Men's Style

With ROSEMARY McCABE

Get shirty

There’s more to life than striped shirts and popped collars – check out our selection of the best casual shirts on the market

Floral printed shirt (€195) by Duchamp at Brown Thomas

Lumberjack shirt (€33) at Next

Tropical print shirt (€20) at Burton

Collared white shirt (€39.95) at Zara

Denim shirt (€43) by River Island

Star buy

British heritage brand Church has enjoyed a resurgence of late, and you can get a pair of its trademark shoes for less at the new outlet in Kildare Village. These Brisbane loafers are €275

Why it works

Chris O’Dowd, Bridesmaidsstar and great Irish hope

Accessorised with a leggy brunette, (in this case, actress Lenora Crichlow) O’Dowd’s almost-dowdy tweed jacket dresses down an almost formal ensemble – and takes the “waiter off duty” edge off his white-collared shirt. Try yours with slim-legged jeans; for similar styles, try Zara or Marks & Spencer.

Channing Tatum of, er, Step Upand The Vowfame(And, y'know, easy on the eye.)

Channing’s grey-scale get-up brings a distinctly “done” feel to casual Friday – and each piece is suitably versatile to wear with pretty much everything else in the discerning man’s wardrobe. We’d drop the necklace and, although we can’t see his feet, we’re hoping he’s wearing navy blue runners.

Five things worht hiding from your other half

ASIDE FROM having someone to watch re-runs of Mad Menwith, and the fact that they occasionally perform basic DIY tasks, women like the idea of having boyfriends because of the thievery potential – they are, after all, called "boyfriend jeans" for a reason. Make sure what is yours, stays yours for as long as possible by doing the grown-up thing and hiding the following things before she gets her grubby paws on them.

1 Your Gillette Fusion ProGlideThere is one thing the ads don't tell you – ladies' razors are like men's razors except, well, not as good. If a woman is in your bathroom for longer than 10 minutes, chances are she has realised that she forgot to shave her legs and has discovered your razor.

2 Your favourite white shirtHave you ever seen a woman in a man's shirt and thought, "wow, that woman looks terrible"? No? Neither have we. Men's shirts are bigger on the shoulders and the buttons are on the wrong side, but pair one with the perfect pair of denim skinnies and court shoes and it will quickly become the chicest, most Parisian outfit she owns.

3 Your American Apparel hoodieBlame the LA-based clothing company for making its items unisex, but there is no way you will be able to hold on to your fleece-lined hoodie once she gets her hands on it, no matter how many sizes too big (or too small) it is. There's something delightfully comforting about wrapping oneself up in a man-scented jumper, so make sure she doesn't ever get her hands on it.

4 Your socksDo you think your socks go missing of their own accord? No, they do not; they find their way out of your sock drawer and on to feet that are jaded from hours of high-heel wearing the night before. Do yourself a favour and invest in a pair of slippers instead.

5 Your favourite band T-shirtIt doesn't matter that she's never really been that into The Smiths and suspects that every song might in fact be based on the same melody and rhythm. If you leave your rare Smiths Gladioli T-shirt from their 1984 tour hanging around . . . well, you pretty much deserve what you get. (Or lose.) Consider yourself warned.

Have you got a fashion query you’d like answered? Send your questions to rmaccabe@irishtimes.com

Read Rosemary's fashion blog, Fash Mob, at irishtimes.com/blogs