All Work And No Play...

"I am through with working. Working is for chumps." --Bart

"Son, I'm proud of you. I was twice your age before I figured that out." --Homer

 

Your whole life isn't business casual--sometimes special occasions call for a bit more than the office does.  Most recently for me was an evening at the Metropolitan Opera with my fiancee.  I don't have a black tie ensemble, and I see that less and less at the opera with the exception of opening night gala's and such.  But I can use my wardrobe built for business to look appropriate for a nice of culture.  And I'm starting with a two-button single breasted suit in a medium gray worsted herringbone pinstripe.  A nice three season weight, and versatile enough to look great in the board room or the ball room.  I like that this suit is very traditional--standard with lapels, roomy cut, double pleated pants and one and a quarter in cuffs.  Sleek, slim modern suits are cool, but I think it takes some extra fabric (but not baggy) to do elegance right.

American Informal

 "Cultivated leisure is the aim of man." --Oscar Wilde

According to a great coffee table book put together by the Council of Fashion Designers of America called American Fashion Menswear, which my fiancee got me for my birthday, there's a genre of menswear called "American Informal."  I would say "American Informal" is pretty consistent with my aesthetic for modern business attire--it being built around odd jackets and trousers, strong textures and distinguished but bold patterns, natural colors with some bold accents.  It hales from the time when a gentleman's country attire was dressed up by today's standards, but regarded as dressed down leisurewear compared to the morning dress and black tie appropriate for the city.  Here's one example that I liked quite a bit--even though I don't plan on wearing quite so much into the office, it's still inspiring.

Casual Fridays

"The best thing about casual Friday is that it makes those of us who decline to observe it look really, really good." -- Esquire

My office doesn't have casual Friday's, but I do think it's a good day to loosen up a bit--and no, I don't mean a belly shirt or patriotic underpants a la Will Ferrell.  For me, it means giving my neck a day to let it all hang out--that's right, no necktie.  It took me some getting used too, and it felt a bit immodest at first--but I think I've been able to make it work.  I also avoid suits, obviously, unless I have to wear one.  But that's as casual as I get, and I would even recommend the same to young professionals who have the option of wearing jeans on Friday.  I suggest an informal seasonal sport coat, a pinpoint oxford button down in a not-so-basic color or pattern, and some trousers.

Well Pressed Duds

The classics are always in style, and nobody makes this more apparent than J. Press on Madison Avenue.  J. Press is more than a century old, but it's aesthetic has hardly changed in that time.  It still offers all the old standards in traditional American menswear--repp stripe, emblematic, club, and knit ties; a healthy variety of button down dress shirts; sack suits, blazers, and tweed sport coats; flannel trousers and chinos, etc.  J. Press has kept its traditionally roomy not baggy fits too--not the slim and trim designer re-incarnations of traditional style.  Despite it's adherence to tradition, J. Press looks still look fresh and smart, despite and perhaps because of it's simplicity.  It's a good reminder that style doesn't come from doing too much.

A Man and His Ties

"A well tied tie is the first serious step in life." --Oscar Wilde

Allow me to indulge in one of my hobbies for a few moments.  I love neckties.  I have for as long I've had regular occasions to wear them--which for me began in high school.  I don't know what it is about them exactly that makes me so fond of them--perhaps it's the evident craftsmanship in a good tie, or the fact that ties can so easily and obviously spruce up a tired suit or old shirt.  Maybe I'm just childishly drown toward all the pretty colors.  I do know I love the task of selecting just the right tie to go with everything else, and the satisfaction that comes with getting it right.  I also think that one's choice of tie actually suggests something about his character and background--information that can be quite useful in many social situations.  And whenever I visit a haberdashery, especially for the first time, I immediately inspect the selection of ties--if the ties aren't too my taste, then I doubt much else will be either.  So I'd like to share on occasion some of the tie collections that I find particularly appealing.

Among the gobs of ties available at Saks 5th Avenue's flagship store, one rack of ties in particular stood out to me--and the maker might be surprising given all the luxury names Saks carries.  The brand is Breuer.

