Becoming a 'Snappy Dresser'

Trying to not look like a bum
Originally uploaded by The Put-Man.

We all know ‘the clothes make the man’ is an outdated and untrue saying.

Or is it?

I won’t debate the true nature of my inner character, but for now we’ll work on the premise that having a snappy, clean-cut appearance is a ‘good thing’, the condition of soul notwithstanding. After all, in this modern economy we all need to strike a delicate balance between looking like a bum wandered into the office, or looking like we dressed up for an outside interview.

So, my goal is to look professional yet casual, nice but not stuffy, and stylish without being trendy.

For this ‘look’ of mine, I’m returning to my prep-school roots. Back in 1981, the look that could get you into the country-club, out of detention (or in-demand at the school dance), was penny loafers with khakis, a button-down dress shirt, a thin vintage tie and a navy-blue blazer.

So, that needed a slight update.

The foundation of my wardrobe (and honestly, I never thought I’d write THAT phrase) are my dress shirts. Having recently lost a lot of weight, I had to significantly thin-out my closet, and determine which items actually fit properly. I ended up with about eight nice long-sleeved button-down shirts. That was enough for a two-week rotation, and I made the commitment that these would all get laundered & pressed professionally, each week. My absolute favorite is the French-blue oxford-cloth, but the two Land’s End white pinpoint button-downs are very nice, too. Mondays are Blue, Fridays are white, and mid-week tends to be a mix of checks & stripes.

Done deal, good-to-go.

A couple of sets of new, correctly fitting khakis were next. I got machine washable, permanent press.

Done.

Shoes were acquired at Nordstrom’s. I needed to update my classic penny loafer, yet I didn’t want a big-buckle pilgrim shoe, nor some long-nose-pointy Kenneth Cole monstrosity. I didn’t want to be so formal as a highly polished cap-toe, nor so casual as a suede slip-on. I settled on a brand called Ecco, which were stylish, but not shouting about it. Simple lace-ups, in brown & black.

Done, and done.

Tomorrow, we talk about Men’s Accessories…