Men’s Classic Style

The Question –

How important is my interview suit. I have multiple meetings, can I wear the same outfit to every meeting?

Answer –

The devil is in the details, and when you are looking to land a 6 figure job, you better believe they notice these things. With two weeks between interviews, and the fact you wore a conservative suit, a different shirt and tie will suffice. But in my opinion, you ought to look at avoiding this dilemma in the future and consider purchasing a new suit soon.

If you expect to be wearing a suit daily I would plan on slowly buying 5 suits, 15 shirts, and 10 ties. You’ll also need at least two pairs of quality shoes, although I recommend most of my clients own 4 to 5. If you plan it right and go with conservative colors and patterns that interchange easily, you’ll not only be able to dress without worrying about how you look but you’ll go months between wearing the same thing.

When looking to buy clothing, remember to look for these three things -

The Proper Fit – I don’t care if the suit has a 90% discount; if it doesn’t fit you it will not look good. And when you find a suit that fits you well, take it to get tailored so that it fits you perfectly. Nothing is as important as fit.

Timeless Style – Ensure the clothing is classic in style. You want a suit you can wear not only this season, but 5 years from now. Avoid fads like the current thin lapels, and instead opt for styles that compliment your individual body style. Spread shirt collars on the narrow faced man and point collars for the round faced fellow. Go with conservative colors such as navy blue or my favorite charcoal grey (which does not accentuate youth, thus helping you avoid looking like your 17).

Quality – Go with Wool if you can afford it, a blend with up to 40% man made fibers is OK if you are cash strapped. Wool is sought after because it maintains its shape, retains heat, absorbs moisture without showing, and it has the look other fabrics are judged by.

Question -

I’m interviewing with a company and have been invited to one of their receptions at a local hotel. How important is this? I’ve heard if you are not a people person these can be dangerous to your chances. Can I bring my significant other along?

Answer -

These receptions are very important, here’s why -

Think of it like dating; everyone there is looking for a partner to make a commitment to. At these receptions you have the opportunity to stand out, to make a great first impression, and meet the people who will be looking at your resume. If you are not a top student or don’t have as impressive a resume as your peers, this is your shot to get in. A good conversation with a recruiter can help them overlook your less than stellar grades, or your display of wit can help them forgive your lack of experience in their field.

This is also your opportunity to interview them. Are these people you want to spend time with? Do you fit into their culture? If you don’t look out for yourself in the hiring process, no one else will.

Your right, it may be dangerous for some, especially if you have no social skills but have a killer resume. But how far is this going to get you anyway? You may land an internship or job, but within 6 months you’ll realize the match is a bad fit for both of you and you’ll either be fired or worse continue on and hate your job.

As for taking your significant other – unless they were invited I would say no. You want to focus on the job at hand, and make no mistake, this is work. You should know who is going to be there, information about the firms you are interested in, and get a list of names from career services so you can look out for them.

What’s So Special About Bespoke?

For the man used to buying clothes in a brick-and-mortar store, ordering a custom-made suit online may seem a little strange.  But if you think about it, doesn’t it make more sense? 

Many men have figured out that custom clothing looks better, feels better, and lasts longer than the clothes sold in stores, and thus makes for a good investment in the long run and the short run alike. Besides, customization is the last luxury, and the unique details you select for your bespoke put it head-and-shoulders above anything retail–even designer suits that cost many times more.

A man can expect to get a decade of wear from a bespoke suit, and several decades with proper care and occasional minor repairs. He will be lucky to get five years buying off the rack, for several reasons. First, since a store-bought suit will never fit you as perfectly as a bespoke one, there will be points on the the fabric and seams that get stressed by your movements, like where the sleeves connect to the body of the coat. Secondly, retail clothes are inevitably imbued with the particular trends of their time, and are thus more susceptible to style obsolescence than garments ordered by a man who knows the classic proportions. Finally, men who invest the time and energy to acquire bespoke suits tend to take better care of them, not least because they enjoy wearing them so much. If the price tags on bespoke offerings have you smarting, think about how much you spend clothes now. If you stopped buying suits, shirts, and shoes at the mall, how long would it take you to save up enough to order your first custom suit? If the suit lasts you ten years, isn’t it worth more than whatever else you would have bought?

