I know posts have been slow, but life has gotten in the way of blog posts.
To prove that I’m always thinking of you (and your wallet) here are some sales that you should be made aware of:
JCrew – 25% off select denim
Martin + OSA – 40% Fall items
Gap – 25% off entire online purchase
BTW – these sales go for women’s clothing as well, so inform your girlfriend and earn brownie points.
I recently drove through downtown during lunch time and it was like a rally for Office Max workers on the streets. I saw so many pleated khaki pants, blue button downs, and white undershirts that I wanted to stop and ask if somebody could help me with my printer cartridge.
When it comes to business casual, I really don’t get the drabness, because it’s so easy to make it look cool. Say it with me: just because others dress like poop doesn’t mean that you have to follow suit.
I know PG has highlighted weekend/night wear more frequently, because looking cool when you go out is important. But, you’re in your office clothes 40+ hrs/week. It’s your life. You should look good while you’re banking it.
Here are 10 steps to help you shed the business casual uniform. I’ll just highlight the basics, reminiscent of the Fit Rules of yore, and save the specific examples of work-wear outfits for later posts, similar to what I’ve done with going out outfits the past couple of weeks.
Step 1: Update your work chinos.
Opt for a modern fit to your trousers. This means no pleats. The pants should hit just below your waist, not ride up high, and there shouldn’t be an excess of fabric either in the crotch or at the bottom of the pant leg. The pants should fit you precisely.
For more in-depth rules, review the previous pant fit post.
Step 2: Treat khaki (the color) as a suggestion, not the rule.
Try a different color. Navy blues look especially good, especially when paired with a richly colored brown pair of shoe. But be cautious with color chinos, they lose their hue fairly rapidly. Once they begin to fade, it’s time to retire them to weekend duty.
Step 3: Give your ace a break.
It’s good to rest your starter and let the others in your rotation pick up some slack. So occasionally ditch the chinos, and opt for some tropical wool or cotton trousers. The different texture and finish of the fabric will help to liven things up and (if you execute properly) will instantly set you aside from your Dockers loving coworkers.
Step 4: Colors that don’t rhyme with “igloo” for a thousand.
I know guys like blue, and all the variants of the shade. But, branch out! Try the whole color spectrum, just as long as you keep it season-appropriate. No pastels when it’s cold out.
Step 5: Beware thy undershirt.
I’ve written about this previously, but an undershirt is an undershirt. We don’t need to see it, unless you want us to. And in that case give us something cool to look at. Not a plain white, Hanes tshirt. Opt for a V-neck, or a colored crew neck (if your office environment allows for it) with a nice firm elastic band. Or, go with a ‘beater, so that nothing shows.
Step 6: Embrace a pattern.
Solid shirts are good, but can get boring. Nothing livens up an outfit like a quality patterned shirt. You need not go overboard, you are after all supposed to dress more conservatively, but there’s still some room for style. Try either a subtle stripe, or a nice check. You can’t go wrong.
Step 7: Throw on a tie.
Sure, it’s business casual, but a tie doesn’t inherently mean it’s formal (as noted by the recent jeans w/ tie post). A modern outfit, with a modern tie, is refreshing to see in the great fluorescent jungle. Keep it slim (but not pencil thin), with a very subtle pattern and pair it with Step 6 and you’ll be golden.
Step 8: Put something good on your feet.
Casual sneakers, or larger rubbery-soled shoes are not acceptable. However, you don’t have to go with wafer-thin, leather soles of formal dress shoes. Instead, opt for something in between, yet still stylish and modern. Go ahead and splurge, and get 2-3 shoes that you can rotate in and out. Then gradually phase in some newer ones as you go to ensure consistently stylish kicks.
Step 9: Bluetooth headset?
No.
Step 10: A visible Blackberry holster is unacceptable.
Go ahead and suffer the uncomfortableness that is a bulky cellphone in your pocket, so we don’t have to suffer by looking at your brick of a cellphone strapped to your belt loop. You have 4 large pockets, if need be put it in your non-wallet back pocket.
Everybody loves a good deal, and M+O is offering a pretty solid coupon right now: take $20 off a purchase of $75. Not too shabby.
Click on this link to download the coupon.
PG recently reviewed their fall boots, so if you were waiting to pull the trigger on some cool new shoes, here’s your motivation. To further help you spend your money, here are some cool shirts to consider, though they have plenty more here.
Photo credit: M+O.
Photo credit: M+O.
Photo credit: M+O.
A cool, casual top.
