Why you should wear more (or less) than just a shirt and tie.
More than a few years back, my then girlfriend (now wife) and I were at a fancy charity function thing. Lots of tables, nice food, a big stage with some entertainment on it, silent auction tables and a live auction at the end of the night. All the women were in nicer cocktail dresses, and the guys were doing their part to look good too.
I was the only one in just a shirt and tie.
All of the other guys were in suits. Not everyone was wearing a tie, but everybody had on a jacket of some kind. Hell, even the waiters were wearing vests. And they all looked better than me. My tie was swinging back and forth. Even a trim fit dress shirt looked lumpy at my sides. I kinda looked like a boy amongst men, and here I thought I had done my part to “dress up” by putting a decent tie around my neck by way of a four-in-hand.
A shirt and tie is considered “dressed up” in America, but it just doesn’t look that great. Too much is moving around and out of control. You want cleaner lines and a better shape. Here’s five ways to do it, starting with the most casual:
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#1. Lose the tie.
Wearing just a shirt and tie all too often looks like you’re wearing what you’re wearing because you HAVE to wear what you’re wearing. Take a pair of scissors, cut the forearms of your shirt off, and all of a sudden you’re Homer Simpson. Losing the tie is the most casual option, but at least you’ll look less like an uncomfortable kid in Sunday School.
#2. Add a tie bar.
This is all about control. Even if your shirt is well tailored, there’s going to be some lumps at your sides. Anchoring your tie to your chest elongates your torso and streamlines your look. It’s a gigantic difference when compared to wearing a shirt with a tie that’s swinging like a pendulum from your neck.
#3. Throw on a sweater vest or waistcoat.
Damn right. A sweater vest. Now there are rules for the svest, but wear it right and your torso will be slimmed down while your arms will look a bit bigger. Same goes for the waistcoat, which is a little more difficult to pull off.
#4. Add a Blazer or Sportcoat.
A well tailored cotton blazer with a pair of jeans and stand out shoes will always look better than a guy in pleated dress pants, a traditional fit shirt, and some tie that’s ripping off an MC Escher painting. That said, if you can’t wear jeans where you’re going, just put a navy blazer over what you have on and you’ll be good.
#5. Wear a suit.
We gotta get over this suit = ohmygodlookatthatdudeheisinasuit thing. Plenty of us have great, well tailored suits, that rarely escape their closet confines. Let it out every so often. And if people bug their eyes out at you, just know that eventually those stares will stop. And if a tie feels too stuffy with your favorite suit? You can always lose it.
Disagree? Are you all for just a shirt and tie? Have any other suggestions on how to modify this standard American business look? Leave it all in the comments section below. Top Photo Credit: Erix
So unless it’s scorching hot, one should never remove their sportcoat?
Lose the sportcoat and the tie, problem solved.
in live somewhat inland australia (which translates to stinking hot) so for most of summer adding a jacket or vest would just make for an unpretty but well dressed corpse. mind you, this means MOST other people wouldnt be wearing just a shirt and tie (most wouldnt go a tie) so its much easier to get away with shirt and tie. though shirt, tie and tie bar always goes best. the nice tie bar makes you look like youv done this all before
Get a linen sportcoat
I also have heat/humidity issues where I live during the summer. I am northeast Ohio transplant living in DC. The summers especially August are brutal here. Compounding the issue, I commute on the cramped metro train. So far my solution has been to leave a light-weight sport coat on the back of my office door and just wear slacks and a shirt with or without a tie. It makes me long for the fall so that I can start wearing my suits again. I think I may invest in a linen suit for those days in the summer when I have important meetings. I will occasionally wear my seersucker to work but I get a lot of strange looks from some of my superiors. Does anyone have more suggestions for beating the heat while still looking good?
At the very least, don’t wear a white shirt with just a tie. I feel like a shirt with color and a nuanced tie combo is several steps ahead of a white shirt and tie. /defense 😉
I’m also a fan of the shirt + tie + cardigan look, or even the shirt + tie + slim hoodie in the right circumstances.
Personally, though, I think if you’re wearing the right shirt and the right tie, people will have a hard time mistaking you for that awkward “I’m only wearing a tie because I have to” guy.
Invest in a couple nice vests, and get comfortable with the casually rolled-up sleeves and loosened tie/unbuttoned collar look (if you aren’t already). Also, changing underwear/undershirt partway through the day can make a world of difference in terms of comfort and feeling fresh. And drink lots of ice water.
Adding a sweater, be it a cardigan or a v-neck, also works well if you want to keep it more casual in cool weather. I work in a very casual office environment, so I frequently sport this combo to intentionally dress down dressing up.
It sound like you may work in a relatively formal environment, where I’m
not sure the vest and/or loosened tie/unbuttoned collar that BenR mentions would fly. If so, I have the same trouble up in NYC.
I do the same thing with keeping jackets at the office instead of
bringing them with me to/from work on the subway in the summer. I have
yet to really find a great solution other than coming into work a little bit earlier than I normally would before it heats up. I have a poplin suit that is lighter weight than my wools, but doesn’t get as many strange looks at seersucker in the office. You might also look into some lighter wools.
Shirt and tie are what I usually wear 2-3 times a week at work. Everything is kept slim and with a 1-1.25″ tie bar. Living in the south doesn’t give you much wiggle room for coats most of the year, but a thin cardigan or sweater is my usual go-to when it cools down a bit.
