Every professional should own at least five suits and five shirts. Why? This gives you a week’s worth of clothing, without having to stress about keeping clothes clean and ready to wear. These need not be purchased all at once. Work gradually to build your wardrobe. As you invest in quality garments that will give you years of wear and service, your wardrobe choices will increase. If you add just one new suit per year, in five years you would have a basic working suit wardrobe at very minimal expense.

The first suit purchase should always be a navy blue, two piece suit. You can wear a solid navy blue suit to almost any function, even a funeral, and be well dressed. Choose classic styling with simple details. A notched lapel is more traditional than a peaked lapel, and a center vent is an enduring style. Side vents are nice, but will give an Italian flair to the suit.

From this initial purchase, add a navy pinstripe, a gray solid, a gray stripe, and a black suit. These form the core essentials of a working wardrobe. Choose three season wool for the best value.

Five white shirts are good, ten white shirts are better. With ten white shirts, you always have five to wear, and five to launder. Keep them rotating. As your budget allows, add a couple of blue shirts. If you have an athletic build, or an exceptionally large neck, invest in custom made shirts. The cost will be offset by the cleaner look and fit. Ready made shirts may have too much fabric around the waist and will look baggy. Basic white and blue shirts will give you the flexibility to add style and personality with accessories.

Silk ties are a good investment as they will maintain their shape and integrity. Striped, or rep ties, small patterns, or even solids are good choices. Make sure the width of the tie is in line with current fashion standards. Every man needs a plain red tie to put with his navy power suit and white shirt.

Socks should match pant colors. You should have two belts; black and brown, to match your black and brown shoes. If you like braces, you may want to pick up a couple of pairs, but please do not wear them with your belt.

The last essential item is a topcoat. This will help protect the investment you have made in good quality clothing. Do some comparison shopping and buy the best you can afford. Your topcoat will be a wardrobe staple for years to come.

Dressing well can be fun as well as affordable. Remember, it costs nothing to “window shop”. The Internet has put a world of information resources at our fingertips. “Window shop” online and find styles that interest you. Try them on for size at your local store. If you really like the style and fit, research online to find the best bargain.

http://www.howtodothings.com/fashion-personal-care/how-to-dress-for-a-black-tie-event
http://mensfashion.about.com/od/springsummerfashion/a/cottonsuits.htm

http://www.aeans.org/articles/ascloak.shtml
http://www.askmen.com/fashion/fashiontip/33_fashion_advice.html

First date attire will depend on the location of the first date. A black suit at an outdoor concert will not win you any points! In general, if you will be going to dinner in a nicer restaurant, meeting important people in her life, or appearing at a business function, a suit or dressy casual are always good choices. A navy blazer, khaki pants, and a blue shirt is a classic preppy look. Do a little investigation, and make your clothing choices based on facts.

If the occasion is definitely casual, you will still want to err on the side of moderation for a first date. Khaki pants or your best jeans, a collared shirt, and an optional sport coat are all good choices. (After all, she might get cold and you could offer her your coat!

A navy two-piece suit, white shirt, and conservative tie will always be your best bet. Even if you are interviewing for a job in a company that has a more casual corporate atmosphere, you will be safer dressing up a notch. Always dress for your next job, not your current one. While it may be unfair that people judge others by their appearance, it is a fact. Make the best first impression possible. A black suit is too formal for an interview, while a tan or khaki suit is viewed as too casual.

Ties

A rep tie is a good, conservative choice. What is a rep tie? According to an article found on www.cigaraficionado.com : “Let’s get the nomenclature straight: when striped rep neckwear is discussed, the “rep” refers to the weave in the silk fabric, not to the repetitive pattern of the stripes”.

Shoes

Wear black lace-up shoes. Put a high polish on them. Check the heels. If they are run-down and worn looking, purchase a new pair. Dirty, worn shoes will kill the look of the most expensive suit. Take a good look in a full-length mirror. Would you hire yourself?

There are no stock answers to dressing formal, as it is situational. Formal dress for a high school graduation will be different than formal dress for a black tie event. A black suit would be considered formal for a funeral, but over the top for a speaker at a local community club. Do your homework, and find out the definition of formal for the event in question.

In general, a black tie event will require a black tuxedo with all the matching accessories, no top hat. You can choose between a black belt or cummerbund. Black shoes and socks are a must. A black tie or bow tie will complete this look.

Some other formal attire requests are; white tie, semi-formal, informal, and dressy casual.
For white tie, you will add a top hat and white kid gloves to the black tuxedo. Semi-formal and informal both require a black suit and tie. Dressy casual will be nice dress pants with a sport coat or classic navy blazer.

If you can afford to do so, and your social calendar will generate many black tie invitations, consider investing in a custom made tuxedo. The fit and appearance will be your reward. Renting a tuxedo can be worse than trying to buy an off-the-rack suit. You can have the suit tailored to fit better, but may not be able to accomplish that with a rented tuxedo.

