Yesterday, I tried my best to find and promote some great deals in women's apparel, which is something I admittedly know little about. With the hopes of keeping things evened out, I'll write about something I know a great deal more about: men's semi-casual attire. These days, you're more and more hard pressed to find offices that insist male employees wear shirts and ties. Chances are, it is more likely to find jeans-friendly offices than those requiring a tie. However, with this emerging trend, it is also becoming more and more difficult to navigate your way through office fashion. The best thing that you can do is to look around you and see what everyone else is wearing, and use that as a gauge. However, once you have gotten a feel for what others are wearing, you still want a way to express your individuality, to set yourself apart from the crowd, and that's where I come in.
I'd try to state the rules of business casual, but honestly it's so dependent on what you see around you. I will try to sway your opinion on a few things being young-ish and fairly stylish. First and foremost: man can not live on khakis alone. I know they're the vanilla ice cream of the office world, but there's no reason for that. Do yourself a favor and sink a little extra money into a really nice pair of jeans or two. I'm not talking your Levis or Wranglers; go for a major name brand who makes fashion-oriented jeans. I am a big fan of Lucky Brand jeans, especially their relaxed bootleg jean. It's subtle enough that you don't look like you paid too much for your jeans, but you can walk in the confidence that you've got a well cut and styled pair of jeans. Also 7 For All Mankind makes great jeans, though they tend to be a bit flashier. Still, nice and well-tailored pairs can be found, like the Flynt in Minnesota, which have a nice dark wash and sit a little lower than your standard jean. If you have issues with blue jeans, 7 offers their basic 5 pocket bootcut jeans in black as well, which are a bit more sleek and sophisticated than their blue brethren.
Moving along in the sins of male business casual, men need to realize two things: first, that polo shirts are about as exciting as a bowl of oatmeal, and that dress shirts are generally supposed to be worn with ties. There are far too many shirt options that can be implemented to stick to those shirts only. There's nothing along with incorporating either into a variety of shirts, but wearing one every day might ruin your reputation. Make your statement with your shirt. Incorporate some color, some pattern, or just some unique stitching to show that you actually know how to dress yourself. Try to avoid striped shirts as well, as they tend to make you look like you're going to the club rather than the office too much of the time. Instead, try some plaids. For instance, the High Fidelity from Original Penguin, or the barman plaid western shirt from Buckle.com. Either of these look good enough to wear to the office, and also look great worn open over a solid color t-shirt or a simple graphic t-shirt. If you're not a plaid person like myself, there are a few solid colored shirts that really stand out. First is the vintage-styled Pop Icon Seersucker Button Front Shirt, which looks like it just stepped out of the mid 50s or the 7 Diamonds Pictures of You Button Front, which has a pattern on the back that really adds a lot of spice to this shirt.
Finally, the shoes. Please, please don't ever wear loafers. Just typing the word caused a little acid reflux. I don't know who decided they were comfortable or stylish, but whoever that person is, they deserve to be punished. If you have to wear more respectable shoes, just get yourself a pair of Doc Martens, or if you can really go casual and wear tennis shoes, join in on the classic tennis shoe revolution. I am a big fan of the look of the Converse Jack Purcell Turf Pro shoes, which are a subtle black (or brown) leather, but still have just enough white on them to remind you that you are wearing Converse. Similarly, the Puma Benny blends black and white to create a nice, clean looking shoe that would go great with any black shirt and the pants of your choice. If you really want to have the retro look in full effect, nothing says "1980s track star" like a pair of Saucony Jazz lowtops. They look great with jeans, they look great with blue or grey casual pants, and, most importantly, they'll be great for running to catch the bus.
So there you have it. This is your subtle key to making your mark in a business casual world. If you have suggestions for things that I should have included or things that need to be changed, please let me know. I'm not the authority when it comes to these things, but I am doing my best to make the workplace a little more lively.
