If you do not own the following things, you are not well dressed

[Jackie Treehorn]



I know one thing. When (if) I get married my wedding will be black-tie. Basically I just need an excuse to commission a tux.

Make sure it's an evening wedding, then. There's nothing more gauche, IMO, than a daytime wedding calling for black tie. I've been to a few recently, and the grouchy, SF-influenced curmudgeon in me wants to assert that tuxes before 6pm are in almost equally poor taste as daywear after 6.

W/r/t Manton's inventory, I want to second the motion that tweed be struck from the list for those who just can't justify it in their climates. I live in LA proper, and I can get away with true, fully lined, heavyweight tweed maybe once a year. The season for it is maybe a half month out of twelve, and with the way things are going, the window be shrunk eventually to about 3 or 4 days. We do have some cool nights every now and then, but tweed is such an oddity here that the occasion to wear it would seldom present itself, even if the weather momentarily permitted.

I will add tweed to my "Things I Can Get Away With When I Become a Bestselling Novelist" list, alongside casual bowties, detachable-collared shirts, and spectators.

I do own a few sportcoats that I would call pseudo-tweed, such as a linen jacket in outsized herringbone pattern, and a beautiful brown lightweight "tweed" by Partenopea that is sort of the fairweather, Italian approximation of the real deal. But I would boil alive in genuine Harris.

 

[in stitches]



I didn't mean to suggest having only one suit as the alternative, but rather a bunch of navy suits as opposed to a mix of navy and gray. I can see gray being more appropriate for the occasions you mention, job interview excepted, but I don't think sufficiently better than navy that a navy-suited man could not be considered well-dressed.

but why not have both?

I would put myself in this group. I'm 30, have never had a black tie event, and may well never.

+1 exactly. SAME AGE ZOMG!!

I have heard that, but don't believe it. Everyone gets invited to a black-tie wedding at some point.

pls to invite me to the first black tie wedding you make.

Punch caps are proably OK in lieu of stitch but I have this crazy notion that punch caps are better for day and stitch for night, though stitch works better for day than punch does for night. Totally made that one up.
Anyway, the reason I said stitch and not punch is that stitch is the kelvin, the absolute zero conservative business dress shoe.

i only have punch, but i would like to say it counts for your list, it raises my score.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]



Out of curiosity, does anyone wear blazers these days? I have blue odd jackets that I wear, and then a blazer that I like but never wear. I'm sorely tempted to have the buttons replaced and un-blazer it.

True blazers -- the real deal, with the brass buttons and all -- feel like one of those WASPy, to-the-manner-born choices that only seem to look at home on those who've grown up in them. I mean, a good litmus test is this: did your parents drag you to a lot of events, as a kid, in which they dressed you up in a navy blazer? Did you have a club you attended in college or prep school, in which everyone wore blue blazers? Have you ever used the word "regatta" in an earnest, non-ironic context? If so, you're probably comfortable and confident enough in a blazer that nobody will notice, and it won't seem like a costume on you.

Conversely, if you have never owned a blue blazer, and are contemplating one for the first time in your late 20s or early 30s, you'll probably never be fully comfortable with the look. It'll seem too fuddy-duddy and old mannish.

I am speaking, of course, from the American perspective. I have no idea how commonplace they actually are in England, or Continental Europe, or Asia.

In retrospect, this is probably the most FNB-ish post I've ever written. Ugh.

 

[JohnnyLaw]

I'm going to dare suggest that the list should include a pair of good quality jeans. For younger guys (let's say under 40), there are many occasions where denim is the most appropriate thing to wear. I'd add a casual jacket to the list too (something military-inspired like a peacoat would work).

 

[imatlas]



I'm going to dare suggest that the list should include a pair of good quality jeans. For younger guys (let's say under 40), there are many occasions where denim is the most appropriate thing to wear. I'd add a casual jacket to the list too (something military-inspired like a peacoat would work).

This is opens up an entirely different can of worms: what is the list for 'well dressed MC Casual'? Obviously it starts with a faded Cal t-shirt and a pair of wine stained khakis, but what else?

Here is my own list for summer wear:

(2) Dark rinse denim, slim fit but not pipestem tight, minimal pocket stitching

(2) White OCBD

(1) Madras short sleeve shirt

(1) Check or madras shorts (never worn with the above!)

(1) casual khakis (think Billy Reid vs. Incotex)

(1 pair) suede derbies (I can't do loafers) aka Dirty Bucks.

 

[Shod]

-a blue odd jacket. If you iive in a two-season climate, then two, one for warmth and one for the cold
-mid gray flannel pants
-decent, non-chino khakis
-at least one funky (but tasteful!) non-blue tweed jacket
-a mid to dark gray worsted single-breasted suit
-a navy worsted single breasted suit
-a white FC shirt
-several blue BC shirts, at least one BD
-black stitch caps
-some tasteful brown oxfords (exact configuration up to you)
-loafers in medium brown calf, suede or shell or else burg shell
-a solid black tie, knit or grenadine
-a solid navy tie, knit or grenadine
-a plain white linen hanky

I score 5 out of these 14 as being genuinely required to be well dressed, 7 as useful but unessential, and 2 as "to be avoided".

