Essentials of a Work Wardrobe - Belt

The perfect belt for work is a simple reversible belt with black on one side and brown on the other. The buckle head swivels to the side that will match the chosen shoe color. The belt and shoes should always match and this belt helps ensure that. It also makes it easier for travel, making one belt the only need to switch between two pairs of shoes, the ones you are wearing the ones you packed.

Reversible belts also ensure that you can buy a higher quality belt and wear it daily, as opposed to buying two lower quality belts. The highest quality belts have leather that starts out stiff and will loosen with wear. This is key for long term use of the belt. Lower quality belts start out pliable and only get more pliable with time. They also have a tendency to crack or split. Another common fault of cheap belts is a buckle that is loose or less effective. The more it is worn, the worse it gets. For a belt, which is worn daily, this is quite troublesome.

One additional thing to address when buying a work belt is the color of the buckle. Do you prefer silver, gold or a dark graphite color for the buckle? This is often based on the color of the watch and  jewelry metal that you wear. The most modern look and the most versatile is a dark graphite buckle. It will go well with silver or gold and does not stand out when wearing it. This is a great trait for belt buckle, since we are not wearing cowboy boots and tight jeans. We recommend a simple graphite buckle, it will work with every outfit in the closet.

The best companies for belts are the same companies that sell shoes, for the most part. We recommend looking at: Bass, Ben Silver, Cole Haan and Johnston & Murphy. For lower quality belts check out: Macy's.

Essentials of a Work Wardrobe - Shoes

Are the most important and the most expensive item in the wardrobe, behind suits. The key is that a good pair of shoes when polished regularly and stored with shoe trees, will last a minimum of 15 or 20 years and potentially will last a lifetime. No other item a man can buy will last as long as a good pair of shoes. Not a suit, not a car, nothing. So it is highly suggested that everyman have at least two pairs of high quality shoes. One shoe in brown leather, one shoe in black leather, both in lace up oxfords. For the most versatile wardrobe the pair of black shoes should have clean lines and a classic look. Either a plain oxford or cap-toe oxford will do. This shoe needs to be simple and basic so it can be worn to interviews, weddings and funerals. This is the most conservative shoe in the closet and will be worn more than your favorite pair of jeans. The second shoe needs to be a dark brown shoe with some brogueing. Depending on your style anything from a wingtip to a cap toe oxford with slight brogueing
will suffice.

With both of these shoes it is crucial to stay away from them being a blucher and stick with oxfords. A blucher has an open throat lacing and is less formal than the oxford. The oxford has a closed throat lacing and is much more formal. To begin with it is best to stay with the more conservative and formal oxfords. They will have cleaner lines and will look better with a suit. Bluchers are a bulkier shoe and don't look as good with a suit, the extra weight typically only looks good with jeans or khakis.

Additionally, if a more casual shoe is desired, than opt for a loafer rather than a blucher. The loafer will add variety to the wardrobe and be quite useful in the hot summer months. Loafers are also perfect for flying as they are easy to remove at airport security. If you choose a loafer stick with a penny loafer as they are smart looking and classic. Stay away from loafers with tassels or any unneeded frivolity. Plain and simple will never go out of style. The loafer should also be in a mid-brown color. Not as dark as the oxfords but also not as light as a tan color.

These three shoes will serve most men well. As you wish to add further shoes to your collection, add varying degrees of brogueing in various colors. We recommend add shades of brown from dark to light tan with brogueing or no brogueing, based on your personal style. Lighter shoes are preferred in the summer and darker shoes in the winter, as they match the weather and the amount of sunlight.

The best places to buy good quality dress shoes are: Allen Edmonds, Alden, Ben Silver, Cole Haan, Johnston & Murphy and Banana Republic. For loafers Bass is one of the best options, but the previous companies will work.

