Ask A Question, Get An Answer... - Post All Quick Questions Here (Classic menswear)

[CruzAzul]



Do you button all three buttons or only certain ones? I understand it's best to wear the topcoat unbuttoned, but winter months can be a bit harsh. 

I only button the middle one.

I also don't buy coats from J.Crew.

 

[CraigAK]

Yeah good point. Sorry I am new to SF and just figuring my way around.

 

[CraigAK]

@CraigAK I have a question… would anyone like to participate in a marketing survey?

Yeah good point... I am new to SF and just figuring my way around. Sorry for spamming and thanks.

 

[Cheuk]

I need to purge three pairs of shoes from this lineup (guess why). I'm having trouble so coming to you for some wise insight.

At work I am generally business casual, wear a suit (either navy or charcoal) occasionally. Jeans and cords on weekends.

Black Captoe Bal (AE Park Ave)
Merlot Wingtip Bals (AE McAlister)
burgundy Shell cordovan Plain Toe Bluchers (AE Leeds)
burgundy Shell cordovan long wings (old Florsheims)
burgundy Shell Cordovan Penny Loafers (Alden LHS)
Brown captoe bluchers (Alden for BB)
Walnut "medallion perforated captoe" bals (Alfred Sargent for BB) (this in walnut)
this weird kiltie monkstrap that for some reason I can't get myself to return (C&J for black fleece, talk me out of it please, they're new and unworn still) (http://www.brooksbrothers.com/Dark-Brown-Kiltie-Wingtip/FH00035,default,pd.html)

 

[UltraMagnetical]

Might be a weird question, but has anyone noticed that when wearing a button down shirt sans undershirt you can see your stomach in-between your button if someone is looking from the side? Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[YRR92]

^^

Sounds to me like your shirts are too tight.

 

[UltraMagnetical]

well I have a 40inch chest and a 30inch waist so yes the shirts are tapered and have darts in the back.. at the waist they measure 18" (36 circumference) but there is no pulling on any buttons and its not skin tight by any means...Im not sure if its the spacing between the buttons but from the side you can catch a glimpse of skin depending on how im standing or how the shirt is fallling.

 

[SYQ]

How does CottonWork MTM with the ~$50 fabrics compare to TM Lewin SuperFitted at similar price points? Or should I spend $10-$20 more and go with Luxire MTM?

Quality or any other thoughts welcome.

 

[Calculon88]

I have 2 basic questions about business casual dress etiquette.

When I'm layering a sweater over a dress shirt, what types of sweaters are acceptable?

What is the best way to wear my ID badge while wearing a quarter-zip sweater layered on top of a dress shirt?

I work in an office where our ID badge needs to be displayed at all times, so what I will do is wear my ID badge on a lanyard that hangs on the outside of my sweater which, according to myself and my co-workers looks ridiculous. My sweater covers my belt buckle so I can't hang my ID badge on my belt.

 

[Churchill W]

I like to wear cardigans and v-neck sweaters over dress shirts.

I think zip up sweaters are frowned up in these parts (Classic Menswear), but I like them. I don't usually wear them to work though unless it's Friday.

How long are your sweaters that you can't clip the ID to your belt and still have it show? I'm assuming your ID is on a some sort of clip or clear sleeve that is attached to a clip.

 

[Kenneth Cole Haan]

Would a Dior pure black "skinny tie" (5/6cm) be business appropriate with a J Crew charcoal Ludlow suit? I am not sure if the black tie is only suitable for "black tie" evening wear, or whether it is trendy enough pull off.

 

[12345Michael54321]



When I'm layering a sweater over a dress shirt, what types of sweaters are acceptable?

For business, I'd stick with a crew neck or a v-neck. Not a cardigan or anything with zippers, as I consider cardigans and sweaters with zippers to be insufficiently businesslike.

Oh, I suppose a sweater vest would also be okay, but preferably under a jacket.

What is the best way to wear my ID badge while wearing a quarter-zip sweater layered on top of a dress shirt?

Since you say the ID badge needs to be displayed at all times, I'd say on a lanyard hanging on the outside of your sweater.

I work in an office where our ID badge needs to be displayed at all times, so what I will do is wear my ID badge on a lanyard that hangs on the outside of my sweater which, according to myself and my co-workers looks ridiculous.

Hey, I agree that maybe it's not the most sophisticated of looks, but if your employer requires you to display a badge at all times, then that's what you've got to do.

