Sartorish.com

Many years ago someone told me the bottom button of a suit coat or blazer was called the “dork button,” because if you button it you’re a dork.

I’ve since learned that like most sartorial dictates, this one can be ignored if you know how to pull it off. If you can’t pull it off…well, playing it safe with the buttons may not make you less of a dork, but at least other people are less likely to notice your condition.

Here’s Coat Buttons 101, in handy visual form

(This guide covers two button and three button single breasted coats.

• Google Guy: Dressing for success — don’t do it all the time | Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist
  Gauging the right amount of "dressing for the next promotion"
• Quick fixes for image problems | Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist
  Fashion tips for during and after the job search.
• The New York Times: A Last Bastion of the Necktie Throws in the Towel
  The “21” Club, virtually the last restaurant in New York City with a neckwear rule, has loosened its tie for the first time since it opened 79 years ago.

Some things are best described by way of comparison. Think of J.Crew as Polo meets Gap. Not quite as hip as Banana Republic, a little “younger” than Brooks Brothers. Throw in a hefty measure of New England prep school.

J.Crew is a dependable source for quality basics — khakis, sweaters, shorts, t-shirts. They also have business attire, outerwear, shoes and accessories.

Tip: J.Crew started out in mail order, and still offers certain styles and sizes only by catalog and online. Also, they do free hemming of pants ordered by mail.

Visit J.Crew at jcrew.com.

• Bonobos Blog - From the designer: Fashion guidance for the new year (3 tips for becoming a sharply dressed man)
  Great advice on having a fashion agenda (i.e. shopping strategy) — essential for getting the most bang for your buck. Plus a bit about being afraid to wear those "special" items.

I used to think it was my ample posterior and meaty thighs that made it damn near impossible to find properly fitting pants. Turns out they pretty much all suck.

So say the guys from Bonobos…and I believe it. Their witty and informative site describes how the cost saving efforts of most manufacturers result in dreadful products, and what they’re doing to save the world from “khaki diaper butt.”

Oh, and check out their line of great fitting — and cleverly named — pants.

Great fitting pants from Bonobos

Check out more men’s pants at Bonobos.com.

• Men's Vogue - Spurr of the Moment
  A two-year old label is the new go-to for slim suits and versatile weekend jackets — from waxed cotton to leather.
• Men's Vogue - Southern Gentry
  A Dixie-based designer has it all figured out, stocking his stores — and closet — with homespun classics while doting on his handsome brood.
• Men's Vogue - Good to be Green
  A clutch of idealistic menswear designers are finally sprucing up the eco movement.
• Men's Vogue - Brooks Brothers: A Look Back
• FT.com / UK - Just how personal can you get?
  Matthew Karcha needed a suit.

This is the first post in my new Man + Kitchen (aka Cooking for Dummies) category.

Aside from the culinary and nutritional advantages, cooking is also a pretty useful social skill. I know from personal experience that plenty of girls love a guy who can cook. (On the flip side, that whole “cooking is the way to a man’s heart” thing seems to be rubbish — at least among urban professionals.).

The sad fact is that most people these days — men and women alike — are pretty clueless in the kitchen. It’s actually pretty easy to follow recipes and cook decent meals.

The shoe & sock matching thing presents an interesting dilemma for a lot of guys. Here’s a little guide to acceptable shoe/sock/pant combinations in a typical business setting.

Shoe & pant (or suit) combinations

Black shoes

Black shoes can be worn with pretty much any color pants or suit. (From this point forward, just assume that when I refer to pants of a certain color, the same applies to suits of that color as well.)

Brown shoes

Brown shoes are popular with navy pants. Personally I find that combination a bit pedestrian, but I guess there’s nothing wrong with it.

I came across these at a street fair in Brooklyn a while back, and thought they were pretty cool. Kaisa and Paternoster make handcrafted watches and jewelry for men & women. Each piece is a one-of-a-kind original.

There’s plenty more at www.kapadesigns.com — both for yourself and for that special someone. Now if only they would start making cufflinks…

The once-venerable godfather of American business fashion, in recent decades Brooks Brothers has become far less exclusive than in years past. It had to happen with a store in every mall.

Regardless, the quality is still good and their products are still nice, if not terribly exciting. And that little suspended-sheep logo is nothing short of adorable.

A note on fit: Brooks’ regular dress shirts are designed to fit men who enjoy the finer things in life (and everything else) in very large quantities. If you’re a regular-sized Joe, stick with the slim fit or shop elsewhere for your shirts.

Visit Brooks Brothers

The business casual trend has caused much angst in recent years, largely because there’s no set standard. Business formal has clearly defined components: suit, shirt, tie. As long as these elements are in place, all that remains is a little matching here and there. Pretty easy, right? (No? Find other posts under Basic Business Wardrobe…)

Business casual doesn't have to mean business boring. Some cool options from Thomas Pink

• What industry do you work in?
• What is your job function (i.e.

Remember the Friends episode about Chandler and Joey becoming “bracelet buddies”? It should be required viewing for every man, lest he feel tempted to express his individuality with anything too shiny or dangly. For those of you who haven’t seen it I won’t spoil the fun, but here are a few suggestions on the dos and don’ts of wearing jewelry.

Actors, artists, musicians, professional athletes, punks and mafiosos (mafiosi?) can feel free to ignore this advice. The rest of you should take heed.