Of course, the obvious reason to bespeak a suit is the opportunity to get a perfect fit. The particulars of fit having been discussed at length elsewhere, I will mere say that a well-fitting suit looks good and feels good, and the men’s suit leaves but a small margin for error. For the majority of men who do not have ‘average’ builds, whether portly, slender, muscular, tall, or what have you, custom clothes offer the only hope of getting it right. Your bespoke tailor starts from scratch, drawing out every line of your garment from your unique measurements (some made-to-measure services adjust existing patterns based on your measurements, saving time but sacrificing individuality). Once he (or she) has your pattern and you are happy with the fit, you can order more suits without additional measurements and be assured of an identical fit. Nothing can compare to the experience of donning a bespoke suit, and feeling how it really does fit perfectly.

Besides getting a perfect fit, ordering bespoke lets you control everything else about the suit, including fabric, cut, and detailing. There are thousands upon thousands of fabrics out there, so that there are bound to be a few that are exactly what you want in terms of material, weight, color, and pattern. Since retail stores offer so few options, a suit you buy at a mall store may be instantly identified by many as, for example, that-suit-from-Banana-Republic. This distracts from whatever the suit was supposed to convey, and helps people to apply stereotypes to you. When you wear a bespoke suit, few people will have ever seen a fabric quite like yours before, and the suit is thus free of baggage. The proportion and cut of a suit are essential to the look you achieve in it, and bespoke lets you get these right every time. Finally, you may like slanted pockets, ventless jackets, high-rise pants, or any other of the myriad options available in a suit. As you buy or order and wear several suits over the years, you will find things you like and things you don’t like. This may be for convenience’ sake, like a special cell phone pocket in all your jackets, or for style, like ordering all of your suit trousers with single reverse pleats. Finding a sartorial quirk that fits your personality and ordering it on all of your suits gives your duds some originality, and shows anyone who observes your dressing habits closely that your superior style is no accident.

Precaution should be taken when it comes time to clean your wool garments.  To ensure a long life for your clothing, take the following advice to to heart.

Always

Use a professional dry cleaning service – When your clothes are dirty, use the services of a professional dry cleaner. We do not recommend dry cleaning a garment after every use; instead, let the garment hang and air out, and a proper steaming will help breath life into the fabric between dry cleanings.

Store your clothing properly - The natural wool fibers in your garment can be eaten by various insects, and if you store your clothing for long period you want to use insect deterrents. Moth balls are a popular choice, but we recommend looking into cedar, lavender, and other natural repellants. Also, be sure to dry clean before storing to kill any eggs.

Consider

Invest in a Clothing Steamer & Suit Brush – two tools which will extend the life your garment by limiting your trips to the dry cleaner. Steamers are much safer to use than irons, as that they do not directly touch the fabric; steam relaxes delicate fibers such as wool, and can even pull out wrinkles in cotton shirts. A suit brush is best used after every wear; it removes small dirt particles and maintains the fabric’s appearance.

Never

Do not wash in a washing machine – wool loses 30% of its strength when soaked in water, making it much more susceptible to damage. This rough process can also alter the shape of the garment.

Do not iron directly or expose to intense heat such as clothing dryer – wool is an organic protein based fiber; exposure to intense heat can cause irreparable damage to the fibers. If the garment needs pressing, take it to a professional.

A quick list of pointers on how to ensure your cotton shirts stand the test of time.

Always

Use caution when cleaning – Although cotton is extremely durable (it becomes 30% stronger when soaked in water) it should only be washed in warm but preferably cold water to prevent color loss. Excessive bleaching can weaken the fibers, and is recommended for spot cleaning only. Dry cleaning is a perfectly acceptable way to clean your cotton clothing.

