Stepping up from Khakis and Polos

[aaronag]

Yeah, I'm that guy in the office with khakis and polos. In my defense, that's pretty much how everyone dresses there. What are some good basic pieces to get to elevate my look?

 

[Bartolo]

I'm buying a number of collared short sleeve shirts for the spring/summer. Cuban collars, etc. I've purchases a few from Percival but am looking for some others as well.

I also do fine in Lacoste collared/button short sleeve shirts. With the small alligator logo.

 

[Thin White Duke]

Off the top of me head …

For colder weather button collar shirts in various colours and stripes not just boring pale blue, with fine gauge merino v necks in various colours.

Also fine gauge merino polo collared sweaters.

Smart polos, or Lacoste, Sunspel still look good. Long sleeved versions look slightly more formal.

I’ve come to like popover shirts which are a half way step between polos and OCBDs.

Try a pair of grey flannels they go with almost everything.

Chinos and / or five pocket strides come in every colour of the rainbow. Push the boat out with off white, Nantucket red, bottle green, rust, cobalt blue …

With both polos and chinos avoid black, navy and other dark colours as they soon start to fade and look shabby.

Have good outerwear. Light blue blazer for the summer, dark blue / navy for the spring, grey herringbone for the autumn, navy pea coat for the winter.

Don’t neglect having decent shoes too. Hope this helps. Well done you for looking to step up your game.

 

[aaronag]

Off the top of me head …

For colder weather button collar shirts in various colours and stripes not just boring pale blue, with fine gauge merino v necks in various colours.

Also fine gauge merino polo collared sweaters.

Smart polos, or Lacoste, Sunspel still look good. Long sleeved versions look slightly more formal.

I’ve come to like popover shirts which are a half way step between polos and OCBDs.

Try a pair of grey flannels they go with almost everything.

Chinos and / or five pocket strides come in every colour of the rainbow. Push the boat out with off white, Nantucket red, bottle green, rust, cobalt blue …

With both polos and chinos avoid black, navy and other dark colours as they soon start to fade and look shabby.

Have good outerwear. Light blue blazer for the summer, dark blue / navy for the spring, grey herringbone for the autumn, navy pea coat for the winter.

Don’t neglect having decent shoes too. Hope this helps. Well done you for looking to step up your game.

Thanks that's a huge help! I haven't bought dress shoes in ages, and recommendations there?

 

[Thin White Duke]

Depends where you live and what are the seasons / weather like.
I’m in Florida so can get away with loafers and Driving Mocs year round for more casual gear. I have a couple of pairs of Meermin loafers which are decent quality for entry level and not too expensive. Black shoes are the most formal (weddings, funerals, white collar job interviews) but aside from that burgundy or dark brown / dark brown suede are probably a lot more versatile. For a biz-caz outfit avoid any kind of sneaker but rotate derbies and loafers in the above colours, discreet rubber soles like Dainite are acceptable. Chelsea boots are good for spring and autumn and have a broad spectrum of formality from clunky Blundstones to sleek Carminas. Meermin did a MTO on captoe jump boots and I got them to make me a pair in burgundy scotch grain with shearling linings a couple of years ago which I’ve only had to wear a couple of times but they would be a godsend during the winter if I lived in the northern states.

I wrote this a while ago but hopefully some of it is still pertinent as this particular post seems to still get clicks nearly ten years on!! …

Dreaded Business-Casual

A few years ago I walked through Houston Intercontinental Airport, and between passing through the security area and reaching my departure gate I counted over thirty men dressed exactly the same – …

rodsmodblog.wordpress.com

Have a snoop around some of the other pics to see if that inspires you in any way.

 

[perlustrator]

I also have been looking to upgrade my business casual look, for both in and out of the office. My initial shopping list was:

• Two pairs of wool trousers, one lighter gray and one charcoal.
• Two pairs of dressier khakis (not five pocket) in lighter and darker tones.
• Navy sports coat.
• Tan/brown sports coat.
• Various Oxford button downs, focusing on interesting weaves (e.g. cotton/hemp blend, Dobby) and color/pattern.
• Pair of brown suede chukka boots.
• Pair of black penny loafers.

This to me seemed like a good place to start building a revamped wardrobe.

It's still winter/early spring here in NYC, so I figure I'll expand on this for summer with some tropical wool trousers and maybe a linen blend jacket, with some brighter shirts. I didn't want to shop all at once, so I could see what I gravitated towards when assembling outfits.