The Fabric of Our Lives

While most of my shirts white or blue, and all of them are cotton, I did not choose to get several of the exact same shirt in different colors.  While blue dress shirts might seem all the same to the casual observers, subtle differences have a significant affect on style.  And one of the easiest things to overlook about a shirt is the kind of fabric it was made from.  The fabric will effect the look of the color through its texture and sheen.

There are myriad cotton fabrics, but I've found that knowing just a handful has sufficed for shopping off the rack.  The first, and in my opinion most versatile, is pinpoint oxford:

Better Shop Around

"'I'll think about it' are the four most useful words in a man's shopping vocabulary."

A wardrobe, the foundation of style, must come from somewhere.  So I regard shopping as just another element of my personal style.  I patronize stores, and accordingly buy clothes, that are consistent with my needs as a business casual young professional aiming to impress but not show off.  

The first step is getting the basics.  But the men's department, especially at higher end stores, can lead young professionals to well coordinated, single outfits, rather than more versatile staples.  For instance when I went to Saks 5th Ave yesterday this spring ensemble caught my eye.  But while its stylish, it's probably not where I should start building my wardrobe.  I'll come back to this after I have my base--as I don't think I'd have another tie to wear with the shirt, and vice versa.

Spring Forward

“Anything goes, as long as you can pull it off.”  Tomas Maier, Bottega Veneta

Just as my white shirt needed some accouterments to spice it up, this shirt/tie combination inspired by a nice spring day needs to be toned down to avoiding turning too many heads at the office. Here I'm starting with complimentary pastels--a pink button down collar dress shirt/pastel green and blue printed silk tie--basics for a clambake but not the boardroom to be sure.

Style Takes Some Coordination

"Dressing would be monotonous without the graphic interest of a variety of designs" --Alan Flusser


Being a young professional, I don't read this as an invitation to wear any combination of stripes, dots, or plaid together with the idea of suggesting that I don't care what anyone else thinks--but a tasteful mixing of serious patterns is a good way to liven things up.  On the subject of patterns, I think gingham is a good place for young professionals to start.  But finding a tie can be tricky.

A 'Traditional' Approach

"It was a good look and still is. Next to a tuxedo or military uniform, there's nothing that makes a guy look better than Ivy League."-- Charlie Davidson, the Andover Shop

Some staples of Ivy League style work as well for young professionals in the office as it does for co-eds at a mixer.  Neat and traditional enough for the business casual office, but the classic iconography adds some completeness and depth to an otherwise plain look.

 One great example is the university stripe button down shirt in traditional oxford cloth--blue is the most obvious choice, but here I went with the red.  Since I'm going to tone down the Ivy look a bit, the red stripe keeps the Ivy look from getting lost.

Any Color You Want As Long As It's Blue

"The classic blue dress shirt allows flexibility without the drollness of the white shirt. Best of all, the classic blue bridges the gap between formal and informal simply in the way you wear it."--Michael A. Lubarsky, AskMen.com

A blue dress shirt is a young professional's Swiss Army knife of style.  And I mean traditional dress shirt blue--not french blue, not icy pale blue.  If I'm ever in doubt about what to wear to the office, I start with a blue shirt and this pinpoint oxford is about as utilitarian as it gets.  Pinpoint's texture keeps it from being overly formal or foppish, doesn't wrinkle like finer, lighter weight cotton weaves, but still breathes well.  But safe isn't the same as stylish.  So for style, I look to details and accessories.

Plain White Dress Shirt

"A crisp white dress shirt is the gray flannel pants of shirts." --Esquire

I figured I should start with the basics.  A white dress shirt doesn't have to be dull or excessively formal.  Instead of looking like an IRS or FBI agent, adding a white stripe and some luster with my tie give my white shirt some personality.  A button down collar (especially if it rolls well--something for another post), chest pocket and placket, button cuffs, and the texture of a pinpoint oxford weave will make sure no one thinks I'm attending a state dinner.  I think this ensemble is crisp and sharp, but not like I'm still on my first interview.