punching up your style for pennies:

gq's bite this style:
so the very stylish folks at gq got together and replicated some of their favorite looks from the fancy pants runway shows in paris and milan. the results surprised me and i wanted to pass on a few of my favorite selections.

the idea is simple enough: replicate and improve upon the latest and greatest in men's style - but at a fraction of the cost and only using brands that are widely accessible.

gq's remake

the two examples of these remakes that i selected were especially chosen for gq's ability to not just mimic, but to improve upon the look they were seeking to replicate. the above look from gq breaks down as follows:

sports jacket, $280 from topman
shirt, $128 from j.crew
chinos, $30 from target
belt, $18 from h&m
flip-flops, $18 by havaianas
total: $474

below is the runway model. im only giving the price of the clothing because i have no idea how much it would cost to obtain a tanning booth for just your head.
total runway cost for dsquared² outfit: $2,940

runway original

i like the next look because it is simple and combines pieces that are versatile, like the jacket that works with a tie but would look just as good with a t-shirt and jeans. also note how much better fitting the pants from the gq picture are, length and taper are critical.

gq's remake

so here's the breakdown for gq:

jacket, $320 from kohl's 

shirt, $15 from forever 21 

tie, $15 from the tie bar 

pants, $160 by banana republic 

sneakers, $50 by converse

total: $560

and here's the cost for the look pictured below:

total runway cost for jean paul gaultier outfit: $3,000

runway original

every so often, investing in a good pair of shoes or a suit is completely worth the money to look just right, but men's style can get a little pricey. using brands like j.crew, h&m, or stores like target can really help keep things reasonable.