Huh? The first three suggestions involve options other than a jacket.
The shirt and tie with no jacket look is one I’ve always equated with lower wage service industry workers-bank tellers, fast food restaurant managers and Radio Shack salesmen. People who either are unable to afford a suit or can only afford one if the synthetic content is over 50% and on the clearance rack. It puzzles me when I see lawyers and CPAs in their mid 30s and beyond who should have the means to dress decently by now still sporting this look.
Just sayin’
I think Acoustic is saying that even when you wear a jacket, if you take it off, then you’re wearing just a shirt and tie — which is what the article is written to avoid the look of.
I live in DC, and my solution is to leave a couple jackets and ties, and a suit, at the office (I have a small closet but if you have an office you should be able to improvise something). That way you’re just wearing a shirt and slacks/chinos into work and upgrade or change (if I wear the suit). This obviously won’t work for a more formal after hours event.
I’m all about #3 and #4.
You know, bank telling, fast food managing, Radio Shack salesmanning and -womanning, and lower wage service industry work in general is necessary for the gears of modern society to keep turning. Somebody has got to do it, and not everybody, for whatever reason, can go to or finish college and get an MBA. It’s good, honest, necessary and honorable work.
Just sayin’.
Thanks; I admit, I misunderstood Acoustic’s point. In that case, should we always incorporate a tie bar or vest in cases where we might have to remove our jacket? It is a valid question he raises, I think, on how to deal with that sort of thing.
No problem. It is valid. I’ve personally never had an issue with taking off my jacket (in the office, at an event if it’s hot, etc.) so long as I was wearing one to begin with, and put it on typically when I leave.
So long as you’re not leaving anything too expensive, I could see this working pretty well.
Well let’s not defend Radio Shack salespeople TOO much-have you ever shopped there? ;).
Anyway, all I’m saying is if you have the means to dress well, your occupation calls for it and it is not unbearably hot and humid you should dress the part.
Just sayin’
Sure, I get you.
Sorry for coming off grumpy. I was feeling, well, grumpy.
If it does get too warm or humid and you take off the jacket, I’d still keep the tie on, even if a bit loosened with the color unbuttoned. Shirt with tie still looks better than a plain shirt without tie, in my humble opinion. You just need to make sure the shirt fits well and is tailored. It doesn’t hurt to be in decent shape (and have good posture) either.
Also like someone said above get a linen (or cotton) suit, blazer or sportcoat. At any rate, I actually agree with you and agree completely with what your wrote above. If you have the means, your
job calls for it and the weather isn’t unbearable you should dress the
part.
Cheers.
No need to apologize at all no offense was taken. I realized after I submitted the post that it sounded like I was attacking the people and their occupation which was not my intention.
And yes I agree, if you are going to ditch the jacket/vest the shirt has to fit perfectly-no billowing at the waist.
I think the shirt and tie with no jacket look looks best on a fit and trim man wearing a tailored shirt with a more casual knit or wool tie in a narrow width. Wearing a formal shiny silk tie with no jacket looks odd.
If you are just wearing a shirt and tie, something like this is a good look: http://stayclassic.tumblr.com/post/8822752256 , like if you’re going out to get some coffee and a newspaper. He’s also following #2.
Agreed, I wear an unlined linen jacket in the middle of summer and its perfectly fine
Not in a business professional office
I commit to wearing a suit at least twice a month. One of the better decisions I have made.
I like this look (except the sockless part). I think the tie bar is what’s necessary to pull off the shirt + tie, no jacket look. I do it every Thursday at work. I don’t wear a tie every day as my workplace is pretty casual. I and one other guy are the only people who ever wear ties.
Agreed, although I think certain silk rep and club ties can also look good if, as you say, they aren’t shiny. I love wearing knit ties but I also wear a narrow navy club tie with button-down oxford shirts and chinos that looks pretty good , if I do say so myself.
Yeah, sometimes depending on your environment you can’t get away with much more than but at least raising the bar a bit
. What the guy is wearing is a pretty good everyday, semi-casual look, with or without a jacket.
meant to write “you can’t get away with much more than that but at least you are raising the bar a bit”.
Quite offtopic but since I read knit and wool ties, how are the quality of those particular items from http://www.thetiebar.com? Unless someone can recommend a fairly inexpensive knit/wool tie.
They’re a good value for the price. I like mine. I think they hang well and make a decent knot and if you’re looking for a fairly inexpensive knit/wool tie I recommend them. You can get better elsewhere for more but not usually at that price. I think the label/holder for the back blade could be sewn on better (one of mine came partly off but then I yanked my tie off too quickly a few times) and the logo on it could look a little nicer/more sophisticated but otherwise I’m happy with them.
Lol. Nothing wrong with a well fitting shirt, tie and slacks. Equate it to whatever you want but my salary is six figures and if you walked into my conference room with some cotton blazer and jeans with a client present it would def be a clm.
Agreed. A colored shirt with a well-coordinated tie can look sharp.
I know I’m a bit late. My boss requires shirt and tie. And because I’m a physical therapist who works mostly with athletes, 1, 4, and 5 are automatically excluded. I’ve tried 3 before, but that only works for a couple months a year here in SoCal. I’ve never quite properly understood the tie bar. Maybe I need to spend more time on that. The other option that I’ve recently adopted is the bow tie. I wear mostly patterned, more casual shirts and stay away from the single color stuff. Any other suggestions?