Before discussing what to do to dress casual, consider the don’ts. Hats should never be worn indoors. Sweat pants and jogging pants belong at home, as do ripped, stained tee shirts. For the classic casual tee shirt look, think of James Dean. Pristine white tee shirt, jeans that look starched, pressed and trim. That’s casual!

The rule of thumb for casual is to avoid extremes. Your company’s corporate casual culture may be very relaxed, another environment may be more rigid. Dress moderately and use good taste, and you will feel well dressed in any situation.

Khaki trousers, a golf shirt, and deck shoes will always present a well-put together appearance. Shirts should be tucked into pants. Buy a shirt that fits well (not baggy), but not so tight the fabric is stretched and strained. A little looser fit will always be more flattering. Pants should be the proper length and socks should match the pant color. When you sit down and cross your legs, no skin should show.

Once again, if you will invest in the best quality casual clothes, you will find that your investment will pay future dividends. Your clothing will look neater and less worn. Quality garments last longer than cheaper clothes.

For the man who wants to dress well, but still stay at the forefront of fashion, a good clothier is a must. Find someone who has experience in the field, but is flexible enough to be open to new trends and styles. Many excellent tailors do their clientele a disservice by only recommending certain styles. They may have a designer or style that they prefer, and allow that bias to creep into their recommendations. If you don’t like the clothes your fashion adviser wears, chances are you won’t like the styles he recommends.

Good sartorial advice can be found online, in men’s fashions magazines, and right in your own neighborhood store. When you see a gentleman whose style you admire, ask him where he purchases his clothing.

Buy a complete outfit, not just a suit or tie. Purchase everything you need, even socks, and make your life easier. Keep your wardrobe simple. If you have four or five white shirts, and a color shirt for variety, all you have to do is change accessories for a different look. Ties, pocket squares, a brooch, or a scarf are good ways to add punch to a basic suit or business look.

Find a tailor who can alter your garments to fit your body type. One problem with buying off-the-rack clothing is the garment has been sized to fit an average body type. Chances are, your body is not going to fit the “average” type as well as the manufacturer hopes it will. A little tuck here, a nip there, cuffed pants, and a more tailored waist can all make the difference between bespoke and unkempt.

When in doubt, go with the basics. A putty linen suit with a fuchsia open neck shirt may be haute couture, but if putty makes your complexion sallow and drawn, stay away! Your basic navy suit can be just as fashion forward with the addition of a vivid neck scarf, or an eclectic patterned tie.

For complete how-to on dressing well for the corporate gentleman, visit www.dressingwell.com. The tips and advice found all conform to the way a gentleman should dress. There is a trend back to the male wanting to dress in a more classic, time-tested way. Men want to be well-dressed, but there has been a dearth of information available, as styles have centered on urban and hip-hop icons. A quote from an article found on http://enterstageright.com says it all: “We all want to be the stylish equivalents of dandy icon Cary Grant but as the late actor famously said, “Everyone wants to be Cary Grant; even I want to be Cary Grant.”

At www.stylesell.com, you will find top designer labels at bargain prices. Names like Abercrombie & Fitch, Hugo Boss, Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger, and Calvin Klein are all represented. While stylesell.com offers mostly accessories and casual wear items, there are a few best-buy steals like Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, and Gucci scarves for prices ranging from $49 - $79.00. This website offers a good selection of men’s fashionable clothing.

Ralph Lauren’s official website, www.ralphlauren.com offers a full array of up-to-minute fashion styles, as well as timeless traditional pieces. Check out their “Under $100” section for pima cotton v-neck vests for $79.50. How abut classic fit polo shirts in fashion’s brightest colors? Match some of the colorful polos with your best dress trousers and be ready for corporate casual days. Top fashion, and under $100, now that’s fashion news!

If you did not find something that clicked with your fashion desires at Ralph Lauren’s site, www.rugby.com is just a click away. You will find a wide variety of cutting edge garments for spring break, dress or casual wear. The latest polos, sweaters, and trousers are here as well. Some best fashion buys on this site are; madras military shirt - $89.50, Wilson chevron rugby shirt - $89.50, and the new university chino pants - $69.50. The chinos are available in hot fashion colors such as; Nantucket Red, Green Bay, Floral Pink, Sand, Montana Khaki, and Basic Olive. Add a few to your current wardrobe to update your style without busting your budget.

Two great sites for casual wear are www.carefreecasuals.com and www.urbanminx.com.
Carefree Casuals features labels like; Calvin Klein, Bobby Jones, and Eternal Apparel at very reasonable price points. Urban Minx showcases edgier designs from labels like Ben Sherman, Chinese Laundry, Splendid Mills, and Proper English.

