“A man should look as if he has bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care and then forgotten all about them” – Hardy Amies.
Intelligent buying
Buying your clothes with intelligence is easy when you have the combined brainpower of yourself and your trusted tailor. With your own sense of style and your tailors knowledge on cloth types and suit styles, you can be sure that what you’re buying will suit your environment and taste whilst fitting both your body & needs.
For example, a tan linen suit looks great in a bar at the weekend in Italy but in the office in the middle of British winter you will simply look foolish. This relates specifically to those of you who are notorious impulse buyers. Yes – the green velvet cloth you’ve been shown is beautiful and it’s understandable that you want it, but thinking realistically – are you really going to wear it?
Careful dressing
Dressing with care relates to the way you pair your individual items together to create your outfit. Having bespoke clothes will make you look sharp, but even bespoke items will look out-of-place if the outfit is not carefully put together. An example would be dressing for an important meeting by pairing your immaculate navy business suit with a loud checked shirt and an equally offensive tie. Even though the look might work in a more quirky and casual environment, turning up to a meeting like this will only serve in making you look out of place. Had you have taken more care in the outfit; you would perhaps have paired the navy suit with a crisp white shirt and a burgundy tie. This would have created a classic professional look that couldn’t have failed.
The same goes for the more detailed parts of your look; a mistake like a clashing tie and shirt is a particularly dramatic example. Details like wearing brown shoes and a black belt is something seen all too often. Black shoes = black belt. Silver watch = Silver cufflinks. These little touches are what makes all the difference and is what separates a good outfit from a perfect outfit
Forgetting about it
How often do you find yourself fiddling with your tie knot, tugging at your cuffs, re-tying your shoelaces or rescuing a sunken pocket square? Little things that you don’t really think about, but all of the above points contribute two negative points that rub off on your image:
1.) Constant fidgeting with your outfit shows a lack of poise. Fiddling gives the impression of dis-comfort and nervousness – an undesirable look especially in a professional environment.
2.) By playing with your cuffs or pocket-square all day, it is likely you will dirty them. A crisp white shirt is clean and professional. A white shirt with dirtied fingerprints all over the cuffs and collar will do a grand job in making you look like a careless schoolboy, writhing in his uncomfortable new uniform.
The cures here are simple: firstly, buy intelligently to start with. If your sleeves are made bespoke to your measurement, you will never need to chase your cuff in order to keep it the correct length. If you buy a tie that is wide enough for you to comfortably create a knot that you don’t have to play with, you wont need to re-adjust every ten minutes.
Secondly, be more careful when you dress. Double knot your shoelaces to prevent a rogue lace. Use a tie bar to pin your tie down if you know you’re going to be distracted by it. Pin your pocket square in place if you know it has a devious habit of sliding out of sight.
Summary
Have you caught the theme? A (Intelligent buying) + B (Careful dressing) = C (Forgetting about it). Successful execution of this sartorial equation will result in you looking smarter and being more poised, therefore helping you stand out as the leading man (or woman) in any office.