Essentials of a Work Wardrobe - Dress Shirts

Will be worn daily and always need to be clean and pressed. This means that having between 8 and 12 dress shirts will ensure there is always a clean one to be worn. Even if the office allows for polos to be worn, wear a dress shirt Monday through Thursday and leave the polo for occasional Fridays. Don't become the polo on every Friday guy, that looks too routine. A nice oxford cloth with jeans is always a good look. For dress shirts, conservative and classic will ensure the most use out of the shirts and that
they will work with the widest range of ties.

For shirts a young professional should stick with barrel cuffs and have a healthy mix of button down and semi-spread collars. The shirts should include at least two plain white shirts, a light blue shirt, an oxford cloth light blue, a white shirt with blue pinstripes, a blue and white banker stripe, a tattersal and a check shirt. Additional shirts should be more experimental in colors and patterns. These colors should include light pink, lavender, pale green or light gray. The patterns should be multi-colored check, multi-stripes and ginghams. The experimental shirts can include blue checked shirts with an orange or green over check. But like with the suits, these outliers are worn less often than the conservative options.

It also must be noted that a closet full of patterned shirts should have a closet of plain shirts to compliment it. While a closet of busy shirts should have a lot of plain suits to compliment the wardrobe. Busy shirts and busy suits makes for obnoxious outfits.

The best place to buy dress shirts are: Banana Republic, H&M, Brooks Brothers, Macy's & Uniqlo.

Essentials of a Work Wardrobe - Suits

Every man needs at least two suits in his closet at all times, while to begin no man needs more than six suits in his arsenal. The exact number you settle on should be based around how often a suit is needed in the office. Most offices two suits will suffice. The first two suits need to be a Navy and a Charcoal Gray. The Charcoal Gray suit should be plain, this way it can also be worn to weddings and funerals, as needed. The Navy suit can be plain or for some variation be a herringbone, chalk stripe, pinstripe or
nailhead. The third, fourth & fifth suits should first come in varied shades of gray, from darker to lighter or an additional navy. The patterns should remain conservative: pinstripe, herringbone, chalk stripe, houndstooth or nailhead. With the sixth suit and perhaps with the fifth suit (in only the most liberal environments) can some experimentation take place. This experimentation is in colors or patterns, but not both. Experimentation in colors: Tan or Brown. Experimentation in patterns: Windowpane check, Glenn Check, or multi-stripe.

The suits that are to be worn most often are the conservative ones and the experimental suits the least often. In conservative places of business like Law Firms and Banks, the experimental suits should only be worn on Fridays. All of these suits should be two button or three-roll to two button. They may or may not have a vest. They all must have flat front pants with no cuffs. The lapels should be between 2 ½ inches and 3 ¼ inches in width, with the ideal width at 3".

The best place to buy these suits are: J Crew, Banana Republic, H&M, Men's Wearhouse & Brooks Brothers.

Reader's Question: New Job, New Wardrobe

We have another question, this one from Pete in San Diego. To send your questions email us at: mdignified@gmail.com. Or find us on Facebook or Twitter.

Do you have any suggestions on how a young man newly interested in updating his wardrobe, after college and now starting to job search should begin?

For this exercise let's assume this new college graduate has a typical college wardrobe, which is anything but appropriate for the workforce. This will mean he needs to start from scratch and focus on classic essentials that will last him a few years, or at least until he starts making enough money to buy some real clothes. Over the next week we will explore the essentials to a versatile work wardrobe.

To start, the key is about the fit. Inexpensive clothes that fit well look much better than expensive clothes that aren't the right size. So when buying the first round of clothes, it is better to focus on the fit then the brand. Then upgrading the quality and the brands in the closet as time progresses. The only exception is shoes, which we will discuss later in this essay. The essentials are classic, conservative and safe, as the last thing a newly hired professional wants to come across is anything but. Beyond reputation building a classic and conservative wardrobe will ensure the largest amount of use out of the items. By sticking to classics, the items can be worn again and again without raising an eyebrow or a snide remark. Whereas a young professional breaking out a brown glenn check suit with purple over check is not only seen as unprofessional but wearing that suit more than twice a year will probably roll some eyes.

