What are you going to wear? Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. No matter your line of work, the ultimate goal is to call your own shots. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the boss, but it does mean your colleagues respect you to the point where they trust you to make your own decisions (stylistically and otherwise). This outfit reflects that freedom, the fun you can have when you get there, all while still maintaining a clean “some guys I take seriously tell me you’re a serious guy
The Suit: J. Crew Factory Thompson Wool/Poly Jacket & Pant – $276. Look for something with a little more depth than a plain, solid charcoal business suit. Maybe a stripe, or a herringbone, or like the JCF Wool/Poly option, a bit of flecking or marling. Since you’re combining it with a solid shirt, a suit with a slight pattern adds some visual interest. For the JCF Thompson, wait until the duo drops below $200.
The Shirt: ratio/clothing Light Blue Classic Pinpoint – $89. Not cheap, but goal worthy. These are the Made in the USA custom shirts that don’t require you to measure every last square inch of your torso. Go with their semi-spread, and if you go tieless quite a bit, make a note on your order to have them lower the second button by .5″. That way, you can undo just one button, and get just enough of the placket open without having it drift too far open.
The Pocket Square: TheTieBar Cotton Navy Gingham – $8.00. Just something to break it up and add a little character.
The Collar Assist: Wurkin’ Stiffs
The Watch: Emporio Armani ‘Meccanico’ Power Reserve Watch – $226.94. Don’t automatically take a pass on rectangular case watches. You don’t need a Cartier level bank account to scrounge up something similar in style. Automatic movement on this one with a power reserve indicator. Mean.
The Belt: Remo Tulliani ‘Lido’ Glazed Leather Belt – $49.50. 1 3/8″ wide, made in the USA, and well reviewed. Ships & returns free via Nordstrom.
The Sunglasses: Randolph Engineering Intruders – $65.63 w/ EMY14 ($139). Had no idea that STP had a few different REs in their arsenal. The Intruders have slightly different/larger lenses and a bridge that’s not nearly as spaced out as the AO Original Pilots. Something to consider. Black frames keep the shine down. Codes gets you 25% off no minimum, but STP runs lots of codes, so you could possibly get these for less. Made in the USA.
The Wallet: Mitchell Leather Money Clip Wallet in Horween Chromexel – $79.00. A slim wallet + money clip, all in one, that has the clip on the inside. So, less bulk. Made in the USA. Cowhide options start at $49. And no, you don’t have to match your wallet leather to your shoe/belt leathers.
The Socks: B.R. Jersey Socks – $10.50
The Bag: Buxton DOPP Leather Brief – $149.00. One day, something higher quality, but for now? Hard to beat this leather (it’s great) at this price. Sold by the flash-sale-site Jackthreads. Returns are for store credit only.
The Drink: Martini, Gin w/ a lemon twist. Stirred. Some bosses/clients would absolutely freak the hell out if they had lunch with someone who (gasp) ordered an alcoholic beverage with their meal. Be respectful of those around you, but if you’re a responsible adult that likes to imbibe every so often? Stick to one. Okay, maybe, MAYBE two. (Why stirred? Plenty over shake a drink and you end up with more shards of ice than necessary.)
The Shoes: Allen Edmonds Neumora – $197.60 ($345). An extra 20% off through today, 2/24. Sizes are going (gone?) fast. Review here. Consider going down half a size.
In response to the drink suggestion:
$79 for a money clip/slim wallet isn’t very dappered priced
Are ratio shirts really worth it @ $90 considering the suitable ~$50 alternatives out there?
Intruders look sold out, they have other RE options at a nice price still though
Bought generic metal collar stays and disc magnets from Amazon to achieve the Wurkin Stiffs effect at a much lower price. Very satisfied. Comes with enough collar stays to put them in all my shirts and never have to switch them out. Paying $20 for a single pair of wurkin stiffs is highway robbery —
Collar stays:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DEZS24E/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Magnets:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CHQUVM2/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i03?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Bartlett’s on the right track, though shaken/stirred won’t (or at least in an ideal world shouldn’t) make a difference to the dilution or temp of the drink. It’s more about all the air bubbles ruining the elegant, glassy-smooth look and texture.
I haven’t tried Ratio myself, but what custom shirts can you get for closer to $50? Just curious. I’ve done Modern Tailor a few times, and a lot of their fabrics start at $50, but by the time you get shipping in and extra charges for things like MOP buttons, etc. it ends up closer to $75. I’d definitely love to hear if you know of anything even cheaper than that.
Yes. Yes. and Yes.
