PhD student Jesse is stuck in a major wardrobe rut, and he's very particular about his clothes. Can we take him from sloppy tees and jeans to unique and chic?

   Our Style Mission

Our mission is to take dreamy Jesse’s wardrobe from plain and boring to college campus hip. He wants something original and unique, and that he can wear on a date.

Our guest expert is Jason Trotzuk, founder, designer, and president of Fidelity Denim. He had these tips for us:

• Jesse’s current look is definitely “inside-the-box” but he’s looking to kick outside of it. 

• You can’t go wrong with great pair of jeans. Dark preferably. Nothing to edgy or trendy.

• They’re going to have to channel their inner student and dream about what it would be like to date a college guy.

   Our Look Book

For Jesse, we wanted cool: skinny or slick cut jeans, a sweater, a vest, maybe even cords. A tie? Good for school, going out, everything. Versatile and fashion forward.

   Outfit details

• Lavender thin-knit cardigan: $50 at H&M
• Skinny black silk tie: $35 at H&M
• White collared cotton shirt: $50 at H&M
• Blue-black dark wash Levis denim jeans: $99 at Sears
• Black & white Converse shoes: $55 at Town Shoes
• Dark grey Joe Fresh wool pea coat: $89 at Real Canadian Superstore
• Grey-blue plaid hat: $62 at Eugene Choo
• Black Levis Messenger Bag: $80 at Sears

   Jason Trotzuk’s opinion

• I like the jeans: dark, simple, basic.

• I love the choice of sneakers. Chuck Taylors are the shoe equivalent of the blue jeans. You can be the geekiest guy around and if you’re in a pair of Chuck’s, you’re cool, you’re hip. 

• I’m not exactly sure of the sweater choice. It’s a bit mauvy, lavender. Pink would have been good. I don’t know about a lavender sweater for a guy.

• You can never go wrong with a Pea Coat. Timeless. A second skin.

• The hat is good. It’s better than your traditional baseball cap, but still casual. Has a nice cut to it.

• The messenger bag works. Keeps all the essential school paraphernalia in place. You can never go wrong with that. Great choice. 

   Did our style picks make the “Do List” or “Don’t List”?

Jesse thought the jeans were a success, and he loved the colour of the sweater the most out of everything. He was looking for unique, and we gave it to him!

Our style expert Jason Trotzuk liked most of what we put together for Jesse. He congratulated us on choosing classic pieces for him, though he wasn’t so sure about the lavender cardigan. (“He can take the jacket off, and the sweater with it!”)

   Tips we learned from our experts:

• Invest in timeless classics when creating a guy’s wardrobe. You can punch it up with cheaper trendy pieces, but good bones like classic jeans, sneakers, and a pea coat (or leather bomber or motorcycle jacket) are key pieces.

• A good button-down shirt is so versatile. You can be buttoned up for a meeting and then go to the bar or a football game and undo the top couple of buttons and you’re good.

• Dark wash jeans are best. They can be dressy and they can be casual in the drop of a hat. It’s all in the details.

   Other Show Segments

• Style Tips: Men’s Fashion Do’s and Don’ts
• Health Tips: Good Posture
• Style tips: How to Tie a Tie
• Product test: Botox for excessive sweating

Please note: opinions expressed about fashion and beauty in this article are just that: our opinions. Feeling beautiful on the inside is what matters most, but we like to do what we can on the outside too.