Store your clothing properly – Make sure your cotton clothing is fully dry when storing, and keep it away from excessive moisture. Mildew is fond of cellulose fibers, and will discolor and eventually destroy the fabric. Although the natural cotton fibers in your garment can be eaten by various insects, this is rare and we do not recommend using toxic insect deterrents such as moth balls; instead consider cedar and lavender for natural protection.

Consider

Washing and Drying at Home – Repeated dry cleaning and heavy starching is hard on cotton fibers. By gently washing your shirts and drying them, you’ll add years of life to the garment.

Invest in a quality iron and steamer – two tools which will extend the life your garment by limiting your trips to the dry cleaner. Steamers are perfect for quick wrinkle removal, and are much safer to use than irons. An iron, however, can not be beat when it comes to a crisp, clean finish, and if used at the proper temperature can be safely used. A quick tip – pull your shirts out of the dryer and iron them before they are fully dry; cotton fabrics respond best to ironing while damp.

Never

Over-estimate the strength of cotton – although cotton is thermoplastic and can be ironed at high temperatures safely, it will burn if the iron is left on one spot for a prolonged period. The same with bleach – over-exposure can destroy the fabric.

The Importance of Proportion in Classic Men’s Clothing

The gentleman who gives attention to proportion in his apparel always looks good. Alas, this detail is sadly under valued nowadays; it is rare to discover an adult male whose manner is understated elegance, the sort of gentleman who folks feel is always well dressed without knowing why. Most apparel sold in shops is available in just a few standard sizes, and are built according to the fashion of their day. It is true that with suitable tailoring, many gentlemen can get a decent fit out of a retail suit or other garment, but with a suit particularly there are a lot opportunities for customization that one misses out on them when buying off the rack. In retail clothing, important particulars like gorge height, closure, button position, and lapel width are determined by the impulses of fashion instead of the needs of a wearer’s unique physical structure.

Nearly all clothes are cut for a theoretical fashion model, a one in a hundred human who does not exist. Knowing this, it is no surprise that most men wear suits that do not flatter them. Most of us would look better in clothing built to our bodies, as that the right cuts and proportions can enhance any appearance. The best dressers knew this. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. had his jacket shoulders built out to offset his rather large head; Gary Cooper had his lapels cut to end in a low gorge which breaking up his height. Just look at modern day examples such as George Clooney, Sean Combs, and Tom Brady; these men wear menswear that compliments their natural strengths. It is true that certain body shapes clash with certain articles of clothing, but by no means does one’s body type confine him to a particular style. An important step in dressing well is finding the clothing proportions that work for you and then ensuring those proportion standards are met in every article of clothing you purchase.

The proper proportions on a jacket are critical to yield a natural and attractive visage. If a man’s head is especially wide, wider shoulders will frame his noggin to great success. A narrow face does better with sloping shoulders, while a large round face should ensure it is surrounded by enough material in the shoulders to make it look normal in size. Short men look best with a high-gorge configuration, while a low gorge balances a tall man. Also the width of a man’s lapels should be in proportion to his torso; if not they will accentuate his girth or lankiness to ill effect. And whatever your size, your jacket’s length should be such that it ends at your thumb’s knuckle when you stand with arms relaxed at your sides, and the ends of your sleeves should line up with the ends of your arms where your hands begin.

The shirt has rules of its own. The shirt collar size and shape should be selected based off of the face of the man wearing it. Collars types such as straight points tend to elongate the face; a wise selection for the round faced man but not a good choice for the man who has a long face. Most men wear collars that are too small, which is a shame as that the whole purpose of a shirt collar is to frame the face by properly drawing the eyes to it. Cuffs should gently clasp around the wrist, with anywhere from three quarters to a full two inches of room permissible.

