I suppose that VCO3’s advice is good … if you are working as a pimp, or a male prostitute…And it’s dressing well, not “good.” If you can’t parse your language correctly, your clothing is irrelevent, no matter how “good” you’re dressing. The male fashion rags are not good sources for business/corporate fashion advice.
In a formal business/corporate environment, you are not dressing for yourself or your vacuous 20-something friends. You are dressing for your 30-50-something managers, partners, investors and clients. And even the younger clients want a serious image if they’re paying for your professional or corporate services. Unless you are a sex worker, GQ fashion model or pimp. Or drug pusher or club manager.
If you’re going corporate/business, go cotton. Period. Not poly-cotton, not shiny. If your mommy didn’t teach you how to iron or press clothing, buy those wrinkle-resistant cotton shirts, or better yet, learn a new skill: ironing! You’ll need to be able to press or iron stuff when you travel and mommy can’t do it for you. Get an expensive iron with steaming capacity. Get a smaller version for travel purposes, if of course irons are not on the TSA no-fly object list. Working professionals in a dressed setting use dry cleaners, who will clean and press work clothing. Clean, pressed, starchy work clothes, at a price, but available reliably.
Get to a suit place, like Men’s Wearhouse, where they will fit the suit to your build. If you work out and are fit, the typical shirts and suits won’t fit well. You’ll want a “European cut.” Get the suit fitted, and clean the entire suit together each time.
If you’re buying corporate shirts and the like, go “all in” and update your shoes and socks.
I say, that’s a tad harsh isn’t it? It’s not my particular style, but plenty of people dress like this in my (blue-chip) company and no-one thinks anything much of it provided it’s not around clients (although it’s not likely to get you tagged as being a mustard-keen go-getter, there’s no shame in that). Embracing diversity and so on
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In a formal business/corporate environment, you are not dressing for yourself or your vacuous 20-something friends. You are dressing for your 30-50-something managers, partners, investors and clients. And even the younger clients want a serious image if they’re paying for your professional or corporate services. Unless you are a sex worker, GQ fashion model or pimp. Or drug pusher or club manager.
Certainly, but what if it’s an informal environment, or your 40-something VP dresses in jeans, linen shirt and sports jacket at all times? Not all companies are the same - I’ve been told to ensure I’m not dressed too smartly for visits to certain companies (engineering types can be suspicious of people in flashy suits) - a perfect opportunity to get some more wear out of a slightly shabby suit I was about to discard
It’s sometimes a challenge picking the right clothes for a given context, but generally I try to err on the side of caution, since it’s easier to take off a jacket or tie or roll up shirtsleeves etc, rather than making hiking trousers hold a crease.
Having said that, I’m typing this wearing blue jeans, leather sneakers and a fleece top - there are good things about Friday apart from the pub lunch…
Don’t dress for the job you’ve got…dress for the job you want.
Lou seems to be moving out of the corporate arena and into something a littlle less formal, so he should dress accordingly. I still wouldn’t go out and spend a bunch of money on maroon, black, and silver shirts with corresponding ties for a simple reason - those shirts are going to go out of fashion and then he’s going to be stuck with the shirts and ties that he doesn’t wear anymore. Better to stick to the classics for business wear and show some flash in the choice of neckware and accessories. That’s the difference between fashion and style - fashion is variable and fleeting. A sense of style is not.
JC Penney is a good place to get a good medium quality shirt for wearing every day. I’ve been buying JC Penney Stafford shirts for several years. They wear well, and they always look nice. They’re actually having a sale right now too. $20 per shirt isn’t too bad, for a decent quality shirt!
I also have some all cotton shirts from Men’s Wearhouse that I use for special occasions.
point collar can be worn buttoned without a tie for a dress casual look. Versatile, wear with all suit types.
button-down: requires no collar stays, not worn with a double breasted suit. (at Men’s wearhouse, I was told that button-down collars were primarily with or without a tie, but when you’re NOT going to wear a jacket.
tab collar: neat look, focuses attention on the tie. wear with all suit styles.
spread collar: more formal than a button down, wear with all suit styles
The tone of your post in combination with the recommendation for Men’s Wearhouse is hilarious in a seemingly unintentional manner.
Get measured and buy things that are actually of decent quality on eBay if you’re working within the “Men’s Wearhouse” price range. If things are a bit off, have them altered. It’s relatively cheap and if you got a good deal on an item to begin with, it’s a very small price to pay to actually look good rather than looking like some guy who is required to wear business attire and can’t wait to get home and put on some cargo pants or whatever.
The tone of your post in combination with the recommendation for Men’s Wearhouse is hilarious in a seemingly unintentional manner.
Get measured and buy things that are actually of decent quality on eBay if you’re working within the “Men’s Wearhouse” price range. If things are a bit off, have them altered. It’s relatively cheap and if you got a good deal on an item to begin with, it’s a very small price to pay to actually look good rather than looking like some guy who is required to wear business attire and can’t wait to get home and put on some cargo pants or whatever.
The tone of your post in combination with the recommendation for Men’s Wearhouse is hilarious in a seemingly unintentional manner.
Get measured and buy things that are actually of decent quality on eBay if you’re working within the “Men’s Wearhouse” price range. If things are a bit off, have them altered. It’s relatively cheap and if you got a good deal on an item to begin with, it’s a very small price to pay to actually look good rather than looking like some guy who is required to wear business attire and can’t wait to get home and put on some cargo pants or whatever.
