conservative business dress WAYWRN: An Experiment

[TheButler]

Originally Posted by Manton

I have not travelled with FC shirts since I lost one of my favorite links on a trip to London.

I've done that as well. I leave a set of silk knots in a pocket in my suitcase all the time because I occasionally pack a french cuff shirt without noticing.

 

[ManofKent]

Dipping my toe into this thread. Today's fit - I think it's conservative business dress, but is is it interesting enough?

Navy suit: Brook Taverner (bought before weight loss - probably needs a little waisting if I can find a tailor)
Shirt: Baulmer (Dbl/French cuffed - probably more common than single cuffs for business on this side of the pond)
Tie: Turnbull & Asser (I like the way it looks purple at a distance, and different close up - others may disagree)
PS: Lehner (I'm with Hardy Amies on white PS's and only wear them with white shirts (or shirts containing significant white)).
Shoes: Cheaney 'Hockney' (Whilst I believe there are still some London firms that would frown upon brown shoes, I think they can be considered conservative business dress in most businesses).

 

[tim_horton]

Originally Posted by ManofKent

Dipping my toe into this thread. Today's fit - I think it's conservative business dress, but is is it interesting enough?
I think this is pretty much ideal for conservative business dress done the right way. The patterned tie makes it interesting enough. If anyone needed to they could easily swap out the brown shoes for black depending on the circumstances.

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by ManofKent

Dipping my toe into this thread. Today's fit - I think it's conservative business dress, but is is it interesting enough?
...

Shoes: Cheaney 'Hockney' (Whilst I believe there are still some London firms that would frown upon brown shoes, I think they can be considered conservative business dress in most businesses).

Good to hear that the English are loosening up about brown shoes.

That ensemble is certainly conservative business dress. The dots on the tie look orange. To me, that would be better with a blue shirt. Anything with a slightly earthy tone looks better with blue IMO. A white shirt is best with navy, gray, silver, black, or other "hard" metallic colors. Maroon is the only color that I think works well all the time with a white shirt. And even then, most of the time, I think it looks better with blue.

A cream shirt would also work. This is an under-appreciated and underutilized color.

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by AlanC

Although I don't know that I would call this conservative business dress, I was encouraged to post this here.

Sorry for the lighting issues.

The problem with this is that the suit looks tan in the torso pic. From that pic, I would say everthing is too close tonally.

However, I see from the shoe/cuff pic that the suit is gray. So probably it works better than it looks up top. The suit certainly looks like with the shoes.

I think the scale of the shirt check and the herringbone are too close and could use some variance or, better yet, one should be solid. I don't like the square. Part of that is, I don't like borderless squares. Part is, it looks like a tie pattern to me, whereas I prefer squares with bigger patterns. Part is, I think silk should be puff folded.

 

[ManofKent]

Originally Posted by Manton

Good to hear that the English are loosening up about brown shoes.

That ensemble is certainly conservative business dress. The dots on the tie look orange. To me, that would be better with a blue shirt. Anything with a slightly earthy tone looks better with blue IMO. A white shirt is best with navy, gray, silver, black, or other "hard" metallic colors. Maroon is the only color that I think works well all the time with a white shirt. And even then, most of the time, I think it looks better with blue.

A cream shirt would also work. This is an under-appreciated and underutilized color.

Thank you. Cream is definitely a good idea. Would you wear a blue shirt with a purple tie, or would white be better?

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by ManofKent

Thank you. Cream is definitely a good idea. Would you wear a blue shirt with a purple tie, or would white be better?

Hmm. Blue if the contrast was sharp enough. Pale blue + dark purple. French blue + lavendar, probably not. FWIW, my favorite purple tie is more "plumb." A dull undertone which makes it less vivid.

Purple is a bit stark with white, looks good with cream and pink.

 

[gdl203]

 

[Manton]

^^^ This is a good example of making the shirt the centerpiece. Very much an English, as opposed to Italian, approach.

The shoes, being a bit out of the ordinary, might raise eyebrows. I recognize that as Vass U, which I personally do not like. Actually, I have grown to prefer round toes to square, though I am wearing the latter today.

Can't see the square but white linen would be perfect.

 

[gdl203]

Yes - in this outfit, it's the shoes that push the conservative business dress enveloppe a bit.

How did I miss the square?

It's one of those drakes mongol battle scenes squares with purple, blue, burgundy and cream... White would work too but clearly would veer the whole thing back closer to the center of the conservative business dress spectrum.

 

[Slewfoot]

Originally Posted by gdl203

White would work too but clearly would veer the whole thing back closer to the center of the conservative business dress spectrum.

Well, we couldn't have that happen now could we!

Looks nice all around and I dig the shirt and tie.

 

[AlanC]

Originally Posted by Manton

The problem with this is that the suit looks tan in the torso pic. From that pic, I would say everthing is too close tonally.

However, I see from the shoe/cuff pic that the suit is gray. So probably it works better than it looks up top. The suit certainly looks like with the shoes.

Yes, the suit is gray. I was having lighting issues. Here's a pic with a flash, which itself has problems (this is why I always try to take my pics outside in natural light), but you get a better idea of the suit color.

I have moved away from pocket square puffs almost entirely. I like them fine on others generally, but I find myself more satisfied with a fold regardless of material.

 

[in stitches]

Originally Posted by Manton

1) You are mistaken.

2) That's not a suit.

whatcha' wearin today good sir?

 

[gdl203]

Originally Posted by AlanC

Alan - i feel that there's just too many patterns at play here. The tie itself has two (background nailhead and stripe), the coat is herringbone, the shirt has multi-color checks, the square has a floral neat pattern. I think removing one pattern altogether could work (solid shirt) but two would probably be better (solid shirt and solid PS - maybe a dark brown?).

I do agree that the palette is too low contrast overall.

 

[ManofKent]

Originally Posted by gdl203

Yes - in this outfit, it's the shoes that push the conservative business dress enveloppe a bit.

How did I miss the square?

It's one of those drakes mongol battle scenes squares with purple, blue, burgundy and cream... White would work too but clearly would veer the whole thing back closer to the center of the conservative business dress spectrum.

Sounds much better than white.