Back to School 2019: Look Your Best, Feel Your Best, Be Your Best

By: Shmuel “SJ” Tannenbaum | Features | September 8, 2019

With a new school year now underway, students will worry about many things: What will my classes be like? Will I be able to hang out with my friends as I have in the past? Will I still be able to participate in my favorite extracurricular activities? While I may not be able to give expert advice in these areas, there is an area where I am confident I can help the average male student take the weight off his shoulder by enabling him to dress and feel his best on campus.

Hi. My name is Shmuel “SJ” Tannenbaum. I am the founder and President of the YU Menswear Club, one of YU’s newest and fastest-growing clubs on campus, currently with over 70 members. One of our goals is to help educate the YU community on “how to dress their best for less.” I – along with the Menswear Club Board, our members, and many around the world – believe that how one dresses can truly affect their personality, confidence, productivity, and overall quality of life for the better. Therefore, I wanted to make some quick recommendations of clothing items I personally love that will make you look and feel great without breaking the bank. If there are items that you like that are not on the list below and that you feel should have been included, please shoot me an email and let me know about them! You can reach me at jtannen3@mail.yu.edu.

Here are some quick definitions before we get started: Clothing that has moisture-wicking fabric, sometimes referred to as cool-tech, will deflect perspiration away from the wearer, thus keeping you cool and dry whether you’re chasing down the shuttle or hurrying to your next class. A great example of such a fabric being incorporated are dry-fit clothes. Microfiber clothing, which contains materials such as polyester, spandex and rayon, among others, is another example of moisture-wicking clothing. Mesh is a material that features large evenly spaced holes, often found as the inner-lining of mens’ bathing suits. A shirt that is seamless does not have a visible outlining or border around the collar. Where pants and underwear sit on the wearer’s waist is known as the garment’s rise.

The Essentials

1) UNDERSHIRTS

Uniqlo AIRism Collection – Uniqlo, a popular Japanese brand, offers a collection of undershirts, tank tops, underwear and polo shirts called the “AIRism” collection. These products are extremely lightweight, super stretchy, feature anti-odor technology and are made with moisture-wicking fabric. The undershirts come in a wide range of colors, styles (crew neck, v-neck, seamless) and fabrics (mesh, seamless and a smooth, silky texture). Each individual undershirt will set you back $9.90. This may sound like a lot but Uniqlo routinely sends out many discount codes to those who sign up for their email list. Believe me, even without the discounts, products from the “AIRism” Collection are well worth the $10 a pop.

2) UNDERWEAR

Uniqlo AIRism Collection – Underwear from the AIRism Collection come in a boxer brief style and a variety of colors and rises. They are made from a polyester/spandex blend, which features all of the aforementioned dry-fit properties. They also cost $9.90 each.

Calvin Klein Men’s Comfort Microfiber Boxer Brief 3 Pack – These boxer briefs from Calvin Klein are great if you love getting your underwear in multi-packs. Additionally, they also come in trunk and brief styles. They come three in a pack and are made in a microfiber option, as well as cotton (very soft). Personally, I prefer the microfiber ones because I think they offer more to the wearer than the cotton ones. Either way, a three pack of these will cost you $44.50 from Macy’s. There is, however, a three-pack of the underwear that’s on sale on Macys.com for only $26.70 (40 percent off) and can be reduced even 20 percent further with the discount code WKND, bringing your total to $21.36 – a steal for underwear of this quality! With this pack, you get the choice of Mulberry, Dizzle Stripe, and Grey Heather or Provence, Shoreline, and Cayenne as colors. But if you don’t like these colors, Macy’s always lowers the prices of their products, so it is almost certain that there will be a sale on a three pack with the styles that you love. Be sure to grab yourselves a few of these three-packs before they’re sold out!

The Wardrobe

3) DRESS SHIRTS

Dandy and Son Extreme Cutaway Collar Dress Shirts – Dandy and Son is a Norwegian dress shirt brand that specializes in very wide spread dress shirt collars. They call their most wide spread collars “extreme cutaway,” followed by “cutaway” and “widespread.” Their shirts are made from extremely soft fabrics, come in a variety of colors and designs, and are machine washable. Their shirts range in price from $49 to $79, but thanks to your Menswear Club prez, YU students get a special 15 percent discount when using the code “YUMENSWEAR15”. How cool is that?! These shirts may not be the cheapest out there, but I have four myself; they are some of the best looking and feeling shirts that I own. Pair one of these shirts up with a nice Windsor tie knot and a well fitting suit and you’ll be sure to ace your next interview!

Uniqlo Men Super Non-Iron Slim-Fit Long-Sleeve Shirt – Uniqlo offers many shirts of different styles, fits, colors, fabrics and features. My favorite shirt of theirs, however, is their Super Non-Iron Slim Fit Dress Shirt. It’s a simple, minimalist dress shirt, with a wide spread or button tab collar that fits close to the body for a nice, trim fit. It is very soft and comfortable, easy to care for due to its 100 percent cotton machine washability and comes in light blue, white, black and pink. For a dress shirt of its quality, its $29.90 price tag is basically a steal.

