Wear Round Toed Shoes

With Men's shoes there are three types available: Round Toe, Square Toe & Pointed Toe.  Stick with buying only Round Toe Shoes, they are real the only type of shoe that is acceptable. 

Round Toe Shoes -

Round Toe Shoes are really the only type of shoes a man should wear.  They are classic and attractive, accentuating the shape and size of the foot.  Whether the shoe is a casual shoe, a boot or a dress shoe, it is always safest to stick with the round toe shoes.

Square Toe Shoes -

Men can wear square toe shoes, but it is not recommended.  Square toe shoes shot to popularity in the early '90s and have since gone out of style, yet they still seem to be made by shoe makers everywhere.  The square toe shoes are chunky and ineffective at minimizing the shape and size of the foot.  Shoes should accentuate the foot, yet the square toe actually adds unnecessary size to the foot.

Pointed Toe Shoe -

Pointed shoe toes should never be considered as an option for any man.  I could speak on all of the disadvantages of wearing pointed toe shoes, including making the wearer look like a douchebag and a try-hard, but I prefer to let another writers assessment of pointed toe shoes stand as the only critique needed.  Nicholas Antongiavanni author of The Suit: A Machiavellian Approach to Men's Style simply stated the "Pointed toes are for women".

 

Wardrobe Essentials

The Top 10 Wardrobe Essentials for any man's closet:

• Gray Suit – The most versatile dress wear in the closet, the gray suit.  Make it a medium to dark 100% worsted wool suit from a top brand (Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Ben Silver, Brooks Brothers, J Crew), you will get the most use out of this suit.  This is the workhorse suit in the wardrobe as it is the most formal suit and the only suit appropriate for weddings, funerals and interviews.  This suit can be worn for business, a dinner party or a date.  Spend the money on this suit and it will benefit you tremendously.  Ideally, get this suit hand made and tailored specifically to you, if only one suit can be bespoke, this is one.

• Navy Blazer – A navy blazer is the uniform of the American male.  It can dressed up with a pair of slacks or dressed down with jeans and it will never look out of place.  A navy blazer may be most at home with a pair of khakis and a button down shirt, few outfits have more classical appeal.  The blazer is as American as apple pie and Pabst Blue Ribbon.  Buy one with a modern slim fit, add some gold or brass buttons and you will look like an updated and hip Northeasterner who attended Warton or Harvard.  The blue blazer is the best jacket to wear with a dress shirt and tie during the day and a simple t-shirt at night.  Make sure it is well made, because you will be wearing it a lot.

• Blue Oxford Shirt – Another quintessential piece of the American wardrobe.  The blue oxford shirt has been worn by the best dressed in America for as long as anyone can remember.  The Oxford shirt comes in many types, and while I would recommend one of each, at least have a nice one ready when you need it.  Dressed up or dressed down the Oxford is shirt for all occasions, except the most formal and somber.

• White Pin-Point Collar Shirt – If the Gray suit is the workhorse of the suits then the white dress shirt is the workhorse of the shirts.  This shirt is the most formal of all the dress shirts, appropriate for every occasion, with a tie or not a white dress shirt is never a bad choice.  It looks stunning under any suit or alone with jeans during the summer.  Many a great wardrobe was compiled with the idiom: “You can never have too many good white shirts”.

• Dark Denim Jeans – Straight or Slim cut clean, simple, dark denim jeans.  They are simple, versatile, classic and always popular.  Every wardrobe needs one pair of clean dark jeans.  Avoid the fancy stitching, flashy pockets or complicated designs, the simpler the jeans the better, in this case minimalism goes a long way.  Your closet should have multiple types of jeans, but these should be the first pair you buy.

• Chinos – Every man should own a few pairs of these pants.  Whether fixing the car in the garage or worn to work on a more casual day, chinos always look sharp.  They are great for a casual coffee date and are the uniform of weekend trips.  Chinos are easy to wear, last forever, always look good and are never out of place.  They can be worn with a t-shirt, a polo, a button down or a blazer.  Match them with dress shoes or Chuck Taylors, chinos always look good.  Make sure they are a modern slim fit and a durable material, cause they will be worn until they are frayed and stained and then worn some more.

• Gray V-Neck Sweater – Stick with a light gray V-Neck Sweater, at first, since it is the most universal and will go with any color.  The V-Neck can be worn over a shirt and tie for cold days in the winter or over a t-shirt and jeans for a night out.  It can be thrown on with shorts for a night at the beach or chinos and a polo for a Sunday brunch.  As you expand the wardrobe continue to add more colors of the V-Neck Sweater, but keep them plain to start.  Plain sweaters are more useful as they can be matched with anything in the closet, only have you have every color and in cable knit version should you expand to limiting designs like argyle & striped.

