Lining up interviews for your first "real" job? Invited to a semi-formal affair and have nothing to wear? Either way, it's time to start building a dress wardrobe. You don't have to throw your jeans and faded tees away, but you do need to add a bit of sophistication to your collection. In the highly competitive world of business, as well as life's special occasions, you've got one shot at a great first impression. Make it count with the right dress attire and be prepared to put your best "suit" forward.
Don't stress if you're not sure where to start. Most men know as much about "fashion" and "dress" as they do about lipstick and lingerie. If "suit" is just a four-letter word as far as you're concerned, read on. Sierra Trading Post, with the help of our resident men's dress expert, makes the process of dressing for success easy. You can do it, and do it for much less than you'd think, thanks to our name-brand designer deals.
Building a basic wardrobe
Just like building anything else, you need to start with the foundation when building a dress wardrobe. When that's finished, you're free to build upon it piece by piece. We've broken down the most important components below, so you'll know what to put at the top of your list.
Remember, dress clothing isn't meant to fit like your favorite tee shirt. It should have a fitted, yet comfortable, feel. Measure yourself following our guidelines below or get measured by a tailor to find the best fit.
Get the best suit for your buck
Price tags on dress clothing can be overwhelming, especially if you're just starting out. Keep in mind, though, that a quality suit will last much longer than one of lesser quality, not to mention it will fit, look, and feel better. Most business suits from Sierra Trading Post can be had for savings of 50% or more, which allows you to get more suit for your money. You'd rather have one incredible job offer than five mediocre ones, right? Same thing goes for suits.
Basic dress wardrobe must-haves
We've outlined the must-haves in your dress wardrobe below. Start with this recipe and work your way up after you get the job.
- One solid suit: In navy blue or dark charcoal, single breasted, and with a two or
three button jacket. Three-season wool is the best fabric for an all-around suit.
- One solid blazer: In navy, medium-weight wool and with a two or three-button front.
- One pair of dress pants: Wool gabardine in dark charcoal.
- One shirt: In white with a spread collar. A spread collar does not button down and spreads wide between the points.
- One tie: Medium-width tie in a solid color and subtle (if any) pattern
1. The Suit
The framework of your dress wardrobe, the suit is an essential element to looking your best in any semi-formal situation. As a rule, more expensive suits incorporate more handwork which equals longer life and a more sophisticated, natural drape.
No buts about it, you should make your first suit a dark one. Charcoal gray is an acceptable choice, but navy suits are the most versatile and work extra hard for you because the jacket can double as a navy blazer. A single-breasted, navy suit in three-season wool is ideal as it can be worn for almost any occasion. One suit should certainly suffice if the extent of your dress need is interviewing or attending the occasional wedding.
Fit a suit jacket from home - measure yourself
Although many men find it easier to have a tailor take their measurements, it's not rocket science. You can easily do it at home.
Suit Jacket Size
Suit jacket size is determined by your chest measurement. Start at the fullest part of your chest and wrap the measuring tape under your arms and around your back until you return to the starting point. A size 42 suit jacket should fit if your chest measurement is 42".
These sleeves are the perfect length even though they look short on outstretched arms.
Quick Tips: If you're in the middle of two sizes, always round up. Your tailor can work magic, but only if the suit is too big. If it's too small, you're out of luck. Don't worry if the sleeves are too long or too short. It's an easy alteration! Your suit pants will need to be hemmed by a tailor and he/she can easily tend to the sleeve length at this time.
Suit Pants
Pant hems should break slightly at top of foot and be a bit longer in the back.
When purchasing a full suit, the pants will generally come unhemmed, with an inseam of 38". They'll need to be hemmed by your local tailor. All suits at Sierra Trading Post have a 6" drop, which means that the waist of the pants is 6" less than the size of the jacket. For example, a size 40 jacket will come with pants that have a 34" waist. Remember, the waist can easily be taken in or let out 2" for a custom fit.