I have 4 of my own with another on the way. Best shirts I have ever owned, and I’ve made m way through the MTM gambit in search of a great shirt. I usually request Ratio gift cards whenever a special occasion is coming up. Keeps me from getting things I don’t want, and adds to a great shirt collection.
Anyone else notice that the chest pocket on JCF blazers is non-functioning? Or is just my glen plaid fleece blazer defective? (it’s not just a thread that can be removed – but rather sewn shut)
You leave them in and don’t ever take them out? Doesn’t that get chewed up in the laundry?
Nordstrom Rack sells the Wurkin Stiffs for $15, the same as your kludge, so I suppose both would work, but you really don’t take them out? I don’t wear more than one shirt at a time, and I don’t wear them if I’m wearing a tie, so the one set has always been enough for me (though I might buy the magnets in case I lose one, or want to play with magnets).
You’re right, I don’t know of any custom shirts for $50. I meant to compare ratio shirts at $90 to a well-fitting off the rack dress shirt that can be found for ~$50.
For example, this shirt from BR that can regularly be found on sale for $50
http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=4107590120001&cid=77446
Is it really worth paying an extra 80% to get a slightly better-fitting shirt?
For me, they are just for the lowered second button. But quality is outstanding and fit is second to none. At least, that’s what I’ve experienced.
I bought one shirt from Ratio – an OCBD. The fit was good (after a remake) but the fabric was shit. Lands End, Brooks Brothers, and J.Crew all had better oxford cloth than Ratio was using. That was a couple years ago so maybe they are sourcing better fabric. I was never willing to give them a second shot.
OK gotcha. Valid point…I have a really hard time finding dress shirts off the rack that are slim enough for me, so I go custom when I can afford it. I guess it really depends on your budget and your body type..
Definitely go down a half size on the Neumoras.
You hedged your own question. Not everyone can find OTR shirts that fit well; for them, $90-125 is well worth it to have a correct fitting shirt. If quality OTR shirts that fit you well are available for a lower price, then you’ve answered your own question.
Your point makes sense if I were the type of person to throw my shirts in the laundry hamper after just one wearing. In that case, sure, I could just pull the collar stays out, ready to insert into the next shirt.
But considering I wear my shirts at least a couple times between washings, it’s nice to leave the metal collar stays in there without having to switch them out every time I pull another shirt out of my closet.
And yes, I certainly take the collar stays out when washing the shirts.
I’ve opened the pocket on every JCF blazer I have, and I have several. It can be removed, but it is tight in there.
I’ve got 4 JCF jackets and I successfully opened all of the chest pockets.
I’ve used a traveling Thai tailor for shirts before, with a fabric upgrade it came to $66 per shirt plus a 7-week wait. The results are some of my favorite shirts but it’s a lot of hassle when you can just get an on-sale Brooks Brothers ESF shirt (starting at $90 but regularly can be had for <$60) as a starting point with excellent quality and take it to a local tailor.
I don't know how BR would compare in terms of fabric and details.
Except that Bond orders vodka martinis, not gin, and you want vodka as cold as you can get it. You’d need to stir it for about 2 minutes to get it as cold as a 10-15 second shake would. Thus, shaken, not stirred.
Am I the only one that isn’t in love with Wurkin’ Stiffs? I bought one of their medium sized pairs, and I’ve worn them probably 10-12 times now. So far two of the magnets have chipped which doesn’t speak very well about their quality. On top of that, I feel like it makes collars look weird without a tie. The pull of the magnets make the stays very obvious and give my collars sort of a puckered look.
Nope, they’re far from universally loved. That said, I wear mine every single day. No issues here yet.
I’d say that depends on if the OTR options fit you. You can definitely get a shirt of similar quality for less than Ratio off the rack. If it fits you well, go for it. If it needs some work, Ratio (or any other MTM option) could be worth looking into.
This guy knows what’s up.
“And no, you don’t have to match your wallet leather to your shoe/belt leathers.”
*gasp*
Fair point, though at the kind of places Bond is ordering drinks, any proper bartender should expect to stir for the time necessary to make the drink properly. For example, if you ever been to South America and ordered a pisco sour, they sit there and shake that sonofagun for 2 minutes plus.
Anyway, splitting hairs – if we’re going by the book it’s a vesper not a vodka martini, and for all we know he likes the bubbles.
As far as I remember, he only orders vespers in Casino Royale. He actually orders many different drinks throughout the books, usually trying local specials. He also rarely wears a tuxedo.
I’m in kind of the same boat…I do like the Wurkin Stiffs for their functionality, but the magnets on mine chipped on the first wear. Sheesh.
