Appearance, Clothing
Are the cufflinks an essential element of office wear or they should be reserved for formal occasions? For gentleman who wants to stand out or show his status, cufflinks are a great accessory that make a statement.
Clothes do not make the man, but attention to the detail differentiates man from the gentleman. Choosing a shirt with cuffs is a matter of style and require wearing cufflinks.
Cufflinks were an essential accessory for nobles for centuries and became more common in Victorian times. In the seventies of last century cuff links were replaced with build-in buttons, but they made a big comeback in the nineties and today are worn by men and women. What was once an exclusive domain of wealthy and privileged class of people became a main street fashion accessory.
Today, cufflinks are commonly available, and in my opinion they are always in a good taste to complement a professional attire. They are also a part of men’s jewerly and since the more stylish a man becomes, the more he relies on smaller details, you should strive to match the colour of your cufflinks with other metals – your watch or ring.
Shirts come with either cuff with buttons or cuff for cufflinks. The last is definitely more elegant option and I would advise having few shirts for cuff links, as well few pairs of metal and silk knot cuffs.
If you decide for enamel or knot cufflinks, you should coordinate their colours with the rest of your attire. Knot cufflinks are an inexpensive option for adding an extra flair to your look. They work great for a more relaxed look and you can play with the colour, matching them with tie or handkerchief.
There is a wide range of fancy cufflinks available on the market and even some fashion designers promote them. Pair them rather with casual outfits, as funny cufflinks do not add to the professional look.
Please note shirt with cuff links is meant to be worn with the jacket. If you want to be more relaxed and remove the jacket, then choose for a shirt with buttoned cuffs.
Tips on wearing cufflinks:
- Choose gold or silver cufflinks for formal occasions
- The more formal the occasion the less ornamented the cufflinks
- For formal occasions choose double cuff shirt (also known as French cuff)
- For office wear and business, you can choose less formal single cuff shirt
- For a professional office look avoid fancy cufflinks, keep them simple and solid
- Match the colour of your knot cufflinks with the attire
- For an elegant look, metals of all jewerly pieces should match
- When wearing cufflinks, keep the jacket on
Clothing
Summer is a great time to look at your wardrobe and refresh it a bit for the season. Your thick woolen suits and double ply cotton shirts should be replaced with light garments and thin fabrics. Warm season is also a great time to wear bright colors and you should not be afraid of having few cheerful elements.
If you aim for a more classic look, wear bold colors and choose for plain fabrics or very small patterns. If you prefer a more relaxed style and your job doesn’t require formal look, then you may want to experiment with floral patterns and colorful fabrics.
Below some examples how you can coordinate your spring look with pastel colors. Mix and match the color of your shirt, tie and pocket square to achieve a new look for every day. All you need is a classic gray two piece suite, three cotton shirts, few ties and matching handkerchiefs. You may also wear a white shirt for a polished look at any time.
[layerslider id=”17″]
Appearance
Ever wonder how some men look good with such a little effort? The key to timeless elegance are bold classic pieces in your closet that will make you look and feel good. Having those is a base for every outfit, that can be accessorised with a stylish seasonal elements. Tips on how to achieve timeless elegance below…
1. Invest in timeless pieces – your watch and other accessories should be of a high quality and last for years
A good watch, should be a highlight of your look. If you want it to serve you years invest in it. Choose a renowned brand, quality materials and classic look with dark leather strap. Please note metal bracelet is considered less elegant and you should not wear it for formal occasions.
Have some elegant accessories like pen, wallet or business card holder. You may want to personalize those items, many high class brands offer this service at their shops (some, like Louis Vuitton, offer this service free of charge).
2. Choose outfits that are classics, you will wear them for more than a season
Fashion is what is served four times a year, style is what you choose from it, and you should always choose what suits best your body shape and lifestyle. Do not try to blindly follow fashion trends, rather choose a few pieces to give your wardrobe a fresh look for a season. Choose classic shirts and suits and have fun buying some seasonal accessories like ties, pocket squares, scarfs that you can easily replace every year.
3. Have good quality outwear
Every gentleman should consider having a thick woolen coat for winter and a light trench coat for spring and autumn. Those two pieces, if of good quality and well looked after, would serve years and with small additions of hat, gloves and scarfs can make a bold statement.
4. Have few pairs of great shoes
Whoever said you can recognize a gentleman by his shoes – was right. Attention to the details is what distinguishes a gentleman from just a well dressed guy. Buying a good pair of shoes might be pricy investment, but it will pay off in the comfort of wearing and, if well taken care of, would serve you long without loosing its look. Have at least a few pairs of dress shoes in black, gray, navy, burgundy or dark brown to compliment your outfit. Remember to match color of the belt and choose the right socks to complement the look.