Tips to suit yourself
Stick with single-breasted suits while building your wardrobe and for interviewing. A double-breasted suit is more formal and should only be purchased after you've covered your basics.
Never button the bottom button! Only button the top one or two buttons on your jacket, never the bottom one. That's just the way it is.
To avoid bulging pockets, simply don't open them (most suits will come with their pockets sewn shut).
Your sleeve should rest at the break
in your wrist.
The jacket sleeve should reveal a half inch of your shirt cuff.
Jacket sleeves should rest at the break in your wrist and reveal a half inch of your shirt cuff.
Pleated pants or flat front pants? This is strictly personal preference. Go with what you like or what suits your physique best.
Quick Tip: When having your pleated pants hemmed, you'll want the hems to be cuffed. Flat front pants should have un-cuffed hems.
Two-button or three-button jacket? Two-button jackets have a more traditional look, but both styles are common these days. Just remember to leave the bottom button undone when wearing either style.
Side vents
Center vents
Center vent or side vents? Again, this is up to you. A suit jacket with a center vent imparts a more classic, conservative look, while side vents add a bit of Italian panache.
Quick Tip: Vents will usually come sewn together by a thread. Don't forget to cut this thread before you head out.
Make sure it's comfortable If it doesn't feel comfortable, it probably doesn't look comfortable either. You want to be able to pick up your pen, shake hands, type a memo, reach for the phone and dip your dancing partner. But there's a fine line here. Remember, your suit is a fitted wardrobe piece. You don't want people to think you're wearing your big brother's suit.
Add life to your suit by always hanging it in a garment bag in your closet. Leave the jacket unbuttoned to avoid stressing the threads.
2. The Blazer
Versatile and classic, the blazer is an essential element in your new dress wardrobe. A great go-to jacket, a blazer can easily be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. Keep in mind that if you have a navy suit, the jacket of that suit can double as a navy blazer.
Blazer vs. Sport Coat. The only difference between a blazer and a sport coat is that a blazer is always solid-colored and a sport coat always has some type of pattern (stripes, checks, herringbone, etc.).
Dress it up by wearing it with a tie and wool gabardine dress pants. This handsome look is nearly as formal as a suit.
Dress it down by wearing it with khakis or even jeans. Match your blazer or sport coat with a sport shirt or polo shirt for a casual look that goes to lunch or an informal meeting.
Quick Tip: Whether you're pairing your blazer with dress pants, khakis, or blue jeans, adding a white pocket square adds instant elegance and refinement to your look.
Fit a blazer or sport coat from home - measure yourself
Although many men find it easier to have a tailor take their measurements, it's not rocket science. You can easily do it at home.
Blazer and Sport Coat Size
Blazer and sport coat sizes are determined by your chest measurement. Start at the fullest part of your chest and wrap the measuring tape under your arms and around your back until you return to the starting point. A size 42 blazer or sport coat should fit if your chest measurement is 42".
3. The Dress Shirt
We know... it goes without saying that you need a dress shirt. But with so many options to choose from, we thought we'd help you narrow it down a bit.
White first
A classic white dress shirt with a spread collar is always appropriate and sends the signal that you're efficient, neat, and ready to join the team. A spread collar does not button down and spreads wide between the points.
Blue second
Another classic option, and a close second to the white shirt, is the blue dress shirt with spread collar. Almost as versatile and appropriate as the white shirt, a blue shirt is also fine for interviewing.
Beyond white and blue
If you have a white and a blue shirt and are ready to branch out a bit, stick to classic stripes and checks on a white background.
Keep it Clean
Make sure your shirt is always crisp, clean and pressed. A rumpled shirt signals a disheveled lifestyle.
Don't sweat it
Wear a plain white tee shirt under your dress shirt to keep from showing perspiration. Just make sure it doesn't have Led Zeppelin's 1977 tour dates (or anything else) printed on the back of it.
Cuffs and Collars
You'll want to stick with a spread collar and button cuffs for wear with a suit. Don't wear a shirt with a button-down collar under your suit. French Cuffs can add style but are more formal.