Many trends in clothing consist of breaking the rules of proportion. Every day designers blast the public with their images of attractive models striking enviable poses and clothed in their latest offerings. By objective standards, these may be too loose or too tight, excessively short or top-heavy, or otherwise unbalanced. Models have jobs because they look good in anything, but most of us are not so lucky. Trendy designer clothes only look good because they evoke the beautiful people on billboards and magazines. When tastes change, in a few years or a single season, those who paid full price for designer wares at the height of their fleeting glory are left with expensive clothes that look slightly ridiculous. How much wiser is the man who buys clothes that are right for him, and wears them confidently knowing his style transcends the pettiness of fleeting fashion.

How to choose a Tailor

Picking out a tailor used to be simple; you either went with the tailor who had been servicing your father or you headed to the experienced suit salesman who would get the right introduction.  Nowadays regrettably, the job is more arduous - expert tailors are tough to come by, and the ordinary menswear salesman does not hold the knowledge to guide you in the proper direction.  In this article, I outfit you with the tools to determine a good men’s tailor whose services can transform you and your clothing.

The below steps are in order of action to be taken when searching for a tailor, and they are intended to be applied in concurrence with each other.  The 1st point is the most crucial, and shouldn’t be passed over.

1.    Educate Yourself
Prior to you talking with a tailor or seamstress, you want to possess a grounding in the fundamentals of men’s style.  The most arduous thing for most men to do is to find a couple of hrs to sit and learn about suits, shirts, and other menswear; yet most gentlemen find once they begin studying the material they become captivated.  Learning about the intricacies of quality menswear you begin noting men’s clothing particulars you never considered before; you pay attention to the fit of suit jackets, working sleeve buttonholes, and the break along a pair of pants.

Stepping into the universe of tailoring, you will realise just how crucial your clothing is in broadcasting messages about who you are.  Most folks you go past daily know you solely by the clothing you have on; your appearance is the only way they can make any sense of who you are and what you do in this world.  The suit, shirt, and tie combination you put on in the morning covers up ninety percent of your body, and before you speak this garment combination declares who you are and indicates to other people whether or not you merit attention.

To build a firm base in the fundamentals of men’s style, I recommend reading any book by Alan Flusser, Nicholas Antongiavanni’s “The Suit”, or Bernhard Roetzel’s “Gentleman”.  An extraordinary internet resource is A Tailored Suit’s Style Guide, a trove of men’s style articles. Once you have a foundation, you ought then to then interact with experienced people at places like Style Forum, an internet community of men’s clothing partisans.  When you find you can talk the tongue of bespoke menswear, you’re ready to begin questioning tailors.

2.    Tailor Recommendations
Be heedful here - most gentlemen are not discriminating in picking out their tailor, and remain with their current tailor just because they are oblivious of a better alternative.  Aggregated with the reality most men do not understand what proper fit is, it’s very possible that a tailor who gets high praise only does so because of the cluelessness of his patrons.  Don’t presume since somebody addresses themselves as a tailor or seamstress that they know anything about men’s style or can evaluate proper fit.

Conduct a critical look at your acquaintances - who amongst them is a natty dresser?  These are the folks you would like to ask for tailor recommendations.  You’ll be able to widen your search by asking women also, only be careful.  The manner garments fit on an adult male vs. the way they should fit on a woman are very different.  A skilled woman’s tailor doesn’t necessarily possess the correct skills to tailor men’s clothing.

3.    A Tailor’s Communication Skills - does this tailor listen and understand you?
You now have a list of tailors - now you should start speaking with them.  You will be able to do this over the telephone or e-mail; your goal is to determine if this is a individual you are able to work with.  Do they have superior communication skills?  Do they really listen to you, or are they attempting to drive in a direction you know you do not need to go down?  Do they have time to speak, or are they in a hurry?  To be fair, you should not hold the last one against a tailor if you call up their workplace out of the blue - however any master tailor ought to be willing to put aside twenty minutes to talk with a prospective customer at a determined time within a few days of phoning.

