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The shoe & sock matching thing presents an interesting dilemma for a lot of guys. Here’s a little guide to get you started.

Shoe & suit/pant combinations

Black shoes

Black shoes can be worn with pretty much any color pants/suit.

Brown shoes

Brown shoes are popular with navy pants/suits. Personally I find that combination a bit pedestrian, but I guess there’s nothing wrong with it. Brown shoes with gray pants/suits, however, are pretty cool (just probably not for a job interview).

Others would debate this, but you could also get away with wearing brown shoes with tan or brown suits/pants, as long as the shoes are considerably darker than the pants.

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? Read the rest of The Basic Business Wardrobe…)

Business casual adds several new dimensions to this dilemma. Some of the many things to consider:

• What industry do you work in?
• What is your job function (i.e. do you get your hands dirty)?
• What is your level of seniority in the company?
• Do you meet with clients or other outside parties?

We’re several years into this trend, and although it (thankfully) seems to be fading somewhat, it’s still fairly common.

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.

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.

Tyrwhitt sells fine English clothing and accessories at reasonable prices.

The company started out selling nothing but shirts via mail order, so their online store is well developed, efficient and convenient. (Make sure to click on the appropriate little flag on the website homepage to set your language and currency!)

Although a relative newcomer to London’s tailored clothing biz (only 20 years or so), they know their stuff.

Visit Charles Tyrwhitt