Fit a dress shirt from home - measure yourself
A fine dress shirt should fit like it was made especially for you. To get this look, you'll buy according to your neck size and sleeve length. High-quality dress shirts don't come in small, medium, and large.
You should be able to fit two fingers in between your neck and the collar of your shirt.
Neck size Start at the Adam's apple and wrap the measuring tape around your neck, being careful not to twist or pull it too tight. There should be no space between the neck and the tape. The measured number is your actual neck size. Simply add a quarter to a half an inch to the actual neck size to get the dress shirt neck size. You'll want to be able to snugly fit two fingers between your neck and the collar of your dress shirt.
Your shirt cuff should fall to the wrist and peek out from suit jacket about a half inch.
Sleeve length With your arm relaxed at side and elbow slightly bent, measure from center back of neck, over point of shoulder, and down outside of arm past elbow to wrist. Quick Tip: It's much easier to have someone help you take shirt measurements as the sleeves can be a little tricky to measure on your own.
4. The Dress Pants
A nice pair of dress pants will come in handy in so many situations. While suit pants can double as dress pants, pants wear out quicker than jackets, so it's better to avoid this is possible. Save your suit for its intended purpose and get a pair of dress pants for dates and dinners.
Wool gabardine dress pants in dark charcoal would be an excellent choice. Charcoal is the most versatile color for dress pants. Wool gabardine is an indestructible, attractive fabric and a standard in the dress industry. In the colder months, you may prefer to wear wool flannels. Similar to wool gabardine but warmer, flannels are more substantial and have a soft-brushed feel.
Quick Tip: Most dress pants can be brought in or let out 2" at the waist.
Belt it out Don't forget the belt. This is crucial. A black leather belt is the most versatile, but should always match your shoes. Sierra Trading Post has a wide variety of leather dress belts.
Pleated or flat front? This is strictly personal preference. Go with the style that you feel most comfortable wearing and best "suits" your physique.
Hems The general rule here is that pleated pants should have cuffed hems and flat front pants should not. The hem should break slightly on the top of the foot and be slightly longer in back.
Fit dress pants from home - measure yourself
You'll need to know your waist and inseam measurements when purchasing dress pants.
Waist Be sure to measure at your belt line or natural waist. Simply bend to the side and note where your body creases. Dress pants shouldn't ride low on the hips like some casual pants do.
Inseam Measure your entire leg, from crotch to arch of the foot.
Quick Tip: It's better to go with a longer inseam than a shorter one, so round up. A tailor can easily take pants up, but will have a hard time making them longer.
5. The Tie
The tip of your tie should fall
at your beltline.
Finally, the finishing touch. the piece that "ties" your whole look together. No dress wardrobe is complete without at least one tie. You'll want a subtle tie for business, but social events present the perfect opportunity for creative expression.
Go with a medium-width tie that's 3½" across at its widest point for the most versatility. If it's too skinny or too wide, you limit the types of shirts you can wear it with.
Quick Tip: The tip of the tie should fall at the top of the belt.
How to tie your tie
It's not much trickier than tying your shoe, once you get the hang of it. Really. The most popular way to tie a tie is the four-in-hand knot with dimple and it goes a little something like this.
- Cross the wide end (W) over the narrow end (N), keeping W about 12 inches longer than N.
- Wrap W under N.
- Wrap W back over N, being careful not to wrap too tight.
- Pull W up behind and through the loop around your neck.
- Holding the front of the knot loosely with index finger and thumb, slide W down through front loop. As you slide W through, use your index finger behind the knot to tighten and squeeze the sides of the knot to start the dimple.
- Remove your finger from under the knot and squeeze the knot to form a tiny channel below. That is your dimple. Now tighten the knot by holding N and sliding the knot up towards your neck. Voila!
Take care of your tie by removing it the same way you tied it, in reverse. A tie cannot be washed or pressed, so proper care is essential.
Quick Tip: When storing ties in a closet or suitcase, always roll them. Hanging silk ties will destroy their shape over time.