List of Bare Necessities - Page 5

Incorrect. And even if most were not technically navy blazers (patch pockets, plain navy fabric), what's the point of making this comment? The picture shows that the navy jacket is versatile

Some people on SF just have to get their comment in

so?

next to you, ill be just fine.

he is welcome to correct me, but i think that the OP did not necessarily mean strictly a blue blazer with shiny metal buttons. at least when i say navy SC, it means pretty much any of the above in that awesome post by jrd. a navy blue colored SC, that means a wide variety of textures and looks, as long as it is solid navy.

well done jrd!!!

yes, that is what i thought you meant.

Good thread Umbrella. Somewhat similar to the 'what are your top ten staples' thread from some time ago.

My only personal nitpick would be that I hate button down shirts and as a non American don't quite get the fascination/obsession, although I see that you're suggesting their utility in occupying a space between formal and not too casual.

I think that along with this list as suggestions for a noob entering the business/adult dressed up world, it's equally useful as suggestions for what to take on a three day business trip with minimal/carry on only luggage. The items you suggest could cover a broad spectrum between informal dinner and formal boardroom presentations and all fit comfortably into a 20 inch roll aboard.

In my opinion: navy blazer/sc, cream gabardine trousers, black oxfords, charcoal gray suit, white dress shirt, light blue "casual" shirt, navy knit tie, black belt, black satin tie and rep striped tie.

Cream wool trousers as a necessity? I have a pair and I think I've worn them four times, twice whilst on vacation in the tropics. I like the idea but it never seems quite right. Would go mid-grey in a heartbeat over cream for a staple.

The top half are mostly blazers - note how they're worn relatively formally.

The bottom half are navy sportcoats, not blazers. That's kinda what I'm advocating.


Now, if you mean a navy/blue sportcoat, sure. The problem with that is that there seems to be a seasonality - some of the textured wool sportcoats would not be appropriate in summer, and vice versa for linen.

I think for most people a completely unstructure cotton jacket in grey or blue would be more useful than a navy blazer.

A navy blazer is a special American "trad" type of navy sportcoat. They have patch pockets and sometimes gold buttons.

You're picking nits like FlyingMonkey. The pictures were taken from another thread on sportcoat combos. Just shows that the color blue is very versatile. I don't know why you're talking about weights.

Black sportcoats may be considered versatile in streetwear (as you said), but not in MC

Edit: think you edited it to say grey instead of black before I responded
Edited by jrd617 - 10/5/12 at 9:56pm

FWIW, I'm not disagreeing that navy is a very versatile colour.

I'm not picking nits. I'm simply pointing out that most of the pics you showed, while very nice, are just not that relevant. The blazer/tie/odd pants look is very, very rarely appropriate for the average gentleman, which is what this thread is about. It's just too formal.

What is streetwear and what is MC? Why does is matter?

It seems to me that for the average man they're better off getting a SC that veers more heavily on the casual side that they can throw over a OCBD or tshirt with jeans.
Edited by hendrix - 10/5/12 at 7:39pm

I think someone may be missing the point of this discussion... For situations where a t-shirt is inappropriate, it is irrelevant that something looks good over a t-shirt.

The bare necessity should be money, hence people can buy what they think are necessary

By golly, you're right. Gentlemen, we have solved the conundrum of how to build a wardrobe.

Let's shut down the forum - it has run its course. Thanks to everyone for your participation over the years! Now on to the question of what to eat for dinner.

why is it irrelevant?

Because this is about a minimalist dressy wardrobe, and t-shirts are not dressy.

Forget jackets - what about socks? For the average man in the average situation, white athletic socks are fine, because they work with sneakers, and sneakers are usually fine. But if they need to dress up, sneakers are not fine, so athletic socks are not fine. Therefore we wouldn't tell someone to stock their dressy wardrobe with athletic socks, because the assumption is that the thing they go with (sneakers) are not part of the consideration.

By the way, everyone saying a worsted navy jacket is not useful is crazy. I keep one in the closet at work precisely because it literally coordinates with every combination of shirt and trousers that I wear to the office. So on the odd occasion where I have an unexpected meeting with someone for whom I feel the need to dress up slightly, I can throw on the jacket without even thinking about what I'm wearing that day. Maybe I won't win points for creativity, but I will look well put together. For the average man, that is all they need.

Grey jackets are much harder to coordinate properly, and are therefore less useful in a minimalist MC wardrobe. Sure they look good with jeans, but not necessarily with grey trousers. Since this is about "dressy" clothing, the jeans matter a lot less than the trousers.