Went to a function a few days ago, and really took notice of what mens dress clothing choices were made for the occasion. It’s an interesting exercise to casually check out compadres, and see what they are projecting in their mens dress clothing choices.
Some archetypes:
Power — this gentlemen was a man of power and absolutely projected it in a finely made wool suit (subtle vertical pin stripes appropriate for his stout frame) and a white silk pocket square, with the simplest of flat folds (BTW, an amazing resource for every pocket fold known to man is samhober.com — sheesh, this guy knows his folds).
Intellectual elite — some things never change, and I don’t know that I’ve ever seen an “intellectual” (real, or of the pseudo variety) that wasn’t doing the nobby oversized sweater, corduroy pants thing. It’s like a uniform, and for real dress-up add the blazer with leather elbow patches.
Business cool — a variation of business casual. The occasion called for relatively conservative attire, and this guy stepped out, just a hair — cuffing the plaid shirt mid-forearm (I don’t know how he was able to do this with his over-sized cufflinks still in place — but, made me look!)
Ignorance of youth — as always, some fresh out of school youth looking purposelessly tousled and unkempt, absolute mens dress clothing cluelessness. Guys, mom’s not around to iron your shirts anymore, and that’s why God invented professional launderers! It’s a couple bucks, drop the daily latte and get your shirts pressed!
Hopefully, you know your archetype, and it reflects who you are (or are striving to be). Before you go out for your next social event, just take a quick glance in the mirror and see yourself as if for the first time. Are your mens dress clothing options saying what you want them to say about who you are?
The traditional mens gift is the mens dress clothing wardrobe staple, the tie. Once considered a thoughtful gift (in long, long ago land) it’s now more associated with, LAME! Why not go for something more thoughtful, more personalized, more reflective of the times?
1. Books. Obviously, Amazon’s Kindle is THE hot item for adults this Christmas, definitely the gift of choice for a techie, if it’s within the budget (we’re talking $259 at this writing). I prefer the “personality” (and price tag!) of a “real” book — I like the way it feels, I like turning the pages, handmade bookmarks, dog-eared pages; there’s just something extraordinarily reflective and connected about real books.
The writer of a wonderful blog site Art of Manliness, has put together some great lists of books. They’re a great jumping off point to find just the right books for men and boys on your list. The Gift of Books – For Men
2. A “man bag” (aka, a “not your father’s briefcase) — don’t freak out, the “man bag” I’m suggesting is more a cross between a travel bag and a briefcase (the over-the-shoulder messenger bag just doesn’t do it for me, yet…)
Yes, this one is more the multi-generational, pass it down to the eldest child quality, but, you get the picture.
3. A cool winter scarf. Keep it relatively conservative, and make sure it’s comfy (scratchy but stylish would not be cool). Besides being brilliantly practical in the cool weather, it also adds a dash of color and panache.
4. Pocket Squares (otherwise known as handkerchiefs and pocket silks) — A great stocking stuffer or “add-on” gift, and always welcome for the mens dress clothing afficionado! Pocket squares are back in a big way, whether “dressed down” in cotton or unfinished edges, or classic silk.
So, there, no reason for “yet another tie” this gift-giving season — with a little thought, you can make the traditional holiday gift-giving more meaningful than ever.
Nothing exudes cool like rugged. There’s this American iconic love of the hard-working, independent, strong,and capable male image. One easy, subtle way to up your rugged in your mens dress clothing wardrobe is to invest in a great pair of boots.
Boots are being worn with more than just jeans, making them a versatile addition to the mens dress clothing wardrobe, too. You’ll seem them under khakis in business casual, and in almost any ensemble involving a blazer — outside of white shirt and silk tie, boots are becoming an approved look.
When you’re considering your boot purchase, it is all about quality. Invest in high-quality, well-made boots — a good set of boots should last at least a decade, and will quickly become a favorite choice in your mens dress clothing wardrobe.