5. Own a formal dress set
For formal occasions, gala dinners, award presentations and those announced on the invitation as ‘black ties’ a formal dress is required. Having your own set is the best option, as it will be tailored to your body type and you will feel much more confident.
Elements of black tie are a suit, usually black wool with the jacket lapels and trouser braid of silk or other contrasting material, a white dress shirt, a black bow-tie, an evening waistcoat or cummerbund, and black dress shoes.
And last but not least… have confidence – this never goes out of fashion
Whatever you wear, wear it with confidence. If classic wardrobe doesn’t appeal to you, add your own pieces that will give your look a fresh, stylish twist. Invest in good quality classic pieces and feel free to update your closet every now and then to stay current with fashion trends.
[layerslider id=”15″]
Appearance, Clothing
Do you want to look stylish, fashionable and yet elegant and appropriate? Then have a collection of ties! There are 5 rules when it comes to your tie…
Man’s wardrobe must look boring in comparison with a closet of a woman. In a way men are limited to suits, shirts and ties which make their everyday business look pretty boring. Yet, some men crave to stand out of the crowd of look-alike executives and want to add a personal twist to the business outfit. Experiments may be fun, but might also lead to disasters.
5 rules to match a tie
The rules for a good match of the suit, shirt and ties are simple:
1. The more formal the occasion, the more conservative the outfit
For formal occasions decide for a white shirt and plain, one color tie. The more authority you want to command the less fancy your clothing should be. That’s the reason for a classic, elegant look – no pattern, high contrast, two color formal wear.
For a more relaxed look or informal business meeting opt for the pastel color shirt (ivory, blue or pink) with colorful tie that compliments the color of the shirt or suit. If in any doubt, choose a ‘save option’ – white shirt. It goes well with any suit and tie and always looks appropriate.
2. The wider the collar – the bigger the knot
Choose the tie that works best with shirt collar. If the collar is wide spread, compliment it with a thick full knot or a single knot of a thick woollen tie. If the collar wings are narrow, choose a thinner fabric tie like silk and go for smaller knot.
3. The tie should be darker than a shirt
Black shirt and white tie? This surely will make you memorable but not necessarily in the right way. For a classic business look always choose a light color shirt and dark, contrasting or matching tie. If you like monochromatic look, then go for a plain tie a shade darker than the color of the shirt.
4. The stripes on the shirt and tie need to oppose each other
If you want to play with stripes please remember this rule. The wider the stripes on one item, the narrower the should be on the other. This will ensure appropriate balance and the final effect will be elegant and not overwhelming.
5. Tie width should match the width of the suit lapels
This is all about proportion… If you want to wear skinny tie, you need to wear it with a suit jacket with narrow lapels. Wider lapels require a wider tie.
I always encourage my clients to experiment. Once you gain the confidence to coordinate your wardrobe according to the rules, you may want to break them from time to time, as long as the occasion is appropriate for a bit of a show off. Whatever you do please remember that the final look should always enhance your personal style and elevate your image.
Appearance, Personal Branding
When considering your personal brand and image, you must be aware of every single element and make it special to provide a unique experience. This is what I call a signature stuff.
You may consider to use specific colors for your logo, website, stationery, office uniforms and interior design and even company vehicles.
You may have a signature greeting, something that will make you memorable every time you pick up the phone or greet someone in person. You may use it, especially if you are bilingual or working in a foreign country. It would be perfectly appropriate and warmly welcomed by others. You could even use the greeting as the opening of the emails or letters to be consistent even further.
You may choose to have a signature accessory like John Lennon had his glasses, Jerry Springer and his suspenders, Karl Lagerfeld and his high collar shirt. It doesn’t need to be extraordinary, but rather well fitted to your lifestyle and taste, but still noticeable and unique.
Every single part of you really is this opportunity to brand. For those working in creative environment – artists, musicians, celebrities – but also graphic designers, advertisement experts, this could be a great opportunity to experiment and let your personality be expressed in a creative way.
Some men do not even need to work on their signature characteristic. We all remember Steve Jobs black turtleneck sweater and washed off jeans and Donald Trump or Boris Johnsons hairstyle.
If there is something special about your appearance or look, embrace it and use it into your advantage. Even if people do not remember your name, they will be able to recall that one characteristic and you will stay in their memory longer than any other suited up business man they met at the event.
