He’s got the look – working through a fashion puzzle
photo by jurvetson
There is much to a man’s attire including business shirts, ties, jackets and pants, belts, shoes, cufflinks. If you want to make a positive impression in the office you must give some consideration to a number of these components, mess one up and the consequences could mean you a branded unstylish for life! (this may be a slight exaggeration but you get our point!). So let’s turn our attention to suit jackets and delve into the merits of single breasted jackets vs. double breasted..
Single breasted jackets have a single row of buttons that allows the jacket to overlap just enough to button together. Double breasted jackets have two rows of buttons; the front of the jacket overlaps enough to allow each flap to attach to the opposite button row.
Your jacket style is whatever you prefer…although Australian men tend to use the single breasted jackets. There are exceptions to this norm however- if you think you a some form of royalty or you own a mega yacht and a sailor’s hat!
Now, your suit jacket is going to have either one row of buttons or two rows of buttons. If you have chosen the single breasted jacket, you’ll note that it’s got anywhere from one button to four; however, two and three button suit jackets are also very common. It’s more traditional to see the three button configuration. Two button jackets allow the person to show more of their business shirt and tie and can give the person a slimmer look. When you have a two button jacket, the top button should be the only one used. Unless it’s one button jacket, the button bottom should never be done up.
A look at lapels
When you look at jacket lapels, you’ll see that they have an array of styles. There have also been numerous fashion experiments with them over the past few decades. In fact, it’s difficult to look at the styles of the 1970s and not shudder from the horror of seeing lapels extending toward the shoulders. No doubt, this was not flattering to the men of this time (but they sure thought so). Who knows flairs and big lapels may not be that far away from a revival…
As with any classic clothing, the best and timeless lapels are ones that are of moderate width and match the wearer’s proportions than the fashion trend of the time. If you can use the lapels that match your proportions, your jacket won’t look too big or small.
A look at the main pockets
Jetted pockets – When you’re going for a formal look, you need to have jetted pockets, which are pockets that are sewn into the jacket lining and a narrow horizontal opening will show on the jacket’s side. Jetted pockets are practically invisible and give a sleek, polished appearance; it’s often seen worn in very formal occasions.
Flap pockets – When you don’t need something so formal, you can go for a jacket with flap pockets. These are closely identical to the jetted pockets but it also includes a flap that’s sewn at the top of the pocket, which will cover the opening of the pocket. Most jackets have these pockets. If you want to, you can tuck in the flaps and mimic the jetted pocket look.
Get noticed for the right reasons – premium men’s business shirts
photo by D'Arcy Norman
When you need men’s business shirts, you’re going to find that they come in an array of colours. However, you may be like other men and stick with colours that have been tested for professionalism and individualism. You should always pay attention to your surroundings and watch for the unspoken dress rule. For example, law offices and search engine companies are going to have different dress codes.
Business shirts colours
Solid shirts
The most common business shirt colours are white and blue; most men have these colours in their wardrobe. You should always have several of these basic shirts in your closet and keep an extra at the office (just in case… accidents do happen). The colour white for business shirts goes back a long, long way. It’s been thought that men who wear white would do more work with their mind than with their hands; thus, their shirts would never become stained- also known as white collar professionals.
If you smoke or drink coffee and you don’t bleach your teeth, it may be best to use an off-white shirt rather than the brilliant white. A white collar loves to enhance yellowing flaws.
Striped shirts
A pin striped shirt adds just that little bit of flair to your business shirt. They fit in nearly every work office around the world. The thinner the stripes are on the shirt, the more formal the business shirt is. When you’re wearing striped shirts with a suit or tie, make sure that the patterns and lines are different from one another. This is where things start to get a bit tricky so if you think you’re not up for some basic pattern matching we suggest you stick to solids.
Checkered shirts
Originally designed for more casual environments and still often worn on weekends, checkered shirts have now well and truly made their way into the closets of corporate professionals around the world. Checkered shirts add you to add a little bit of individually to what can sometimes be seen as a boring outfit. They are a perfect choice for a smart business casual setting (ie no tie required). We suggest if wearing a tie with a checkered business shirt go with something as plain as possible.
