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conservative business dress WAYWRN: An Experiment

MBreinin

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Originally Posted by J. Cogburn
The foibles of a photo.

The suit is a Ralph Lauren Black Label that has been tailored heavily by William Field to correct the balance (I have a sway back and slightly rounded shoulders, so everyting OTR needs work to wear correctly). The RLBL suits have somewhat larger shoulders than the norm but not out proportion for me.

You may be right about the shirt; I labor with crap at the moment and this particular shirt dates from my quick buys to account for some major weight loss. Custom shirts are on the way, however, so I expect improvement.

Unfortunately, the lighting wasn't so good so everything appears a bit darker than it is. I fear a lighter shirt would have made the paisley tie jump out a bit too much.

We'll agree to disagree about paisleys. I don't like small paisley patterns. Looks like dancing sperm. Larger paisleys are tricky but if the colors blend, I think they work and add flair without going too dandy.


I think this would have looked much better with a pale blue spread collar and a close to solid blue tie, minimal pattern at best. I am also not sure if I like RLBL on you. You look much better in the Bespoke DB, IMHO. You have a distinguished look, and RLPBL is rather trendy and fashion forward.

Mike
 

TRINI

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Originally Posted by Manton
I really can't stand solid socks.

Btw, I find this the most interesting of all the Mantonian pronouncements.

I love solid socks because it's one less pattern I have to worry about coordinating.

Curious to hear your thoughts.
 

J. Cogburn

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Originally Posted by MBreinin
I think this would have looked much better with a pale blue spread collar and a close to solid blue tie, minimal pattern at best. I am also not sure if I like RLBL on you. You look much better in the Bespoke DB, IMHO. You have a distinguished look, and RLPBL is rather trendy and fashion forward.

Mike


Your suggested rig would work fine and it's the sort of thing I usually wear (absent the spread collar - I wear primarily medium points).

Would be nice to have a closet of bespoke, but alas, I had to buy some OTRs to have something to wear once the 70 pounds came off. The slow train of bespoke tailoring is moving down the tracks, but it will be several years before they will dominate my rotations. In the meantime, if not RLBL, what would you suggest to play up that distinguished look (and kind of you to say, by the way)?
 

Manton

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Whoah, I hate that tie. The rest is good, except for the ticket pocket.
 

J. Cogburn

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Originally Posted by TRINI
Btw, I find this the most interesting of all the Mantonian pronouncements.

I love solid socks because it's one less pattern I have to worry about coordinating.

Curious to hear your thoughts.


I like solid socks because I don't want to draw the eye to my ankles. Sure, it's an opportunity to express some flair and dressing ability, but ... if you're good looking, you should probably strip down the accessories to a minimum and eliminate patterns and colors that bring the eye away from your face. Same theory that modern architects have about landscaping. If the building is arresting, you do yourself no favors by loading up on the landscaping.

This probably accounts for much of the difference in style between Cary Grant and Fred Astaire. The former was a minimalist because he wanted all eyes on his face. The latter loved all sorts of accessories and patterns because he feared he was nothing special in the looks department and hoped (rightly) that his clothes and style would lend him an air he couldn't provide alone.
 

ManofKent

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Originally Posted by SpooPoker
OK, I think I'm relatively conservative business dress today, so x-post from regular WAYWRN.
85db2ecc.jpg

09f016d0.jpg

48eb0526.jpg

I follow the concensus that the PS pushes it over the edge from conservative.
Personally I like ticket pockets on odd jackets and suits.
Originally Posted by PandArts
And today...

Blue-n-Grey_031511_01.jpg

Blue-n-Grey_031511_02.jpg

Blue-n-Grey_031511_03.jpg
[/SPOILER]Shoes are the same as yesterday's post of this suit with a burgundy tie
blush.gif

I had assumed it was a white PS and the second shot was the camera. I could try and convert you to the love of cream silk squares, but I suspect you might feel the same as NOBD
smile.gif

Originally Posted by TRINI
Can I play?

5529485304_d4afc7b003_z.jpg

5528898201_387843b21d_z.jpg
[/SPOILER]

I don't mind the tie (hey - I'm English, bright ties and shirts are our birthright
tounge.gif
). As to the tassel loafers, you know my views on these abominations of the shoemaker's art
crazy.gif

Originally Posted by gdl203
Yesterday, the shirt and shoes were pushing the conservative business dress envelope. Today, it's the suit and shoes. I know, a white linen square would be "better".

