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Ask A Style Scout: The Right Sunglasses, Best Fall Fragrances

Justin Livingston Style

[Hi, I'm Justin - the stylist and blogger behind Scout Sixteen. By day, I'm scouting out the latest and greatest in fashion and lifestyle. By night, I'm like a Magic 8-Ball for all of your style questions. From finding your best local thrift store to discovering the designers you need to know, I'll be doing the down-and-dirty research so you won't have to. If you have a style question, I have the answer. Send them to questions AT scoutsixteen.com.]

I’m trying to find clothing options for my boyfriend. He is average height (5’9”) but as a trainer, his body is quite muscular. We’ve found a few shirts that work but can’t seem to locate proper trousers that will fit his legs. Any suggestions? – Caity S., San Francisco, CA

Your boyfriend and I seem to share a similar fate: athletic upper thighs. I’ll admit that trousers are quite hard to find when one aspect of your leg is disproportionately larger than the rest… but there’s hope! Brands like GAP, Levis and Bonobos offer a great fit for stockier thighs that doesn’t hurt the wallet.

A few options that he can try out are: Gap’s Standard or Authentic Fit, Levi’s 527 Boot Cut and Bonobos’ Boot Cut versions. It’s important that you create a visual balance to the pant to offset thicker thighs (or calves or rear… whatever it may be). The ‘boot cut’ option works well because it tricks the eye into seeing a proportionate lower half; however, one key rule it to hem the pants if they are too long. If your ankles are swimming in extra fabric – you’ve set yourself back to a very sloppy Square One.

I’ve been using the same cologne for close to 10 years (Acqua di Parma) and I feel like it’s time to mix it up. Do you have any newfound favorites? – Kristopher L., London, England

Acqua di Parma is a great, classic scent that I would recommend to anyone; however, in this case I agree it’s time for a change. A few more modern options I would suggest are:

-       Hermès Un Jardin Après la Mousson – This is a unisex scent from Hermès that has both masculine base tones juxtaposed against light floral top tones for one classically dapper scent.

-       ODIN Fragrance’s 02 Owari – This light, natural fragrance is spot-on when paired with a casual outfit or weekend excursion. With notes of Japanese mandarin, grapefruit and Tonkin musk, this cologne hosts an intensely vibrant scent.

-       Polo's ‘Big Pony Collection’ #3 – This scent smells like fresh laundry with a hint of ginger extract and mint. Preppy without feeling too pompous.

I tell many of my clients to have three or four scents on hand and rotate them based either every four weeks or based on occasion. This will help keep each scent from feeling stale and overused.

[caption id="attachment_67280" align="aligncenter" width="601" caption="Modern Colognes, from FragranceNet"]Fall 2012's Best New Colognes[/caption]

I have this chambray shirt that I bought from Gap about 5 years ago. It’s one of my favorites but I’m looking for a clever way to “re-invent” it. Any ideas? – Simon B., Portland, OR

 Oh la la - repurposing and reinventing are two things I love to do! Here a few suggestions that I think could make your favorite chambray shirt feel brand-new:

-       Try an easy stencil DIY project. This one from Because I'm Addicted features one killer leopard print that is simple and chic.

-       Dip-dye it! Mix one-parts bleach with two-parts water in a pan. Soak half of your shirt in the pan for three hours. During the last hour, slowly pull about 2 inches of your shirt out of the bleach. Do this every 12 minutes until the shirt is completely out of the pan. Hang-dry your shirt for 24 hours – and voila!

-       An easy and simple step to re-invention is to sew a new fabric to the front pocket. This will add a fresh vibe to the shirt without altering its shape!

I’m trying to find a good pair of sunglasses but can’t seem to get the shape down. My face is heart-shaped – which lenses would be best? – Tanya L., Jersey City, NJ

Use this guide to frames and faces to find your proper shape:

[caption id="attachment_67281" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Parfois Sunglasses"]Finding The Right Sunglasses[/caption]

Square Face = Round, Oval or Butterfly style shape; glasses that connect at the top of the frame.

Oval Face = Square or rectangular shapes add angles to the soft curves.

Round Face = Angular and geometric frames sharpen your facial features while making your face appear slimmer.

Diamond Face = Oval frames will maintain balance while cat-eyes will emphasize your cheekbones.

Heart Face = Bottom-heavy styles will add width to your lower face while narrow, rounder frames will soften your forehead.

Triangle Face = Top-heavy styles will balance the width of the jaw.

 Previously in Ask a Style Scout: Fall 2012's Color Palette

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