A Good Pad on One’s Shoulders

Showoff Shoulder Pads: Women who are often asked if they’re wearing a new L.A. Raiders uniform could be experiencing a shoulder pad crisis.

The rule of thumb is: If the pads show, it’s time to get new ones, says Iris Tons of Mi Place in Fullerton and Laguna Niguel. “Good pads accent clothing, but if they show or they’re too big, they’re going to take away from your outfit and you’ll look like a football player.

“The best are custom-made to your particular dress or blouse to meet your needs,” she adds.

To evaluate your pads, check to see if they extend too far over your shoulders, or if one is higher than the other. Do they stick out beyond the width of your shoulders? If they are flat or bumpy instead of springy to the touch, you need new pads.

Sock It to Me: Men will spend a bundle assembling the right suit, shirts, slacks and shoes, but will they wear flimsy, nylon dress hosiery that look like knee-highs?

No, thanks, they say.

Well, real men do wear thin socks.

“I’ve seen guys go to work in a nice suit and thick, cotton terry socks,” says executive clothing consultant Dick Raymond of Santa Ana. “You don’t have to wear the traditional dress hosiery, but as long as the colors match, you can get away with a thin cotton or wool-blend sock when dressing up.”

Hold socks up to your slacks and shoes to see if they’re in the same “color family,” before putting them on. And if your feet feel squeezed in the shoe, the socks are too thick.

Side to Side: For the first time in human history, there appears to be no rule on the length of sideburns. Guys seem to be wearing them down to their jaw joints.

Or are they?

“Today’s stylish sideburns are small but they’re there,” says hair stylist Patty DeVeracco of San Clemente. “The guys you see without sideburns are now letting them grow out. And the long sideburns that started showing up a couple of years ago are now fading out.”

The good news for the too-long guys? “It takes just a few seconds to fix sideburns like that,” says DeVeracco.