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.

Dressing in a Zen like Approach

The perfect men's outfit lives in the zen like place that exist between not trying and trying.  Not trying results in a slovenly outfit a kin to a hungover college student or a homeless man.  Trying too hard results in a tense, perfectly measured and overly contrived outfit.  No mistakes, no imperfections, excepts the lack of them.

The zen like approach is when it is just done.  The studying of style and etiquette has been done, the wardrobe has been selected meticulously, the tailor has made sure every piece fit properly and closet has been vetted of the unneeded, the unkempt and the unattractive.  Then the outfit that is created, is an outfit that just happens, it just exists, it lives somewhere between not trying and trying too hard.  It has its flaws, its eccentricities, its favorabilities, it nether perfect nor imperfect.

For me the perfect outfit exists in that zen like place.  The work is done in the preparation of the wardrobe, not in actual outfit.

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.

Style Profile - (500) Days of Summer

Style Profile: (500) Days of Summer

First off, (500) Days of Summer, is a great movie. It has a very good story, with laugh out loud funny moments, a great love story, good acting, good music, great set design and fantastic clothing (for the two main characters: Summer & Tom). The hair styles could have been improved, but lets focus on the good. Hats off to Hope Hanafin who did the Costume Design for the movie.

Tom's character had a very individual style that fit the character and the overall feel of the movie. The character incorporated throwback 1960s style into a modern day setting without coming off as try-hard or overly hipster. A few of tie selections could have been improved, but others were magnificently paired with the appropriate outfits. The jackets in the movie were great from the casual corduroy paired with slacks and a t-shirt to the pincord corduroy suit worn to the summer wedding to the dressy wool blends, each jacket had exquisite tailoring and were worn in appropriate settings. The Costume Designer also masterfully used cashmere cardigans, wool hooded sweatshirts and sweater vests as layers over subtle neutral colored shirts and interesting ties. There were too many sweater vests for my taste, but the style never felt forced.

The use of a casual, but not too casual, wool hooded sweatshirt with shirt and tie, was a great combination (sorry I could not find a picture of the outfit, in the movie he wears the outfit in the Ikea). It made me want to steal the look for fall/winter events that are outside. For events that demand a modern casual oufit, but that I would still want to dress up for. Pairing the hooded sweatshirt, shirt and tie with wool slacks and distressed brown boots might be my new obession (and summer isn't even over). The more I talk about the look the more I want it.

(500) Days of Summer is a great date movie, enjoyable story, good amounts of humor and love and witty dialogue. Plus, you get to take in a great fashion show from a fashion designer with an amazing vision, that was carried out to perfection (well maybe minus a sweater vest or two).

Michael Bastian - Collection

Collection of nice Michael Bastian designed outfits. Some great style ideas done in a classic but modern way. This collection of outfits feels Sprezzatura without trying to imitate or outdo the Icons of the past.

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - Gingham & Linen

I found this perfect pairing of gingham and linen. Great job on the outfit. I had to share it.

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - Summer Suit

Summer suits are completely under estimated... they are stately, sophisticated, gentlemanly and just downright cool (in the hip sort of way... not the heat way). When I put on a great summer suit I feel like a proper southern gentleman about to step out on to my porch for a mint julep before heading to a late afternoon wedding at the chapel. It makes me feel like the distinguished gentlemen of the 50's, but more updated.

Summer suits must not be your standard dark wool suit, too hot and too conservative. A good suit for July and August comes in three main fabrics and the variations on those fabrics: Chino, Silk, Linen and Cotton. Cotton suits come in a few different varieties but my favorite for many reasons is seersucker, another cotton option is cordlane (as we discussed earlier in this blog). Chino is technically a cotton too, but I see as different type of suit. For the purposes of this blog we will focus on my two favorites... Seersucker & Linen.

Seersucker is straight out of the south. It is old school, it can only be worn in the summer, it needs to have a modern cut. If the seersucker is not a slim fit... it will look like you are wearing your grandpa's suit (because he has one... I guarantee it). Seersuckers come in many different colors the most common and featured prominently on DF is the blue and white variety. They also come in red and white, brown/tan and white, pink and white and most other shades. (If you can find a cream and white seersucker, buy it immediately. They are amazingly gorgeous and hard to find.) I love the brown/tan and white (pictured below is the J.Crew version of this suit) as a starter seersucker, getting you used to the fabric and the suit. The blue and white is the prettiest with the right tie and pocket square (as demonstrated to perfection at the top of the page). Always wear a pocket square with your seersucker to help dress it up. It can be properly worn with a tie or without. If you are going with the blue and white seersucker and no tie stick with a pink or light blue shirt. One great advantage of seersucker is that it will not wrinkle and what an advantage it is!

The most elegant and classy versions of the summer suit is linen. Linen is often paired with cotton, wool or silk in a blended suit. I like the blended suit because of the beautiful look that comes from the mix of fabrics. Linen suits can be all colors but I would stick with the brown/tan, cream or navy. A grey linen suit can be beautiful as well, but I like it more for nighttime occassions. Remeber that linen wrinkles. This is how the suit is supposed to look, it is supposed to be rumpled and look like you actually wear it. That is part and parcile of the look. For a perfect example of a rumpled linen jacket check out A Suitable Wardrobe.