And if you are consistent in your appearance and behavior, you will be very quickly recognizable. Being recognizable is an advantage, because people feel more at ease with people they already know. And if their experience with you is the same today as it was yesterday, it gives them the reassurance of the experience of tomorrow. It gives them the feeling of familiarity, it builds trust because they know what they are going to get. If the expectations conflict with the actual behavior, then we have a tremendous conflict. You want to build an expectation of what they are going to get through every single interaction. And your job is to deliver the value they are expecting and strengthen that relationship. That really is a hallmark of a great personal brand.
Appearance, Clothing
Corduroy is a cotton fabric that is used to make pants, skirts, jackets, and outerwear. It is warm and soft with a particular texture.
Corduroy pants are casual and can be part of an everyday outfit for informal occasions. They come in all colors, although black, navy, brown, and tan are the most popular colors. What kind of corduroy you should wear depends on the setting and the weather. They can be a good alternative to jeans or trousers for a casual outfit. Thicker corduroy is better for cold days, whereas in the spring you can wear a lighter material.
Corduroy can also be made into jackets. They are as soft and comfortable as a sweater, but they look much better. You should not wear corduroy pants and a corduroy jacket together because it will be too much of the patterns. If you are bigger, you should not wear heavy material because it will not be very slimming.
Corduroy clothes need special care. You should always hand wash them or at least turn them inside out in the washing machine. Hang them to dry rather than using a machine dryer. If you need to iron them, turn them inside out. The texture of the fabric will cover up most wrinkles. Corduroy that is damaged looks inelegant and should not be worn.
Appearance, Clothing
It seems like there is nothing special about socks. They are just something you have to wear and they don’t really matter. However, this minor detail can ruin any outfit if the choice of socks is not given proper thought. There are a number of things to consider when buying socks.
Color
Socks should match your shoes or pants. White and colored socks are best for sports or other informal events. Dark colors like black or navy are best for formal occasions like business meetings. For casual pants, you should wear brown shoes with brown socks. With a gray or black suit, you should wear gray or black socks. This is the safest option, but you can also coordinate sock color to the rest of your outfit. Socks are inexpensive, so you should always have a pair in the color you need.
Patterns
Plain socks will always match your outfits, but they are also not very exciting. Small details can make socks more elegant as long as they don’t compete with the rest of the outfit. If you have patterns in the rest of your outfit, you should wear plain socks because you don’t want to overdo it. Traditional sock patterns like argyle can match with other elements of your outfit like your tie.
Thickness
For thicker winter suits, you should choose thick socks as well. For more casual events, you should wear thinner socks. The more formal the occasion, the better quality sock you should wear. Things like tuxedos need special knee socks and you should choose a high-quality material.
Length
Socks for sports are usually short and go with sneakers and trainers. For casual outfits, you can wear ankle length or longer socks. For formal occasions, you should wear longer socks. Longer socks keep your legs covered if you are sitting down with your legs crossed.
Fabric
Socks can be made of many fabrics. The most important quality of a sock is that it fits your foot. The heel of the sock should not be bunched up in your shoe. You also need to consider the width of the sock so it comfortably fits on your leg.
Socks are an important part of your daily outfit, especially if you are in a cultural situation that requires you to take off the shoes, like visiting a mosque.
If your socks have holes, you should throw them away and buy a new pair to avoid the embarrassment that Paul Wolfowitz, President of World Bank had to face, when photos of him taking off his shoes when visiting a mosque in Turkey, made to the front pages of daily newspapers.
Appearance, Clothing
Many men despise wearing ties. They don’t wear a tie because they want to; they wear a tie because they feel like they have to. They wear them out of a sense of obligation and only feel like themselves once the tie is off.
Men who do not like wearing ties should consider that there are professional and elegant alternatives like the ascot. An ascot is a sash or scarf and it is named after the horseracing track Ascot Heath in England, where these scarves became popular in the19th century.
An ascot can be worn with either a formal suit or a more casual blazer. During the day, it should be tied up in the collar. The top button does not have to be closed. At more formal occasions, the collar should be buttoned all the way and the ascot should be tied and clipped with a pin. A vest completes this look. It can be worn with tailcoats, tuxedos, or frockcoats. An ascot should be a solid color like white, silver, or burgundy for formal occasions or patterned for casual look.
The ascot is an old style that is just starting to return. It is a perfect substitute for a tie and can match any shirt of jacket. A man who wears an ascot is elegant and unique and stands out among other men who wear ties. Ascots convey individualism, good taste, and aesthetic sense.
