Dress For Success

I get my commitment to fashion from my mother who taught me that if you look good, you feel good (which will then translate into confidence and success if you do it all correctly). The rule does not define or impose a certain style, it simply demands that you make the best with what you have. For example, if you know that you look good in a pair of faded jeans, button down sweater and nice shoes, then you should wear that, not a three piece suit. Nothing is more uncomfortable than seeing a guy wearing an outfit he clearly loathes. Think Jerry Seinfeld and his “puffy shirt.”The one exception to the rule is the business world. You must adhere your style to the business world you live in. Trying to swim upstream and demand that a banking job takes you seriously in jeans and sneakers is akin to demanding that a law firm hire you despite your ponytail and visible tattoos. You can scream and cry and moan and carry-on your anti-establishment attitude as much as you like but the world and your opportunity at success will pass you by in the process. Show off your tattoos after work and dress like a slob on the weekends. Like it or not, your appearance matters when you walk into the boardroom (this applies across all lines of work and must be applied appropriately; walking onto a construction site in an Armani suit makes you look like an idiot to those guys). As for my “Style,” I have a few basic rules I follow which we’ll document below, but the general principle of my style is to look my best, regardless of the outfit or occasion. When I go out to breakfast, I occasionally wear sweats, but it’s a sweat suit, with matching undershirt and/or hat and shoes. At work, in the business world, you’ll almost always find me in suits and ties which match and compliment one another. For a casual night on the town, I will usually wear jeans with great shoes and a dress shirt of some sort accented by perhaps a t-shirt, cufflinks or both. People I know have described my fashion style as “classic hip,” meaning that I don’t try to re-invent the wheel, but the way in which I put it all together makes it less stuffy than it has to be.

LEARN HOW TO TIE A WINDSOR KNOT

Ties are currently on the outs…don’t worry, it’s just a trend; all of fashion is. While it is true that more and more businesses are currently comfortable with business-casual attire, every man needs to tie a tie occasionally in life. Like it or not, you will be judged by others when you do so.

For some of you, tying a tie might be one of the most important things you do. Trust me, a judge in your trial will want to see that you are well kempt. Conversely, you want to show up at your girlfriend’s sister’s wedding looking like a stud, so you better know how to tie a tie.

I know that it is intimidating and hard; but all things worth doing are. Once you learn it, it’s easy, just like everything else in life that seems daunting at first. A great tie has a nice triangular knot and at least one dimple. The best tie I ever tied had the often rumored but rarely seen four dimples. It was a great day.

There are innumerable ways to tie a tie. Learn the Windsor knot and you’ll never need another. It is the most advanced, most impressive and exudes the most confidence. Most men prefer the half Windsor or the four-in-hands approach because there are fewer steps. Don’t be a pussy…learn the full Windsor right now. Below is my take on the Windsor knot. That’s right…I’ve improved the Windsor knot.

Start with your collar raised and the wide (thick) end of your tie below your waistline. The wide end (pointy end) of your tie should be 8-10 inches lower than the thin end. You can do this from either side of your shirt. I prefer, as you see here, the wide end to be on my right as we begin...

Cross the wide end over the narrow end, creating a loose X

Bring the wide end up through the loop between the collar and the tie. In other words, the wide end will pass behind the tie knot and in front of your shirt collar.

Then bring the wide end of your tie all the way down your shirt front

Bring the wide end of your tie under the knot and over the narrow end and pull it tight straight out to your side

While holding the narrow end of your tie tight, bring the wide end under the knot and back out to the front

Then thread the wide end of your tie all the way through the knot

As you can see, you aren’t done yet. Now is when the true artwork of this knot begins.

Once again grab the narrow end of the tie with one hand holding it firmly. With your other hand pull the wide end of the tie tightly, firmly and swiftly (this creates the dimples). Then straighten the knot at the collar. This step is also where you can try to make adjustments to the length of the tie and the tightness of the knot on your throat.

Look closely at the knot…notice the dimples…bask in the glory of a beautifully tied tie.

Note also the proper length of a tie; the tip of your tie should always reach your belt and not much lower, Never should the tip of your tie come up short of your belt line. You will look ridiculous. If this happens, just start over and at step 1 make the wide end of your tie lower down your waist/leg area than the first time you tried it.

If you don’t like my descriptions, here are some other helpful websites with diagrams and videos on how to tie traditional Windsor knots:

http://www.tie-a-tie.net/windsor.html

http://www.neckties.com/content/howtotieatie.html

MY BASIC RULES AND KEYS TO LOOKING GREAT IN ALL SITUATIONS

I have long admitted I own more shoes than most women, and the reason for that is rule:1, “shoes matter.” Here are four of my most popular shoes that always get complimented, whether paired with suit pants or jeans.

Look closely at these pictures and you’ll see that the pants are black with purple pinstripes. Any idiot could pair these with black socks and get away with it, but instead, I searched the ends of the Earth until I found socks with the exact matching purple in a diamond pattern. When I sit in a meeting and my pant leg is exposed, people take notice of such detail.

Oh please, do I really have to say anything here?

Again, this is appalling. Who am I? Dennis Franz?

Perfect.

