conservative business dress WAYWRN: An Experiment

Spoo & gdl,
looking good.

New suit, 100% sheep:

Originally Posted by Manton

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First, the tie is not conservative business dress by any stretch. I don't like it all, for a number of reasons, but my tastes aside, in no way is it conservative.

Neither is a contrast collar shirt. I'm not saying it's "incorrect." But it's conspicuous. All the more so because it's a check, not a stripe. I think white collars work far, far better with solids or stripes.

I don't think the suit all that conservative in cut. The four button vest looks odd. Six is standard. Five or seven are not that jarring. But four, with those big spaces in between looks odd. Then there are the hacking pockets.

All in all, you have too many loud elements in combination, including some elements that I don't think would look good even if everything else were plain.

Thank you - interesting points

I didn't realise medium sized paisley's couldn't be considered conservative business dress, or is it just being purple on navy?

I agree a solid (maybe slightly) paler shirt with the contrast collar would be more conservative. I'm not sure I quite understand the problem behind contrast collars though - they're far from uncommon over here and I don't think anyone would view it any differently to a matched collar shirt. I wonder whether this is a continental issue like double-cuffs, which over here are worn by the lowliest to the highest without issue, but seem to have some strange degree of status attached to them in the US?

I know 6 buttons is the norm for vests with a high gorge and no lapels, but with lapels and a lower gorge I thought 4 or 5 was pretty common? Maybe lapels on a waistcoat could be considered a little showy, I'll happily conceed that. As to hacking pockets, they're hardly an unusual feature on a British suit.

I genuinely hadn't considered what I wore to be 'loud'. I knew you wouldn't like the shirt, but I'm surprised at your reaction to the rest.

Originally Posted by ManofKent

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reaction

I see a British Barister in your photo.

Manton is American, his conservative business dress are thus so. Gdl is more his bro from another mo.

- M

While it is an interesting question what counts as conservative business dress in different countries, there is a deeper question of what looks good simply. That ensemble does not, IMO.

Originally Posted by rrosals

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I am really enjoying this thread.
Your shirt collar is much too small.

Originally Posted by mmkn

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Manton is American, his conservative business dress are thus so. Gdl is more his bro from another mo.
Interesting comment. While I like most of Manton's outfits very much, I don't feel like I dress like him at all - many of our ties are interchangeable but I'm not sure there are a lot of other similarities. In fact, I'd say that most of Manton's outfits in this threads are ones I would be unlikely to wear - and I would not be suprised if the same was true for him.

Also, I'm not American and I feel that my continental European upbringing is always putting me in a slightly non-UCBD box for Americans.

Originally Posted by gdl203

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Interesting comment. While I like most of Manton's outfits very much, I don't feel like I dress like him at all - many of our ties are interchangeable but I'm not sure there are a lot of other similarities. In fact, I'd say that most of Manton's outfits in this threads are ones I would be unlikely to wear - and I would not be suprised if the same was true for him.

Also, I'm not American and I feel that my continental European upbringing is always putting me in a slightly non-UCBD box for Americans.

I think our coat cuts and taste in shirts are pretty close. I like most of your squares but not always the combinations in which you use them.

I think we diverge the most on shoes.

PG always understands the right amount of square to show when doing the simple PS fold. I understand these examples are more dramatic, because PG's square is dark and the others are light. Nonetheless, I seem to frequently see too much PS showing with this basic fold. The difference is only a few centimeters, but it makes a big difference visually.

Originally Posted by Phat Guido

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Originally Posted by rrosals

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Originally Posted by acridsheep

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Originally Posted by Manton

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I think our coat cuts and taste in shirts are pretty close. I like most of your squares but not always the combinations in which you use them.

I think we diverge the most on shoes.

I would say we diverge the most on shoes and shirts (I have a lot of odd multi-color checks and stripes that you would not wear). I have a number of small pattern / dotted / neat squares that you wouldn't wear. I also think your coats are cut with a lot more drape than mine, which along with your tall and thin frame and your mix of patterns, gives you a more relaxed conservative business dress look than me.

Originally Posted by Manton

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Your shirt collar is much too small.

I agree and will be fixing this on my next order.

Originally Posted by mmkn

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I see a British Barister in your photo.

Manton is American, his conservative business dress are thus so. Gdl is more his bro from another mo.

- M

Interesting point - I don't work in Law, but my background is legal, and I'm in touch with people who chose to follow their degrees into the legal profession, and in today's garb would probably blend in fairly unobtrusively.

Originally Posted by Manton

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While it is an interesting question what counts as conservative business dress in different countries, there is a deeper question of what looks good simply. That ensemble does not, IMO.
I appreciate and respect your opinion, whether I always agree with it or not.

Originally Posted by gdl203

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Interesting comment. While I like most of Manton's outfits very much, I don't feel like I dress like him at all - many of our ties are interchangeable but I'm not sure there are a lot of other similarities. In fact, I'd say that most of Manton's outfits in this threads are ones I would be unlikely to wear - and I would not be suprised if the same was true for him.

Also, I'm not American and I feel that my continental European upbringing is always putting me in a slightly non-UCBD box for Americans.

You both have enviable tie collections, and I would say your general colour palette is fairly similar.

I don't know how close either you or Manton are to American UCBD. I've never been stateside so my knowledge of American dress is through the media and this forum. It seems less bold in terms of acceptable shirting, ties and socks (both colour and pattern), yet very relaxed in terms of footwear.

Originally Posted by Manton

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I think our coat cuts and taste in shirts are pretty close. I like most of your squares but not always the combinations in which you use them.

I think we diverge the most on shoes.

Again from a different continent, I generally see gdl's shoes as more conservative business dress than your's. I have nothing against your shoes in general - I like most of them, and would happily wear them, but couldn't think of wearing most of them in a semi-formal context.

Rainy day today so the boots come back out. Flannels are brown not gray.