The Basics
• 14 pairs of socks: 7 dark and 7 light. Increased from 10 pair.
• 10 pairs of underwear, boxers.
• 1 suit, dark. Suggested color: Charcoal. Added color.
• 5 dress shirts.
• 5 ties.
• 2 pair of dress slacks, brown and tan. Added.
• 1 pair of jeans.
• 1 pair of casual pants.
• 1 reversible belt or 2 belts, black and brown, with a simple buckle. Grudgingly increased from 1 belt, brown.
• 10 t-shirts.
• 2 pair of dress of shoes, black and brown. Increased from 1 pair.
• 1 pair of sneakers.
The Fall Accessories
• 1 light jacket.
• 1 sweater.
• 1 scarf.
• 1 long coat.
A few responses to questions you all raised earlier, although certainly consider the points open for debate. I feel like “The Basics” might be getting a little unwieldy. Is there anything we can trim?
Q. Why just three pairs of pants?
A. Well, we’re going really bare-bones here and counting the suit pants, you should be able to wear each pair a couple times between washes and still get the week. I admit that’s pushing it, so I’ve added two pair of “dress” pants to the mix. (Brown and tan, presuming the charcoal suit pants will round out most outfits.)
Q. Just one belt?
A. Argh. I feel pretty strongly about this one. Get a reversible belt if you want, but I still say a simple, brown leather belt goes with nearly everything. I’ve conceded this one but I’m not happy about it.
Q. No navy blazer?
A. If you earned your navy blazer at rowing school or something, then feel free to include it. Otherwise, I posit that blue blazers have fallen out of favor. That said, adding a blazer makes sense. Perhaps something like this?
Q. “The idea of a basic wardrobe is implicitly founded on the idea of a basic man, two equally fuzzy ideas.”
A. Oh fuck right off. We’re just trying to build a foundational reference, not tell you that you can’t wear your favorite snazzy get-ups.
Unfortunately what you think and whats true of the fashion world dont mesh. Blazers are in this year.
Also I’m sorry but Brown belts DONT go with everything. Especially when you have that nice charcoal suit with black socks and shoes… The brown belt is a beacon to all that you dressed yourself and have no freaking clue.
Im not even gay and I know that one.
I’ll go one further than Jim Top: navy blazers never went out of fashion. Sure, an odd sportcoat would work well, but for a basic wardrobe (that is what we’re going for here, right?) a navy blazer can’t be beat. And it goes with all of the aforementioned trouser combinations (brown, tan, charcoal, jeans, etc.).
Just don’t wear it with shorts, unless you live in the tropics. And even then.
Jim’s also right about the brown belt w/r/t the charcoal suit. Instead of brown, think about burgundy as a foundation. A burgundy belt and shoes cover all the bases, working well with denim, khaki, navy and charcoal. In fact, I’m wearing a charcoal suit with burgundy shoes and belt even as I type!
Save the aggravation and go reversible.
It’s brown!
It’s black!
STOP! You’re both right!
I don’t think blazers are out either, but I’m thinking this is in reference to the Navy Blue/Brass button thing that is screaming for a crest to be embroidered on it somewhere.
Reversible belts are lame. I have yet to see one that wasn’t obviously reversible.
With one pair of jeans, I’m guessing you’re not wearing them to work. Maybe I’m old school, but I don’t like wearing pants more than once. Jeans or khaki’s look like they’ve been worn after just a few hours. Then what, I’m supposed to iron them? Nah. Been there. No good.
Q. “The idea of a basic wardrobe is implicitly founded on the idea of a basic man, two equally fuzzy ideas.”
A. Oh fuck right off. We’re just trying to build a foundational reference, not tell you that you can’t wear your favorite snazzy get-ups.
Haha…don’t take that crap from your readers. Such an awesome response!
I do have to agree that a Navy Blazer is a staple. They are so versatile and eternally appropriate.
Also, I am wearing a reversible belt right now. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to owning more than one belt. If you look aruond you can find a great reversible belt that works and looks nice, and no one is ever the wiser.
