Kate Canterbary: Clothes make the man
Kate Canterbary, author of Necessary Restorations, explores what it is about a well-dressed man that heroines, and readers, love so much.
Kate: What is it about a well-dressed man? Whether it's the perfect pair of jeans or an expertly tailored suit, the right look turns the swagger all the way to up to irrepressible.
You know that look. The comfort in his clothes that gives the impression they were designed with him in mind. The confidence sparkling around him like his own little glitter storm. The glint in his eyes telling you that he knows exactly how exquisite he looks.
And that look? It's delicious.
He was facing down the hallway and adjusting his cuffs when I opened the door, and he pivoted, giving me a slow motion view of his charcoal gray three-piece suit.
Oh, holy Moses.
I'd heard the phrase suit porn before but never saw the interest until Sam Walsh.
Sam Walsh, from The Walsh Series, lives that look, and he knows it. Call him what you will — fashionisto, metrosexual, hipster — but at the root, he's a connoisseur of style.
Sam oozed trend and charm. His auburn hair was strategically sculpted into the perfect tousled look, and I was positive I saw his entire outfit—light gray glen plaid trousers and matching vest, crisp white shirt with funky cufflinks, and hot pink tie—in a boutique window on Newbury Street.
Sam believes that men should take their appearance just as seriously as women do, and he's not alone. More and more, men are tuning in to trends, and merging their personalities with fashion. The resurgence of well-sculpted beards is one example of men drawing out their unique styles while also accessorizing in a modern way. And forget about basic black dress socks! Men are infusing bold colors and prints in daring ways, and it all adds a little more shine to that sexy swagger.
So what does this new-found attention to fashion detail say about men? Have they stumbled into a pool of vanity? Or are they hungry for more choice and differentiation when it comes to their wardrobe? Perhaps it's much more simple: Men gain the same buoyancy from the right clothes as women do, and it is a glorious sight to behold.
An eye-catching tie, a fancy pocket square, some trendy color combinations. I enjoyed shopping, and when I started pulling in respectable money, I liked building out my wardrobe with designer suits. It was true what they said about looking the part.
Here's the blurb about Necessary Restorations:
They liked to call me names. Manwhore. Slut. Player. But I make wrong look so right…
He's a flawed perfectionist…
I can read women better than any blueprint. I understand their thoughts and feelings, their secret desires and insecurities, and I know how to get rid of them once I'm done with them.
But all bets are off when Tiel Desai slams into my life. She redefines what it means to be friends, and she makes it sound like the filthiest thing I've ever heard.
I can't read the gorgeous conservatory-trained violinist, but she's the only one keeping me from shattering by small degrees, and I can't let her go.
She's wildly independent…
My past—and New Jersey—are far behind me, and now my life is blissfully full of music: playing, teaching, and lecturing, and scouring Boston's underground scene with an annoyingly beautiful, troubled, tattooed architect.
I'm defenseless against his rooftop kisses, our nearly naked dance parties, the snuggletimes that turn into sexytimes, and his deep, demanding voice.
I have Sam Walsh stuck in my head like a song on repeat, and I'm happy pretending history won't catch up with me.
The one thing they have in common is a rock-solid disregard for the rules.
They find more in each other than they ever realized they were missing, but they might have to fall apart before they can come together.
It's the wrongs that make the rights come to life.
Find out more about Kate and her books at www.katecanterbary.com.