Collar Stays

By now, you know me. Mildly fashionable with a continually evolving sense of style of the dos and don’t’s of the game. I must take this time to issue a PSA for collar stays. Gentlemen, when your shirt has cutouts in the collar, and they come with those little plastic thingies (a term a friend of mine actually once used) that fall out in the dryer or at the cleaners, it means only one thing. YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE COLLAR STAYS.

A huge pet peeve of mine is the flyaway collar because there isn’t anything holding the collar in place. I have even been known to hit up a Jos A Bank or some equivalent on a day if I forgot to put them in just so I can buy some cheap brass ones. In fact – I keep a tube at the office for that very reason. Although I must say it is extremely rare to forget them. To me – it’s almost like forgetting shoes or a belt (although I have done that and ended up finding a cheap retailer to purchase a new one at before arriving to work so I didn’t look like a fool).

I implore you, if you have no idea what I am talking about, please Google it. You need collar stays. It’s just the right thing to do.

Til Next Time,

Michael

Suit Buttons

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As many of you know, I’m a sucker for fashion and business dress.  Hence, when I stumbled upon one of my favorite new boutique startup clothiers’ quick note on when to button (or unbutton) suits, I just had to share.  Fortunately, I think I generally abide by these rules, although I may unbutton suit jackets a bit too often (mostly to get some airflow).  Either way – it’s always nice to get a reminder to “look the part”!

Suits: To Button Or Not To Button

Til Next Time,

Michael

Men’s Suits 101

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I know I have mentioned it before (and will likely mention it again until your ears are numb), but the clothes you wear are highly important.  Whether you realize it or not (or are reluctant to admit it), people will judge you based upon your appearance, and what you wear says a lot about your outward appearance (i.e. well-dressed people have greater command over a room of people before they even say a word).  It’s a fact of life in Corporate America.  No escaping it.  Whether or not you choose to care about it is obviously your prerogative – but I wanted to pass along a great article posted yesterday on Buzzfeed that references tips and rules for wearing men’s suits.  A lot of these are great things to keep in mind while shopping or dressing and won’t cost you any extra money.

P.S. Is Buzzfeed slowly making its case to be the preeminent work productivity killer?  I wonder how many collective hours a day of “work time” across America alone are lost to reading through the site.  Don’t tell me your Facebook feeds aren’t full of these lists on a daily basis.  You know, when you check Facebook after working hours of course 🙂

Til Next Time,

Michael

Dressing the Part

My colleagues, friends, and I have recently engaged in significant talks about what is and is not appropriate attire for work. Inevitably, we fall all over the board as it relates to what is the best bet in terms of work dress. However, I think we can all generally agree on a few principles and best practices as it relates to acquiring and coordinating a good office wardrobe.

First, you should always dress at least as well as your coworkers or clients. This is so that you are meeting them and collaborating with them in attire that is comfortable for them, as you are neither underdressing them or severely overdressing them. Some will argue on the latter point in that statement (e.g. the typical “management consultant” that feels they should be in a three-piece-suit every day regardless of the client culture to justify their $250/hr charge-out rate), but I will always argue that showing up in a suit to a factory floor where even the top dog on site wears jeans every day is overly arrogant and will cause for you to be unfairly judged by the majority of the workforce unnecessarily.

Second, you should still aim to dress in something that fits you and makes you comfortable. Let’s face it: many of us struggle with various personal hygiene or appearance deficiencies that we need to care for when we go to put ourselves together in the morning. If you, like I, tend to be warmer than average on a temperature scale, it would be advisable to wear fabrics that are more breathable so that you aren’t sweating through your shirt just walking to a 9 AM meeting. If you are an especially tall person, it is important to select clothes that are proportional to your frame so that you don’t have to be self-conscious about wearing clothes that don’t fit. Ill-fitting clothes are one of the most inexcusable offenses anyone in the working world can make in my opinion. I know it can be costly to replace a wardrobe if your weight or muscle mass change, but in order to look the part, it is really important to dress in proper fitting clothes. You will ultimately be more comfortable and confident in whatever you do.

Third, there are several ways to “dress the part” without breaking the bank. One of my favorite sites for advanced men’s wardrobe on a budget is dappered.com, which aims to help aggregate style tips, large retailer sales, and under-the-radar merchandise that is available (often for a fraction of the cost of big name premier brands). Another great option for building a professional and sufficient wardrobe is to try out thrift stores. It is pretty easy to tell the quality of an item with a cursory inspection, and often times some of the merchandise will still have original tags on it because it was never worn. Just be sure to dry clean whatever you purchase, and you are all set as far as I’m concerned to start embracing “reclaimed” clothes.

While the conversation surrounding “dressing the part” is something that probably needs to be done specifically for each person with respect to their own colleagues, clients, and corporate culture, I believe the guardrails above at least help tailor the conversation to the things that matter when thinking about how to dress for success in your respective arena.

Bonus: here’s a great short video on finding a jacket that fits, courtesy of Birchbox Men, leveraging one of my favorite shows for the discussion: Suits (a MUST WATCH if you enjoy witty humor, Corporate America, and fashion in the Big Apple).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2otfm8vwEA&feature=youtu.be&noredirect=1

Til Next Time,
Michael