Men's Fashion Advice - Dress For Success

If you want success, you have to dress for it!wear an accent color on your tie, perhaps with a
Most everyone is familiar with the saying, "Don'tmild, understated pattern; but, cutesy cartoon ties
judge a book by its cover." However, hardlyor loud patterns are not acceptable.
anyone seems to follow that advice. People do4. Wear dark socks and dark (preferably black)
judge other people by how they look and byshoes - Brown shoes are acceptable as well with
what clothing they are wearing.the right outfit, but make sure your socks match
Quite often, it seems as if the "cover" of theit. Your belt should match your shoes - and, yes,
book or our clothing is much more important thanalways wear a belt...no suspenders, ever.
the book's contents. This isn't fair, of course;5. Dress shirts should be white, off-white, or light
however, that's just the way life is.blue - If you choose any other color, you will find
The reality is that you are going to be judgedit difficult to find a tie to match; therefore, you
based upon what you are wearing.will typically wear the same tie every time you
Your boss, your colleagues, your clients andwear that shirt. People will notice after awhile, and
sometimes even your family and friends - all ofit will become like a set uniform - you'll become
these people and more will be looking at what youthe Thursday -
are wearing and making decisions about youlight-green-shirt-with-the-green-and-brown-tie guy.
based upon what they see.Stripes and squares patterns are ok as well, but it
Here are some suggestions on how to make sureshould match your outfit and shouldn't be too
that your clothing makes a great impression upondominant.
everyone who matters:6. If it's not "Causal Tuesday" - avoid the
1. Don't just buy clothes off the racks at theShort-sleeved shirts - You don't want to take off
store - Often, those don't fit everyone's bodyyour sports or suit coat and be wearing a
types. Instead, purchase the clothing that fits youshort-sleeved shirt. You aren't going to get too
best; If you want to go the extra mile here, headhot in a long sleeved dress shirt - nearly
to a tailor who can customize the shirts, pants,everywhere has air-conditioning these days.
and jackets to your exact measurements. WhileHowever, even if you do get hot, rolled-up
you're at it, have the tailor put cuffs on the pants.sleeves look better than a short-sleeved dress
This makes the pants hang nicely and keepsshirt.
them from climbing up your legs as you walk.7. All of your clothing needs to be neat, clean, and
2. Wear mostly neutral or dark colors - The mainwrinkle-free - You could be wearing a high-end,
parts of your outfit should be comprised ofexpensive suit that has been custom-tailored -
neutrals or darks; However, you can have a lessbut, you won't impress anyone if it has a stain on
common accent color as a small part of yourthe pant leg or if the suit jacket looks as if it
outfit. For example: your tie or pocket square (ifwere slept in. Dry cleaning might be a little
you wear one) could be an accent color.expensive sometimes - but it well worth it!
3. No "super" flashy patterned ties - Yes, you can