Twillory “Deal Room” Shirts – Twillory is a relatively new dress shirt brand that is competing heavily in the performance-wear fabric market. They make dress shirts that feature the industry standards – moisture-wicking, cool tech, non-iron, four-way stretch fabrics – and can be bundled to cost around $30 a shirt. Their shirts are stylistically similar to Charles Tyrwhitt dress shirts. I, however, find Twillory’s shirts to be much better in terms of their stretch, feel, and moisture-wicking ability. When you go to Twillory’s website, check out their Deal Room tab at the top of the homescreen to see the best deals on some of their most popular shirts. There’s sure to be a style and fabric for everyone.

H&M Slim Fit Easy-iron Shirt – H&M should be at the top of the list for those whose top priority in buying clothing is saving money. They offer a slim fit “easy-iron” dress shirt for only $14.99 in a very wide range of colors and combinations that include white, black, light blue, grey, dark blue, burgundy, blue/white-striped and more! The shirt is made of 65 percent polyester and 35 percent cotton so it shouldn’t shrink too much on you either.

4) PANTS

Perry Ellis Portfolio Tech Pants – Of all the pants I have ever worn, these are my favorite, period. They offer a comfort-fit flex stretch gripper waistband that will hold your shirt in place while also allowing the pants to have a comfortable grip. They come in a variety of fits and styles, ranging from very slim to classic fit, and come in solid colors as well as patterned designs. Additionally, they are made from polyester and have a mechanical stretch fabric that makes them quite flexible and very good at wicking away moisture and water! They also offer a zipper pocket within the right side pocket so you can store more items. I love pants that offer additional pockets aside from the conventional four (two on the sides and two in the back). They are also machine washable, so you don’t have to worry about dry-cleaning them. These pants cost $42.50 on Perry Ellis’ website but you can get them for less from Macy’s.

Tommy Hilfiger Men’s TH Flex Dress Pants – These are one of the most comfortable and stretchy pairs of pants I have ever owned. They’re not great at wicking away moisture but if you want a pair of dress pants that stretch like Adidas track pants, these are the ones for you. They’re machine washable, made from a rayon/nylon/spandex combination and fit slim. These retail for $95 but you can get them for around $40 from Macy’s.

Haggar H26 Mens Slim Fit No Iron Stretch Trousers – I have not yet had the pleasure of wearing these pants. However, I’ve heard great things and have checked them out myself. They offer a slim profile, have fair stretch to them and even have a waistband that can expand up to two inches in case you decide to dine out a little too much. They are made from a cotton, polyester and spandex blend that will give them a strong yet flexible feel for the wearer. Additionally, they are machine washable, so there is no need to worry about dry-cleaning bills. A great pair of pants to get from Target for only $29.99!

5) SHOES

AMAZON PRIME WARDROBE – Shoes are a deeply personal accessory. Because of that, I don’t feel comfortable recommending only a few pairs for the entire YU community; everyone has different tastes and preferences. What I can recommend is that everyone should try Amazon Prime Wardrobe. Prime Wardrobe is a service that comes free with an Amazon Prime subscription (or Prime Student subscription) that allows you to have up to eight items sent directly to your door for a seven day try-at-home period. You can keep what you want and return what you don’t with free shipping! It’s a fantastic service that everyone should take advantage of. Try it out with their free 30-day trial.

SHOE BRANDS – Instead of recommending a few pairs, some shoe brands I would recommend for the general YU community are Cole Haan, ALDO and New Republic. These brands have shoes that can be worn dressed up or casually and won’t cost you a fortune. If you’re more into casual style, Reebok sneakers have been making a comeback in the streetwear industry. I have a few pairs of them myself. For specific pair suggestions, feel free to contact me.

The Utilities

6) BACKPACKS/MESSENGER BAGS

Uniqlo 3-Way Bag – Uniqlo offers a unique bag that you can use in three different ways: as a backpack, as an over-the-shoulder messenger bag, or by holding its handle as a suitcase. It is water repellent, so it keeps everything inside dry regardless of the weather. Additionally, it has many zippered pockets to keep all your pens, tablets, laptops, notebooks, earbuds, snacks and other supplies secure and organized. The bag comes in two colors – black and navy blue – and is extremely light and durable. The bag costs $39.90. I got one for this semester and it’s been great so far! Highly recommended!

I hope these recommendations will help you guys look, feel and be your best! Again, if there are any items that you feel were left off that deserve to be on here, or have any questions or feedback, please email me at jtannen3@mail.yu.edu or come up to me around campus to let me know! If you want to learn more about style, clothing and how to get great deals on your favorite brands, make sure to sign up for the Menswear Club! Email me and I’ll send you the sign-up form. I wish everyone a fantastic semester and school year!

Photo Credit: Pixabay