Please help to style my DH.

[RinkyDinkyPinky]

DH has only 2 looks:-

weekend = scruffy gap jeans and ancient surf T-shirts

work = black suit and formal shirts

There is no middle ground. We have a couple of nice occasions coming up to go to including dinner at a posh (but not suit & tie) restaurant, and a naming ceremony. Plus I am fed up of him wearing his least scruffy jeans and least scruffy T-shirt when we do get the chance to go out. (It used to be endearing but is wearing thin now...)

He does scrub up well and can do colours/ can wear pink etc. But tbh I have no idea where to start when it comes to buying for him. And I wouldn't leave it to him.

We don't have a great deal of time to go shopping (with 2 little DDs in the pram). So if anyone could recommend a look to go for it would make things easier.

DH is 40 but looks younger, budget- enough for one High St outfit.

Check out Ted Baker - I don't think you can help but look stylish in their stuff, it is well made, lovely cut and lasts for ages. Their denim is also good.

Is it too expensive though? You could always invest in decent trousers and knitwear, and then add with other high street items. For instance, Zara always have really nice looking stuff, and lovely jackets.

Thanks J&G. We do have a Ted Baker near us and I think DH would go for that. He's the sort of guy that would buy good quality clothes that last rather than fashiony items that don't.

I'll check out Zara too- TBH I haven't been anywhere near trendy high st shops for ages on account of prego/ post-preg belly so I didn't even realise they did menswear.

Uniqlo is good - you can do a preppy sort of blue longsleeved double cuff shirt - am sure hes got loads of these for work - and a grey v-necked jumper - these will go with a pair of smart jeans and then you just need some smartish brown trainer shoe things from Clarks - ie they're not trainers but they're not work shoes - what is the word for these?

I think dh's always look smart in a slim fitting shirt with jeans, pref dark coloured and some nice converse or smarter boots of going out.

He can then wear the shirt open with a tee shirt underneath and shorts when it warms up.
H&M have some good things, and the sale rail in gap is usually pretty good.

My dh wears a lot of chunky zip neck jumpers form Next etc as they look nice at weekends.

good pair of dark denim jeans
nice shirt from Ted Baker - check out TK Maxx stuff, often have good shirts for good prices.

Camper leather shoes or similar -

Great advice, thanks. I'm a Uniqlo virgin... are they good with sizes/ returns/ exchanges?

I like the idea of a fine knit V-neck or shirt/ T-shirt combo.

And he defo needs shoes- the current choice is black work shoes or paint-splattered sailing shoes. . Will check out Clarkes etc.

uniqlo are good with returns. Sizing is standard I find, well dh finds it is anyway.

Send him to White Stuff, I kit Dh almost completely out in there. Nice smart casual shirts, well cut jeans and jumpers plus more casual sweatshirts. All nice muted colours so he can sling anything on without it clashing!

Uniqlo come up a little bit small but I think are designed to do so iyswim. Their jeans are really good value - dark blue as someone has said before.

Do you think that smart dark jeans would be OK for the naming ceremony which is in a church?

Yes as long as the shoes were smart and there was a collar involved up top...though not a dog collar obviously that would probably be frowned upon

Fatface

Bought some nice shirts and v neck jumpers from there recently, put with decent jeans and sorted.

Bollocks. I meant white stuff

(though fat face aint bad) and then there's always Gap...

LOL Katestacks!

Hmmm sorry but I don't think jeans are ok for a naming ceremony. Even if teamed with starter items.

Jewelsandgems - it really depends on what sort of church it is - if its a catholic church or evangelical church where people dress up more then fair enough.

If its a bog standard CofE job then the more you've dressed up the more its obvious that you dont go to church at all iyswim.

I think men can look smart in those sort of black canvas jeans, providing they are very dark and not frayed. Otherwise I'd personally say 'no' to jeans in church.

The church is Unitarian- so quite relaxed?? I'm quite old-fashioned and remember wearing non-casual stuff to (C of E) church as a kid, jeans wouldn't have felt right back then. OK, times have probably changed.

However, from a purely selfish point of view I think DH could do with some smart non-jean trousers as well as decent dark jeans and then there'd be no dilema.

I really appreciate all the feedback with this .