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.

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.