Photo credit: M+O.
A nice, everyday casual pair of jeans in a straight leg.
Photo credit: M+O.
Nice dark rinse, bootcut jeans.
Photo credit: M+O.
Happy spending.
I’ve been struggling with putting together the last outfit from JCrew. It’s supposed to be the dressiest outfit, which is an issue because JCrew has moved to the more casual/traditional end of the style spectrum. They execute this particular brand of style very well, but it’s also not a polished and shiny look (unless you go with their suiting), which may not go as well with the typical uniform seen in a super trendy club-type atmosphere that some may frequent.
However, it’s my job to give you outfit ideas that are different and cool. Sure, you can throw on a suit or dress trousers and a dress shirt, but what if you want something with a bit more style?
The outfit below would get me in to just about anywhere I want to go: 5-star restaurant, new trendy bar, etc. I wouldn’t feel the least bit uncomfortable with how I’m dressed. But, in Texas we’re a little bit more laid-back than elsewhere, so this may not be a universal truth. Plus, my mood has been more of a masculine, vintage coolness which this outfit definitely falls into.
I did cheat a little bit on this particular outfit by taking the articles from last time’s outfit, and just throwing in the sport coat below. But, this serves to illustrate an important point: versatility of your wardrobe. I know most guys don’t have, or don’t want, to spend a ton of money on clothes (hence PG not highlighting high fashion designers). However, you still want to look good. So, the key is to buy a few quality items that fit you well, but also can transition to many different events by just swapping out (or adding) elements.
As mentioned previously, the key to properly pulling off sport coat and jeans is to keep the look modern. This is especially true when the sport coat is made out of a material with traditional and stodgy connotations that tweed tends to elicit. So, you must be extra vigilant on the fit and pairing.
Fear not, because the fit of this sport coat is perfectly modern. It’s cut high with a contoured torso. It isn’t like you went to your dad’s closet and grabbed one of his wool sport coats.
Photo credit: JCrew.
As a refresher, I’ve posted the previous outfit below. The difference is that you want the shirt to be slightly more pressed than the wrinkly version I advocated for that outfit. Now, you’re going for a cleaner look, so your shirt should reflect that.
Here, you can opt for the slightly loosened tie with the top button unbuttoned, or you can go with it knotted tightly. This is definitely personal preference.
Photo credit: JCrew.
Photo credit: JCrew.
Photo credit: JCrew.
Photo credit: JCrew.
The combination of the plaid, tweed sport coat, and wool tie is by itself very professorial, which isn’t inherently cool (unless you are in fact a professor). The kicker really is in the execution: you’ve got a very modern cut to the sport coat, tie, and shirt, which all ratchets the look into the stylish zone.
For the second outfit in this series, I’ve focused on something slightly more trendy than yesterday’s ensemble.
The corresponding outfit from Banana was a simple pair of clean jeans and a button down shirt. We’ll go with something along the same lines, but throw in a tie, just to show you more ways to spruce up an outfit.
Top
Again, I’m going with plaid. I know I went with it for Banana, but it’s gradually becoming Fall (even in Texas it’s gotten cooler), so it’s time to fully embrace the pattern. The difference between this shirt and the previous one from Banana, is that the texture of this shirt will be less fine. These shirts from JCrew have a bit more worn-in, vintage feel to them, which puts in into the more casual realm.
Photo credit: JCrew.
Since, this outfit is designed for a nicer/trendier night out, we’ve got to contrast the casual feel given off by the shirt’s texture with something a bit nicer. So, I’ve chosen a cool wool tie to be paired with the shirt. It’s in the same color family (a grey), giving you a nice modern monochromatic look. Also, not everybody thinks to pair a tie with a plaid shirt, but it is a very cool look (just keep the tie on the solid side).
This tie is slimmer than your traditional business tie, but not pencil-thin. Just enough to add a little modern into your wardrobe. And the wool fabric is very cool and stylish.
Photo credit: JCrew.
The key to pulling this look off is to loosen your tie knot slightly, and unbutton your top button. I thought the latter rule would be self-evident, but apparently it’s not. I was out and saw a guy sporting a 3.25″ rep tie (that’s office width), loosened, with his top button buttoned, all of this with jeans. Don’t be that guy.
You also don’t want to loosen the tie too dramatically. Make sure the knot itself is still tight (with a thin tie like this I just go with a simple four in hand knot), with the circumference of the neck hole being just slightly larger than normal. You don’t want it too tight where it affects the way the top button of the shirt falls open, nor do you want it so loose that it droops there.