In the movies he doesn’t always order a martini, even though that has come to be known as his drink of choice. For instance, in Die Another Day, he orders a Mojito while in Cuba.
I’ve also heard of the “10 minute martini” method:
http://www.chandlersboise.com/the-story-of-the-ten-minute-martini/
That’s weird — I have an OCBD from Ratio from mid-2012, and I’m very happy with the fabric quality. Soft enough to move, thick enough that it doesn’t wrinkle if you look at it funny. Different story with my pinpoint from them — I swear that stuff is wrinkled all to hell just by putting it on.
For me? Absolutely. No question. Nothing else fits quite right — slim enough around the waist means too tight around the neck or the chest (or both), and big enough around the chest and neck means billowy around the waist. And I’m not an especially thin person — I’m overweight, no question, with a non-alcoholic beer belly.
Ratio shirts fit PERFECTLY for me. They fit well enough that I had a friend ask me if I’d lost more weight after something like three months of not losing a pound — the shirt just fit well enough that it noticeably slimmed me.
They’re worth it enough for me that I look at other shirts now, and then think, “I could buy three of these, or I could buy a shirt from Ratio. I’d rather buy the Ratio.” If I wasn’t back on the weight loss wagon, I’d be picking up another Ratio shirt with this month’s clothing budget, probably one of their madras shirts.
If you’re really curious, and you can spend the money, try one of the OCBDs. If it doesn’t go right for you, you’ve wasted $50 — no big deal, hopefully. If it does go right, then you’ve now got a new go-to for shirts. (And if that $50 is a big deal, maybe you shouldn’t be considering $100 shirts anyway.)
Count me as another who’s opened the chest pocket on a JCF jacket. Unfortunately, opening that chest pocket led to cracking the screen on a month-old Lumia 1020, but… whatever.
Are there alternatives under $50? Yes and no. The only consistently sub-$50 alternative is probably Natty shirts, however I’m using the word “alternative” loosely.
With Natty will get you low quality shirts and they’ll probably only be exactly what you want if you’re very close to the standard sizing or already own a near perfectly fitted shirt. If not, you’ll spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to convey exactly what you want in very plain English (you’ll be dealing entirely with a team of non-native-English speakers who are part of a pretty disjointed bare-bones operation). I did eventually get what I wanted (I needed about 6 or 7 nearly perfect fitting shirts – it would have been much too expensive for me to buy all Ratio and I didn’t have time to wait), but the amount of time it took me was absolutely ridiculous; they had to remake shirts for me about 4 times and that was AFTER I typed up very detailed, very deliberate and very plain-english directions, made up diagrams with photoshop and broke everything out into a very logical table that closely mirrored their order form.
They do MTM, it’s just not advertised. If you search for them in the Dappered forums you’ll find rave reviews about the customer service throughout the MTM process.
The kicker for me is that you can often get regular shirts on sale in the $30-50 range, and then just pay $15 each for tailoring to get the fit perfect. Sure there’s an extra step in there, but you still end up with a great fitting shirt at 2/3 the cost.
I see what you’re saying, but it’s kinda apples and oranges. Ratio allows you to pick all the details (placket, pocket or no, collar, back pleats, etc…) and the fabrics are top notch. I love my Nordstrom shirts, but Ratios just wash, wear, and iron better. And then there’s the button stance thing, which to a lot of us, is priceless.
Point is: You pay for it, but Ratio allows you to super dial in the fit (especially in the collar and sleeve length, which you have to hedge a bit in off the rack) and all of the details. It’s not so black and white. If they weren’t worth the splurge to many, they wouldn’t be here. But yes, again, not all with agree.
True on the details, especially button stance. I’m actually considering ratio for that very reason. My view is also biased because I’ve finally found “my” tailor, so I’m very comfortable with that route. Actually, two of my best shirts are $18 OCBDs from LEC thanks to Dappered that were tailored to perfection.
I think the tradeoff is time: with tailoring you have a wide variety of standard shirts to choose from, but you have to take the time to look, order, and get tailored, while Ratio is one stop where you know exactly what you’re getting.
Man I miss the LEC OCBDS. And the JCP OCBDS.
Yes, I agree, much of it is time. But Ratio’s detail adjustments are honestly fantastic… once you get addicted to them. Precise neck measurements down to the .25″ and sleeves to the .5″, plus some added width at the cuff (if you ask) for a watch on your watch wearin’ arm. I know, I sound like a shill 🙂 But I only use them (so far) for dress shirts.
Most important thing though is finding “your” tailor. Like you said. That, above all else, is the key.