Rule of thumb

[Darell John]

Gents, can we put together a list of general rules when dressing?
And of course we can debate our position on each of them.

Be nice to have a list of do's and donts in general terms for the lost and learning such as myself.

(Made a search, couldn't find any post on "rule of thumb" so decided to start one if one already exist please point in the right direction.

Anyhow if not,
Let me start the ball rolling:

1/ don't wear a strip shirt with a strip suit,
Unless the stripes are of obvious different gauges, same works for checks
2/ two pattens at most, you can do more but your pushing it
3/ always leave the last button on a suit or vest unbuttoned, double breasted being the only exception
4/ At least one inch of sleeve should show under the end of your suit
5/ shoes always in trees, 15 min max for "resting" if you choose to, after use
6/ belt and shoes must match somehow
7/ Browns and blues work together
8/ no brown in town, I disagree as my countries all town.
9/ suits look bare without a pocket square
10/ shell cordovan is an informal leather, I disagree with this as well. Historically it was but no longer
12/ you can leave a surgeons cuff one button unbuttoned if you tend to associate often with people who can't afford a proper suit, you will be seen as a bragger tho so tread lightly

I'm sure you guys have a ton more to add.. Would love to read them.







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[12345Michael54321]



Gents, can we put together a list of general rules when dressing?
And of course we can debate our position on each of them.

Entire books could be (and have been) written on the general rules of dressing. And entire online forums (like this one) are devoted to discussing various positions with regard to the rules.

 

[CharlesGoyer]

1" of sleeve!!?? That's a lot. I'd shoot for 1/4 - 1/2"

I agreed about the no brown in town.

Disagree about the pocket square.

Agree about the patterns. Less is more. Big time. Make it less, dear lord.

 

[Purplelabel]

12/ you can leave a surgeons cuff one button unbuttoned if you tend to associate often with people who can't afford a proper suit, you will be seen as a bragger tho so tread lightly

I'm confused, does this mean if you leave one button unbuttoned, this is a sign of bragging that you have an expensive suit?

 

[BigBadBernard]

What is a strip shirt / suit?

If you mean striped then this is plainly bollocks.

 

[Darell John]



What is a strip shirt / suit?

If you mean striped then this is plainly bollocks.

Yup sorry typed, that at like 2 in the morning, where I am.
Thin stripped shirts in my opinion and don't go well with pin striped suits when both stripes are similar distance apart. Will do an edit to clarify that.

Do you think different?

 

[Darell John]



Entire books could be (and have been) written on the general rules of dressing. And entire online forums (like this one) are devoted to discussing various positions with regard to the rules.

I completely agree, but found it weird that general rules of thumbs have not been consolidated into a Single post before, which I think would be useful for people who are just starting out.
And I'm still learning, and I guess more senior members would have something to add to the list so I could learn too.

 

[Darell John]



I'm confused, does this mean if you leave one button unbuttoned, this is a sign of bragging that you have an expensive suit?

Well let's put it this way, if all the people around you wear tailored suits, surgeons cuffs are pretty much a given.
If so what's the point? If they don't, I personally feel it could be taken the wrong way.
Ends up being a bit tacky, I reckon.
That said its not a rule of thumb really, just a personal opinion I feel rather strongly about.

If you disagree, which you're very much free to, could you elaborate why?

 

[Purplelabel]



Well let's put it this way, if all the people around you wear tailored suits, surgeons cuffs are pretty much a given.
If so what's the point? If they don't, I personally feel it could be taken the wrong way.
Ends up being a bit tacky, I reckon.
That said its not a rule of thumb really, just a personal opinion I feel rather strongly about.

If you disagree, which you're very much free to, could you elaborate why?

I see! I really enjoy surgeon cuffs, and it's one of the main biting points for me when I look at a coat. I leave the end one undone, too. Just like the waistcoat or coat button.

What's the point in having non working buttons?

But that's the beauty of tailoring, if every tailor made their suits exactly the same then we'd all look the same.

 

[GBR]

That lot are complete tripe.

Everyone has their own ways of tracing and long may that continue; to try to reduce it as you have done does not reflect well at all. Simply get on with your life and don't waste your time on such things as this.

 

[Caustic Man]

I find myself in the unusual position of wanting to be kinder than GBR, although I agree with what he says. I can understand the desire to have a repository of "rules" for members just starting out, but I think that is counter-productive. The joy of this process is finding out new things, listening to the arguments, and deciding for yourself. Just as there are no set of rules to making a good painting, so there are no set of rules to dressing well. Some ideas are good guidelines, but the deeper you get into the subject, the more you realize that the rules don't actually exist at all. The fact that few old members have participated in this endeavor should tell you something. A better way to figure things out is to hang around, join the conversation, and try things out. Post pics, dive into the fray, and have fun!

 

[Purplelabel]

What caustic man said.

When I joined here, I was clueless about "proper" tailoring. I didn't know fused from canvass, but now I can spot and see a well made jacket without looking at the maker tags inside.

So much knowledge on these forums, get stuck in.

 

[Jay Dowle]

'No brown in town'. EXCEPT on Fridays, with the implication you are off to the country for the weekend.

And tan (brown?) colours are OK in warm weather.

 

[Alpha11]

I would add that when a man is starting out on his journey to dress better, do not forget about the shoes and invest in a good pair.

When I worked in men's high-end fashion I found that I could get a man to invest into a good MTM suit but he would fight me on the footwear. I never understood why a man would spend good money on a suit but wanted to wear cheap shoes.

Shoes I recommend are:

Allen Edmonds
Alden
Alfred Sargent
Crockett & Jones
Peal & Co ( by: Crockett & Jones or Alfred Sargent)
Edward Green
John Lobb

Just to name a few. So, if you are going to make that journey to dressing better start with a great pair of shoes that fit right!

 

[Blake Stitched Blues]

I'd be all in favour of 'no brown in town' if it meant that I never again have to see a pair of obnoxious tan shoes worn with a dark navy or charcoal suit.