Browsing Category

Reviews

Family Reviews Style

GETTING ACTIVE AFTER THE HOLIDAYS

BlueCollarPrep

BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep

Trying to stay in shape these days feels harder and harder – especially during the holidays! Between juggling work, the blog, house chores, and spending time with my family, it doesn’t leave much time for fitness. These days I’m finding that if I want to work out as much as I would like to, I need to find ways to include my son. We’ve been bringing Nate to the track lately. He loves trying to race mommy and I around. Sometimes we’ll even have an imaginary game of baseball and run the bases over and over. The kid loves to run, so it works out! It actually started lightly snowing when we were shooting, but it made it all the more fun for Nate! I also recently starting going to a Cross Fit gym by me a few times a week. The gym actually allows me to bring my son to watch while I’m taking my class. It’s adorable watching him try to copy the moves and workouts from the corner. He’s a big fan of burpees and box jumps LOL. Not only does he enjoy being included in getting active with my wife and I, but he also loves that he can match daddy. One of the many reasons we like going to Marshalls is that they have something for the whole family. They also have some great workout equipment! My wife recently got a yoga mat, I got a muscle roller, and I also picked up this jump rope, which I’ve really been into lately! (Of course we had to find one for Nate as well, so he can join in). I’m a big fan of keeping it simple when it comes to activewear so I love an all-black fitness look. The long-sleeve RBX shirt is great for winter. It sort of has a mock turtle-neck and the inside has a fleece feel. I’ve been looking for fitted & tapered workout pants for a while now. They’re actually not so easy to find, and most activewear pants that I come across are baggy and sloppy looking. I was so happy when I found these! I LOVE the neoprene material that was used in this outer jacket! I love the silhouette with the scoop hem in the back and the fact that you can take half of the sleeve off and still be able to rock it in warmer weather. I’ll definitely be purchasing more of these technical looking sweatshirts by PUMA for 2017. Love the look and versatility of them! I wore these black ECCO sneakers to complete my fitness look. They’re very clean looking since there are no laces, and they’re also very comfortable and easy to slip in and out of. Its like wearing a slipper that you can run in! We lucked out and found some coordinating all-black activewear for my son as well. Marshalls really is our one-stop shop for brands we love for my entire family! Check out my feature on the Marshalls Blog!

Reviews Style

NEW CHELSEA’S IN MY CLOSET

BlueCollarPrep

BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you know that one of the hottest trends not only in men’s fashion but in footwear alone is the Chelsea boot, and I’m a huge fan! Some of these brands sell them for upwards to $1000, so it was nice to see that Shoeology makes and sells them for less than $100! (You don’t always have to break the bank to follow trends) I paired these Thompson Brown Chelsea Boots with black pants, this rust vintage button down, my black leather and this green fedora (just to add a little pop of color, but not over the top) I felt like the look was sort of that old school Brooklyn vibe 🙂 The distressed brown on the boots gives them that worn-in, casual look but the subtle sheen on the leather keeps them a little dressy. If you don’t own any yet and are hesitant to try a chelsea boot, due to the more refined look and narrow shoe silhouette, these are a good pair to start off on – price-wise and they’re one of the more rugged styles I own, for you manly men! 😛
Family Reviews Style

‘LIFE IS GOOD’ AT MARSHALLS

BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls

BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls BlueCollarPrep for Marshalls

