Hanging Out with Black Lapel: The Dapper Man Shop
A dapper man puts his whole look together with style. For five days, five online menswear brands came together to form The Dapper Man Shop, a popup shop in New York’s SoHo neighborhood. With everything from essentials, like slim fit boxers by Pengallan, to foundation pieces like suits and shirts by Black Lapel, to finishing...
A Guide to French Cuffs and Cufflinks
For some guys, it was fumbling through a sweaty, anxious prom night. Some late bloomers even wait until their wedding day. Whenever you had your first experience, you probably cherish the memory as a meaningful step towards becoming a man. We’re talking, of course, about the first time you put on a pair of cufflinks....
Ask a Black Lapel Stylist: Are $300 dress shoes worth the investment?
Q: “I recently read The Compass post, “How to a Build Your Dress Shoe Wardrobe”, and noticed that some of the dress shoes featured were over $300. That seems like a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a pair of shoes. Is it really worth spending that much on a pair of dress shoes?”...
How to Build Your Dress Shoe Wardrobe
Ever seen a well-dressed man wearing some tired old kicks? Nope? Us either. As designer Hardy Amies said, “It is totally impossible to be well-dressed in cheap shoes.” We agree. So do the ladies. Many women consider a man’s shoes the most important thing he wears. (Did you hear that, single guys?) Neglecting this part...
What to Wear to a Summer Wedding
We’re entering June, which means wedding season is in full swing. And even if you’re not the lucky groom, a wedding is one of those rare opportunities to drink on the house, show off those questionable dancing skills, and more importantly, dress up to the nines. So leave the office get-up for the cube, skip...
Ask a Black Lapel Stylist: Tie Width – How Slim or Wide Should You Go?
Q: “I just bought my first slim-fit suit from Black Lapel. Do I need to slim down my ties to match my slimmer suit? What’s a simple way to determine the width of my tie to match the rest of my suit?” – Mike E. A: This is a common question, often framed the wrong...
Father’s Day Gift Guide
He taught you how to ride a two-wheeler, played catch with you out in the yard on countless summer evenings and cooked up plenty of lip-smacking BBQs for you and the fam’. But more than anything else, he taught you to be the man you are today. So, on Father’s Day, make sure you give...
Choosing the Right Suit Lapel
So you saw you the latest Baz Luhrmann joint, read our post, and now all you can think of is decking out your closet with peak lapel suits like Jay Gatsby. But should you? What exactly is the difference between notch, peak and shawl lapels? What separates the three besides the obvious visual differences of...
Ask a Black Lapel Stylist: How to Match Socks
Q: “When suiting up, should I match the color of my socks to my suit pants or shoes?” – Ken J. A: As you can see from the picture above, we’re not all too serious about matching your socks to either your pants or your shoes. If we really had to choose, we’d say match...