You would like to work with a tailor whom you feel confident in - this decision is very personal and ought to be based off the tailor’s knowledge and communication skills - ideally you encounter a tailor with solid skills in both arenas.  Regrettably, a combination of the 2 in a tailor is uncommon except in bigger urban centers.  You could find a very skilled tailor, but if he doesn’t understand you or the tailor decides he should ignore your wants and execute what he believes is correct, both you and the tailor are going to be frustrated.  Communicating is critical, and ensuring that both sides clearly understand and respect one another is important to a long term partnership.

4.    When is the Tailor satisfied?
There’s one answer here; the tailor shouldn’t be content until you’re satisfied.  This does not imply that a accomplished tailor or seamstress always gives you what you wish or doesn’t make errors - nay, a tailor really worth retaining is one who learns what your idea of the ideal fit is and perpetually works to accomplish this.

5.    Does the Tailor understand style?  Does the tailor understand timeless fashion?
I brought this up earlier, but don’t presume a tailor or seamstress understands classic men’s style.  While a lot of accomplished tailors are experts at constructing anything you are able to conceive of, their eye for what colour material or style of jacket suits a man is oftentimes inconsistent with reality.  Culture differences could also play a factor here, because a lot of the best tailors nowadays are native Chinese, Thai, or Indian - what worked for tailors in Mumbai in 1970 might not be practical nowadays.  With your base in classic men’s style (see point 1), you ought to be able to figure out quickly if the tailor possess an eye for timeless fashion.

6.    Samples of the Tailor’s work - Can the tailor present you his custom suits and tailored shirts?
Pictures, example pieces, alteration miracles - you’re seeking samplings of their work that validates the tailor’s claims of greatness.  If the overall garment appears fine, spend a couple of minutes analyzing the details - does the stitching look firm and neat, is the build and silhouette something you want in your clothing.  Be weary of a tailor who does not have anything to display or pleased clients to refer you to.

7.    Tailoring turnaround times?  Is the tailor accessible?
A lot of the better tailors out there are really active folks.  They accept more work than they can handle, and alas wait times of more than a month  for a expert tailor’s time are not unheard of.  Ideally you want a tailor who can attend to your wants quickly, particularly when you call for a quick fix before an crucial appointment.  Be direct about your needs here, as that most tailors will accommodate emergencies aware it creates loyalty and good will.

Notice I did not bring up cost when picking out a tailor - this is the least significant factor and should be a small consideration even for those tight on money.  You need to find a good tailor who can assist you to realize your vision of the perfect tailored fit.  Saving 20 bucks on a cheaper tailor and not getting what you desire is a waste of money - spend a bit more and getting precisely what you envisioned by employing the skills of a master tailor - it’s always worth it.

How to Dress for a Legal Interview - Tips on Men’s Suits, Shirts, & Shoes

As a law student, you are no stranger to pressure. With most of you grades determined off a single test, you view interviews as similar obstacles to your goal. However, if you tackle them by cramming for the interview hours before you walk in you’re bound to fall on your face when it comes to presentation. As Murphy’s Law would predict, the hardest time to assemble your interview attire is right before you need it.

Surprisingly very little is covered at Law Schools as to how to dress for legal interviews. Students spend 100K plus on their education yet wear $200 ill fitting suits and scuffed shoes to a law interview that is pivotal to their future employment. An interviewer makes a judgment about you within 3 seconds of meeting you; in other words before you can even open your mouth you’ve made a statement by how you dressed.

The Suit

The good news for the law student is that the classical men’s suit style has remained the same for a hundred years. The bad news is that there are a lot of fashion suits out there that become dated faster than you can purchase them and wear twice. The key is to ignore temporary fashion, and understand what your timeless style is.

Remember three things when choosing a suit: Fabric, Style, and Fit.

