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. “Dude why are you wearing a suit?” Because it’s fun. End of explanation. Look, I get it. A suit is probably overkill right now. But practice makes comfortable. And there just might be some “oh I gotta wear a suit” events coming up later on this year (fingers crossed). So dust off or acquire a suit of a (slightly) different color. Slate blue isn’t powder blue. It’s not mid gray. It’s a blue-ish gray that lots of suit brands offer. And it looks great at everything from Zoom calls to socially distanced spring cocktail nights to late summer weddings. Let’s party. Maybe.
The Suit: Spier and Mackay Blue Birdseye Suit – $278 ($348). Half canvas. Nice wool fabric. Lined in a breathable cupro fabric. On sale, but not final sale. That’s a lot of suit for $280. Note that the suit at the top of the post is an old Spier slate blue suit, but it’s not a Birdseye. So expect a bit more noticeable pattern if you do go with the Birdseye option. Spier does free shipping and returns for your FIRST suit (or sportcoat or shoes) purchase. Alternatives would be this or this from Suitsupply, who always does free shipping and returns. Got dimensions that require custom? Try this from Black Lapel.
The Shirt: Charles Tyrwrhitt White Poplin Non Iron – $40ish with sales. Or, whatever your favorite crisp white dress shirt happens to be. Again, for the newbies… don’t forget the collar stays. Get that collar looking right. Protip: Get some alloy collar stays, then put a slight bend in them for a perfect collar that’ll frame your face (as shown at the very top of the post). Yes this strategy gets mentioned a lot. But there are also a lot of questions over email/social media that go something like “how do you get your collar to do that?”
The Pocket Square: TheTieBar Linen Buds Navy Pocket Square – $14. Floral, but the saturated dark colors makes it kinda… mean? Sexy? Sexy mean floral pocket square? Can that exist? Probably not. It’s literally a piece of cloth, after all.
The Belt: Nordstrom Newman Reversible Leather Belt – $49.50. A basic, reversible, do-anything dress belt. Ships and returns for free.
The Shoes: Charles Tyrwhitt Goodyear Welted Single Monks – $249. Wait for a sale, and then get ’em with the shirt. Single monks look great with a sharp suit and shirt combination. There’s something about the simplicity.
The Sunglasses: Ray-Ban54mm Polarized Wayfarer Sunglasses – $79.97. Not gonna mess with perfection here. Available at Nordstrom Rack, and the perfect do-anything pair of shades.
The Watch: Orient Bambino Bauhaus in Gray – $107. More sharp simplicity here. A bit of monochrome class for your wrist. “But the leather band doesn’t match the shoes and belt.” Okay. Life is rarely, if ever, perfect.
The Socks: Made in the USA Allen Edmonds Mid-Calf Merino Cool Dress Socks – $18.50. Watch out Nordstrom wool dress socks. You’ve got competition.
Smart casual briefcases, classic dive watches, and retro sneakers.
A casual but still put-together look for dressed down winter festivities.
Looking sharp but not over the top. Out on the town or at someone's place.
Tis-the-season to bring some style.
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Cozy duds, paper pets, some good reads, and a heated outdoor chair.