The items that are needed can be bought for around $3K to $5K, depending on brands and how much is in the closet already. As time goes, additional items can be added yearly or every few months to keep the wardrobe fresh and expand the options. What every man needs is:

• Suits - a minimum of 2 suits, maximum of six
• Dress shirts - classic shirts between 8 and 12
• Dress shoes - one brown & one black
• Belt - one reversible belt
• Sport Coat - at least one universal odd jacket
• Wool slacks - a minimum of four wool slacks
• Sweaters - wool sweaters, a minimum of two
• Chinos - 2 pairs of clean dress chinos
• Ties - at least six to ten ties in classic patterns & width
• Watch - one classic watch
• Overcoat & Raincoat - one of each
• Accessories - Pocket squares, Tie Clips, Socks, etc.

With this list in mind we will further explore each item in detail over the next three weeks.

Land's End Canvas

With the huge success of J Crew, there have been a lot of classic American brands trying to rethink and redefine their look. While the brand's style is not as original as J Crew, they certainly are less expensive and provides an additional location to buy some of the classic American Prep pieces.  A perfect example of this is: Land's End Canvas, good clothes, great prices with a few pieces unique to the designer. 

Rugby Shirt - this classic preppy item comes in either navy or light blue and is sold for only $45. I can be worn with jeans or khakis by itself or it can be thrown on over a button down shirt, as featured here. Thrown over a button down shirt, is my favorite look for a Rugby Shirt. It adds a little more style and character to the classic piece.

Chambray Shirts - Land's End takes the essential chambray shirt one step farther by offering a blue with white stripe, like shown above. As well as a whole line of colors, including a tan and an off-white. They also priced the shirt at $39, instead of close to $100 as seen at other stores.

Ties - Also available are some nice modern ties.  They have a classic navy and light blue rep tie as well as a gingham, a plaid and patterned tie.  And they are only $40, which is a great price.  They are also slim ties.

Hoodie - We all need a hoodie or two in the closet.  Land's End Canvas offers a modern looking hoodie for only $50.  The hoodie comes in navy or gray with white drawstrings and zipper.  The contrasting zipper and drawstrings are a good look adding interest to an otherwise average looking hoodie.

Peacoat - They also have a canvas peacoat.  This a great spring/summer jacket for a reasonable $80.  This coat will keep you dry in the rain and warm during the summer night winds. 

Pocket Squares - one of the most unique and different items that Land's End Canvas sells is the plaid and gingham pocket squares. They are sold for $9 a piece and can really add a nice spark to a jacket.

Rugby by Ralph Lauren: 2010 Spring Collection

The Rugby by Ralph Lauren Spring Collection is considerably nicer than the previous year. With the change in climate in this country designers have brought the fashions back down to earth, which is a good thing, especially for such an edgy brand like Rugby.

The outfit are different, sprezzatura and modern, yet quite wearable and realistic. This 2010 collection is inspirational, while the previous year the outfits felt try hard.

The white cable knit tennis sweater cardigan is outstanding. I have enjoyed the cable knit tennis sweater for a while, but never seen it in a cardigan. What a great twist on the classic menswear staple. It certainly modernizes the piece for a new generation to own. The ripped jeans and tie are also a great choice with a classic banker stripe shirt.

The navy suit is very classic and well tailored. The shirt makes the outfit modern. The shirt has a contrast collar which is very sharp. The collar is shorter than normal, with a vintage cut. It looks like a throw back to the 1920s, the collar is rounded at the tips and held to the neck with a collar pin. This makes for the collar staying only at the neck and not sloped on the shirt. This is quite different from the standard classic look, but has its heritage in the vintage preferences. Another modern element to the navy suit is the tan belt, which pops on the dark background of the suit. I think that the light tan belt and shoes is a must for the spring. Very Italian.