In general, less is more with men’s jewelry. Keep it simple, both in style and material.

Ah, good old BR…

Their style evolution over the years suggests something of an identity crisis, progressing from safari-wear to upscale Gap-ish to pseudo-Euro.

However, it doesn’t appear this hyphen-orgy has hurt their business, perhaps because they’ve shown an amazing aptitude for sensing (or setting?) mass-market fashion trends.

They’ve got some nice clothes, but just remember that all the schmucks in your office will be wearing that very same shirt/coat/suit/whatever.

My advice is to use such popular apparel sparingly, and mix it heavily with items of less obvious provenance.

Visit Banana Republic

Yes, you’ve all heard this before. Give this step-by-step process a try and say that I’m wrong.

1. Wash your face with soap & hot water.
2. Rub a teaspoon or so of The Art of Shaving’s unscented pre-shave oil into your beard. This really does work. In fact, it may be as vital to this process as the choice of razor.
3. Lather up with Edge Gel for Sensitive Skin (or any quality gel or foam that’s similarly free of perfumes and dyes), and then wait at least 5 minutes, but not so long that the lather dries out.
4. While waiting for the later to soften your beard, take a Gillette Fusion Power (the vibrating one, which also really does work) equipped with a non-Power Fusion blade (I can’t figure out the difference other than price), and soak the blade for a couple of minutes in hot water.

It’s been said that clothes make the man, and that shoes make an outfit. Need I say more about the importance of good shoes? Here’s some advice on buying dress shoes for your business wardrobe.

First three pairs, in recommended order of purchase:

1. Black cap-toe oxford
2. Black plain-toe oxford, with a non-slip bottom if you prefer (but it shouldn’t look like it has a non-slip bottom!)
3. Dark brown oxford (cap-toe, plain, wingtip/brogue — whatever you like)

Shoe buying tips

• Invest in high-quality dress shoes, preferably with Goodyear-welted soles. Without getting into technical details, this means the shoes can be properly resoled, and therefore worn for decades if well cared for.

Neckties are perhaps the most difficult part of a business wardrobe on which to offer advice, but I’ve managed to put together a general guide.

Valentino ties from Forzieri.com

The basics

• Silk is the fabric of choice, although seasonal blends of silk and linen or silk and wool can be very nice. If you’re not sure, stick with the basic silk necktie.
• Quality neckties typically have patterns that are woven into the fabric rather than smooth fabrics with printed patterns (printed ties from the likes of Hermès being a notable exception).
• Look for ties with a little bit of heft, but that are also somewhat soft to the touch and aren’t too stiff.

Business shirts should be 100% cotton. Poplin, twill and end-on-end are nice fabrics; pinpoint is acceptable, but less formal.

Go for a moderate spread collar for at least the first few shirts, and then possibly some collars with a wider spread as you build your collection.

Recommended order of purchase

1. Light blue solid
2. White solid (real white, not off-white — see below under "common mistakes")
3. Medium blue solid or small, subtle blue check
4. Another light blue or white solid
5. Solid pink - yes, pink! Those with pale skin should get one in a slightly darker hue
6. Whichever of the medium blue solid or small blue check you didn’t get from #3
7. Blue hairline stripe or subtle herringbone (narrowly spaced, so it appears solid from afar
8. Whatever strikes your fancy!

ZZ Top got it right. Every girl’s crazy ’bout a sharp dressed man, and nothing is sharper than a well-fitting, well-constructed, properly coordinated suit. Unfortunately, the art of wearing a suit has seen a decline in recent years. I’m doing my part to revive it with the tips below.

When first venturing into suit-land, stick with single-breasted, notch lapel, two or three button. Suit jackets should have either a single center vent, or double side vents for a more European look. If you don’t know what any of these terms mean, explanations are coming soon in the Dapperpedia.

The basic business suit wardrobe, in recommended order of purchase

1. Solid charcoal gray
2. Solid navy blue
3. Charcoal gray pinstripe
4. Navy pinstrip or medium gray (in either solid or pinstripe)

Notes

• Some would say the first suit should be navy.

Yes, you know the ring…and it’s not the one forged by the dark lord Sauron. (Geeky, romantic and stylish are not mutually exclusive.) Anyway, when I’ve got you all stylin’ & profilin’ you’re gonna have some girlies in your life, and at some point you may want to hit one of them with some pretty, shiny stuff. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Engagement ring buying tips

• Study the technical stuff
• Be aware of which grades of color and clarity are visible to the naked eye (especially since her friends are going to inspect it thoroughly – it’s something akin to having certain other stones under the microscope).
• Imperfections are more visible the larger the diamond, so think twice before you sacrifice quality for size
• Platinum and white gold settings produce better effects than yellow gold settings.

When faced with a formal dining situation, don’t freak out. Follow these few simple guidelines and you’ll be fine.

• Watch what others do, without looking like you’re watching.
• If place settings are laid out with different forks, etc. for different courses, you’ll be using them starting from the outside and working inward.
• Small fork on left = salad; large fork on left = entrée.
• Large spoon on right = soup; small spoon on right = coffee/tea.
• Any utensils placed horizontally above your plate = dessert.
• Once you’ve used a utensil, it doesn’t go back on the table.