Metlin
Distinguished Member
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2008
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- 3,043
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So, inspired by Foo's OneShoe and OneTrouser, I've been considering simplifying my travel wardrobe. While I wouldn't necessarily go to Foo's extremes, the idea of concentrating on a few staples in my wardrobe holds immense appeal to me. While I can relate to Foo's aesthetics, I'm driven by a slightly different goal. As someone who's always on the road, I would like to pack the barest minimum that's both conservative and simple at the same time, yet could be expanded with ease. To this end, I went ahead and placed an order for 24 Brooks Brothers shirts this past sale -- 12 in white and 12 in blue, with equal amounts of point and spread collars of each color (their extra slim fit shirts fit me near-perfectly, with only the cuff lengths needing alteration). The reason for ordering so many is simply that I travel every Monday through Thursday, and it helps to have a "reserve" of clean shirts. Plus, these will get dry cleaned (often, and at hotels); so, I would like to minimize the amount of wear. As someone with feet problems, I cannot wear anything but rubber soles -- so, I recently gave AE's Orthotic line a try and purchased a pair from the Parliament line. Needless to say, I've been very impressed, so I am considering buying Black and Saddle Brown in the Parliament style as well as Black and Chili in the Benton style. My hope is that I can pack two shoes of alternate styles with me during the work week (one black, one brown - 2 days each). Unlike some of the dressier folks on Styleforum, I am mostly dressed in business casual with a navy blazer or a mildly patterned sport coat. I am not required to wear suits often, and have enough suits in circulation for such occasions. So, my question is regarding trousers. I cannot quite decide if I should just buy gray trousers in various shades, or consider looking at other colors. Understandably, I would have different weights for winter and summer -- but do they need to be shades of the same color? The only other color that came to mind was navy. My dilemma is that during the work week, I tend to only have whatever sport coat/blazer I'm wearing on Monday. So, if I wore a navy blazer, then the navy trousers would look, well, awkward. I considered light brown or khaki, but quickly put that thought away, mostly because it is a very clichÃ
d "security guard" look. I am also hesitant to try patterned trousers because then it could potentially clash with one of my patterned sport coats. Besides, honestly, I like the simplicity of only having to worry about my tie and jacket when I pack. So, what are folks' thoughts to this end? Are there other colors or patterns that you'd recommend? Or am I too much of a mafoo "fan" for even thinking such heretic thoughts?