My sweater covers my belt buckle so I can't hang my ID badge on my belt.

Wearing your ID badge on your belt isn't the greatest look in the world, either.

But just out of curiosity, are you sure wearing a badge on your belt would even meet the "must be displayed at all times" requirement? Often (no, not invariably, but often), in a setting where a security or ID badge of some sort must be displayed at all times, it's understood that the display must be conspicuous, which is taken to mean on the chest, or maybe on a lanyard where the badge winds up resting... you guessed it, against your chest.. Not on the belt, not on a shirt pocket under a jacket, not clipped to your pants pocket, not velcroed to your shoe, not on the back of your shirt, etc.

 

[12345Michael54321]



Would a Dior pure black "skinny tie" (5/6cm) be business appropriate with a J Crew charcoal Ludlow suit? I am not sure if the black tie is only suitable for "black tie" evening wear, or whether it is trendy enough pull off.

In terms of conservative business attire, it's usually (not always, but usually) best to avoid overly skinny ties. However 5/6 cm isn't ridiculously narrow, so depending on your build, your suit, and your workplace, it may well be fine.

As for the tie being black, no, black ties are not solely limited to "black tie" evening wear. There is substantial tradition supporting the wearing of a black silk knit or grenadine for a wide variety of purposes. (While perhaps dated advice, the late Cary Grant - a man who is generally remembered as having dressed well - spoke in favor of the black foulard, in an interview which may be found at http://www.gq.com/style/wear-it-now/201304/cary-grant-on-style?currentPage=1.) It may or may not be the best choice for business, but neither is it inherently wrong, either. It really depends on what else you're wearing, the specific black tie in question, and the standards of your workplace.

Personally, in most situations where I think a black tie would look good, I'd be inclined to admit that a very dark blue tie would look about equally good. Not surprising, given that in many sorts of lighting, dark blue and black look almost identical. So if you're a little uneasy about wearing a black tie, just wear a very dark blue one; nobody will dispute a dark blue tie as being conservative business attire appropriate, and you'll almost always look better if you're not second guessing the appropriateness of what you're wearing.

Oh, wait, you mentioned "whether it is trendy enough to pull off." I take back everything I said, as I was writing from a conservative business attire perspective, not a fashion trendiness perspective. Keeping aware of what's trendy is simply beyond me.

 

[mixedmajik]

I consider cardigans and sweaters with zippers to be insufficiently businesslike.

I agree with this statement regarding zip sweaters but since when is a cardigan not businesslike? Don't cardigans reflect business even more than v-neck sweaters do?

 

[Count de Monet]

I need to purge three pairs of shoes from this lineup (guess why). I'm having trouble so coming to you for some wise insight.

At work I am generally business casual, wear a suit (either navy or charcoal) occasionally. Jeans and cords on weekends.

Black Captoe Bal (AE Park Ave)
Merlot Wingtip Bals (AE McAlister)
burgundy Shell cordovan Plain Toe Bluchers (AE Leeds)
burgundy Shell cordovan long wings (old Florsheims)
burgundy Shell Cordovan Penny Loafers (Alden LHS)
Brown captoe bluchers (Alden for BB)
Walnut "medallion perforated captoe" bals (Alfred Sargent for BB) (this in walnut)
this weird kiltie monkstrap that for some reason I can't get myself to return (C&J for black fleece, talk me out of it please, they're new and unworn still) (http://www.brooksbrothers.com/Dark-Brown-Kiltie-Wingtip/FH00035,default,pd.html)

OK, you say you need to cull three.

* Ditch the "weird kiltie monkstrap" because they are weird kiltie monkstraps
* Ditch the walnut AS. It strikes me as a mostly suits shoe, which you already have covered, but in a relatively informal color. Thus, not quite as versatile.
* Regarding the final choice, keep the brown bluchers because you don't need four maroon/burgundy/#8 shoes in a five shoe rotation and you have no other brown. So you have to ditch one of the four dark red ones. I'd ditch the Macs, despite my love of wingtiped oxfords. Keep the three burg shells. You obviously don't hate loafers or you wouldn't have bought it. If you are going to have one, you have the One Loafer. So keep that. Keep the gunboats and wear them with whatever you want. Keep the shell LWB's and lament the fact you didn't get them in brown shell. Then you could have gotten by with four shoes in this exercise by also ditching the brown captoe bluchers.