Since I've been married, I find that my wife and women in general, are more forthcoming with sharing the secrets on what makes them tick. Probably because she knows I ain't going nowhere and if I try to use it, she's taking half like Unfunfu (if you don’t know, go watch “Eddie Murphy Raw”). So in an attempt to foster black love, white, love and all love in between I'm going to share some of these secrets with you fellas, so you can position yourself to strike that connection a little better with “Ms. Right!” And yes, this still has to do with style and staying SUITABULL. You're welcome.
When I met my wife, I was the tender age of 22. I didn't know it yet, but I was in "the game" like Jordan, dropping 60 in the 4th quarter, when she was about to pull a Phil Jackson and take me out the game because I was crushing the other team (interpret that How you will). In any case, as soon as she set her radar on me, I was done for. I fell hard like Wendy Williams. I fell hard like a fat man on black ice.
She's got a couple years on me, so I was surprised that she was trying to snatch me up. She told me later on that the briefcase bagged her. Other than my debonair handsome and mature looking face, I dressed like I meant business! Button up shirts with cuff links, suede blazers with the pocket square, fresh shined shoes and of course the briefcase! Man, I wasn’t making a whole lot of money, but I looked and felt like a million bucks. So to my fellas that might just be starting out in the workforce, or having a financial setback, rest assured that you don’t need to have a lot of money to look like a bag of money. So how did I do it, you ask? I’ll tell you in a moment. For those that don’t know the story, I met my wife in 2005 at church! Yes ladies, and gents, it is possible to meet some nice people at church. With Gaawd all thinks are possible! We, along with a few others were the charter members of a young adult ministry at our church, “Transitions Ministry”. We would meet every Thursday night to talk about things that typical 20 something year olds were going through, and how we can lean on the good book and the man upstairs to get us through it. I guess there's something to be said about having a strong spiritual foundation in a relationship, because that’s where it started. Every Thursdays I would pull up straight from work, dressed to the 9’s with my briefcase of course. I would find out much later that the briefcase is what bagged her. I would also find out that the way that I presented myself is what would bag most ladies. I thought i was just looking good for me, but I've been told that pride in my appearance helps a woman to check off some boxes.
Box #1--He’s got a job
Box #2--He’s got money
Box#3--He’s going to be able to take care of himself and me and whatever babies we have because of Boxes #1 and #2.
Box #4--Women love a man that can clean up nice
Box #5--He looks like he’s going places in life, and I’m tryna go
Box #6--He commands respect
Again, I thought I was just doing me, but women analyze you quicker than a Progressive Insurance quote, so you’ve got to be on your A game. So now that I’ve shared the secret sauce. Here are some tips on the look.
The Blazer/Sports coat
I was hyped when I got my first real job out of college. I was an Associate Business Manager at a large Media Firm, but with expenses like $300 per month on public transit, gas for my car and lunch, I couldn't afford to go splurging on some new suits. So my go to move was to beef up my Sports coat game. My favorite go-to was a black microfiber suede sports coat that i would wear with dark gray pinstripe pants. Once i threw on that button up and the rest of my get up, you couldn't tell me nothing. It was more economical to grab some new blazers, which cost under $100 and mix and match how I pleased, as opposed to spending $250 and up on a new suit. Don’t get me wrong, even them I knew I needed to have at least 1 navy blue suit, which ALL men should have. How else do you think I got the job? I think I confirmed the old saying that “women love a man in uniform”, since the blazer was my uniform and my girlfriend (now wife) sure loved seeing me in it.
The Shirt
So obviously, I wasn't out here bare chested underneath the sports coat like Spice Adams in a spoof video. The shirt was key. White for formal, blue for business, plaid for playful and striped for stuntin’ on em! My favorite was a blue and white striped french cuff shirt with a white banker collar, that I bought on sale and when I wore that with the cuff links, I was unstoppable.
Accessories
Attention to detail was a must, so I kept it fresh with the cuff links to go with my favorite aforementioned french cuff shirt, as much as possible. The ones that got the most wears were a pair of monogrammed cuff links that I received from my cousin as a wedding party gift. Luckily for me, my dad blessed me with a starter set of accessories, including a cream colored pocket square and a couple of ties. I even rocked my black pledge tie to get the clean black tie look.
Slacks
I’ll keep it short. Black, Navy blue, tan, gray and to set it off on em, black pinstripe and charcoal gray pinstripe.
Shoes
Loafers were my favorite back then, so I had a pair of black and a pair of brown. When I wanted to feel like the man, I’d go get a shoe shine in Penn Station, otherwise I’d buff them myself, like pops taught me.
Briefcase
Finally, the briefcase. The thing that caught my wife’s eye the most, before I even knew she was checking me out. It was a black briefcase/laptop bag that I borrowed from my Fraternity line brother back in college, which found a permanent home with me LOL. He doesn't know that he helped me bag my wife LOL. I bet when she would see me, she would be thinking, what is in that briefcase? Newspapers? Important work documents? Plans for world domination? You want to know the truth? Most times nothing. Well, maybe some pens and a pad and one of the free newspapers from the subway station like “AM NY.” But it didn't matter! The point is that your boy looked like he was going places. So when I would pull up to church for bible studies and my future wife was there, she thought I had it goin’ on!
If there was ever an important time in my life where looking SUITABULL closed the deal for me, it was when I met my wife. Fellas, this is not a game! It’s not just about flashy clothes, it’s about how you feel about yourself and the presence that you command out in the world. You never know if you’re putting yourself in position to bag your Mrs. Right with a briefcase. So stay on point, stay motivated, stay confident and most of all..
Stay Suitabull guys.
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