Written by Sasha


Hi Sasha, recently at work, someone started a trend called 'Tie-Fridays.' It's actually really cute and fun because we're normally a really, really casual office, so it's nice to see people dress it occasionally. I really want to join in too, but I'm not really sure how... I definitely won't be wearing a full suit, and I'd like to try something a little more funky, so can you offer any suggestions? What are the best ways for women to wear ties? Thanks,
J

What happened to casual jean Fridays? This sounds like far too much effort, but because you sound into it I’ll try my best to offer up some options.

Okay, here’s what I’m thinking. If you don’t want this to come off jokey then you’ll really need to commit to the whole androgyny look - which means, the look has to be equal part wang and equal part lady bits. Now, I know you don’t want to rock out in a whole suit but I think you still need to add elements of it - otherwise you’ll just look like Avril Lavigne. And just as a side note, am I the only who hopes that one day Avril will get the memo to stop looking like Avril ?!

So J, my first thought is that you’ll need to reach into your closet and pull out a great tailored black pant. I think the key is wearing ones that are cropped at the bottom so your ankles peep through. You can either do a cute flat brogue or a great heel with it. Moving our way up, you’ll also need a nice tailored shirt. If white feels a bit too blah then mix it up with some color –a blue, purple or even pink shirt will look great. Then just throw on a skinny black tie and you’re set. Basically channel this look Leighton Meester worked a few months back. Although I think her face and hair look f-cking jacked – she pulled off the outfit really well.

The next option is a western bow tie. It’s definitely a bit more indie rock, which I’m down with. It’s like Ducky from Pretty in Pink meets Brandon Flowers meets Anne of Green Gables. Click here and see what I’m talking about. You can buy one on the cheap but in all reality if you can tie a shoelace then you can just as easily hit up a fabric store and DIY. Just find yourself a thick black ribbon and tie it around your neck and let the two strands hang down. Now because this look is way more fun you can go a bunch of different ways with it. But I’m thinking it would look great if you wore a pair of skinny jeans, a white collared shirt and then threw on a preppy knit sweater over top. Find inspiration here and here. Oh and check out this site - how damn cute are those?

My last suggestion would be to scrap the tie all together and replace it with a bow tie (this is the way I’d go). You could throw one over a cute denim button up shirt and pair it with a black pair of skinny jeans and then finish it all off with a grey cardigan. Or you could tuck in the shirt/ bow tie combo into a skirt and you’d look fly. Check out these following looks here and here to get what I’m talking about.

And if all else fails buy this t-shirt and call it a day.

So there you have it J, I hope this helps! And you better send me a picture from your desk at the end of the week.


Sasha, I have a hairstyle question about the short bob. I've been letting my hair grow out in order to donate it to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program that makes wigs for people who've lost their hair due to cancer treatments. Now that I have the appropriate length (8" is the minimum and I'm at approximately 10") I'm ready to make the cut. My question is what style of bob could I get that a) won't make me look like an 8 year old girl and b) will make it easier to transition to growing it out again. I'm a 34 year old professional who's active in sports so something with the ability to pin my hair back off my face would be helpful and, oh yeah, I have a round-ish face, and fine, blond hair. Hoping for hair help,N

N, first off, what a great thing you’re doing by participating in this program. One of my close friends from home, who I love so much, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. And I can tell you that while she looks like a total babe bald, I know that finding a kick-ass wig gave her a bit more confidence during this really hard time. So N, in short, you’re rad for doing this.

Now back to what to do to your ‘do. Hands down, if you’re going to get any short cut you have to go with what Scarlett Johansson is working with lately. (Which I guess, Jennifer Aniston and Alexa Chung have as well.) If I could, I would, so N, if you can -- do it. What I love is that it’s not like the traditional boring bob; instead it has that “I just got the f-ck f-cked out of me” look, which is pretty damn hot. Obviously I’m not a hair stylist so I have no clue how it’s done but from what I can gather it looks like there’s a lot of texturing and layering involved. What also seems to be key is that the cut starts out a bit shorter at the back and then moves into these great longer bits up at the front. So N, if I were you I’d print out a butt load of pictures and give them to your stylist so that she knows exactly what you want.

I’m sure it’s going to look great!


Hi Sasha,
This is a style question for my husband. I need some good ideas for clothes that I can buy him for his upcoming birthday. His current style is exactly what Lainey describes Jacek’s style to be. Under armour, Nike, Reebok are staples in his wardrobe. Don’t get me wrong, he looks great in his dark wash jeans, hoodie and kicks. (At least he doesn’t wear sweatpants outside of the house) But sometimes when we want to go out for dinner, he’s wondering which golf shirt is the dressiest. So I need some easy to wear styles that won’t make it look like his wife dressed him up. Oh, and there’s one factor that he says is the reason he only wears athletic wear – he sweats. All his shirts are “dry-fit”, moisture wicking wear. Any suggestions? K

K, I know where you are coming from. When I first met my man he exclusively wore surf tees and dark baggy jeans. Which at first, I loved; because anyone who knows me knows that I have a pedo disposition for runty looking teen boys. But I knew the time would come that I’d have to change his steez and make it a tad more grown up.

So the easiest way to remedy the situation was with the collared Ralph Lauren button up. I know it sounds like it would be expensive but that website churns out some serious sales on the regular and now my homie has a really good collection. I love them on him! He rolls up the sleeves, throws on a pair of slim cut denim and we’re in business. K, I would definitely hit up the website because from plain shirts to plaids to checks – they have it all. Also check out Banana Republic –they have a great array of casual dress shirts, plus their sale rack runs pretty deep. Another gem of a brand is Club Monaco. Their men’s section is pretty damn great. And my man, much like yours, can’t get enough of his hoodies and the other week I made him buy a really good one – it’s still a hoodie in concept, but just a bit more refined looking. I can’t find a link on their site but if you scroll down to the end of this post I made the spouse pose for a shot. The button detail is good, right? (Please excuse the detergent stains)

Now when it comes to the sweating situation - are we talking normal man sweat or like Hyperhidrosis sweat? I actually need to digress for one moment because whenever I think of sweating men, you know who I think of right away? ROBIN THICKE. This one time Dylan and I were on a shoot and we were waiting backstage for Robin Thicke to finish a show so we could interview him. We were just casually watching him on this big screen a few feet away from him, and I swear, not a word of a lie, he walked on stage and then 5-4-3-2-1 he was drenched. Like, no joke. It looked like someone hosed his ass down on stage. I’m talking dripping arm sweat, stomach sweat, finger sweat, ass sweat… you get the picture. It’s like nothing I had ever seen before. Anyway Robin canceled the interview that night because he needed to take a shower??!! (Um, the funniest slash weirdest excuse I’ve heard in my career). Anyway the point of this story is, well, there is no point, other than to tell you that Robin Thicke has a serious case of Hyperhidrosis.

Anyway, if your homeboy has more active adrenal glands then most, then I don’t see what he still can’t wear a dry fit tee or beater underneath these shirts. So K, good luck, I hope this helps and that your transformation is a successful one.


Photos from Wenn.com