Lately, more and more of my photographers friends have begun to blog about their personal style in posts like my friend Tori’s “Wardrobe Wednesdays” or Jen + Ashley’s “Style Sessions.” As someone with very little natural intuition in the ways of fashion, I really look forward to those posts! I’m not an innovator AT ALL when it comes to dressing myself, and I’m more often than not left panicking about what I should wear to a client meeting because I’m a terrible shopper and can’t assemble outfits without the help of someone much more knowledgable. 

It turns out, though, that someone in my family DID get the fashion gene! My big brother Ethan is a champion dresser- remember his e-session? Within the past couple of years he decided that it was time to start taking pride in his attire,  so we began to see a change in how he dressed. No more ratty t-shirts or hoodies- these days, he dons ties, cufflinks, boat shoes and waistcoats, and he does it all on the budget of a single parents serving with the United States Marine Corps. This dude can find a deal ANYWHERE.

So since I lack any fashion sense whatsoever, I decided to focus on men’s style seeing as I have one very fashionable brother. Plus, I feel like when it comes to choosing a groom’s wedding day attire, people feel limited to Men’s Wearhouse. Don’t think like that! There’s a lot of creativity to be had! Ethan helped to style both the groom from our Harry Potter wedding shoot and our groom from our yet-to-be-released styled shoot, and as his own wedding is coming up this October I’m incredibly excited to see how he and his groomsmen outfit themselves.

When I asked Ethan about his wardrobe choices, he told me he keeps an eye on stores like Jos. A Banks, then pounces when they announce some of their larger sales. He’s incredibly budget conscious and almost always sticks to clearance/sale racks, but he did emphasize that he’ll drop extra money on a few choice pairs of shoes or a nice suit. Wardrobe staples are important, and once you have a few key pieces, you can outfit the rest of your closet with less expensive items to mix and match.

Land’s End button down shirt: $10, H&M vest (waistcoat): $30, The Tie Bar tie: $12, Target leather belt: $10, EXPRESS socks: $5, Calvin Klein leather boots: $105.

Was this post at all interesting? Let me know- if y’all liked it, we’ll do more in the future!