K- pop, Skinny Boys, and Dressing My Long and Lanky Lad

I learned this week that my assumption that my FB audience and blog audience were essentially the same is an erroneous assumption. There is some overlap, but not as much as I thought. Kind of like this post. There’s some overlap with what we’ve recently discussed on FB, but also some new stuff.

First, the practical. I’ve blogged before about the difficulty I have finding clothes to fit our boy, who keeps shooting up, but isn’t really going out much yet. Almost too late, I have found a solution, and for those of you who do not have boys with a 36″ inseam, maybe this will help you: Asian fashion and skinny jeans. Actually, skinny jeans work, regardless. Asian fashions are built for slimmer builds, but you’re not going to find inseams longer than 34″.
Seriously. I am not talking about those jeans that are so tight the boys have to waddle or they look like, to be a bit crass, the family whatsits are being crushed and will never be useful for family, er, anything. Sorry.

For our skinny boys who have toothpick waists and stork legs, skinny jeans actually FIT like regular jeans fit regular sized lads. This means they no longer look like scarecrows and hobos, but even look a little… elegant. Not girly elegant, but classy.

I have found some great deals at Sammydress.com and Yes Style- Asian clothes are just right for our skinny boys unless their inseams go beyond 34″. Check the measurements given closely. Measure your boy in centimeters and compare, watching for the shrinkage factor. Also try e-bay. Slimming is a good search word for the men’s clothing section at E-bay.   You can also find things you like at Sammydress or Yes Style, and then use some of the descriptions to look for similar items on Ebay, sometimes you will find exactly the same thing for less with free shipping.

I also found some nice things for the FYG.  You do have to really watch the mailing costs, and also order quickly- prices go up fast, and stock on the things I liked best often disappeared while I was still clicking through the catalogs.  NONE of the items I’m showing you below cost me what the catalog cost says now- they were less, and I had a nice coupon.

these are called harem pants. Yes. I know.

Our girls like to wear boy’s basketball shorts in the summer because they are cool, comfortable, and long enough. However, they are so baggy, that if you sit the wrong way, there’s a drafty gap, which defeats the modesty issue that allegedly is the reason they like long basketball shorts. These boy’s ‘harem pants,’ however, don’t allow the gap.  They are comfortable, go below the knee, and allow free movement.  They are best worn with a long shirt if your girls are wearing them, though, because they are obviously made for boys.  Also, if you search for harem pants you’re going to find all kinds of things, from the cool to the bizarre and strange.  Some of them are full length and so baggy they look like the adult is wearing a diaper that needed to be changed six hours ago.

We also bought her this skirt, which is classy and adorable on her (she generally wears a medium, or a size 8 in American sizes)

We ordered this shirt to the right in a large for the boy, and it’s just right.  It’s called NanNom (a Korean clothing brand),  Patchwork Shirt in Gray.   It’s really comfortable, and looks really nice with jeans or slacks.

The slacks to the left were only available in size 32, which was just a wee bit on the short side. We could compensate for that with his Chuck Taylor’s or his black military boots-  and Asian styles are trending a bit high water based on various award shows I’ve seen, anyway.  They were a little looser fit on him than they are on the model in the picture, too.  They looked great.  And then we washed them and now they are kind of like capris.  They still look and fit great from the knees on up, but lengthwise?   They shrunk a lot.=(  Now they are not available in any size.

Straight Slim Fit Trousers

The black slacks with the white belt to the right- we bought them in an xlarge size (again, that is an Asian size, not American), and the length was

good, but the waist was just a touch to loose and baggy in the rear.  They work with a belt, and if he will grow horizontally now instead of vertically, they will be a nice fit.

We ditched the belt, though.  These slacks are called ‘Men’s New Stylish Designed Straight Slim Fit Trousers Casual Long Pants,’ and they come in several colors.  My boy likes black best.

double zipper slim and straight

These  double zipper slim and straight slacks to the left are my favorites. They are a size 34. Asian slacks for guys do not measure the inseam, they measure length from the top to bottom.  They look really nice on the lad, not tight, and not saggy, baggy, droopy drawers, either.

I also found a used pair of Cinch brand blue jeans that fit him- I’d never heard of Cinch, but I think they will last him quite a while. They look sturdy.

So we’re set for a good, long while.  At least if he won’t have another growth spurt. Last year he grew three inches, but I really do hope he’s slowing down.   The only thing I bought him that he was really annoyed about was a turtleneck sweater. He doesn’t wear turtlenecks, and I didn’t realize that, since I’d never bought him one before.  He would have looked really spiffy in it, too, and I regret the loss of spiffiness,  but he’s my son, not my Ken doll, so the turtleneck will go.

So, as I said, I like skinny jeans and Asian clothes on my son because he is so skinny, other jeans make him look like a scarecrow or like a kid trying to do jailbreak couture because regular jeans slide off of his nonexistent hips. But this is not a male clothing trend I can embrace.

However, as strange as I find the shorts over leggings look, it began to positively grow on me when I saw this one, which *is* trending in Euro circles and N.Y.: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2245498/Men-tights-Meggings-set-latest-fashion-conscious-boys.html Oh, dear.   Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear.

When my son wears ‘meggings’ they are more commonly known as ‘thermal underwear,’  usually in a camouflage pattern and he’s wearing them under his regular hunting clothes while sitting out in a deer stand 30 feet in the air in 30 degree weather waiting for dinner to walk by.

On the bright side, topcoats may be coming back, and if the men in meggings will leave topcoats coats on and tightly buttoned, I promise not to laugh very hard. At least, not where they can see me.

And while talking trends in male fashion, I have to share the suits in this Music Video with you. I love these suits. I wouldn’t dress my menfolk in them, mainly because the menfolk would revolt, but I do like the look of these.  They are so fun. I also really enjoy the eyepopping use of color here in this MV:

I tried to talk the boy into this:

Just to see what he’d say. He didn’t say a word, but if looks could kill, I’d be a little smear of smoking grease on the floor.

Which made it all worth it. I love shocking my kids.