Choosing cufflinks for a formal event
photo by Steve Snodgrass
When you’re going to a formal event, chances are you’re not going in a pair of jeans and ‘wife beater’ tank top. You’ll be going formal, which means pulling out a good quality business shirt, suit and tie. However, you’ll also need to remember to bring the cufflinks too. Formal events tend to require guests to dress nicely (usually a nice suit or tuxedo), which means you’ll need to include cufflinks in the mix, making sure they’re the right type of cufflinks for the occasion.
It would seem that choosing cufflinks is easy but turns out that’s actually easier said than done. If it’s not chosen correctly, the entire outfit will look wrong and you’ll come off looking like a total closet klutz who doesn’t know how to dress himself right… perhaps even scaring off any potential lady friends.
The World Wide Web has massively increased the amount of choice on offer, and made getting the right kind of cufflinks much easier. If you can’t find what you need in a brick and mortar store, consider the assistance on an online store.
Choosing cufflinks
When you’re trying to buy cufflinks, the first rule you need to remember is not to go cheap. Cufflinks need to say a bit about you and you certainly don’t want them to tell people you’re cheap and don’t know how to dress. Don’t get the fake silver cufflinks that’s supposed to pass for sterling silver ones.
Many cufflinks have actual stones in them, regardless of what kind of stone. You have a wide array of choices and because of the internet, there’s some steep competition. Thus, you should be able to get a decent price for them.
What type of event are you attending
Make sure you know what kind of event you’ll be attending. Some events are more formal than other ones. Some events want you to dress in a reserved manner while others want you to be a bit more extravagantly dressed.
Choose your cufflinks based on the event. You want to look good but too much uniqueness can be bad. While cufflinks are a small part of the suit, they still play an integral part in men’s formal wear.
Who’s going to be your date
If you have a date, then you should know what she’ll be wearing. Why? The cufflinks you buy can complement her attire that evening. Of course, if she’s the type of person to choose her clothing at the last second, you may have a problem with this.
If you’re able to pull this off, you can give yourself an extra bit of class, which will propel you to look better than the other guests who attend. You may be even more attractive to your date because you thought of what she was doing.
Never be ashamed about asking your significant other or date her opinion on the cufflinks. Her opinion is going to be invaluable since she’ll be able to see from a distance how you’re going to look with them on. Plus, it’s something the both of you can do together…something that’ll make her feel appreciated. If you involve her, the chances of you getting the right cufflinks the first time around are certain.
Casual or semi-casual: what constitutes business casual in your workplace
photo by wonderferret
If your job calls for business casual, what does this really mean? Believe it or not, this is the one question that has plagued working men for a long time. In fact, this very wondering has caused issues in the workplace. It could be the possibility of not using a tie, wearing a golf shirt or using menswear on that casual day. Casual Friday can vary greatly from workplace to workplace.
What does casual mean?
When you work in an office, you should know what it means by casual there. The quickest way to determine your workplace’s definition of business casual is by speaking to your colleagues but to put to rest your fears, maybe just talk to your manager. Co-workers may accidentally give you the wrong information; it’s not because they want you to fail, it’s because they may not fully understand the dress code/casual policy themselves.
What does semi-casual mean?
Businesses which have a very formal culture may have a casual day that only means not wearing a tie; thus, you’ll need to still wear a business shirt, dress shoes and jacket… no tie whatsoever. For some people, it would come across as why bother having the day?
What does very casual mean?
When an office goes truly casual, it tends to mean that employees can wear jeans… seen as very casual. These kinds of settings may even allow for t-shirts and sneakers rather than business shirts and suits. T-shirts and sneakers are generally seen with more artsy or creative businesses.
Go between very casual and semi-casual
There are many businesses that could be defined as having a ‘between casual’ stage. Usually casual days mean wearing a polo shirts, and semi-casual footwear such as sneakers rather than wearing a business shirt, formal slacks and dress shoes. This kind of wear is much more casual than the usually seen and worn jacket and tie; however, it’s not Saturday wearing of jeans, t-shirts and thongs (flip flops for international readers).
Whatever the case may be, you should find out what kind of casual your workplace has before you make the mistake of going too casual or not casual enough. Of course, going business casual is a great way to ease in to the weekend, as tempting as it is, just be conscious that it’s not the weekend quite yet!