Usually a perfect Friday night for my family and I is a little date night. Nothing too fancy but something that has a little something for everyone…a trip to our local Marshalls. On the surface it might not sound that exciting, but it’s a night that has everything we need after a long work week. We’re able to spend some time together doing something we all love…SHOP! We’re lucky enough to have our favorite pizza place, Home Depot (we’re homeowners, we live here), and liquor store (for after Nate’s asleep) all in the same shopping complex. We usually start our night by getting some pizza and filling our bellies so we don’t have to rush shopping and Nathan’s not cranky. We then head over to Marshalls to do some shopping! It’s a great store to bring our son Nate to because it not only has clothes for him, but we can also bribe him with a toy if he behaves and let’s us shop LOL. Depending on how good he is during the week also determines the size of the toy. Usually we just get him a little toy truck, book or puzzle (we shop at Marshalls way too much to be getting a full-sized jeep every time we go). Sometimes we’ll even grab a little snack from the checkout or home goods area to snack on while we’re walking around. We actually grabbed a bag of Jalapeno chips ($2.99) to take to the park with us, but unfortunately we were too hungry and the chips were too good and never made it to the park to be in our shots. Before we head to the fitting rooms, we always hit up the home goods section – a good portion of our house decor and kitchen utensils are from both Marshalls & Home Goods. We love the hopes of finding that one unique piece! The outfit I picked up had a great variety of brands…which is another thing I love about Marshalls. What other store can you have access to all these top brands at such affordable prices?! I’ve been trying to grow my hat collection but with such a small head I have a hard time finding a hat that fits just right. This plaid ‘Life is Good’ hat ($9.99) is a perfect fall pick up and goes great with the preppy look I was going for. The green in it was really brought out in combination with this Vineyard Vines vest ($59.99). Fall is a good time to break out the vests and a great way to add some color or texture to your outfit. I kept the shirt simple with a classic white button down from Jack Spade ($24.99)…which happens to be one of my favorite menswear brands. I also got a great pair of New Balance sneakers ($39.99) which I wore with no socks. I know some people aren’t a fan of going sockless but it’s comfortable for me and I do it all the time, and most importantly I like the way it looks with most of my outfits. However, you can easily go to the Marshalls sock section and pick up a pair of no-shows to get the same look. While I was shopping in the shoe section I also found and bought Nate the cutest all black Onitsuka Tiger sneakers ($19.99). I own two pairs of sneakers from the brand already and love their retro style. Of course he looked adorable in them! We took our Marshalls finds to one of our local parks to play, explore and shoot. Unfortunately one of our favorite little streams was a little dry, but it didn’t stop us from exploring (Nate loves exploring and hiking). We still got to throw some rocks…just with a lot less splash. Heading over to the playground, Nate was a little too excited and wasn’t watching where he was walking and tripped and fell. Poor little guy got a boo boo on his knee but was excited he didn’t mess up his new sneakers LOL That’s my boy! My family and I pretty much have the same routine at least 2 Friday’s out of the month LOL What can I say…we love pizza and love our Marshalls, in hopes of finding that perfect hidden piece! We also love the fact that you can hit up another Marshalls location and find completely different pieces. Boy do we get excited when we’re away for the weekend and drive past a new Marshalls to scavenger LOL We love the shopping rush of finding that perfect #MarshallsSurprise! Check out my post on the Marshalls site as well!

Family Reviews Style

NATE GOES BACK-2-SCHOOL IN MINNOW & MARS

BlueCollarPrep

Minnow + MarsBlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep

My son Nathan recently got to work with a super fun company, Minnow + Mars. He got to choose from a few items from their collection so we let him pick his faves. He went with their Not Too Wacky Essential Khakis (good choice Nate) and their No Sleep Til Brooklyn Bridge Tee. I know every parent thinks this of their kids, but he’s super smart for his age and he told us he liked the shirt because “that’s where daddy grew up” (how he knew that is beyond me…he can’t read yet, but somehow he knew that bridge. His Nanny teaches him a lot and his memory is unbelievable! (Ok enough bragging). I wasn’t surprised he chose the joggers, because almost all of Nate’s pants are joggers. They’re just more comfortable for kids to wear while being active, but it still gives them a clean look of a jean, or in this case a chino. With school starting he really wanted a new backpack…and he loved the About Face Fox Backpack! Once his package came he was so excited to get mail with his name on it (he can read his name :p). His favorite item of course was the backpack…he loved his new “little friend”. We took Nate to his school’s playground to take some shots in his new gear and to burn off some of his 4 year old energy (and boy does he have a lot of it!) This kid is such a ham in front of the camera. He knows the drill too well after watching mommy photograph me lol. Definitely check out this new brand, Minnow + Mars, for some cute, affordable kids wear (they have women’s & home goods too!).

Reviews Style

CASUALLY FALL WITH @JCPENNEY

BlueCollarPrep for JCPenney

BlueCollarPrep for JCPenney  BlueCollarPrep for JCPenney BlueCollarPrep for JCPenney BlueCollarPrep for JCPenney BlueCollarPrep for JCPenney BlueCollarPrep for JCPenney BlueCollarPrep for JCPenney

I’ve partnered up with JCPenney to show you how I pieced together 2 of their pieces to create this fall look. With so many great affordable brands to choose from I decided to go with these great Arizona Chino Flex Joggers (in Winter Moss Green) and this Arizona Short-Sleeve Baseball Tee. I completed my look with a denim jacket that I already owned. I love how olive and denim go together! The best part about this outfit is that even though it looks great, I was also really comfortable. The baseball shirt is a padded jersey material (I love the little bit of texture) and the joggers are somewhat thin – which gave it that flowy look and a great fit, and made them so comfortable. As an added accessory, we took out my wife’s 79 Corvette to take in some local scenery at a farm not too far from my house. What guy doesn’t like taking photos with a classic car like this! I love the fact that I can hop on a train to the city and still live so close to this beautiful area! My entire look from JCPenney was under $60 and it was #SoWorthIt! (blog post sponsored by @JCPenney #ad)

