Some tips to help those who are clueless about men's fashion

[m0nk]

That's definitely the impression I got from reading them. Yes, that seems to be their target audience.






It also helped that one was a prince (and who would he have to answer to?) and the other was an artist/entertainer.

I make my own rules too, and although I'm neither a prince or an entertainer, I still don't need to worry.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

If you're famous enough, it's you that decide what's fashion.

Particularly if you're an artist.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I make my own rules too, and although I'm neither a prince or an entertainer, I still don't need to worry.

Again, it depends on your profession, where you are in it, and what you want to get out of it. m0nk can make his own rules ... but that doesn't mean that anyone and everyone else can (or even should).

 

[m0nk]

Again, it depends on your profession, where you are in it, and what you want to get out of it. m0nk can make his own rules ... but that doesn't mean that anyone and everyone else can.

This is true. I work for an insurance company in the IT department, and while our company does have a "business casual" dress code, I typically dress a little nicer. People think I'm eccentric here, and that's ok by me... but it's never meant to be a distraction to others, and hopefully the help desk guy that always wears jeans regardless of our policy will take something away from my attire and dress a little nicer himself. And when my rules may differ from the ones people typically abide by, I only ever get compliments from coworkers, so I know it's ok to keep it up. The only rules I ever have to follow are the ones my wife puts down.

 

[Undertow]

So we could conclude this "rules" are for the modern businessman who wants to fit in...

Ah, now there's the solution - retitle this thread to "Sartorial Rules for the Modern Businessman (who is disinclined to garner attention)", as opposed to those "clueless to fashion".

 

[Feraud]

These rules are for the majority of men who have not the time nor the inclination to bother with the finer elements of style. They are not specific for businessmen looking to fit in.
Let us not forget the style niche we occupy at the Lounge and it's place in the big picture.

 

[Fidena]

I'm not a fashion expert. However, I just got done reading a book about men's fashion and I would like to share all the notes I took from it. I apologize for not uploading pictures but if you're unsure of what something is, just use the images search on Google. I hope these tips help someone out.

SHOES​

-Shoes are the foundation for the outfit
-Buy THICK leather sole and leather welt (signs of good quality)
-BLACK lace up OXFORDS or black or burgundy brogues w/ suit and tie
-The MORE decoration the LESS formal it is
-Soles of shoe can be replaced to save $$
-CLOSED lacing MORE formal than OPEN lacing
-Burgundy or oxblood/cordovan (darker burgundy) is a versatile color w/ suits. It can go w/ light grey, dark grey, or beige (tan).
-Brown SUEDE shoes w/ sports jackets (Don’t get black).
-The shoes should be same/similar shade of color as belt

"How many shoes do I need?"
-Start w/ basic black closed-lacing oxfords (Formal)
-Heavy burgundy brogues for less dressy events (sports jacket and trousers)

SPIT AND POLISH METHOD: Use KIWI wax polish, a soft shoe cloth wrapped around your finger, and smear a generous amount of polish. Spit a little bit on the shoe and rub TINY circles. Go over and over the circles until a shine starts to come up (If it doesn’t, add more spit). With enough patience, you won’t need to brush off excess polish.

SUITS​

-A lightweight navy suit can be worn year round.
-When shopping, wear shoes you will be wearing w/ suit and a white dress shirt
-Tie width should be similar to Lapel width and to some extent the shirt’s collar
-Peak lapels are more formal
-Single breasted three button suit is very dressy and conservative.
-NEVER close the bottom button on the suit. (The trend is to close the top two buttons of a 3 button.)
-Double breasted suits are dressier than single breasted.
-Get a “six on four” (Has six buttons but only 4 are functional (below lapel))
-A SPREAD collar looks good w/ double breasted suits
-ALL functional buttons including the inside “shank” button (which must be closed before the outside ones) need to be closed.
-The rear flap should completely cover your butt and the coat should end where your thumb meets your index finger.
-For sleeve length, a half inch of shirt cuff should be showing at all times.
-PERFECT shoulder fit rules: 1) No bump or wrinkle in fabric across the back beneath the collar. 2) The back collar of suit needs to be flat against the back collar of the dress shirt all the time.
-If there are wrinkles across the front of the jacket when you close it, it’s too small.
-AVOID shoulder pads
-Suits w/ flaps over the pocket are for casual wear.
-Avoid suit with a large pocket on one side (for cellphone)
-First suit: Single- breasted two or three buttons in charcoal (dark grey). Don’t get black because its harder to match shirts and tie due to the contrast. Material should be very fine wool (super 100s or above)
-Second suit: single-breasted plain navy, goes great w/ most colors especially pinks, purples, and reds.
3) pinstripe
4) lighter grey (summer weight)
5) black (fashion-forward or casual for evenings)