Men’s fashion is anything but boring this season. The trend in general is a return to classics and the basic staples of a working wardrobe. A few surprising additions will enable the fashion forward fellow to add a signature style to his look.

Men’s Brooches

An unexpected trend in men’s fashions for 2009 is lapel brooches. While decorative pins have adorned women’s clothes throughout history, the custom of men wearing brooches fell out of favor. Its return to the fashion scene has been well accepted.

Jewelry has commonly been a symbol for status. In Anglo-Saxon England, men used brooches to fasten their cloaks. The accepted method was to use the brooch on the right shoulder to secure the garment. A cloak with the brooch on the left shoulder signaled rebellion against a leader. There was a time when no proper gentleman would consider himself completely attired without his lapel pin.

One of the most common brooch shapes is penannular (having nearly the form of a ring, according to www.thefreedictionary.com). This style was popular in history with groups like the Celts and Anglo-Saxons. Other shapes you will find are circular, disc and equal armed. Today’s fashion forward gentleman will find high quality examples of this jewelry by designers like Yoox, or Gucci. An enterprising shopper might find an eclectic piece at an estate sale, or an antique shop.

In Sweden, some fashionable youths are using the lapel pin to create a more fitted waist look to suits. To copy this style, you will need a brooch that looks like a giant safety pin. Pull the suit fabric together in front at the waist and secure with the pin.

What kind of man would wear a brooch? A self-confident man, someone who does not need or seek approval. A brooch-wearing man likes to be different. He does not conform. You will find him leading the pack, not following!

Scarves

Fabrics and colors that invoke images of the Far East are strong this year, with designs that reflect Indian (as in India) looks. Used for layering, or draped around the shoulders in a look that is very avant-garde, a scarf can be edgy and hip, or elegant and haute couture. Style does not define the man, the man defines his style.

Let your fingers to the shopping and search online for scarves from high fashion designers like Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, and Yohji Yamamoto. Some top picks would be; Dior’s use of fuchsia and cobalt in an futuristic insect print, Dolce & Gabbana’s plaids and ginghams, and Yohji Yamamoto’s luxurious check stoles in charcoal and light gray. These are just the tip of the iceberg, but will be enough to tantalize your fashion taste and have you searching for more.

Colors for 2009

As spring and summer arrive, clothing colors are becoming lighter and brighter. You will still need your all purpose navy blue suit, but think about adding a fashion color like putty or gray. The hot trend is to accent these suits with punches of color such as peach and apricot. While the color spectrum for men’s clothing has traditionally been navy, gray, and black, New York Fashion Week was awash with colors like purple, turquoise, lilac, pink, and oriental orange.

Will men invest in such non-traditional garments in this tight economy? The fashion designers believe that they will, and they have been setting the standards for clothing sales for hundreds of years. Ermenegildo Zegna is showing whites with touches of pink, in a look that only he could create. Calvin Klein and Jill Sanders are also designing in these vivid shades. It will be interesting to see what men will do with the fashion options presented in 2009.

Casual Dressing

Bright polos layered under plaid shirts for the preppy look go well with slim leg and skinny jeans, or pair them with a neutral suit for a more bespoke look. Deep V-neck tops were shown by several fashion designers, but public opinion on this garment has been mixed. While some feel that it is a style that can only be carried off by the young and buff, other fashion gurus think that it could be a very trendy look done in layers and in the right fabrics and colors. Check out Salvatore Ferragano’s Degrade sweater in rose for an example of how classy yet sexy this style can be.

Men’s Suiting Trends

In men’s suiting, there is a move back to the classic English, military cut. With broad shoulders and a slim waist, this V style is flattering to most men’s silhouettes. This is a nice trend, as details such as lapels, and trouser details date clothing. A timeless style like this will be a nice investment for the budget-conscious gentleman.

Three piece suits are seeing a revival of interest this season. One style to watch, the “Kent Cut”, with a longer lapel, uses perspective and illusion to create a taller, slimmer look.

Both notched and peaked lapels are still very popular. The peaked lapel will add a slimming effect to any outfit. Choose a suit with two side vents this season, and remember that the buttons on a jacket are a good way to create the illusion of height.

Time-tested patterns being shown are; hounds tooth, herringbone, Prince of Wales plaids, pinstripes, and rope-stripes. The smaller the pattern or stripe, the slimmer the overall effect of the garment.

Whatever style you choose, remember to invest in the best quality you can afford for your suiting needs. Choose a high quality wool for an all season suit. Sartorial details to look for would be collars and lapels. Roll them and see if they fall back into place. Look to see how the sleeves have been set into the garment. Make sure they do not bind or wrinkle when you try on the coat. If the fabric looks or feels cheap, don’t buy it. A poorly constructed suit will look limp and unkempt after the first few cleanings. It is better to have one good suit, than five inferior ones.