When selecting a fabric for an legal interview suit, take into consideration its construction and color. Try to go with a natural fabric, preferably a worsted wool. If you go with a blend, try to ensure the synthetic make-up is 40% or less. Although a blend may keep the price down, it will not last as long and may have a tendency to breathe less. As to color choice, the safest selections are navy blue, charcoal, and black. Although you can move outside these three, understand you will stick out from a room of interviewees. But that isn’t always a bad thing.

When it comes to men’s suit style, go with a classical cut. In the United States this is a single breasted, notched lapel, two or three button jacket with a single or double back vent and regular flap pockets. Ensure you have at least as many cuff buttons as you have front jacket buttons (four buttons on the sleeve is normal) and check for a left breast pocket. Avoid patch pockets, peak lapels, and slanted side pockets unless you are confident you can pull this off. Also pay close attention to the lapels: a trend right now is thin lapels; avoid this fashion fad. With your trousers, consider pleated fronts. They are more formal that flat front trousers, and are more generally more comfortable. Cuffed bottoms usually look best on tall men, although either cuffed or un-cuffed is fine for a law interview. Finally, inspect the jacket and trousers for quality construction by tugging on buttons and inspecting the sewing.

Finally, fit; most men wear suits that are too large in one area or another. Try to find a brand whose cut matches your build, and don’t be afraid of going custom if you are difficult to fit or value your time and do not want to spend weeks shopping. Ensure the sleeves (when standing) show ½ to 1 inch of cuff and that the jacket lapels lay flat. You do not want the jacket when buttoned to form an X from tightness and the jackets shoulders should not extend past your shoulders. Finally, the jacket back should cover your backside, there should be no bunching of fabric in the back near your neck, and your jacket collar should show ¾ of an inch of shirt collar.

One way to get a perfect fit is to have your suit made to measure or hand crafted by a tailor, commonly referred to as bespoke. For the law student or recent graduate willing to invest at least 600 to 1000 dollars per suit, this is a great option; it will save you the time and frustration of searching for the ideal fitting jacket by helping you get exactly what you want quickly. Men who go down this path fall in love with the selection (thousands of fabrics), control over the build (any style, secret pockets, etc), and of course the perfect fit that no off-the-rack men’s suit can emulate. And when you are spending 100K on you education, the cost of the suit seems insignificant when it helps you land the job you seek.

The Dress Shirt

Again, take into consideration Fabric, Style, and Fit.

Shirt fabrics come in a much wider variety of colors and weaves than suits; a pink striped herringbone dress shirt can turn an ordinary navy suit into a outfit that demands attention while a conservative white broadcloth dress shirt can tone down a striped suit’s allure. It is no mystery that white and blue fabrics dominate the field; wearing earth tones or darker colored dress shirts requires skilled coordination and should be approached carefully when dressing for a legal interview. However, going with a unique fabric weave (such as a twill or herringbone) in a conservative color is a great way to retain your individuality while not making to much noise with your clothing ensemble. For law interviews, you might want to avoid patterns as that they make an outfit less formal; stick with solids of various weaves.

Two parts of your shirt will be showing when you wear a jacket; the collar and the cuffs. The collar type should be chosen based off of your facial structure. Men with long, thin faces should go with spread collars while round faced men should look to even out their face with a point collar. Normal barrel cuffs with one or two buttons are fine for all interviews; you may be tempted to wear cufflinks to your interview, but be careful. Some interviewers view this display of cuff jewelry as obnoxious.

As to fit, you should be able to put two fingers in-between your neck and the collar when buttoned. Your sleeves and cuffs should extend to the top of your hands, and you want to show approximately ½ to 1 inch of shirt cuff from under your jacket sleeve. Unfortunately it is very difficult to get both of these in an off the rack shirt. Law students, recent graduates, and legal professionals should look into custom made shirts; many online vendors, such as A Tailored Suit: Custom Men’s Clothing, can deliver excellent fitting garments for the same price as you would expect to pay at a quality brick-and-mortar store.

