Why You Should Be Singing Auld Lang in a Canadian Tuxedo

"Should Old Acquaintance be forgot and.....hmmmhmhmhm hmmmmmm!

So apparently (as I've been told all my life) my family hails from Scotland.  In fact, I have a brother-in-law that's actually from the haggis-eatin', kilt-wearin' Highlands themselves--he's got the accent, cool hair...everything. But I'm quite positive you'd never know me vains run red wit Scottish freeeeedom if you stood beside me this New Year's Eve evening as the crowd burst gloriously into the old Scottish poem Auld Lang Syne. Because, shamefully, I honestly have no idea what any of the words are after the first bit and the occasional "Auld Lang Syne" that everyone shouts at the end of each verse.  And while there's a part of me that thinks maybe I should learn the words to earn a notch on my scholarly, refined gentleman scorecard, the other side of me says as long as I've got my wife and friends around when the clock hits 12, all that other stuff can go rot in 2013.

But with a brand new year, my friends, comes brand new possibilities.  A fresh start--which is why I think our society makes such a big deal about a day that basically amounts to us flipping our calendars over and doing this thing all over again. It's a time to reflect on the good and bad of the past year and take inventory of the people and things that are actually worth something.  Or for my wife and I, it's a moment that we know just brings us one step closer to the day we bring our beautiful baby girl home from Ethiopia.

So as you're standing there tonight, in-doors or out, with your loved ones or merely just a bottle of __________ keeping you company, make sure you're putting your best sartorial foot forward to kick off a new 365 days of being a refined, tough as nails, sharp dressed Man.  And what better way to kick it off right than going full denim on denim on denim on denim?  What you think I'm joking? (ok I am a little) But the Double Denim look is as bad-boy American as you can get, mi lad.  Don't believe me? Just ask Mr JT himself. It's classic cool at its greatest.

The "Canadian Tuxedo" has never looked better (but please don't call it that if you're actually wearing it)...IF you know how to pull it off.  Here, I've compiled 3 looks for your New Years Eve destination of choice to rock the working man's formal wear.

1. Dos Denim en La Playa

For those of you spending New Year's Eve in a blissfully warm, tropical heat (I'm guessing maybe Miami or Buenos Aires), trying starting out your DD looks with a breathable white henley, dark wash jeans, and a light denim button down.  Throw in some beat-to-heck boots for that just got done changing my own oil and wrestling a rhino feel and see if anyone even thinks about mentioning the word "Canadian."  (not that there's anything wrong with Canadians....on the contrary some of the greatest people I've ever met are from the Great North.....I'm just saying the Canadian Tuxedo is no more, ya see.)
Denim shirt from Tilly's; Henley from H&M; Jeans from Old Navy

Tres Leches? No, Tres Denimes

 Now if you're the aforementioned guy that's going to be surrounded by bottles of....er...root beer (as pictured above, calm down children) rather than family this year, maybe it's time to step up your denim game and go full-on Triple D! However, if you're piling on multiple layers of the beloved Canadian fabric, never mix the same shade.  Notice the gray denim jeans merely compliment the dark gray denim in the shirt and indigo in the jacket.  Bend the colors to your will and you will become the master.
Color blocked oxford shirt from ExpressMen; Jean jacket by Levi's  

3. Frio in Times Sqaure (I don't know why these ended up in Spanish)

Finally, if you're like most of us caught in this year's brutally fierce, Jack-Frost-just-ripped-my-face-off-my-numb, frost-bitten-body winter, you'll probably need to layer up whether you're standing outside waiting for the ball to drop or merely scurrying from your car to the house.  Try taking all your newly-acquired denim knowledge and using it to make some dang-near impenetrable forces against the wintry gusts.  A dark denim band collar shirt works great with some rust colored jeans, your trusty jean jacket, and the wool topcoat to keep everything sealed up tight. It's bound to get cold out there, so make sure you've got someone to run and get the cider while you hold place in line. After all, you'll want those pipes thawed out before the first chorus of Lang Syne.
Rust colored jeans and band collared shirt from H&M; Topcoat from Zara; Jean jacket by Levi's 

And with that, my friends, I wish you all the best for your New Year's celebrations and hope they are all filled with the people and things that you hold most dear.  See you all in 2014!

Blessings,