TROUSERS​

-AVOID pleats in trousers
-If you must, go for a single “reverse” pleat where the pleat is folded inwards
-Make sure thighs don’t appear too wide w/ trousers (Caused by pleats)
-The back of the pant at the heel should be 2 ½ centimeters off the floor

SUSPENDERS​

-DON’T’ wear suspenders w/ belt
-Buy plain cotton webbing w/ leather tabs for buttons (avoid flashy colors)
-Should be worn under waistcoat (IE Don’t make them visible)

WAISTCOATS/Vest​

-NEVER do up the bottom button of a single-breasted waistcoat
-The waistcoat should fit snugly across the stomach and chest w/ no wrinkles or sagging
-The top of the waistcoat will be visible between the jacket’s lapels when the jacket is closed. The back of the waistcoat will be longer than the front. The two points (tips) at the bottom should just cover the waistband of the trousers.
-OPTIONAL: attach pocket watch chain/ leather tab to second lowest waist coat button (The bottom button needs to be open)
-Wear a SINGLE-breasted waistcoat w/ regular business suits. DOUBLE-breasted waistcoat can go w/ a morning suit.
-TIP: Use dry cleaning only on the severest stains. When using an iron, make sure it’s not too hot. For delicate fabrics, put a damp cloth between the iron and garment.

SOCKS​

-AVOID loud patterns, logos, and bright red
-General rule: socks should be a shade lighter than trousers.
-When crossing legs, should only see a small glimpse of sock and NOT any flesh.
-It’s ok to break the traditional rule and experiment w/ colors, example: dark purple w/ navy suit

SHIRTS​

-AVOID colored dress shirts that have contrasting white collars and cuffs.
-Cotton shirts are a ½ an inch bigger than they say they are to make up for shrinking. Example: a 16 ½ is actually a 17.
-Buy a ½ inch larger than your neck and wash shirt so it’ll fit. Or leave space for one finger between the tape measure and your skin.
-The collar should protrude just over a centimeter above the back of your jacket. The shirt cuff should stick out the same amount past the jacket cuffs.
-FRENCH cuff dress shirt is for cuff links
-Look for “two-ply” and high thread count ex: 140/2, the best shirts go up to 220. Don’t settle for anything under 80.
-Look for removable collar stays (piece of plastic found in the collar) or buy one at a “old-fashioned”/”expensive” clothing stores.

Signs of quality:
1) Split yoke- vertical seam on the top panel of the back of the shirt
2) Patterns are matched- The lines at the yolk line up as well as at other parts of shirt
3) Gusset- Small triangle thicker than the rest of the cotton shirt. It’s found by the bottom of the side seams where the tail of the shirt meets the front and it’s used to help reinforce the material.
4) Several pleats- where sleeve meets cuff
5) Mother of pearl buttons
6) A HORIZONTAL buttonhole on sleeve packet

-The wider the distance between the tips of the collar, the fancier the shirt
-The wider the spread (collar distance), the wider the knot you will want to tie (Go for a “half Windsor” knot in most cases)
-White is the most formal color. It looks nice with a grey, black, or silver tie paired up w/ a dark charcoal suit.
-Blue is easy to match with almost every color.
-Don’t be afraid of pink, it’s flexible and matches navy, light grey, and charcoal suits, and accentuates silver, blue, yellow, green, and certain shades of purple ties. You can also match another shade of pink (tie or the pocket square).
-Navy, charcoal, and black shirts DON’T go well with lighter colored ties.

PATTERNS​

-If going w/ stripe suit, shirt, and tie, the colors should all be different and the patterns need to be notably different widths to ensure contrast.

TEXTURE​

-Waffles in a white shirt can bring it to life.
- Side pleats on the back of shirt are more formal. Center pleats on back of shirt are less formal.