The Tie

Your tie should be conservative for a legal interview. Red, Blue, or Gold are all popular favorites; stand out from the crowd by choosing a tie with a simple repeating pattern. Striped ties are a good choice, but you should be aware as to whether it is a regimental tie or not. In England, memberships of military clubs are symbolized by striped tie design. Unless you are going to be eating (where it serves to hold the tie in place), there is no reason to use a tie clip or tie pin in a law interview. Avoid bright colors, designs that draw attention from your face, and do not - I repeat, do not wear a novelty tie.

Dress Shoes

For law interviews we recommend a plain or capped black oxford. They features round toes and closed lacing. Plain Oxfords are one of the most formal options for business wear. Oxfords with broguing along the cap’s edge, or trimming the uppers, are still formal enough for a law interview in the US; in Europe they are normally more formal about these things, so be careful. Do not wear slip-ons, whether they are loafers, boots, or monkstraps. Although these are perfectly fine for a business casual luncheon or a suit without the tie, in a formal interview you need to have classic oxfords.

Socks

Your socks should match your slacks or shoes and be preferably dark in color. The goal here is to not draw attention to your legs. This isn’t the time to sport the no sock/short sock look or try that new pair of flashy hosiery. If the socks are seen, they should appear to flow seamlessly between the shoes and trouser cuff.

Jewelry

A wedding ring is always acceptable in an legal interview. Anything else is fair game and left up to the interviewer’s personal views on this matter. A class ring from Harvard, Yale, or Texas may give you a leg up if your interviewer is an Alumni or if you are in Dallas. But it may backfire. Nose rings, eye piercings, and earrings are becoming more accepted, but these pieces of jewelry do send a message. You cannot wear these pieces without it affecting a person’s impression of you. Be yourself, but be aware that it may not go over well with the interviewer.

Final Tips

Get a haircut a few days before the interview and ensure they trim around the neck and ears. Pay attention to the small things - your nails should be cut and clean and avoid cologne; this isn’t a date, and you might be in close quarters or a closed room. Final thoughts in preparing for your law interview - arrive early, get 8 hours of sleep, and be genuinely enthusiastic about the firm or company you are seeking to work for.

Closing Thoughts

Behind every successful law interview are hours of preparation. As you study the firm you are going to interview with, pay attention to their unstated dress code. Maybe you have met a few of their employees; how did they present themselves? Were they conservative or relaxed in the appearance? Interviewing with Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is very different than interviewing with Latham & Watkins; both require a suit, but you may be able to get away with a little more color out in California.

Understand that because you can control your personal presentation, failure to meet the basic levels of accepted appearance will be held against you. Proper planning and taking the time to select clothing that is timeless and conservative will ensure you have little to fear when you stand in front of an interviewer. And as Woody Allen says, 80% of success is showing up.

The Blazer Jacket - What to Wear with a Blazer

The beauty of the blazer is that it goes with almost anything. For the purpose of this discourse, by blazer I mean the classic single-breasted navy wool coat with brass buttons. Over gray flannel slacks, a white button-down oxford shirt and a striped tie, it makes a classic outfit that in the United States registers just shy of a suit on the formality scale. On the weekend, the same blazer over chinos and a polo shirt makes a very smart casual outfit. It would be impossible to list all of the handsome outfits a man can build around his navy blazer, but I will discuss some basic means of wearing it for work and leisure.

If you work in a business casual office, or not in any office at all, the blazer gives you a simple solution to the tricky problem of dressing respectably without appearing aloof. In a workplace dominated by polo shirts and khakis, the man who has the class to throw a blazer on over the ensemble looks distinctive without standing out. A dress shirt with a button-down collar and gray flannels are also worthy accompaniments for a blazer; add a tie to take it up a notch. A point collar shirt formalizes the ensemble a tad more, and here one should stop. Contrast collars really belong under a suit, and even if the formality of French cuffs were not an issue, having cuff-links next to brass sleeve buttons creates a discordant clash of shininess. For footwear, bluchers, loafers, and monkstraps are all good options.

