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Slight Step Up In Style For Work

post #1 of 10
7/6/12 at 6:01pm
Thread Starter 
At my job I have suddenly found myself advancing into management, and wanted to ask for some advice.  I work at a company where the dress code would be best described as "casual business casual", and most of the department I work in wears your standard company provided polo shirt, jeans and loafers/sneakers.   I have tried to step up my clothing choices slightly, and usually wear decent jeans (Varvatos USA/Commonwealth), a fairly nice untucked long-sleeved dress shirt (Thomas Pink/Takumi/Ben Sherman) and for shoes I wear either brown Frye James wingtips in brown or lead (grey) John Varvatos Star Strummer Oxfords.   I am picking up a black waxed pair of Allen Edmonds McTavishes at the upcoming Nordstrom sale, and I also plan on looking into MTM shirts in the next couple months, as I'm close enough to Mytailor to stop into their Costa Mesa showroom for a fitting/purchasing trip.    
 
I'm assuming some nice chinos would be next (suggestions?), and I'd also like to step up to some nice dress slacks to wear with a tie (the directors in my department have started something they call Tie Tuesdays, kind of an anti-casual Friday).  Suits and jackets are pretty much off the menu, as even our executives don't dress that nicely on a regular basis and I'm not planning on showing anyone up.  
 
I guess what I'm asking is what would be the easiest and non-wallet busting way to make that next step up in my wardrobe.  I do like a lot of what is offered on Mr. Porter, but please see the previous comment regarding "non-wallet busting".  Their sale items are much more my speed, financially  :)    Thanks in advance!
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post #2 of 10
7/9/12 at 1:29pm
Ben Sherman dress shirts aren't good quality.

Lands' End, L.L. Bean, J. Crew, etc. make decent chinos that aren't high-priced. Brooks Brothers or Ralph Lauren dress pants ought to be fine. This assumes the pants size is fairly normal. Don't get black.
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post #3 of 10
7/9/12 at 1:41pm
Tuck your shirt in first and foremost
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post #4 of 10
7/9/12 at 2:10pm

Non-wallet busting brands with chinos/shirts are j.crew, topman, ralph lauren, banana republic just to name a few.

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post #5 of 10
7/9/12 at 2:13pm

It is unfortunate you can't wear a jacket of some kind with your tie for "Tie Tuesdays." Can you get away with a V-neck sweater?

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post #6 of 10
7/9/12 at 3:05pm
Do you sell cellular phones?
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post #7 of 10
7/9/12 at 3:24pm
Trousers from Howard Yount or Epaulet, MTM shirts from ModernTailor or Tailorstore (or, I suppose, MyTailor). OTC socks from Viccel. Shoes from AE. Selvedge jeans from APC, Edwin, Iron Heart, Nudie, etc.
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post #8 of 10
7/9/12 at 4:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sanguis Mortuum View Post

Trousers from Howard Yount or Epaulet, MTM shirts from ModernTailor or Tailorstore (or, I suppose, MyTailor). OTC socks from Viccel. Shoes from AE. Selvedge jeans from APC, Edwin, Iron Heart, Nudie, etc.

If you can visit Mytailor in person, I think it would be a good place to start. I've been with Mytailor for a while and am going to switch to Nialma unless their shirts are subpar. Their 4 for 3 deal results in a very good deal for Thomas Mason Silver shirts. For socks, I would recommend Marcoliani, available from Howard Yount. Viccel only makes solids and ribbed patterns, which I find very boring.
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post #9 of 10
7/9/12 at 5:12pm
I'm in almost exactly the same boat except our "business casual" means no jeans. Pretty much everyone I work with wears khakis and polos from Wal-mart. There are a few preppy types who buy at Target. (Said with tongue firmly in cheek, for anyone who missed that.) I got promoted about a year ago and have slowly been stepping up my game. I'd have to go up three levels (my bosses bosses boss) at least before I found someone who wears a suit or jacket for other than the occasional special-purpose customer meeting. Despite that, I'm now wearing a blazer or odd jacket to work everyday, along with slacks, a tucked-in dress shirt and bucks or oxfords. I take off the jacket shortly after arriving and spend most of the day in my shirtsleeves, so it doesn't come off as too pretentious. I also keep the jackets and the slacks on the casual side - my general rule of thumb is to make sure the material is soft and textured, NOT smooth or shiny. To help with the wallet-busting aspect, I've slowly worked on my wardrobe over time. Don't try to do it all in a weekend. I'm still trying to figure this whole style thing out and make no claim to be an expert, but that's working well for me so far.
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post #10 of 10
7/9/12 at 9:18pm
Thread Starter 

Thank you for the responses, all!  

 

@memsimageconsultant:   I have been looking at the Brooks Brothers sale for chinos (I'm a 34x34, so a pretty regular size), but the Nordstrom sale is starting soon as well.

 

@Quadcammer: lol, no.  I'm in IT (so, close I guess   :))

 

@joe4u: Agreed, they are all dark jeans.   

 

@Sanguis Motuum: Amazing choices, all of them.   Thank you!

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