Keeping It Casual but Dressy

For the times that you need to keep it a little dressed up but still want to keep that casual Friday going on. The versatility of a navy blazer and simple white pocket square can't be underestimated.  The great thing is that from the waist down it could be dark denim or khaki or gray dress trousers and it would still look great.

Details:

Blazer: Stafford Prep Navy Unstructured Blazer via JCP-$27.50

Shirt: Gap White/Light Blue/Pink Check Shirt via Gap Factory Store-$15

Pocket Square: Pierre Cardin White Cotton Pocket Square via Marshall's-$.50 a piece

Not Shown:

Jeans: Gap "Slim Fit" Dark Denim via Gap-$45

Shoes: Florsheim Cognac Imperial Wingtips via eBay-$25

Part 3, One Suit: Three Looks-Today for Work

The Blazer/Jacket:
The final way you can wear a navy suit is wearing the blazer/jacket as a separate. A navy blazer or the navy blazer of a navy suit just as the trousers is great! Like the trousers, the blazer can be worn separately with not only the matching trousers but with khaki pants and dark denim. Originally I was going to wear khaki twill pants but being that it was Parent/Teacher Conference but still Friday I decided to with dark denim jeans. A navy blazer is a great way to add that sharpness to your jean and dress shirt look. Details are important, add a pocket square to give a great look. Also, a light gray shirt looks great with a Navy blazer. Tailoring is important, the jacket needs some tweaks but the fit is still pretty good.

Details:
Blazer: Calvin Klein part of a suit-$75 (for suit)
Shirt: Gray Mini-check shirt from Indochino-$76.33 (bundle 3 for $229)
Pocket Square: Pierre Cardin via Marshall's-$1 (I think, same one as always)
Jeans: Gap Slim Denim-$42
Socks (not pictured): Gray Argyle Socks-$3
Shoes: Florsheim Imperial-Gift

Yes this is my face...

Light Gray Mini-Check Shirt

WDYWT..Parent/Teacher Conference

Gave the navy suit a breather, literally and figuratively and switched it up today for Parent/Teacher Conference.

In regards to giving the suit a breather, although I could have probably worn the navy suit again, paired it with the same shirt and tie from today and no one would have likely noticed. Airing out your clothing is important especially with something like a suit that may not be washed or dry cleaned after ever wear. Simply leave your jacket and pants out in an open space overnight and just let it breathe, just put it away in the morning.

The gray suit is one of the two suits every man should have, the other being a navy suit. Both the pants and jacket can be worn as separates as well due to the versatility of the color. This is not in the "for less" category but what should be noted is that regardless if it's a bespoke suit or a suit off the rack it should fit perfectly. Remember a $1,000 suit can look terrible, while $100 suit with proper alterations, can look like a $1000 suit.The shirt is from Target's Merona collection and the tie was an eBay pick up.

Details:
Suit: Michael Andrews Bespoke-$$$
Pocket Square: Pierre Cardin via Marshall's-$1.50
Shirt: Merona via Target-$23
Tie: Calvin Klein via eBay-$6
Tie Bar: Banana Republic via BR Factory $3.50
Shoes: Florsheim Imperial-Gift

Mixing High-End with Low-Suit: Bespoke, Shirt & Tie: Target & eBay

 

Layering...Vol. 2

Couple days ago I posted a picture of layering a sweater and a blazer. I got so much positive feedback regarding the v-neck sweater and blazer look that I decided to try it again on Friday. This time I took a lighter off-white, beige really v-neck and wore my maroon herringbone tweed blazer over it. Friday was particularly chilly and rainy so the maroon herringbone tweed blazer was a nice way to keep dry and warm at the same time. Sorry for the crappy pics.

Blazer: Maroon Herringbone Tweed no brand via eBay ($15)
Pocket Square: Pierre Cardin via Marshalls ($.75)
V-neck: Off-White/Beige via Old Navy (Gift)
Shirt: American Living via JCP ($10)
Jeans: Gap Slim Fit via Gap ($42)
Shoes: Florsheim Imperial (Gift)

The trick with a blazer in such an "off" color is to wear neutral colors underneath and pants that aren't loud either. Always anchor the look with a nice pair of brown dress shoes.

Layering...Button Down, V-Neck Sweater, Blazer

I wore this to a field trip this past week. We were going to be near the water and it was to be in the low 60s. I didn't want to wear a coat since it wasn't going to be so cold to warrant it but cold enough and breezy that a sweater alone wouldn't cut it. It's nothing new but I decided to throw on a blazer on top of my usual sweater and shirt combination and I think it looked pretty good. It actually has been one of my most complimented outfits, if not the most.

The look:
Shirt: Stafford (White/Pink/Black Check) via JC Penney's-$5.21
Pants: Gap Slim Fit Dark Denim Wash via Gap-$42 (after 30% off code)
Shoes: Florsheim Imperial Wingtips (Cognac)-Gift
Socks: Navy with Light Blue mini dots via H&M ($1.50)
Sweater: Camel V-Neck via Banana Republic Factory Store ($15)
Blazer: Michael Andrews Bespoke part of a suit
Pocket Square: Pierre Cardin via Marshalls ($.75)

When doing this here a couple of tips:

1. Make sure the sweater isn't too thick that it will make the blazer feel way too tight on you and simply uncomfortable.

2. The sweater should be a neutral color: light gray, camel, beige, navy, etc.

3. Keep it simple, especially the blazer. However, the simpler the blazer, the crazier the sweater.

4. More out there blazer, simpler sweater (check tomorrow for what I mean).

WDIW...Yesterday

Yesterday was our very first PTA meeting and although I usually am always well and professionally dressed, I did not feel like wearing a suit. One of the advantages of a 3 piece is being able to wear items as separates. As a result I decided to take the waistcoat aka vest and pants, and team it up with a simple white and checkered shirt and a navy tie. This is one of my higher end posts as pretty much everything but the tie and shoes are Bespoke via Michael Andrews Bespoke.

Trousers: Michael Andrews Bespoke
Shirt: Michael Andrews Bespoke
Waistcoat: Michael Andres Bespoke
Wingtips: Eduardo G via eBay $45
Tie: Pierre Cardin via Marshalls $5

Maroon Herringbone Tweed WDYW-Yesterday

So if you remember I bought this Maroon Herringbone Tweed blazer from eBay about 2 weeks ago. The question I got was, well what are you going to wear it with? I understood why, the color was just not something that is common. Partially that was one of the main reasons why I bought it.

Simply when trying to wear a jacket or piece that is of a "louder" color, pattern, etc. anchor it down with some neutral colors/pieces. In this case I paired the jacket with dark denim and white shirt with dark brown almost maroon stripes. A simple white pocket square anchors this too.

Details:
Blazer-eBay $15
Pocket Square-Pierre Cardin Marshalls $2
Shirt-Unknown Brand $10
Pants-American Rag $7
Total: $34