Don’t get too caught up in trendy, or a current “look” that become the rage. Boots are a safe secure bastion for your personal expression. Have a secret biker side? Go for it! More the hiker, or cowboy, or street punk in your “who would I be if I didn’t have to work for a living” scenario? Do that! It’s a great idea to carry a piece of your dream world with you, wherever you are, whenever possible — you need to keep in mind what you REALLY want, right?
Use boots in your mens dress clothing wardrobe to add an extra dimension to your outfits. Make them an expression of your inner passions, get them as comfortable as good times with your best friends, and you’ll find they’ll become almost like a trusty companion. The fashion rules for mens dress clothing are loosening up — take advantage, and wear what you love, as often as you can.
There are SO many, more interesting, things to do than head out to the mall to shop for mens dress clothing — fantasy football updates, maybe some hoops with the guys, even work sounds more enticing, right? And therein lies the beauty of shopping on-line — you’re on the internet anyhow, figure out what items you need to add (in line with your monthly budget, of course), and let your fingers do the shopping.
What to look for in mens dress clothing on-line stores? Most importantly, an air tight return policy! The truth is, every designer line is going to be cut a little different, unless it’s a repeat buy, you need to order your size, and likely one size up and one size down initially, and plan on returning two of the three.
Frankly, it’s not a lot different than what you’d do at the store, except, you don’t have to participate in the whole mall experience thing, replete with the joys of mall traffic and parking, sometimes overly-eager salespeople, and the time it takes to travel between stores to compare prices (yes, you must become savvy consumer and become confident that you’re paying a fair price for the quality you’re purchasing).
What if you don’t have an “off the rack” body? Two choices, (neither of which is an on-line experience, but a necessity) — you can either go the custom route, by far the ultimate goal, but a sometimes five or even ten-fold increase in price over “off the rack” purchases, or invest in some minor, quality alterations. You can either find your own, independent tailor or seamstress (which sometimes takes some trial and error), or, some on-line stores also have numerous retail outlets nationwide offering quality, reasonably-priced alterations with a quick trun-around.
Bottom line, on-line shopping for your mens dress clothing wardrobe makes the “front-end” aspect painless, and almost fun if you understand and are prepared for the process.
Dress shirts are the staple for the mens dress clothing wardrobe, and here’s where you can really start making your personal, daily statement — it’s a great exercise to start every morning by asking yourself, who do I want to be today, what “look” suits my mood, makes me feel great?
Sure, many days you’re going to have some requirements you’re going to have to work within — maybe you’ve got a meeting which is going to require a tie, or the opposite extreme, maybe it’s moving day to the corner office! Make sure you are continually adding to your mens dress clothing shirt collection, so that you always have a perfect choice, every day.
Some key essentials,
ALWAYS have at least two crisp, elegant white dress shirts on hand. There is no look more classic than the fresh white shirt with blazer or suit. Another advantage, it makes choosing a tie (if desired) that much easier — you’ll only have to match the tie to the coat and pants. If the venue is suitable for sans tie, open necked and cuffed is a great way to wear a shirt with casual slacks or even jeans.
DO experiment with colors and seasonal influences. Colors can be a bit tricky, not everyone can wear brights or neons, but do add subtle colors — sea green, pale blue, maybe even lavender depending on your skin tone and your coat/trousers. If in doubt, ask someone whom you consider to be a good dresser until you have a good sense of what works for you! Seasonal influences fluctuate somewhat — winter/fall you’ll see more plaids, spring summer usually brings experimentations with differing sleeve lengths (look for sleeveless this summer!), but for the most versatility, it’s best to stick with long sleeves in plain, stripes and subtle plaids until your mens dress clothing wardrobe is filled out with the basics.
So, what are you waiting for? Figure out how much of your mens dress clothing monthly budget you have left, and look for a new dress shirt to add!
There’s just something machismo about leather — not the sleazy too tight pants look, but the rugged yet sophisticated aviator bomber or zip leather jacket. As you evaluate your mens dress clothing wardrobe outerwear, consider the benefits (and sex appeal) of a leather addition.
The beauty and sensuousness of leather are add-on benefits, the real value of leather is its durability. A well-maintained leather garment is something that can be handed down to generations, like fine wine, becoming more distinctive with age. If you decide this season to add leather outerwear to your mens dress clothing wardrobe (great for gift-giving, too!), make not of some tips to care for it.