If you look closely you actually see three dimples. As usual, I go above and beyond what is necessary. The trick to a great dimple (or dimples) is maintaining tension on your knot until you actually tie it tight and through. It’s all in the wrist on the pull.

Shoes matter. A lot of these “rules” you read in fashion publications are not true, but the shoe rule is absolutely 100% necessary. It isn’t 1990 any more and even then, Seinfeld and Letterman looked like idiots wearing sneakers with sport coats. A great pair of shoes, worn properly, completes a great outfit.
Make colors match. All outfits should flow, which basically means there’s a cap on the number of colors you can intersperse at 3. A black suit with a blue shirt, red tie and white hanky is idiotic and makes you look like you’re running for president.
Similar to rule #2, make an outfit flow. Shoes should match colors and/or hues found somewhere in the outfit. For example, a red/burgundy shirt with blue jeans demands shoes that are either a shade of blue or a shade or red/burgundy (cognac shoes, for example). The idea that a pair of black shoes goes with everything is true but lazy and will also insure that you will never stand out in a positive way.
Socks should match your pants, be tall enough to reach just below your knee and should never be white gym socks. When men sit, their socks are exposed and there’s no quicker way to look like a fool than to have your bare leg exposed because your sock is too short. Similarly, Black socks with blue pants look idiotic and show that you are lazy and pay no attention to detail. Perhaps more importantly, a great pair of socks that blends and flows with your pants can really make a person go “wow.”
No guy looks bad in a great pair of jeans, great shoes and a sport coat. When in doubt, make this your go-to outfit. It can be as simple as blue jeans, black t-shirt, black or navy sport coat and black shoes.
Cufflinks are a guy’s form of fashion jewelry. Most men hate jewelry (Hell, the first thing I do when I walk into my house is slip my wedding ring off). Cufflinks are a way to accessorize in style. Though not often seen, a great pair of cufflinks are always noticed and can be a great conversation piece. To get them noticed, wear cuffed shirts without a sport coat. Most manufacturers are making great patterns and designs of shirts with cuffs, which go great un-tucked with a pair of jeans and a matching t-shirt underneath (this is my trademark casual look that Will Smith stole from me in the movie “Hitch.”).
The tip of your tie should rest no higher than the top of your belt and no lower than the bottom your belt. Ties that are too short make you look fat and silly and ties that are too long make you look like a silly slob.
A perfectly tied tie has at least one great dimple right in the middle of it, just below the knot, thus drawing attention to the center of the outfit your perfect ensemble.
Never miss an opportunity. If you can take an outfit to a whole new level with a little work and creativity, do so. For example, a dark blue suit with a white shirt and light blue tie can be taken higher with a matching light blue hanky in the coat pocket. A jean outfit can be accented with the perfect pair of shoes that stand out, just make sure they match and work with the whole ensemble.

FASHION RULES AND TRENDS I REFUSE TO FOLLOW

Here we have a perfectly matching black and blue pinstriped sport coat with a beautiful tie, paired for no known reason with cacky pants. This outfit says “I hate myself.” Why in the world not wear matching pants?

Cacky pants go with everything. Actually, khaki pants suck and look cheap and as though you don’t care at all about your appearance. Wear pants that match your overall outfit’s theme and never, ever, ever pull what I call the Bill O Reilly; investing time money and energy into looking fantastic above the belt and then throwing on cacky pants, thus ruining the whole look.

White and light colors are forbidden in fall and winter. While many have “relaxed” their “no white after Labor Day and before Memorial Day” rule, most people still blanch at the idea of a cream colored suit or off-white shoes in December. This is absurd. If you look great, that’s all people will notice. Obviously, some common sense is required. A cream suit in a rain storm will look silly after one drop of water hits it, but on a crisp sunny December day you’ll stand out and make people wonder why they weren’t as brave as you.
It’s ok not to match. This is absurd on its face. Why bother putting any thought into your outfit at all if this trend is acceptable? I blame that ass Tommy Hilfiger and his horrible clothing line of the 1990s for starting this trend which still exists today. Outfits should flow, period. Even you broads need to do better at adhering to this; men are the worst about mis-matching but there is a disturbing trend amongst women of wearing a beautiful black and white outfit and destroying it with a pair of bright red shoes. Idiotic.

Here we have a total fashion abortion. Black pinstriped sport coat, striped shirt with purple, black and tan stripes, green tie and yellow hanky. The “not-matching” look never works, as demonstrated here.

Watches matter. Guess who created this rule? Watch companies. Don’t get me wrong, I love a great watch and proudly own two Rolex watches and wear a $5000 Tiffany watch every day, but that’s because I love the watch, not because I want to show off or impress people, or because I believe that it adds anything to the outfit. No one notices your watch…ever. Just make sure the face on your watch isn’t larger than your wrist and you’ll be fine.
It’s ok to wear a beer (or otherwise logoed) t-shirt under a sport coat. Fuck you Ryan Seacrest this is an appalling look. Shabby Chic is not an acceptable fashion style.

Grow up.

You should never button the bottom button of your sport coat. Bullshit. In fact, there’s nothing that looks more idiotic than a man with his bottom button undone and the tip of his tie hanging out. Why not just un-tuck your shirt while you’re at it?