T: It seems like Brooks Brothers is the latest clothier to start their own blog.  After cruising around their site it a little bit, it seems pretty humorless but legit.  Kind of like the store itself.

In particular, I like their stuff on buying a suit and their “what to wear” column.  Check it out here. 

T: It’s been a few days since we had a post here.  This might be because I’m so excited about the Brooks Brothers sale this week.  For today only, ties are 2 for one hundred dollars.  Normally they are seventy-five dollars a pop.  They currently have a bunch of  slim ties that are just under 3 inches wide.  For the taller gentlemen, BB is also the only label I know that makes long, slim ties.  Their wool ties are pretty money and I think I’m going to snap one up (left).  I also might pick up one of their many patterned ties (right):

Also, if you read our blog (what’s up mom and dad!), you may have noticed that we highly recommend Brooks Brothers’ extra slim fit shirts.  I have 4 of them and they are quickly becoming the only dress shirts I wear.  I just picked up a oxford and a gingham shirt to boot.  Of yeah, they are also 2 for one hundred dollars (normally 80).

P.S. I bought all of the items in this post in the course of writing it.

T: Sorry for the title, it’s an old joke Andrew and I have from college.  Anyway, today is the second to last part of our series on business casual and in my opinion, the most crucial.  Today, we look at shirts!

The other installments are (click on the titles for articles):

Shoes

Pants

Belts

Ties

Before we move any further, there are a few things you should know about shirts.  They are not all created equal.  In my opinion, there are four fabrics you need to know:

Broadcloth: The dressiest kind of dress shirt.  Thin, a little shiny, and somtimes a little see-through (below).

Twill: Medium weight, has a diagonal weave and can be slightly shiny.  Brushed twill is less shiny and more wooly.  Good for winter (see below).

Pinpoint: Basically a tightly woven oxford.  Not shiny and thicker than broadcloth (below)

Oxford: A heavier thread that is okay to be worn a little wrinkled.  It’s normally a basketweave with one yarn crossing two other yarns.  Oxford is less dressy than other fabrics (below). 

All of these photos came from a shirting company called propercloth.  For a full explanation of shirting fabrics, click here.   

Anyway, lets get down to business or business casual (terrible joke).  Your shirting choices will normally be dependent on your particular workplace dress code.  If you wear a tie or jacket/coat every day you probably want to go for simpler shirts that won’t clash with your ties/coats.  On the other hand if you wear a shirt every day with no sweater/jacket, you may want to go a little wild. 

No matter where you work, assuming you work a 5 day week (I hope you do) here’s what I would suggest:

2 Oxford shirts (your workhorse shirts)  In no particular order, I like white, pink, blue, red/white stripe, and blue/white stripe. 

1 Twill or Pinpoint in an icy/French blue shade.

1 Broadcloth (white) for fancier occasions

1 Patterned shirt to mix things up, any fabric

In terms of WHERE to get these things, I think that Brooks Brothers is your best bet.  Their extra-slim fit shirts are the truth and even though I am north of 200 pounds, they somehow fit me really well.  If you are looking for more casual shirts, you can’t go wrong with J. Crew.  But, if you were looking for custom dress shirts, there are a lot of places that do custom shirt from under 100 dollars a pop. 

Remember that if you are buying a shirt to be worn with a tie, it might be best to buy the shirt with individual neck sizes and sleeve length.  Some shirts are not meant to be worn with ties:

The picture below is the heavy rotation of my personal business-casual shirting wardrobe.  You might want to use it as a jumping off point for your own selections.  Don’t judge my photography skills.  I take a Terry Richardson point and shoot approach (minus harassing models):

Close up:

Oxfords: (L-R) Brooks Brothers, Brooks Brothers, and Uniqlo

Whats important to remember is that oxford shirts normally have button down collars that are easier to manage because you don’t have to press the collars or have the shirts dry-cleaned.  Just wash and hang, brother. 

Twill and Pinpoint (slightly wrinkled, L-R): Jos. A. Bank, Jos. A. Bank, Polo, Uniqlo, Uniqlo

Broadcloth (L-R) Brooks Brothers, Brooks Brothers:

It’s also nice to have some fancy shirts with french cuffs for suits but that’s for another post…..

Anonymous asked: T,

I need a blue suit. Dark. Appropriate for work and interviews. Want to look crisp. Extra slim, fitted, and short. Where should I look in an array of price ranges? Thanks.

T: Thanks for the question.  If you are going to buy one suit, navy is your best bet.  Charcoal works too.  Obviously, there are a lot of great options out there depending on your price point and what exactly you are looking for.  J. Crew has plenty of great options available but I think that the Ludlow cut (which is JCrew’s slimmest cut) is a great option and if you are looking for a short jacket, it’s available in 36 and 38 short.  (Right)  The suit will cost you a little less than six-hundred dollars and Andrew has it and seems to love it.  Maybe he should have written this post.  Oh well…..

Brooks Brothers also has some great options that range from 600 dollars to 1,000 dollars.  Currently, they have a sale going on and if you spend 800 dollars, you get 200 off.  If you are looking for their slimmest cut, their Milano cut is only available in navy pinstripe, not solid navy (below).  Obviously Brooks Brothers is a little more expensive but the quality is incredible.  Brooks goes down to a 38 S. 