Keep it clean — leather needs to be periodically cleaned, but in an entirely different manner than other materials. The goal in cleaning is not to remove the natural oils or leave additional deposits. Make sure to try any new product in a hidden area before applying generally, to make sure it doesn’t change the leather’s color, or leave a greasy residue. An excellent option for general cleaning is a nubuck cleaning cloth, a great all-in-one cleaning product.
Keep it protected — this is a little controversial, there’s no question moisture-barrier products fill in the pores to some extent, making cleaning and conditioning a little more difficult, but, the trade-off is a longer “like new” look. Some of the lightweight waterproofing products are designed specifically for garments, but do need to be re-applied periodically.
Keep it (relatively) dry — leather can stand up to the elements just fine, HOWEVER, to avoid staining, make sure to thoroughly clean your jacket as described above, and dry away from any heat source, to avoid cracking.
Keep it breathing — when the warm weather returns, make sure to keep the leather breathing, NEVER store in plastic. Without air circulation, the pores in the material can retain water and become a festering ground for mildew, bacteria and other types of grossness.
Consider a leather addition to your mens dress clothing wardrobe this season!
The very cool thing about layering your mens dress clothing wardrobe is versatility; you can get a lot of different looks from the same pieces — kind of the adult version of garanimals.
For everything from business casual to weekend wear with jeans, the classic dark colored blazer provides the ultimate versatility for mens dress clothing. Here’s some suggestions on mixing it up for some updated looks.
1) Add plaid! A splash of color is a great way to stand out, so pair that blazer with an plaid long sleeve shirt.
2) Cardigans are back! Not your dad’s cardigan, but a new deeper V-neck design is a great look paired with a blazer (added benefit — warmth). The deeper v-neck also makes what’s underneath the cardigan more visible, and nothing’s cooler than a James Dean-like T-shirt.
3) Sweaters — the texture of a sweater is as much of the appeal here as is the color pattern. There are so many sweater options out there, but sticking with the classics, like a neutral-colored cable knit, is the best bet when starting out. Also, don’t forget to consider body-type — a bulky sweater on a bulky body is difficult to pull off successfully.
Now for the bottom half:
3) Jeans — yes, distressed is back, but, best not to get too carried away, though, “bad boy” jeans won’t be wearable on as many occasions as “smartly worn.” Do find jeans which suit your body type, skin-tight jeans might be all the rage in Europe, but don’t really suit a sturdy body.
4) Flat front khakis — great for business casual occasions, just a bit of an update from the traditional pleat front. Preferred color combos — navy jacket go with beige, black jacket try a muted khaki green.
Final tip, make sure your fall/winter mens dress clothing blazer is a tad oversized to accommodate that bulky sweater or cardigan combo.
When you’re adding to your mens dress clothing wardrobe, be selective. Don’t buy something just because it’s on sale, or because it looked good on someone else.
Do set a budget. This economy is the new normal, right? Money Management International says four percent of your income should be spent on clothes. That might not sound like a lot if you’re just looking at this paycheck, but look at it annually. Even if your take home pay is only $21,000, you should be able to afford $840 for mens dress clothing and other essentials — that’s $420 for fall/winter and the same for spring summer!
Obviously, you can’t build a full wardrobe in one season if you’re on a tight budget, so start with your basic three season light wool suit in a neutral color, a sport coat and trousers, shirts, belt and dress shoes. And, yes you CAN put it together on a seasonal budget as low as $420 — be selective about where you shop, but buy the best quality you can afford.
Another must, ONLY buy items that fit well and make you feel terrific. It is pointless wearing anything that fits poorly — the opposite of swank is skank, which is what too tight or poorly proportioned clothes will make you look like! And as much as shopping is a pain in the ass, let your fingers do the work — on-line is relatively painless, and most quality retailers have easy exchange policies if it looked better on the model than it does on you.
So, start now! Figure your four percent, and begin or add to your mens dress clothing wardrobe today. Take the pain out of it by check out on-line stores!