Pants
I chose a pair of bootcut denim with a slightly worn wash. For an occasion like this, you definitely want to go with dark denim, but it need not always be a blackish-wash or super clean. It all depends on what you’re pairing it with. And since we’ve got a casual shirt, a nice tie, and nice shoes (below), it’s ok to go with a slightly worn in jean, provided that the fit is still modern, and the jeans are clean.
I chose a bootcut as opposed to a straight leg, because the shoes below are more substantial than the sneakers from yesterday’s outfit. So the slight bit more width you gain in the leg opening, will allow the jean to fall over the shoe a little cleaner.
Photo credit: JCrew.
Shoes
For some reason the Fall selection of JCrew shoes is a bit lacking on the dressier shoes, so my options were limited. However, it does let me go with my old favorite: the wingtip. Don’t be thrown off by the traditional roots of the shoe. Once paired with your modern outfit, the look definitely does not scream office.
Photo credit: JCrew.
Bottom Line
Shirt: $60
Tie: $60
Jeans: $96
Shoes: $165
Total: $381
Over budget again. Oh well, the outfit is the bee’s knees.
Last week I targeted Banana Republic for my outfit selections, so this week I’m moving on to the next mass market retailer: JCrew.
The problem that I foresee with a JCrew-centric outfit is whittling down the myriad of possibilities (I’m a very big fan of their stuff). I don’t think any other mass market store does casual to casual-trendy tops as well as JCrew. Most of their stuff is highly versatile, meaning you can wear the same top to a casual bar that you would to a super trendy restaurant. The key is what you surround the items with.
JCrew is known, especially recently, for fostering some big name designer collaborations. From Red Wings, to Barbour, and now to Thomas Mason, JCrew consistently is on point with their style trends.
I know I know, it sounds like I’m Don Draper for JCrew. But this is all true, and it isn’t all good. I’m not a huge fan of their denim (or pants in general), as I’ve found their fit to be inconsistent, and not exactly of the highest quality. I’ve never owned a sport coat from JCrew that hasn’t lost a button within the first season. Also, I won’t ever purchase socks from them any longer, as the elastic lasts all of 30 seconds.
But, I’ve never had a problem with the quality of their tops, which are almost always well-tailored. It’s classic American style, with a modern twist. Perfect for any PG reader.
And here, dear reader, is a valuable lesson to learn. As you continue to shop, either at mass market stores or boutiques (not just for the woman folk), you’ll find that different designers do your particular body type right. You’ll gravitate to the style, fit and quality that you personally find flattering. I’ve learned that for me, JCrew is the best for shoes (occasionally), shirts, belts, and sweaters.
So, following the same format as before, we’ll move from casual outfit to progressively more trendy/dressier. As usual, the price for the complete outfit should be around $250, though I’ve not come in under budget once.
Shirt
I’ll start with the shirt this time, as I am in love with JCrew’s casual shirts. They have a modern fit to them (slimmer in the torso) as well as modern fabric & prints. My preferred way to wear their shirts is to machine wash and line dry. I like the wrinkles, as it adds a bit of a masculine touch and suits my sense of style perfectly. If I choose to dress it up, I’ll throw a vest or tie on top, and change into dressier pants. They’re incredibly versatile.
For this casual outfit, I chose a light-colored gingham shirt. The faded color of the pattern helps to keep the look casual, especially if you wear it wrinkly and not pressed.
As usual, tuck in the shirt and roll the sleeves.
Photo credit: JCrew.
Pants
Since it’s casual, we’ll go with jeans. I think they JCrew has improved the quality of their denim in recent years, and these have a very modern fit with quality denim. As opposed to the last casual outfit, I’ve chosen a darker pair of jeans this time.
Photo credit: JCrew.
Shoes
Now, I know thus far you may think that the dark jeans and tucked in shirt doesn’t scream casual. Here’s the key: the shoes. I’ve chosen some classic Jack Purcells to help balance the entire outfit. The cool/retro look of the sneakers completely ratchets the outfit down a notch on the dressy scale, while adding a bit of style.
Now you can see why I chose a straight leg jean; it’s because of the shoes. If a boot leg were chosen, the low profile kicks would be lost in the wide pant opening. So the key is to match your leg opening of your pants with the shoes that you are wearing. With these straight leg jeans, just enough of the sneaker should show to create a nice silhouette.
Photo credit: JCrew.
Bottom Line
Shirt: $60
Jeans: $96
Shoes: $65
Total: $221
Under budget!