Hip to be Square

Pulling off a pocket square as a young professional without it seeming like a affectation is difficult.  I think a big part of making it work is making sure that your square doesn't compete for attention with your tie or shirt, (or jacket) and making sure your fold is neat and discrete.  Lastly--wear it comfortably.  If you seem nervous about wearing a pocket square, your colleagues will sense your apprehension and look wearily at your square.  Act like your square is just as much a part of your outfit as your shirt and all anyone will think about your square is that its just one element of a well put together look.

King Ralph

I have tremendous respect for Ralph Lauren as a designer and innovator of the menswear industry.  To this day he continues to drive trends in tailored clothing, despite generally sticking with the same aesthetic--traditional American blue blooded country clubs and professionals--since he got his start making ties and selling them shop to shop.  Ralph Lauren is a great example of how consistency can be stylish and how trends can coexist with staples.  Ralph Lauren is also a model for maintaining high standards of quality, despite becoming an enormously successful and available brand.  Tailored and dress clothing from Mr. Lauren's Polo, Black Label, and Purple Label collections are all sourced from fine Italian makers.  Mr. Lauren's shoes are made by some of the finest British makers.  Ralph Lauren's prices reflect the quality of its construction, but are often lower than the prices the same makers charge for products labeled with their own name.  And Ralph Lauren has sales a few times a year.

Davide and Goliath

I believe every young professional should get on familiar terms with at least one good, small, local haberdasher.  A relationship with a nice men's shop means a place to go for just about everything--not just clothes.  It's a retreat once in a while when life gets hectic--a good haberdasher should never give the hard sell.  And since the proprietor should certainly be older than you, and have fitted the movers and shakers of the community, it's a place to get guidance on what's appropriate behavior in a particular situation and how to carry oneself as a man.  Picking up some great duds is just part of the deal.

Unfortunately small men's shops have fallen by the wayside in favor of large department stores and self-branded boutiques.  I don't think it's impossible to find this kind of relationship at a department store or boutique, especially an older established department store or a good Brooks Brothers, but it's certainly less likely.  For all of these reasons, I love to find independent men's stores and speak to the owners or managers.  The least I can do is give everyone a head's up when I discover one worth visiting.

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.