Trolling is an art.

The whole purpose of this forum is to discuss and praise the styles and fashions of yesteryear. Posting a modern set of instructions on how to dress is a little idiotic.

 

[Espee]

Mother of pearl buttons on shirts... no problem.
"Hey Pearl, could your mother put some buttons on my shirt?"

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

dog20 isn't trolling. There are many books about this topic and he wanted to share what he found out. He made the afford to recap what he learned.

Paddy's reading list doesn't make him a "troll" too. We could discuss all of the books and certainly find some points to disagree.

 

[Feraud]

Agree. Calling somone's post trollish or idiotic is crass and un-necessary.
Especially when the guy calling troll joined in February of this year to a member from 2007...

 

[Fidena]

Agree. Calling somone's post trollish or idiotic is crass and un-necessary.

Alright, point taken. Wasn't called for.

Especially when the guy calling troll joined in February of this year to a member from 2007...

Don't see how that's relevant.

 

[Feraud]

Meaning you are too new around here to be calling 4+ year members troll, idiotic, etc..

 

[Undertow]

These rules are for the majority of men who have not the time nor the inclination to bother with the finer elements of style. They are not specific for businessmen looking to fit in.
Let us not forget the style niche we occupy at the Lounge and it's place in the big picture.

Quite right. Sometimes I get carried away in days of yore. lol

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Oh well. I guess there are some users who don't like the vintage style. If they are aggressive about it one could tell them they are trolling at the wrong place. I don't think the opening post was aggressive so everything is fine. The best way to learn about vintage clothes is in to see the differences to modern clothing.

 

[m0nk]

Everyone has different opinions about style, and some of the old doesn't mix well with the new. Some people follow rules to the letter and some use them as more of a guideline. The OP wanted to share their newfound knowledge, not bother people with trolling statements, so IMO, we should move on. I may not personally wish to follow all of the rules, but I don't think we need to bash anyone for sharing, and I certainly appreciate that they took the time to do so...

 

[Marc Chevalier]

The OP wanted to share their newfound knowledge, not bother people with trolling statements, so IMO, we should move on. I may not personally wish to follow all of the rules, but I don't think we need to bash anyone for sharing, and I certainly appreciate that they took the time to do so...

Agreed on all counts. In this case, don't 'kill the messenger'.

 

[Edward]

I found the "rules" in the OP interesting. I do agree with the general consensus that they are contemporary, and that many of them are more opinion than rule. What did strike me as interesting, however, was the insistence that a DB suit is more formal than a SB. My understanding is that this is opposite to back in the day (unless I'm mistakenly extrapolating a rule for evening wear more generally). I wonder is this merely opinion, or indicative of a shift in dressing norms?

 

[avedwards]

I found the "rules" in the OP interesting. I do agree with the general consensus that they are contemporary, and that many of them are more opinion than rule. What did strike me as interesting, however, was the insistence that a DB suit is more formal than a SB. My understanding is that this is opposite to back in the day (unless I'm mistakenly extrapolating a rule for evening wear more generally). I wonder is this merely opinion, or indicative of a shift in dressing norms?

It should have been phrased that a DB 2 piece suit is more formal than a SB 2 piece suit. To my knowledge this is the case today and was the case in the Golden Era. Of course a SB 3 piece suit may be more formal than the DB depending on cut, colour and pattern.

In the legal profession it is still an unofficial requirement that barristers in the Crown Court wear a DB suit or a SB suit with a waistcoat. Having an exposed waist or shirtfront will result in the judge being "unable" to hear the barrister.

 

[Edward]

It should have been phrased that a DB 2 piece suit is more formal than a SB 2 piece suit. To my knowledge this is the case today and was the case in the Golden Era. Of course a SB 3 piece suit may be more formal than the DB depending on cut, colour and pattern.

In the legal profession it is still an unofficial requirement that barristers in the Crown Court wear a DB suit or a SB suit with a waistcoat. Having an exposed waist or shirtfront will result in the judge being "unable" to hear the barrister.

Jinkies, aye, judges can be painfully stuffy. It's even wrose back in the Six Counties where so many of them are blow-ins from England and think they're there to civilise the local savages.....

 

[Mario]

^^ Oh that's fast becoming a growing phenomenon in Germany as well.