friday style questions

her style*his style is a new development at Trust Your Style. I've started answering fashion and style questions here on Fridays, and while some people seem to like it, I'd still love to hear any and all feedback you might have. Also if you want to email me any style/fashion questions you might have, that would be great too. Click here to send in your question.

This week I thought I'd hit some of the questions guys have written in, although the concern about tattoos is a unisex one.



I work in a fairly conservative office. I have tattoo all up my arm, and it gets really hot at work sometimes. Is it ever ok to roll up my sleeves?

mj: If you're in a conservative environment but really like your job, you may want to think twice before you roll up your sleeves. The American legal system does not protect body art unless it's related to religion. Keep in mind, even if company policy about tattoos is vague, once you reveal your tattoos, new guidelines can be instituted at any time and are applicable to all employees.

To answer your question, some tattoos can be camouflaged with concealer or band-aids, but sounds like this won't work for you. With body art at an all-time high, one out of every ten Americans has a tattoo and one third of those between the ages of 25-30 have tattoos. The Wall Street Journal recently wrote about how tattoos are coming out into the mainstream workforce. At the same time, a recent study among employers shows that 70% still feel that tattoos in the workplace are unprofessional. It's been predicted that although policy about tattoos in the workplace is changing, we won't see major changes for about ten years. If you love your job, you may have to keep your sleeves down or even think about tattoo removal if you're in it for the long haul.

Do khakis ever go out of style?


Khaki Dockers? Hmmm...

mj: I'm not a big fan of khakis although I know in certain circles the "trad" look is red hot. Khaki Dockers, the kind you always see in corporate offices, remind me of "the lazy man's guide to getting dressed." Typically it's a boring, conservative look with very little style. That said, a lot of cool and brilliant artists wear khakis to create in, so it's all about context. Perry Ellis, my favorite designer when I was a kid, wore khakis every day, and my friend Izzy, a NYC cameraman, wears them and always looks chic in rumpled kind of way. As far as I'm concerned, if you look like the guys in this Gap ad, khakis are fine by me.




When men wear Khaki slacks, should they wear tan colored socks, or are black socks acceptable?


Check out www.joyofsocks.com for patterned socks.

mj: Please, don't ever wear black socks unless you're wearing black pants! There is a rule about socks and colors but I also think socks are one place--if you work in art, fashion, entertainment, publishing, etc.--where guys can have a little fun. If you're going to wear a patterned sock, you can avoid clashing by keeping it in the same tones as the pant you're wearing or having one color in the pattern pick up the colors in your outfit.



Next Friday I'll be back with questions about pantyhose, fishnets, and why your girlfriend's butt looks better in an expensive pair of jeans.