Reviews Style

#100PiecesOfPerry | PERRY ELLIS

BlueCollarPrep for Perry Ellis

BlueCollarPrep for Perry Ellis BlueCollarPrep for Perry Ellis BlueCollarPrep for Perry Ellis BlueCollarPrep for Perry Ellis BlueCollarPrep for Perry Ellis BlueCollarPrep for Perry Ellis

I partnered up with the classic menswear brand, Perry Ellis, to take part in their #100PiecesofPerry campaign to showcase their fall collection. Perry Ellis decided to re-imagine the traditional runway show and take the concept to the streets with their fall collection. Follow along as the digital runway unfolds at #100PiecesOfPerry! I got to style and show how I would rock an all blue monochromatic look. This Large Plaid Wool Jacket is a perfect way to rock flannel without it being just another flannel shirt. I mean bomber + flannel = 🙂 right? I wore this blue long-sleeve button down and navy dress pant as well. I added a cuff to the bottom of my pants (as I seem to do more often than not) and added a tan/brown belt to add some texture and to break up the colorblocking just a bit! The hint of tan also compliments the navy and matched the details in the white Vans I wore. You know me, I always seem to sporty up my dressier looks!

Reviews Style

DAY TO EVENING IN MSX BY MICHAEL STRAHAN

BlueCollarPrep

BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep

My wife and I are always looking for ways to stay active and to try fun, new things to do together. We both recently started taking up golfing. My little man has also started…he looks too cute holding his new little golf bag! Most of the time we go golfing we usually try to make it a date night by following it up with dinner and some drinks. It can be kind of tricky to choose an outfit that I can wear golfing and be able to head straight to cocktails with little to no changing of the clothes. In comes my MSX by Michael Strahan Stretch Chino Pants from JCPenney. The polyester/spandex material makes them comfy enough to go golfing in (or to chase Nate around in) and will dry quickly to hide any sweat marks before I head out for a drink 🙂 I decided to do one of my favorite color combos and go full-on monochromatic. I paired the pants with a navy form-fitting shirt and pair of navy Converse. The pants are a very classic fit (and lightweight, and did I mention super comfortable with a bit of stretch?!) and I like more of a tight leg, so I decided to tight roll the bottom of the pants (which I actually do to a lot of my pants lately). To change the look from casual to a little more dressy, I paired them with my brown monk-strap shoes…navy and brown just always look so good together! I think both shoe styles work really well with this outfit, and really shows off the versatility of these Chino Pants!

Reviews Style

PRINTS & LINENS IN INC INTERNATIONAL CONCEPTS

BlueCollarPrep

BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep
A great way to stay looking sharp and keep cool is to find alternative materials and styles. I found both with this INC International Concepts Men’s Smith Linen-Blend Blazer and the matching INC International Concepts Men’s Smith Linen-Blend Shorts, exclusively sold at Macy’s. Linen is a more breathable fabric and is a great way to stay cool in warmer weather. I decided to keep my outfit classic in all black and white and paired the suit with their INC International Concepts Men’s Cosgrove Long-Sleeve Shirt. I’m a big fan of this all-over print! Actually…as I was out shooting this look, I got multiple compliments on this shirt. I kept this look a little more casual by leaving off a tie – that seems to be my thing…keeping my dressier looks more on the casual side or make them a tad sporty. I really like how the shirt brought the suit and classic black weejuns together. Sticking with the classic look, I wore my new DUFA DF-9011-01 Watch. I love the clean design, with the slightly bubbled/raised face glass to give it a touch of modern. My favorite detail about this watch is the Japanese automatic movement! You can’t go wrong with classic pieces like this. Overall I’m really digging this look and love the shorts suit. I’m definitely excited to be expanding my wardrobe by adding these dressier pieces in!

Family Reviews Style Travel

G.H. BASS MAINE TRIP (LOOK 2)

BlueCollarPrep

BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep BlueCollarPrep

During our GH Bass Vinalhaven, Maine trip, we were by the water a lot. My son loved exploring, climbing and playing on the rocks. He was having a blast so it was pretty easy for my wife to snap some really cute shots of us together. I just love chunky sweaters, especially cardigans. I decided to keep it casual as Nate and I hung outside the cabin and played around on the rocks for a good chunk of the day. The view from here was amazing! I paired this cozy and cool Ralph Lauren Denim & Supply sweater with a pair of ripped jeans and my GH Bass Decker Camp Boater’s in the dark brown color. Slip on shoes are just so easy to take on and off and always feel so comfortable to me. I love the contrast of the dark leather and the light colored sole and they’re a good mix of both dressy and casual – easy to pull off with most looks. The leather on these is stiff enough where it feels like a good leather but not overly stiff where they’re uncomfortable…I just love them. Pair them with some loose-fitting, cuffed up jeans, for that easy-going but clean look! More GH Bass looks to come 🙂