• Black Cap-Toe Oxfords – This is most formal shoe you can own.  It works with every suit made and is the only option for somber events, interviews and weddings.  Keep them polished and in good condition because you will be in these shoes more than your car.  Make sure the shoes are Oxfords, not bluchers, have a simple, clean and sleek design.  These shoes must have wooden soles that can be replaced and simple laces.  These are serious shoes worn with serious suits and should look the part.  Also, for the sake of all things stylish make sure they have a rounded toe and are made from real leather.  With as wear as these shoes will get, paying a little bit more for them is certainly worth the money.

• Brown Leather Boots – Good quality leather boots will keep your feet dry and be the perfect solution for situations that the shoes make take some wear and tear.  Boots only get better with age and become more personalized as they take on wear and care.

• Timepiece – A man needs a timepiece beyond his cell phone.  Keep the watch simple, basic and well made.  Stick to silver band watches that can be worn with anything from a suit to jeans and a t-shirt.

• Solid Color Neckties – At first only a few solid color ties are all that are needed in the wardrobe, expansion from this point is certainly nice but is not needed until later.  One solid blue gabardine tie, one solid dark red wool or silk knit tie and one silk solid black or charcoal gray tie.

It's About a Wardrobe Not an Outfit

Full Wardrobe by DandyFashioner featuring Marni

When buying clothes focus on buying clothes that fill out your wardrobe as a whole, not clothes that fit specifically into an outfit. The clothes in your wardrobe should be versatile and interchangeable. The ties should be able to be worn with all your suits. The shirts should go with all of the ties. The suits should go with the shirts and so on. While one set of tie and shirt and suit may look great together, you can certainly switch it up as needed.

Buying only outfits makes your clothes repetitive and predictable. When you wear the tweed jacket with the purple tie and white striped shirt every time, people will no longer think it is an interesting combination, and instead find your wardrobe boring and downright unoriginal.

If you think of the wardrobe as a whole, with holes that need to be filled, then you will have more universal and interesting wardrobe. The clothes become puzzle pieces and fit together beautifully. The same shirt and jacket will work with every tie in closet. The gray suit works with every shirt in the wardrobe. The red silk knit tie will fill in that gap in the wardrobe you have been thinking about.

This is way we stick to gray, blue and brown suits, in general, as they are more versatile and useful. And avoid black suits as they are limiting and eventually useless. We avoid suits with pinstripes in colors like pink and purple and green, since they limit the options on shirts and ties that we can wear with them.

Only as we fill the holes of our wardrobe do we add the unusual pieces and colors. Having a dark gray suit, navy suit, tan suit, medium gray, light gray and brown suit do we expand to the pinstripes, glenn check, window pane and hounds-tooth suits. This will ensure that our wardrobe is never boring, provides us with true longevity and the clothes will fit all occasions.

Of course, their are exceptions to the rules but keeping versatility in mind will keep your wardrobe fresh and interesting for you and others.

The Versatile Brown Shoes

Most men wear black shoes with dark colors and brown shoes with light colors.  While a black cap toe Oxford is needed in every closet, since it is the most formal and serious shoe made for a suit, brown is most versatile.

 

It is common that men under utilize the brown oxford shoe.  Black shoes are commonly seen and worn almost as a rule where a brown shoe can add style, flair and make the outfit look smarter.  Never fear wearing brown with dark colors, no matter the shade of brown, it goes well with any color suit.

The men that do wear brown with darker colors, usually wear a dark brown shoe.  This is quite acceptable and looks good, but personally I prefer the light brown or tan shoe.  I especially enjoy a modeled brown shoe with colors ranging from tan to dark brown.  I think a modeled brown shoe is the most versatile shoe made since it picks up all shades so well and it visually interesting.  It is also a shoe that improves with age and time, growing character and becoming more personal.

Gray suits, no matter the shade, are benefited tremendously from the brown shoes.  It brings out the richness of the suits fabric.  Enhancing the colors and adding an interesting pop of color at the waist and at the shoe.

Navy or Blue suits and brown shoes are a natural, in my opinion.  Blue and Brown go well together and the colors enhance each other well.  I think that black shoes actually take away some of the color and beauty found in a navy blue suit.  I would only suggest wearing black suits with a blue suit in only the rarest occasions when formality is mandatory.

Brown shoes even work with black.  Brown shoes and a belt pop with a black suit, highlighting the craftsmanship of both.  While I generally do not condone a black suit, this is a great technique to send focus to the shoes and belt.

Keep the brown shoes with only minor brogue work and a beautiful and sleek last (a term referring to the shoes silhouette) and they can be worn for almost any occasion with any suit.  Brown is much better than black.

Fashion Rules

Do you know the fashion rules?