 

[TheFoo]

You never think you'll need a dinner suit until you need one. When that happens, there is no halfway or make-do solution. It's either a dinner suit, or it isn't. So, yes, I think it is a must on the list.

 

[forex]

What if one had everything on the list but chose to get rid of things that are not worn? For example FC shirts, I can't stand them and will never wear them.

 

[The Thin Man]

The things I don't have:

-a warm blue odd jacket.
-mid gray flannel pants I have dark gray.
-at least one funky (but tasteful!) non-blue tweed jacket I have a sedate brown faux tweed (P&H Glorious 12th).
-some tasteful brown oxfords (exact configuration up to you) I have brown bluchers.
-loafers in medium brown calf, suede or shell or else burg shell

For the "more advanced" players:
-at least one linen suit I'm definitely "less advanced" and have a cotton suit.
-at least one pair of brown suede shoes
-at least one linen or linen blend tie
If necessary
-A complete, well-fitting, correct black tie rig, including shoes
-An overcoat in navy, charcoal or camel

My next big purchase is going to be a blue flannel jacket. I haven't decided whether to get a BlazerSuit or mid-gray pants for it. I will be wearing it to the office (argument for BlazerSuit) but think it's likely within 2,3 years I'll be in a business-casual job (argument for the gray trousers).

 

[Makoto Chan]

Manton's list is good. I think he's right.

 

[Mute]

I'm about 75% there, but then, I live in L.A. Not an excuse. Just the state of things.

 

[JLibourel]



-a blue odd jacket. If you live in a two-season climate, then two, one for warmth and one for the cold Got 'em
-mid gray flannel pantsNope, on my "to get" list, a number of worsteds
-decent, non-chino khakisYep
-at least one funky (but tasteful!) non-blue tweed jacket Got five (and two blue)
-a mid to dark gray worsted single-breasted suit Yep
-a navy worsted single breasted suit If midnight blue counts, yes
-a white FC shirt Yep
-several blue BC shirts, at least one BD[ Oh yes!
-black stitch caps Yep
-some tasteful brown oxfords (exact configuration up to you) Oh yes
-loafers in medium brown calf, suede or shell or else burg shell Nope. Have never owned loafers, no plans to.
-a solid black tie, knit or grenadine Got a solid black, but not knit or grenadine
-a solid navy tie, knit or grenadineSame as above
-a plain white linen hanky Of course
For the "more advanced" players:
-at least one DB suit, navy worsted or medium gray flannel (the best dressers will have both)No and no plans to
-at least one linen suitWould be nice, but I've got three "summer casual" suits at present
-at least one pair of brown suede shoesYep
-at least one formal tie, e.g., a B&W shepherd's checkYep
-at least one wool or cashmere tieYep
-at least one linen or linen blend tieDon't think so
If necessary
-A complete, well-fitting, correct black tie rig, including shoes No, would like such a rig, but no need
-An overcoat in navy, charcoal or camelYes

I hope this would be enough to earn me at least a grade of "B."

 

[CYstyle]

-a blue odd jacket. If you live in a two-season climate, then two, one for warmth and one for the coldcheck
-mid gray flannel pantscheck
-decent, non-chino khakischeck
-at least one funky (but tasteful!) non-blue tweed jacketTweedless, but San Diego
-a mid to dark gray worsted single-breasted suitcheck
-a navy worsted single breasted suitcheck
-a white FC shirtcheck
-several blue BC shirts, at least one BDcheck
-black stitch capscheck
-some tasteful brown oxfords (exact configuration up to you)check
-loafers in medium brown calf, suede or shell or else burg shellLoafer Hater
-a solid black tie, knit or grenadinecheck
-a solid navy tie, knit or grenadinecheck
-a plain white linen hankycheck

For the "more advanced" players:
-at least one DB suit, navy worsted or medium gray flannel (the best dressers will have both)Got a blue one today
-at least one linen suitcheck
-at least one pair of brown suede shoescheck
-at least one formal tie, e.g., a B&W shepherd's checkDon't even know what this is =\
-at least one wool or cashmere tiecheck
-at least one linen or linen blend tieneed some

If necessary
-A complete, well-fitting, correct black tie rig, including shoesNo black tie events
-An overcoat in navy, charcoal or camelcheck

 

[dieworkwear]

Given Manton's list, I think brown PTBs or captoe derbys should be included. IMO, people would often be better off wearing some kind of derby with their outfits than being forced to choose between the super causal (e.g. loafers) and considerably more dressy (e.g. brown or black oxfords). Consider some of the items already on the list - odd jackets, odd trousers, khakis, etc. Wouldn't these all be often better served with (non brogued) derbys in most social situations?

 

[Baron]

I'm pretty well supplied on that list except for a navy worsted suit, and my grey worsted suit is on the light side to be a good funeral suit. So in reality, those are pretty big gaps, maybe the worst two things to be without on the whole list.