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.

The primary components of the business casual wardrobe are trousers in charcoal and gray, blue and white shirts, and navy blazers and sport coats in traditional patterns. These staples have great versatility.  They can easily be dressed up and dressed down, and coordinate easily with more exciting pieces I already own.  And I did not have enough when I started out as a young professional.  Only needing to wear these items occasionally, I needed only one or two of each--they could always be laundered before I needed them again.  But that won't cut it now that I work at least five days a week--and generally want to carry myself as a professional even when I'm not in the office.

I saw this nice navy blazer at Saks--but it wouldn't have stood out if I hadn't been looking for basics.  It was not displayed as prominently as the louder, more seasonal coats.  So classics can be had.  

So what specifically do I need?  I've found that at least four white shirts, eight blue shirts, and two pink/lavender dress shirts is a nice place to start--and I was surprised to find that I didn't have that many basic white or blue shirts when I started dressing for the office because I'd always preferred livelier and bolder patterns that suited a student.  This means I'm wearing a blue shirt a little more than half the time, a white shirt once or twice a week, and pink once every two weeks--and I have enough to go two weeks before laundering--with a few shirts left before my shirts return.

I liked having two solid gray trousers, two sold charcoal trousers, and two tan trousers.  Trousers' role in style is to avoid distraction and blend in--I think that when trousers stand out, a look often seems over the top.  This ratio keeps me from seeming too repetitive, but I still don't ever have to think much about which trousers to put on.  And good wool trousers can be worn several times without needing to be pressed or cleaned if hung properly after wearing--so six pairs should be a good start.

And two jackets--a navy blazer, and another neutral sport coat, perhaps with a check.  Business casual doesn't demand a jacket, but wearing one will keep you warmer on brisk mornings and seem more put together, but not overdone.  Here's a sport coat I saw this weekend at J. Press that would look smart with trousers and a solid dress shirt--I wouldn't coordinate as much as this mannequin likes to.

Such a foundation, on its own, will be elegant and distinguished because these quality basics have a timeless style even without accessories.  It's also essentially a blank slate that details like pocket squares and ties can easily be added to.  And I'll have pieces that will go with and tone down the louder patterned shirts and jackets that I acquire down the road.  So sales associates started showing me their pre-selected combinations of patterned shirts and ties--I said I'd think about it, and asked for the basics.


And with all the spring and friends and family sales going on right now (Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren starts soon)--this is a great time to stock up.