IMG01242-20110315-0933.jpg


IMG01259-20110315-0937.jpg


IMG01261-20110315-1054.jpg


IMG01249-20110315-0935.jpg
Lovely tie, and I think the suit and shoes are certainly conservative business dress, if not UCBD - they'd draw comments in some of the city firms over here, but only the stuffiest.
Originally Posted by Holdfast
...Should be pinned.
+1

Originally Posted by J. Cogburn
Guess I must play. Popped this in WAYWRN a moment ago.

8zgXj.jpg
I don't mind the shirt, but wouldn't generally wear one that dark with a suit (If I was to wear a buttondown with a suit it would have to be white, and then it would be a rare occurance, but I think that's the English sensibility). Personally I rather like the tie, but then I'm one of those odd people who love paisley, wild Liberty prints etc.
 

J. Cogburn

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Originally Posted by ManofKent
I don't mind the shirt, but wouldn't generally wear one that dark with a suit (If I was to wear a buttondown with a suit it would have to be white, and then it would be a rare occurance, but I think that's the English sensibility). Personally I rather like the tie, but then I'm one of those odd people who love paisley, wild Liberty prints etc.

As a general rule, I agree about dark blue shirts. This is the only darker blue that I have and it gets pulled out of the closet about once a month at best (another, however, is on the way from William Field - this one custom). But I think it is effective with this particular combination of tie and suit and it is visually flattering (in person anyway) because it works well with my ruddy skin tone and deep blue eyes.

You do run the risk of looking like those who wear dark shirts and mafia ties, but if the rest of the rig is sober and conservative, I think you can easily dodge that bullet. For what it's worth, Flusser argues in Dressing the Man that you should wear as dark and rich a blue as you can get away given your work environment and skin/hair tone because it adds a wonderful depth to everything else you're wearing. I didn't agree with that at first, but I see his point.
 

PandArts

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Originally Posted by ManofKent
I had assumed it was a white PS and the second shot was the camera. I could try and convert you to the love of cream silk squares, but I suspect you might feel the same as NOBD
smile.gif


I don't have any real deep seeded aversion to cream silk squares, in fact I do have one, but I've tended to stay away from all of my silk squares as I relearn my coordinating skills. I was toying around with squares this morning, almost opting for a burgundy and cream paisley that I love with this suit, but wasn't sure how it worked with the overall look. I then went to the white linen, which appeared a bit too stark IRL so I went with the slate blue-grey one, which seemed to be more subdued. However, looking at the pics where it looks white I tend to agree with the verdict that the white linen would have been the better choice.
 

Manton

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As a general rule, the square should not match anything else. Picking up one color in the shirt or tie is OK. Outright matching the shirt is bad, unless it's white + white.
 

MBreinin

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Originally Posted by Manton
As a general rule, the square should not match anything else. Picking up one color in the shirt or tie is OK. Outright matching the shirt is bad, unless it's white + white.

What about picking up something from the jacket. Today (I am not conservative business dress, so not posting over here) I have a pink linen square in place, which picks up the pink overcheck in a POW SC. Too much? I thought it worked, but I admit to not being a master of the PS arts....and usually wear a white TV fold.

Mike
 

MBreinin

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Originally Posted by J. Cogburn
Your suggested rig would work fine and it's the sort of thing I usually wear (absent the spread collar - I wear primarily medium points).

Would be nice to have a closet of bespoke, but alas, I had to buy some OTRs to have something to wear once the 70 pounds came off. The slow train of bespoke tailoring is moving down the tracks, but it will be several years before they will dominate my rotations. In the meantime, if not RLBL, what would you suggest to play up that distinguished look (and kind of you to say, by the way)?


You have a long face. Have you tried a spread collar?

My preference is for more of a soft shoulder look. I came about this preference through trial and error, feedback here, and a realization that I really don't need much assistance in the shoulder zone as I have broad, flat shoulders. If you like Ralph, why not try something from the Polo line, instead of the Black Label line? I see you as more of an OldDog type (he is a Polo guy) than a PandArts type (he is not a RLBL guy, but has suits with similar features). Of course, there are all of the great Neopoliatan RTW makers as well. I know this is all very SF approved stuff, but it still looks great. Groupthink is Groupthink for a reason.

Mike
 

Manton

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Originally Posted by MBreinin
What about picking up something from the jacket. Today (I am not conservative business dress, so not posting over here) I have a pink linen square in place, which picks up the pink overcheck in a POW SC. Too much? I thought it worked, but I admit to not being a master of the PS arts....and usually wear a white TV fold.

Mike


That sounds OK.

I still think, most of the time, a totally unrelated but complementary square is best.
 

MBreinin

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Originally Posted by Manton
That sounds OK.

I still think, most of the time, a totally unrelated but complementary square is best.


Here it is, for reference:

HeavyLinen2.JPG


Opinions?

Mike
 

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