Another option that currently has me intrigued is Bonbos, who has launched a line of suits that was profiled on valet mag last week and are currently 20% off.  Check out the link here.  Indochina is also an option a lot of people are going with but I think it take a while to get them to send you your custom suit. 

Honestly, I would recommend Brooks or J.Crew depending on what fits you better.  Both these brands can be found in almost any major city.  You could also head to your local Macy’s.  I walked through the Philly Macy’s last week and it seems that the new Tommy Hilfiger stuff they have in looks pretty good.  Department stores are great places to look because they have tons of suits you could try on in different fits.  They also have lower prices than the options from J. Crew and Brooks.  So does Banana Republic but I hate that place—but I hear they have decent suits.

The bottom line is that there are a lot of great places to find suits but you should try them on before you buy one.  You should go for a two-button, center vent (or double vent if you want to get fancy), notch lapel suit (it’s hard to find good peak lapel suits for cheap and a peak lapel is a little showy) with flat front pants.  When trying on the suit, keep trying on suits until you get to one that is too small.  

No matter what, make sure you buy a suit that fits you perfectly in the shoulders.  A good tailor can take care of the length if you only need a couple of inches taken off here or there but the shoulders cannot be fixed without destroying the suit.

Personally, I own a charcoal RL Black Label suit that I got on sale from the Polo store in Philly.  I love it but I could have never afforded it at full price.  Let us know what you decide.  No matter what you do, don’t let a salesperson talk you into something you don’t love.  That’s how you end up with something like this.  (If you are still reading—which I know you are—please click the link)

T: A few days ago, we ran a piece about the essential dressy article of clothing, the blue blazer.  To read it, check here.  Once you get that blue blazer, your next step towards building a more grown-up wardrobe should be a tweed sport coat.

Time for a history lesson: tweed is a rough, unfinished fabric made out of wool that has of a soft flexible texture resembling.  Most of the time, it has a check or herringbone pattern. The interlocking colors and patterns of tweed are obtained by twisting together differently colored woolen strands into a two- or three-ply yarn (thanks wikipedia!)

Tweed started out as outwear for hunters and outdoorsy people because it is water-resistant and durable.  It was used by Scottish hunters as camouflage to blend in with the local terrain.  Originally, the fabric was handspun and hand-dyed with natural dyes that were made with lichen and other gross stuff.   

There are many, MANY places that you can pick up a tweed coat of your very own.  First off, you can buy Harris tweed direct from the source.  Additionally, Brooks Brothers has some great options, and so does J. Crew.  Last year, Uniqlo had a great tweed coat for only $125 but it sold out in about 1.5 minutes.  Additionally, this jacket appeared on esquire.com last week but I can’t find it anywhere.  Personally, I got mine at the Philly Ralph Lauren store.  To see the post I wrote about the blazer, check here. 

At this point, you may be asking yourself, “Why is this post so long?”  or maybe even, “Why should I buy a tweed coat?”  The answer to the first question is because I like the sound of my own voice, even in written format.  The answer to the second question can be found in the next paragraph. 

Tweed coats an be dressed up or down and they are surprisingly warm.  The fact that it’s a blazer makes it more dressy than 95% of what most guys have in their closets.  But, because of its heavy, unfinished fabric, a tweed sportscoat can also look more casual.  For example, you could wear a tweed blazer with a scarf and you don’t need a topcoat on your way to work OR you could wear one with a pair of jeans for a date or for a fall night out instead of a coat. I’m planning on wearing mine at work with my required shirt and tie. 

Still not convinced?  You don’t have to take my word for it….It’s good enough for the Wooster. 

Anonymous asked: I've been inspired to ditch the k coles. I need a black shoe to replace them. What are some good options for shirt and tie attire on the casual side (no suits)?

Dear Anonymous,

I think that you are asking me three questions (I’m pretty sure).  I’m going to cover shoes first and then move into shirts and ties. 

Here is the good news first: getting a pair of decent dress shoes is one of the best ways to up your game and look more like a grown-ass man.  It’s kind of like a sartorial bar mitzvah. 

Here is the bad news: getting a good pair of dress shoes can be expensive.  Think of good pair of leather dress shoes as a long-term investment.  If you care for them correctly, they can last you upwards of 10 years.  If you are going to buy one pair of dress shoes, buy a pair of black cap-toed oxfords.  They can go with anything from a pair of jeans on a date to a three-piece suit.  The best value for your money is from Allen Edmonds (below).  But, Johnston and Murphy also makes a more affordable option at about half the price.   Either is head and shoulders above anything made by Mr. Cole.

As for shirts and ties, there are many options.  If you have the money, I would suggest Brooks Brother’s extra-slim fit line which can be worn tucked in at work or untucked at a bar (below).  Every few months, they have a sale and I picked up my shirts for 50 bucks a piece. 

If that’s a bit out of your price range, I would suggest wading through the crowds of pubescent girls with braces at your local H&M which makes better shirts than you might think or to Uniqlo if you live in NYC.  But, if you already know your measurements, Land’s End also makes some decent options that are a little on the old man side and good for work.  Land’s End Canvas also makes really good casual shirts on the cheap.  To see our essential shirts series, click here. 

As for ties, I think there are 4 essential ties that every man must own.  Click on these links to read some of our old articles about ties:

Knit Tie

Striped Tie

Solid Tie

Patterned Tie