Men of Style: Meet Dave and Mike

Dear Readers,

Truth be told, I love shopping with my guy friends.

Men have such an interesting approach to the task and over the years, I've learned my best style lessons straight from the boys. From building a seasonless wardrobe to finding the best sales, these guys somehow always get it right. Shopping with them actually helps me make smarter choices, and I can always expect an honest, logical, (and sometimes indulgent) response to my own style dilemmas.

As I read through the Style Views from the past few months, I was inspired to interview the well-dressed men in my life, the ones I go to for sartorial advice and gift ideas for my husband. And so, I'm excited to introduce a new feature to the style letters, Men of Style.

This week, meet Dave Lucas and Mike Croley. 

Mike and Dave

In addition to being two of the most talented writers (and teachers) I know, Dave and Mike are co-directors of my favorite Cleveland event, the Brews + Prose monthly series at the Market Garden Brewery. Their innate sense of style not only makes them perfect subject matter for this feature, but equally awesome shopping partners. Dave and Mike graciously shared their advice for shopping success during our highly productive afternoon at the mall.

Places like Nordstrom Rack and Saks Fifth Avenue Off Fifth can be a little overwhelming for the average shopper. Tell us about your approach to shopping at discount outlets and how we can “make money” with bargain finds.

Dave: My only approach is the necessity of someone whose tastes far exceed his budget. I do try to buy behind the current season, which means being ahead the next time the season comes round. Patience and persistence are virtues in this regard. But being independently wealthy would be much easier.

Mike: My mom always took me to those kinds of places growing up. It’s where we found deals. I don’t think, growing up, we ever paid full price for something. Why would you? The key to those places, for me, is to get things when they’re going out of season. So I buy fall clothes during winter, spring clothes during summer, summer clothes during fall. And I don’t go for a lot of trends. I try to buy classic items, but at these kinds of stores, trends that are on the way out (to make way for the new) still have about a season or two before they become dated. So they’re great places for finds. I never look at jeans or pants in these places. I don’t think the sales are good enough. So you can bypass those. I only wear Levi’s, and their website has so many deals (with free shipping), there’s no other place to look.

At these stores, you have to be willing to spend some time looking and picking through, and you have to examine the clothes because they get handled a lot by customers or could even be returns. I start with suit coats first and always at Nordstrom Rack. Then shoes. Then ties. Then I’ll see if they have good dress shirts on sale. I avoid graphic tees as a rule, and I don’t buy polos at these places. I can get better deals online.

When is a good time to find great deals? Depending on the season, what should we be looking for on the clearance rack?

Mike: At the end of a season is a good time. For instance, if you need a nice winter coat, like a topcoat. Go in February. Men have been wearing nice camel hair or cashmere topcoats for fifty years. Stores want to move that off their racks, so you can get great deals on those kinds of things as winter winds down. And, like I said, clearance is a great time to get a trendy item you’ve been wanting.

When do you splurge and when do you save? What items are always worth the big ticket prices?

Dave: I’m willing to spend for something versatile — a great sport coat, for instance — that I can wear with a tie for work or with jeans afterward. Beyond that, I tend not to think in terms of particular items. I’m more interested in finding whatever is durable (both functionally and aesthetically), something well made and not about to go out of style.

Mike: Always splurge on something you’ll keep over five years. Like a really great suit and a really great pair of shoes. My dress shoes are items that cost a lot but that I’ll keep a long time AND that can be taken to a cobbler and refurbished like new. Same with the suits. Every man should have a blue suit and a black suit, at the very least. So buy a good one that can be tailored if you’re buying off the rack, or go to a good men’s store. I never get trendy with these kinds of items. I look at old photographs and read up about what’s going on. Sometimes, on the rare occasion I sell a story, which I consider found money, I’ll get something I’ve had my eye on.

What items stand the test of time?

Dave: Levi’s denim. Herringbone tweed. Leather boots, whatever style your pleasure. A heavy wool pea coat. Donegal sweaters. A chambray shirt. And, for me, eyeglasses and a watch.

Mike: I don’t think you can spend too much money on a really good bag if it’ll last you a long time. I like messenger-type briefcases (and I’m in the market for one now, so I’ve been looking a lot), and I think, again, everyday shoes are a good thing to spend a little money on because you wear them a lot. Same with good belts. I have a pair of Cole Haans I’ve had for ten years (two refurbishings). I’ve worn the same two belts with jeans for about seven years. Those things take on nice weathered looks over time. If you take care of your clothes (I air dry almost all my dress shirts and iron them myself), they’ll last five to ten years.

With spring approaching, we’ll all be updating our wardrobes over the next coming months. Any last pieces of shopping advice we can take with us?

Mike: I’m getting married in July, so I’m more or less out of the clothes market. We’ve been looking at tuxedos, and I’m going to buy one rather than rent. It’ll be fitted to me and it’ll last a lifetime, should I ever get a National Book Award nomination or be called upon to be a Dean Martin impersonator. But I always look for deals, and there are always some things you just can’t afford not to buy — like the pants I got at J.Crew two weeks ago for $17 after using my teacher discount on top of their own 40% discount.

Thanks, Dave and Mike, for getting us ready for the season ahead! Looking forward to our next shopping trip.

Dave Lucas is the author of Weather and co-director of the Market Garden Brewery Reading Series, Brews + Prose. You can learn more about this fantastic monthly series here. The next event, Brews + Prose: How Cleveland Eats, will be on Tuesday, March 5 at 7pm.

Michael Croley was born in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Corbin, Kentucky. A graduate of the creative writing programs at Florida State and the University of Memphis, his work has won awards from the Kentucky Arts Council, the Key West Literary Seminars and the Sewanee Writers' Conference. His stories regularly appear in Narrative, where he was named to their list of "Best New Writers" in 2011. His other fiction and criticism has been published in Blackbird, The Louisville Review, The Southern Review, Fourth Genre, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He lives in Granville, Ohio and teaches creative writing at Denison University. You can find him at www.michaelcroley.com.