren
Brand: Chaps Ralph Lauren
Shirt Name: Chaps Long Sleeve Plaid Shirt
Year Purchased: 2004-ish

Polo isn't always an option for all of us. Sometimes we have to go with the low budget Chaps brand. If I remember correctly I bought this shirt when I moved out to California (Bay Area STAND UP!). Yes, it's plaid, but soon enough you all will find out that I have lots of plaid. Hey, what can I say, I am a product of my environments. Growing up we didn't have lots of branded clothing in my house so as an adult I gravitate to the brands. And I did go to Babson College, a hotbed of plaid shirts, khaki pants, and Beemers.

So what's good about this shirt? Well, it's big, big enough for me to wear open with a dark colored t-shirt under. I tend to wear it buttoned up and it makes for a good casual Friday shirt. Of course since I have always worked for internet companies this would almost be considered a dress up shirt for me.

And the bad...well look at the sleeves. When I stretch my arms out the sleeve creeps up well below my wrist. Honestly, I think there is a conspiracy against big dudes wearing long sleeve shirts. So many of these shirts have extra wide bodies but the sleeves are short as hell. I wonder if my arms are longer than the average big dude out there. Am I the problem? I think not.

Editorial side note: Why did the Good Lord make resting one's hand on the waist so damn comfortable yet so feminine looking. And why don't I have a single friend that gave me a heads up on how the hand on the waist looks. I've been doing that for years. Well from here on out, no more. The hand on the waist has officially been laid to rest.

What should I do with this shirt?

Please use the voting buttons to tell me if I should Keep, Donate, Burn, or Frame it.