The rest of the suits featured (that are not seersucker) are linen suits. The first picture below is stolen (hope you don't mind) from the Satorialist. It is the epitomy of the perfect summer suit worn perfectly with the perfect fit. Kudos!

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - Gingham

If you don't have a gingham shirt, go get one right now. It's okay, I'll wait...

Gingham is great. It is classic, it is fashionable and it is the ultimate summer look. (just don't wear a red gingham shirt or else you will look like a picnic table). My favorites are the blues, the purples and the pinks. J.Crew has a great selection of gingham including a cream and white pattern in a wide square that is fantastic. Did you get one yet? I'll wait...

Wear it with a pair of chinos or jeans for a nice date look. Or go with the lilac gingham and a dark blue tie for work. Ralph Lauren even has some nice small check aqua blue gingham, the exact color we discussed earlier in the Essentials of Summer section.

Did you get your gingham yet? What are you waiting for?

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - Web Belt

Another Essential Summer fashion accessory to add to the wardrobe this year is the web belt. It is a great way to add a little personal style to your wardrobe, not to mention a splash of color. The top picture is a collection of belts from Robert Talbott. I really dig the blue and white belt above from J.Crew. I bought mine on sale for under $10. The two belts below are also great options, the top one is from Ralph Lauren. The bottom one is a plaid option from Macy's.

The web belt comes in a wide variety of colors and options. Bright colors are my favorite, but a more muted gray and black option can look fantastic with the right outfit. Also, solid web belts are available, but I would steer clear of them as they look quite ordinary. Please make sure to only buy a web belt with a D ring on it. No solid silver clasps, the belt will look like a thugs accessory for the early 90's, not a very dandy look.

The best advice I can give you with the web belt is the play with colors and avoid matching too much. A dark blue belt looks good with a light blue button down. Find a orange and green belt and match it with khaki shorts and solid neutral colored button down (white or gray look best). Wear a pink polo and a madras web belt and neutral shorts.

This a very versatile and fun addition to any wardrobe. Just don't wear it to work.

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves

Here is the kind of outfit that I feel really shows off your summer cool, while looking dandy, sprezzatura and quite different from the crowd (without looking like an ass). It is truly a fashionable and trendy outfit with a classic kick. I couldn't decide on which belt option I liked more... so I gave two different options. This would also look great with a distressed brown leather belt.

A few quick keys to this outfit. Keep the shirt washed don't over due on the ironing. The jacket needs to perfectly tailored. I would recommend a blue linen jacket like this one. Don't be afraid to embrace the wrinkles that the linen jacket will acquire. Make sure the jeans are dark wash and free of holes and other signs of bad trends. I recommend sticking to a slim fit selvedge cotton, like the jeans shown. The red shoes tie the outfit together. They go with the outfit without matching. It is key that you don't wear a red belt as that will look to thought out and perfect. Artful dishevelment is the key to make this outfit look fashionable.

Try this outfit out and tell me later how many numbers girls will give you. If you don't believe me, try it.

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - Driving Shoes

My favorite accessory this summer is the driving shoe. These extremely comfortable suede slip on shoes available in all colors are great additions to any summer wardrobe. I love pairing the blue driving shoe with a pair of light chinos and a pink button down. Mismatched colors are a great and simple sprezzatura style element. I also like dressing up jeans with these shoes as they help an outfit pop with sophistication without sacrificing comfort.

Wearing red driving shoes with jeans and a blue button down is a simple style piece that anyone can pull off. It will turn heads, make you feel great and will help you look like a dandy summer style maven.

If you can't afford Tod's driving shoes (the Aston Martin) of driving shoe, then I highly recommend Aldo. Aldo has great versions of the driving shoe at very reason prices. I get my driving shoes at Aldo (don't tell anyone... hopefully they will think I buy Tod's).

Essential Summer Fashion Must Haves - Cotton Tie

You must break out the lighter fabrics in summer. Linen, seersucker, chino and of course cotton. Summer is the time to put away fabrics that look so good in December and try something new and lighter.

A great way to try something new and light is with cotton. We all know about the cotton shirts and shorts. But another great use of cotton is with ties and jackets. (Gap has a great navy cotton jacket that is great for cool nights in the summer and fall. My favorite use of cotton is with ties. They allow you to dress up without looking pretentious or like you belong at Thanksgiving dinner.

J Crew this year have some of the best ties. I love the gingham tie and the madras tie, both great must have ties. The ties below are also a great way to wear cotton. They come in a cool plaid design but they are still cotton.

My favorite tie, is the one featured at the top of the page. Its color scheme is impeccably summer and the raw silk it is made from is also very summer. Okay, okay that tie is not cotton, but you can't go wrong with it. From what I can gather this is a J Press tie. I just wish they weren't out of stock... I want one. Random gift anyone?