Need to start regularly wearing dress clothes for the first time, any advice?

[streetremote65]

I just accepted a last minute teaching position at a private school, with a dress code for students and teachers. I was told it was business professional, when I asked asked what that meant, I was told dress slacks/dress shirt/dress pants/tie everyday. To be honest, I'm in my mid-20s, and outside of formal occasions I have never really worn dress clothes, so not sure where to start. Anyone have advice for building out my wardrobe?

 

[TheIronDandy]

The safe bet is grey wool trousers, white or light blue shirt, navy jacket and a tie. This has become a standard for "formal tailoring that isn't a suit". I would say start with this, then observe other teachers and see how they interpret the dress code. But as the new guy, it's probably better to show up looking slightly more formal, than being the sloppiest dresser of the faculty. I PERSONALLY strongly dislike the "dress slacks" thing: wearing slacks with a tie and a dress shirt always looks like you're the young guy paying lip service to the dress code by wearing the least formal trousers you can get away with. I will always advice people to get tailored wool trousers instead, but I know that in the US there seems to be more of a history with slacks/chinos and dress shirts/ties.

Couple of quick thoughts: make sure the clothes fit you! For several years now, ready to wear tailoring has been focused on slim-fit trousers and short, narrow jackets: this can POSSIBLY look good when you're sucking in your stomac and standing still for a photo shoot, but as soon as you start moving around in your clothes, you end up feeling constrained in them because they're too tight, and you can forget about having a big lunch! If you're unsure, size up. A good alterations tailor can take in a slightly too large garment, but it can be harder to let out a too-small one. Speaking of which, be prepared to take your tailored clothes to an alteratioins tailor to do some adjustments for a good fit.

Be willing to spend a bit on quality. There's a reason H&M and Zara sell jackets for almost no money: they're poorly made, of poor fabrics, and will generally start looking bad pretty quickly as you wear it. If you're in north america, Spier&Mackay are a forum favourite that still sells reasonably priced tailored clothes. Avoid fashion brands if you can: you'll be wearing this stuff daily for work, it's worth investing in something that will look good after you have worn it for a bit. Likewise, be aware that many high-fashion brands (Dior, YSL) will charge you very high prices for clothes that are actually made to quite a low standard: the best advice is to buy your dress clothes from a maker that specialises in dress clothes instead of doing everything. You can also consider pre-owned (eBay can be a great source, if hard to navigate) - you can find extremely well-made clothes for 10-20% of what they would cost new.

Finally, don't forget shoes! You will be wearing them all day, and uncomfortable shoes will make anyone look bad. Get good solid leather shoes, avoid sneakers with dress clothes, and ABSOLUTELY avoid these "hybrids" with leather uppers and sneaker soles - they combine the worst of two worlds. Loafers and derbies are probably the easiest models to wear. Go for muted colours (medium to dark brown is easiest) in full-grain leather or suede, and make sure you break them in a bit before you wear them for a full day of work. Alden and Allen Edmonds are respectable north american brands, and there's a plethora of well-made european brands as well: my favourite is the Swedish brands Myrqvist, Skoaktiebolaget and Skolyx - they all ship to north america and Europe (don't know about the rest of the world) and have english websites.

Guess my thoughts weren't that quick, this turned into an essay. Best of luck, let us know if you have an further questions

 

[cottontop]

Get some advice from one of the other male teachers who has been there a while. Let him help you and possibly take him shopping with you to help you pick out passable clothes. I taught in public schools for 23 years and the dress code was not that strict. I always wore some kind of button up shirt, slacks (usually chinos), a black or brown belt, and brown suede chukka shoes. My dress was never questioned, and we were not required to wear a jacket or tie. That probably doesn't help much as I know that private schools are different.