Ha ha you all have to dress up for work. I work in TV production and people comment on how dressed up I am if my shirt is tucked into my jeans. Nyah nyah!
This is just me thinking out loud.
I think 14 pairs of socks is silly, given the mix of other clothing you’ve got going on. 10 is gracious plenty…possibly even too many. Same goes for underwear and t-shirts…seven of each there should be good. Surely you’re not so slack that you can’t run two loads of laundry over the weekend.
On the dress slacks, I’d go black and tan or charcoal and tan. Brown is…eh. Whatever it is, it’s a lot of it. But again, that’s just me. Actually, I don’t even like the brown leather…I’d go for oxblood.
The blazer you noted is nice. You can also do a more or less identical one from Land’s End for about half what Orvis is asking. More colors, too.
And reversible belts? Ick.
Okay, the navy blazer may be a little bit “corporate” at this point, but a blazer still is a good call. Perhaps a linen blazer? I don’t do brown personally.
Yeah, let me amend the navy blazer statement. Joey’s right. The brass or gold buttons is way too, ummmmm, Judge Smails for my taste. Definitely go with non-metallic (plastic or horn) buttons.
There are reversible belts that don’t look reversible, including some of the newer ones where the buckle just comes off and can be reattached in the other direction. FWIW, all Hermes belts are reversible–albeit all Hermes belts are $350+. If they are made properly, the leather is stitched or dyed such that the top and front are always the same color.
The only reason why I’d stay stay away from the navy blazer is that jeans are getting darker and you run the risk of too much blue that doesnt match up.
Alright, you’re all about to sway me on the blue blazers. Can anyone recommend one that doesn’t have the creepy gold buttons?
“Jeans or khaki’s look like they’ve been worn after just a few hours.”
Actually I find that the wrinkles from being thrown on the floor work out after wearing them for those few hours :P. I do like to have multiple pairs of jeans, though. For work, mostly.
Light socks????
For what? Maybe going to the gym, otherwise there’s no excuse. It’s a bad look.
Remember people, this is supposed to be “basic”. I would not wear a blazer ever in my current job, nor on a date. I would, however, wear a pair of doc martens to a show, which most people would not have a use for. See?
Here’s a decent cashmere blue blazer w/o the ridicculous Judge Smails buttons:
[url]http://www.josbank.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=1000&pcount=&Product_Id=239330[/url]
“It’s easy to grin, when your ships come in . . . “
Okay: socks. What are the rules with socks? Help me break out from my all-dark-grey funk.
The Basics:
Socks: More dark, less light (like 10 & 4).
Briefs: Boxers aren’t the best for everyone, but “tidy-whities” are definately bad.
Suit: Good.
Shirts: 6+. You don’t want to be the “Blue shirt on Monday” guy. Eight gives you an optimal rotation.
Ties: 6+. See “Shirts”, above.
Slacks: Good.
Jeans: Good.
Casual Pants: Good. I suggest dark color.
Belt(s): 2 or reversible.
T-Shirts: 5. Recommend Wife Beater or V-neck. If you loosen your tie & collar, it isn’t good to show off your under-shirt. Why 10 if everything else here is only one week? (Except socks which need to be coordinated correctly with the outfit.)
Shoes: Good. Make sure they are flexible and comfy. With laces is best - can be loosened.
Sneakers: The bigger the feet, the darker the color.
The Fall:
All are good except that long coat and scarf implies “Winter”, which requires gloves and a hat. People from the upper plains stay warm by wearing warm stuff.
Syntax:
Do not put periods(.) at the end of bullet-point items unless you have formed a full sentance. See above. It looks stupid.
Language:
“A. Oh fuck right off. ”
– f-ing hilarious. This motivated me to make this review / comment.
Sock rules:
No 100% synthetics, buy cotton, wool, cashmere etc.
No “athletic/tube socks” outside the gym.
No white socks outside the gym.
Colored socks can work to match your shirt, tie, etc. but know you’ll be making
a “statement” if you do.