The outfits described above are also smart choices for dinner in a nice restaurant or a morning religious service. In fact, the blazer will serve you well for most weekend activities, from taking in a play in most American cities to cheering on a girls’ softball team. It looks aristocratic and dignified over an ecru turtleneck and your trusty gray flannels; for a laid-back look in the summer wear it with off-white pants and a bright polo. While it is perfectly acceptable to wear a blazer with jeans, and indeed the combination can look very stylish, one must take care that pants and coat are not too close in color. This goes for any jacket and pants combination: if it’s not a suit, it shouldn’t look like one from a distance.

Brown suede dress shoes match the blazer in versatility, and anything that looks good with the latter will too with the former (although neither are typically worn by the English). Black shoes, other than oxfords and wingtips, are also fine compliments. Anytime you wear a blazer, you will do well to wear some sort of patterned socks, whether checked, striped, or argyle. When you forgo a tie, your socks provide a great opportunity to inject a little pizzazz into your look, especially if you wear a solid shirt.

Bringing our focus to trousers, gray flannels are always an irreproachable choice. On days that involve a lot of walking or running, you may be more comfortable in cotton chinos. These may be made with or without pleats; which you choose will be determined by your body type and personal style. Besides the traditional khaki, they can look good in such colors as stone, hunter green, and wine red. On cold days, you will appreciate the added warmth of cavalry twills, while in the summer heat linen pants are a cool and comfortable choice.

Moving on to dress shirts, as said above a button-down oxford is the classic. Besides solids, a broad variety of stripes and checks, including many that would look garish with a suit, mix well with a blazer. The latter’s dark, solid fabric looks good next to just about anything, and the shiny buttons amply counterweight bold patterns. For a more casual look, go with a long-sleeve polo shirt or a turtleneck, depending on the climate. The urbane silk tee-shirt and tight-fitting knit shirt tend to clash in their modernity with the blazer’s long heritage, and work better with a suit jacket.

In cooler weather, you way want to don a sweater under your jacket. If you’re going without a tie, a cable-knit or argyle crew-neck will add some life to the outfit. The V-neck worn over a tie may also be patterned or textured, but can be solid as well.

Finally, a few words on neckwear and accessories. The tie you wear with a blazer should be in keeping with its sporty dressiness. Woven silks in polka dots, bold stripes, and other simple patterns do this grandly, as do knits of silk or wool. The bow tie with white shirt and blue blazer looks sophisticated on the few men who know precisely how and when to wear it, but goofy on most everyone else. Beyond ties, any pocket square that harmonizes with the rest of the outfit adds a dash of style. For younger men, it will also ensure that a  blazer and white shirt don’t look like a prep school uniform. For belts, follow the old rule: match leather to leather, metal to metal. That means brown with brown shoes, although it can be a different shade of brown, and black with black. The buckle should be brass to coordinate with the buttons.

As you can see, the possibilities with a blazer really are endless. It is perhaps the best investment a man can make in his wardrobe, as it virtually doubles the choices he has each morning when getting dressed. It will serve nobly in a wide range of situations, and never go out of style.

On Saturday we raffled off a custom shirt for our Facebook fans as promised. The winner was Kyle Dickens Poland. Congratulations Kyle! We can’t wait to get your order and see what you think of our handmade clothing.

As that we had such a great response from our fans, we felt that one shirt just wasn’t enough. To reward the fan who did the most at bringing in more people, we created the fanatical fan award, with the winner being Jeremy Guillory. Although Jeremy’s push was a bit late in the game (1 hour before the deadline!), he did get 4 other people to post supporting his efforts to win the shirt. Hopefully next time we see more of this gaming the system!

FYI, we’ll be giving away another shirt here in the next month and hopefully before Christmas we’ll raffle off a full suit. If you haven’t yet done so, become a fan of our Facebook page so you to can be entered into the contest.