The three piece chino suit feels like something the Great Gatsby would have worn. It is well tailored and comes in a thicker cloth than most of the other cotton suits. It also has a vest on the suit, an additional not commonly seen on suits. I also think the plaid shirt is a nice way to add interest and color to the outfit. More visually appealing than a blue striped shirt would have been. I am still on the fence about the bow tie, but gut tells me to lose it.

The cut on the plaid cotton blazer is perfect. This outfit has great sprezzatura, the unbuttoned and rolled cuffs, the tie tucked into the jeans, the unbuttoned and lose tie.  I think the pattern itself is unexpected and classic.  The white buttons on the blazer are a great touch, as well.

This is my least favorite outfit from Rugby.  It is plain and ordinary, it is also ultra casual.  I never dress this casual, so I really have little feelings about it.  I also do not like the navy blazer with white contrast striping.  As I have discussed before, contrast striped blazers are over done and too try hard.

How to Wear a Skinny Tie

The appropriate width for a necktie is exactly 3 inches at its widest point. Some current trends beg for a tie of less width, which ends up looking hipster and try hard.  Some trends, notably a few Saville Row tailors want a tie of considerably more width.  Unfortunately, most retail stores sell ties that are about 4 inches in width, which looks dated and draws flashbacks of the heavy shoulder padded suits of the 80s and 90s.

Due to the trendy and inherently unstylish extremes in tie width, that is why the 3 inch middle ground is the best.  A 3 inch tie is actually quite conservative and classic, a tie width common for decades until the 1970s ruined more than just rock n roll.  The 3 inch tie is the neutral territory that will grow in popularity and commonality, especially as the 2 inch width becomes more widespread.

The three inch ties are more common with each passing day.  My favorite locations to buy the "slimmer" ties are:

J. Crew - ties sold are exactly 3 inches in width (for the most part).  They are very classically styled with great color combinations.  The Italian silk knit tie the width shrinks to 2 1/2 inches, so wear it caustiously.

Pink - Thomas Pink has a nice selection of slim ties all for $100 a piece.  The colors are typically either pinks or purples but they are nice.

Brooks Brothers - the conservative retailer has moved 3 inch ties into the regular rotation, albeit under the "slim" tie section.  These are beautiful ties, including a lot of rep stripes and even some madder patterns (like the one pictured above).  They also have a nice glen check that looks very sharp.

Ben Sherman - has a line of ties around the 3 inch width.  They come in aggressive colors and patterns and sold widely at Macys.  Some are more conservative than others, but it always good to have a few daring ties in the collection to spice up the white shirt and gray suit look.

Calvin Klein - a small but nice selection of skinny ties.  They are simple designs but usually have a little flair to keep them visually engaging.

Burberry - also makes some very conservative looking slim ties.  I think they may be a little over priced for the quality, personally opting for bespoke first, but they are very nice.  Especially the classic Burberry check.

If you want a timeless style go with the 3 inch width.  It will always be essential to a classic look and will never look as trendy as super skinny ties or the wide ties en vogue with the anchors at ESPN.

Berluti Shoes

Arguably the best made-to-wear shoes in the world are Berluti.  They are a French company that have a few places in two stores in New York, one store in Los Angeles, Las Vegas & Dallas, as well as stores all over Europe that sell the masterpiece shoes.

They have been making shoes 1895 and have some of the most beautiful patinas on the brown shoes that they make.  The shoes all are the most luxurious and highest quality shoes that can be bought.  They are classic and traditional, but also groundbreaking and quite bizarre.  The most beautiful versions in my opinion are the minimalist sleek designs made from a single piece of leather.  But then again I think for some reason if I wore the purple Berluti shoes few people would have room to mock.

They seem to be able to cross the line between appropriate and inappropriate, classic and informal, elegant and gaudy without ever being a shoe that I would not be proud to own and wear with most any suit I own.  For Berluti I think it is simple, luxury, quality and style are apparent in every shoe made and those three things are of the highest level made of any shoe in the market.

Berluti shoes are certainly inspiring.