Generally, dark socks, of good quality, can go with anything.
Some people (girls I know) say dark socks and white sneakers look weird, but I disagree.
Most of these girls also think if you have white sneakers, and let’s say jeans, you shouldn’t wear socks. This also applies to loafers/driving shoes/boat shoes, prepare to be criticized by stylish women if you wear socks with these.
I personally hate the way shoes feel without socks, but that’s just me.
No socks with sandals.
Also, never hesitate to throw away socks past their prime. If they look old in any way, chuck em’ and get new ones. Same goes for underwear. (assuming you even care) Girls notice that type of shit and tell all their friends about it.
Old Navy had some really nice Navy Blazers without the nasty gold buttons. I actually bought both their navy and their green blazer (as I have a few black shirts that look good with a green blazer and khaki pants)
I’ve heard that you should match the socks to the pants. Light socks for khaki’s…
But most guys don’t. I notice that alot of guys match the shoes.
I personally match my shoes. I think it depends though if you match your legs it makes your legs tall, match your shoes and it makes your feet big.
So its really what your trying to go for.
A couple of things, and a bunch of them have been said, so i’m just throwing in my vote with them:
–socks–
I go for dark socks in general, however i’ve been told and i can understand that for suits and “Fancy pants” you want them to match the pants. (Think of the old guy with the grey slacks and white socks showing…)
–belt–
* There are decent reversables out there. I have a real good Nautica from Marshals. You pull out the buckle slightly, twist it around, and voila it’s reversed–you’ll see no seams.
* After i was told your belt should match your shoes, i noticed that i looked funny wearing brown belts with black shoes, and so did others.
* I’d go a basic black and basic brown
* Oh no! There are also fancier belts, they’re slimmer. grr
–blazers–
* These are fun, these are versatile. I hate blue blazers, and I hate brass buttons. So i do my own style.
–basic wardrobe arguments–
I totally understand your concept of a wardrobe at its most basic, and used as a *base*. I also think i see where other people are trying to go.
Can I suggest maybe building a slight spectrum then?
1. Basic-level wardrobe: at it’s most basic. one pair of socks per day style concept
2. Comfort-level wardrobe: now you can pad out slightly without going too far, a pair of socks a day, and an additional pair per weekend night.
…get the idea?
sorry for the essay.
With socks, I match my shoes. Same with belt, which is why I don’t think just one brown belt is going to “cut it,” as they say.
Q. Why just three pairs of pants?
A. Well, we’re going really bare-bones here and counting the suit pants, you should be able to wear each pair a couple times between washes and still get the week.
A piece of advice I’ve gotten from those who presumably know better is that you should never wear your suit pants on their own. The idea being that if you wear the pants more often than the jacket, eventually the pants get lighter in shade than the coat, and the suit no longer appears to quite match.
Personally, I’d add a second pair of jeans. You can get some very dressy pairs which would go equally well with a shirt or a T.
Damn thats pretty close to my wardrobe at the moment!
5 shirts is not enough if our man is wearing them to work every day. I don’t know about y’all, but my laundry place takes 2-3 days to get shirts back, so I’d be at the dry cleaners at least twice a week. With 10 shirts you can just go once a week with a full week’s worth, and you have a buffer if you don’t pick them up right away.
Also add another pair of jeans — Saturday AND Sunday, after all.
And I don’t know how we are handling seasonal stuff, but I wouldn’t be able to handle summer without at least one pair of cargo shorts.
Why no love for black pants? They’re a versatile color that goes with just about anything - light, dark, any color out there. I wear them at least 3 days a week. Before you ask, yes, I own multiple pairs.
I have a very nice reversible belt from Ferragamo that I got a few years back and I still use as my only work belt. You have to pop a latch to actually remove the buckle itself, so it’s not quite as easy as the reversible Mickey Mouse belt buckle that I had when I was 7.
I’m right with you on being sick of blazers in general. Every jerk in Brooklyn overdid that last year.