You have to be aware of the fashion dos and don'ts to properly break them, or else you risk looking like idiot. Ever talk the law with a career criminal? Trust me they know the law better than a lawyer does. A style expert, or just a well dressed man, has to be the same way, the laws of fashion need to be second nature to him.

The Rules: Abridged version

White is only acceptable between Memorial Day and Labor Day, which has been expanded to include Easter, thankfully.

• Never wear linen in the winter and tweed in the summer.
• Always match the color of your belt and your shoes, unless it is a web belt.
• Wear a conservative tie and suit to a job interview.
• Don't wear pleats EVER, plain front pants only.
• Wear a dark tie with a tan suit.
• Patent leather shoes are for black tie affairs only.
• For Formal events wear Oxfords not Bluchers. Bluchers are a casual shoes masquerading as a formal shoe.
• Go with a Four-in-Hand knot, instead of the stuffy Full Windsor (By the way, those might be the most boring videos of all time, good sleeping material).
• The tie is supposed to reach your belt, not above or below it.
• A button-down collared shirt is an informal shirt or sport shirt. A point collar is a formal shirt.
• A blazer is less formal than a suit, but is still appropriate with a tie.
• On a two button suit - button the top button and not the bottom button. On a three button suit - only button the middle button. On a double breasted suit - Keep the top button buttoned, never button the bottom one.
• Do crease your suit slacks, don't crease your chinos or jeans.
• A hat is to be worn outside and inside only until you sit down... And never inside in the presence of a lady (this is a really old school rule).

These go on and on and on.

Do you know the rules?

If not keep reading this blog for the modern day tips and read a suitable wardrobe and blogs like it for the classic rules of dress. Learn them, get familiar with them, and then break them. Its a valuable lesson and one that will save you embarrassment in the future and allow you to confidently know that the rule you are breaking that day is damn cool (and all your own).

Suit: Double Breasted Suit - Proper Buttoning Technique

Double Breasted suits are back, whether you are a fan or not. Personally, I don't like the look, but some men feel great in them and they fit their personal style. If you are going to wear a Double Breasted suit, two rules: Slim Fit & Top Button Only.

Slim Fit - the most important thing is the shoulders. Minimal shoulder pads is key. The shoulder pads should look natural and contour with the arm. Avoid bulky shoulder pads or pads that extend past your natural shoulder. It is a suit for work, not for playing football with Brett Favre.

Slim Fit also goes to the overall fit. It should be snug on your torso, not tight but snug. It should have slimmer arms and legs. Once again you don't want a tappered skinny pant look but instead a slim fit straight leg look. A double breasted suit is a big suit with an over powering look, minimize your profile with a slim cut. Otherwise you will look like a 'roided up power hitter.

Top Button Only - only button the top button, the bottom button is for show. Make sure that you keep the top and inside buttons done at all times, but the bottom button needs to be undone so that you minimize the conservative, over powering look and make it more modern. Remember this suit is very classic and very conservative, you need to keep it modern in fit and style and buttoning technique.

Also, save the double breasted suit for the important business meetings with conservative clients and power brokers. Use the single breasted (two or three button) suits for everyday wear.

Never ever ever, did I say ever, wear the double breasted jacket without the suit pants. It needs to always be a suit, never worn with jeans and never with different colored slacks. It is not as versatile as the single breasted suit which can be worn with jeans or different colored slacks. The double breasted is only used as a suit. Buy your single breasted in all the important colors before buying a double breasted.

Suit: Three Button Suit - Proper Buttoning Technique

When wearing a three button suit it is important that you only button the middle button. This will allow the jacket to create an X shape in the front with the top button folding over creating a longer lapel and the bottom opening up to reveal the shirt and tie. When only the middle button is done and this X shape is not seen, then the jacket does not have the right fit and is need of tailoring.

Proper Tailoring is always crucial with a good suit, but especially with a three button suit. Remember, never ever use the top and bottom buttons, leave them for the unfashionable. The suits above have the proper buttoning and fit.

Suit: Two Button Suit - Proper Buttoning Technique

The popular style right now, and for good reason, is the two button suit. It is a modern cut with its roots in classic style. It allows for more shirt and tie to be shown, which makes men look taller and slimmer. It also is the style suit that our President prefers and is definitely a good thing, the man knows how to dress.

He always buttons his jackets correctly, top button only. And because he has perfectly tailored suits that always means you can see a little bit of the tie under the button. This is a classic look and one I try to emulate.

I also like that President Obama never has a tie that is too perfectly tied. The dimple is always a little off center. He also wear plain front pants with his suit, a great touch for a man in as good of shape as President Obama. Considering he is the leader of the free world I appreciate that he shows as much artful dishevelment and modern style as is appropriate for a man in his position.

Remember, keep the top button done, the bottom one left open.