PortaStyle Guide...How to Roll Up Shirt Sleeves

The PORTASTYLE
GUIDE
Roll up your shirtsleeves, Do this!

I love wearing long-sleeved polos, but given the humidity in this darn country, I need to find a way to make sure I stay cool even outside our air-conditioned office. The easiest way for me to do that is to fold my sleeves, which, much to my delight, is an art form in itself.

Now, I don't believe that there is a right way of doing this. To each his own, I always say, even in folding sleeves. My personal preference though is to have a small folded cuff just above my elbow (see number 2). How do I do it? Well, I basically fold the cuff until it reaches just below my elbow and then I fold the cuff in half even more to decrease its width. Then I basically just give it one more flip and voila, the thin cuff above the elbow!

"The Right Way"

1.

The Many Stages of the Sleeve Roll

But like I said, there are so many ways to do this. With Barack Obama's rise in September '08, GQ saw it fit to have their own tutorial to get the now-Prez's signature look. Men's Ex in Japan also came out and gave their two cents. Like I said, to each his own, just make sure "your own" isn't sloppily done. You are wearing a polo after all.

2.

GQ's says "Do This" in their September '08 issue
In the September issue of GQ, how to roll shirtsleeves “the right way.”

3.

Men's Ex says...umm...the picture says it all!
A lesson in stylized sleeves from the August issue of Men’s Ex, a Japanese men’s magazine.

Great magazines think alike — or maybe they just rip each other off. I realized this as I spent Labor Day reading two of my favorite men’s publications, GQ and Men’s Ex, the Japanese shopping magazine. I started with GQ. Buried in the 400-page September issue was a small step-by-step guide to rolling up your sleeves in a new way — as they put it, “like an attitudinal Italian.” I can’t tell you why, but I became obsessed with mastering this shirting origami, rereading the item until I had it down. A few hours later, I cracked open the August issue of Men’s Ex and, lo and behold, I found myself reading (or trying to read) a very similar looking tutorial. I’m honestly not sure what’s going on here. Is shameless appropriation just how these fashion editor’s roll? Or is it Barack Obama’s fault for putting rolled sleeves on the global fashion brain? Whatever it is, it’s suspect. But it’s working — I’m feeling attitudinal already.

Photos courtesy of tmagazine, Esquire, GQ, and Men's Ex

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