Hi Monkeys,
The purpose of this post is to create an organized place where I've found nice deals for a business wardrobe. Again, the purpose is to find a good deal. I don't want to read through the comments and find some hotshot high schooler giving me flack for not wearing Versace. In general, if you really want good deals, you need to be constantly scouring the internet for good deals. Browse fashion websites to constantly find good deals.
Picking the Right Clothes
This section is a general guideline. I think everyone needs to forge their own sense of fashion. Granted, there's not much room for diversity among business casual wardrobes. Find what clothes you like and the most important thing is to be confident in them. The more you like your clothes, the more you will wear them.
But no matter what, the most important factor when finding clothes is to find clothes that fit. In general, the slimmer you are, the better clothes look on you. However, a slim person wearing a classic cut shirt is going to look extremely foolish, because of all the excess fabric around the sides. A wider person wearing a slim fit is going to look like this.
Lastly, as a disclaimer, I have a slim, athletic build so I prefer websites that have fitted clothes.
Suits
I will not be including links to buy suits, because I think suits should be bought in person and should be tailored accordingly. Even if you get your measurements exactly, each suit fits differently. Try your suits in person at a physical location and then buy it via the online website if you must.
Dress Shirts
Dress shirts are the bread and butter of any business casual wardrobe. Most people on WSO consider white and blue to be the only colors you should wear as a SA or FY-Analyst. I agree with this. When you're an MD, you can dress like Gordon Gekko but until then, stick to the basics.
My personal favorites are:
- Brooks Brothers (~$80 - $100)
- Banana Republic (~$80- $90)
- Charles Tyrwhitt (~$30 - $50)
- TM Lewin (~$40)
Dress Pants
Dress pants are obviously as equal as dress shirts, but you can get away with less diversity. As in, you should own more dress shirts than dress pants, because it's more noticeable when you repeat shirts than pants. I've seen people on WSO say that the colors you should usually wear up north are generally darker colors (black, charcoal, grey, etc.) but lighter colors are okay in the south (khaki, biege, white, etc.).
My personal favorites are:
- Brooks Brothers (~$150 - $200)
- Banana Republic (~$50 - $200)
- J Crew (~$200)
- Perry Ellis (~$50 - $80)
Ties
I really really like ties. One thing I hate though is how expensive it is to get a respectable collection. I prefer 2.5" ties because of my build, but if you're average/above-average weight, a 3" tie might fit you better. Remember, it's important to fit your build.
As far as tie designs go, stick to more conservative ones. Solid designs and striped ties are classic choices.
My personal favorites are:
Shoes
I usually like to go around and find good deals for shoes. In general, I prefer wingtips and strong brown shoes. I don't like square-toed shoes or god forbid, slip-ons. Some people like Clark's and desert boots, but I'm not a fan of them at all.
In general, Amazon is a great source for shoes, or just browse around your local mall. It's important to find shoes that are comfortable, because you're going to be in them all day long.
Socks
I don't care about the brand name of my socks at all. Literally, no one is going to see them unless you yank your pants up to show off that you have some (insert bullshit brand) $100 socks.
My personal favorites are:
I bought some argyle socks from Uniqlo a few years ago and I've loved them. Their quality is great and they were extremely great value for their price.
Again, the views expressed in this thread are extremely subjective. I'd love to get some feedback from you Monkeys.
In particular, what kind of fashion do you guys bring to the office? What's a typical day to day outfit like? What's a go-to outfit?
Hope you guys enjoy,
-GTMonkey
couple thoughts:
great list, wish I had this years ago when I was shopping for my business wardrobe
charles thyrwitt sleeves run short in my experience, order 0.5-1 inch longer than you normally would. also for shirts, non iron is totally fine, but fit is most important in my opinion.
if you can make the choice between buying 5 cheap shirts and afford to get them tailored versus 3 brooks brothers that will fit like a garbage bag, go with inexpensive & tailored.
for ties, I personally despise the tie bar (quality), but they are cheap. I've had the best luck at places like stein mart and the discount rack of department stores (belk in the south, not sure what the equivalent would be up in NYC), but the issue with poor quality ties is you don't get a good knot that stays throughout the day. my experience has been that the tie bar ties look nice untied and have decent designs, but when you tie them they loosen within only a couple of hours. I guess the point is shop around, feel the tie, learn what you like, don't be afraid to tie the tie in store, and try not to spend more than $30 per tie when you're just starting out
for shoes, beware of too good to be true deals. my first dress shoes were something like this and they were a steal when I bought them. little did I know this treated/shiny/mirror leather looks good for maybe 2 weeks, and unless you shine your shoes weekly, these babies will crack quickly and look shitty within months. I'm being realistic when I say that I know no 22yo has the time/desire to shine his own shoes this religiously (though you should), so don't make it as big of an issue. if I could do it all over again, I'd spend the extra money on allen edmonds.
also for shoes, get at least 2 pairs. leather is a skin, and you're sweating in it all day long, it's best to not wear the same pair of shoes 2 days in a row. if loafers are acceptable (are they?), maybe get some captoes and loafers. if not, get captoes and wingtips.
general care: always put shoe trees in your shoes when you're not wearing them. have legit hangers for your shirts, pants and suits, not the wire hangers from the dry cleaner or those plastic shits you get from target. use a shoehorn. iron your shirts. don't overclean your clothes, the processes used to dry clean plus the damage done by washers and dryers will shorten the life of your clothes. if you really stink, then yes wash shirts after each use, otherwise you can go 2-4 wears before washing assuming you're in an air conditioned office all day. hang your ties up, don't drape them over a hanger (get something like this).
The "black shoes only" thing is officially dead (at least in the US). As long as you know the very basics of how to match colors, you'll look far better pairing brown shoes with a blue, navy, or even gray suit
The problem there is the US isn't exactly famous for sartorial elegance..
sartorial elegance? really? I don't even think prince charles says shit like that.