Advice For A Newbie Wanting To Look Good...

[Legend83]

Hi all and a Happy New Year!

As I meander rapidly towards 30, I decided I wanted to become the "well-dressed" man. Not necessarily stylish, just neat, well-dressed and confident looking with a smallish wardrobe of clothes that were interchangeable - I no longer want to worry about finding an outfit in the morning! The smart-casual Gossip Girl male (only about 5 years older) is I guess my aim.

So I have ditched all the garbage in my drawers and started to build what I think is a reasonable collection of clothes (on a budget). Recent purchases include:

- a River Island navy blazer
- navy / stone slim chinos
- 2 x white v-neck t
- 2 x grey crew-neck t
- white oxford shirt
- pale blue oxford shirt
- Topman grey trench coat
- French Connection charcoal v-neck jumper

I already own:

- 1 x pair of bootcut indigo jeans
- a light grey v-neck jumper
- navy breton-stripe polo shirt
- brown belt
- navy Converse
- some crap brown shoes for the day
- some nice brown derby shoes for the evening

Are there any key items I am missing or that would add to my selection? I plan to replace the bootcut jeans with slim dark jeans as I think they would go better with the blazer. I also plan to get some chocolate / dark tan brogues.

Any help or ideas for a novice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Ed

[CentralParkMan]

Hi Ed, you seem to be on the right track! Here are just a few more items to consider adding to your wadrobe.

- Brown loafers (they go well with blue slim cut jeans and tidy shirts). Plus if your purchase loafers you won't wear out your dark tan brogues too quickly.
- Classic navy boat/boater shoes for summer.
- A navy or burgundy cardigan. Yes, cardigans can work if you're brave enough to try them.
- A grey pinstripe suit. Try pairing a grey suit with a light blue shirt for an effortless sophisticated look.
- A selection of ties in different colors. If you've slim perhaps look into skinny ties as they are a more modern take on ties.

[Wolf]

My immediate thought was that a good suit is what you need too. Even if your job doesn't require one, there are still times that only a suit will do. And, when they come, such events tend to be important ones - ones you want to be confident you look good and feel comfortable, without having to worry about it.

For that reason, I'd say go for a decent quality one. That doesn't necessarily mean the most expensive one, either. The quality of the construction and the fit of the suit matter more than the name or label on it. In fact, I'd really advise not going for something too obviously fashionable - steer towards the classic cut and the suit will still look good in five or ten years time.

Personally, I wouldn't go for a pin stripe (as the previous poster advised) if this is your first suit, nor would I go for a flat colour, however. I would look at something with a slight unobtrusive texture or pattern - try a shadow stripe or a pick and pick pattern or birdseye fabric. It will add interest without being overwhelming and suit a wide variety of occasions. A soft grey or dark blue would always be appropriate.

Beyond that, a couple of nice ties to go with it seem obvious. I'd go for something with texture rather than loud colour.

[William Colman]

Get some Clarks originals desert boots, doesn't really matter if they're suede or leather (preferably do both) but you will almost certainly get loads and loads of use out of them. They can also replace your brown day shoes.

[Joel!]

Get some Clarks originals desert boots, doesn't really matter if they're suede or leather (preferably do both) but you will almost certainly get loads and loads of use out of them. They can also replace your brown day shoes.

Couldn't agree more, though I do prefer Kurt Geiger over Clarks.