Put This On

“MistahWong” is always on the road for business, and lives out of a suitcase as he travels from his home in Australia to Oceania and Southeast Asia.  That makes his difficult achievement - perfectly elegant warm-weather casual clothes - all the more remarkable.

This is a very simple outfit, but the quality and fit are absolutely impeccable.  It’s also perfectly accessorized, with a beautiful pair of suede Alden chukka boots, what look like Randolph Engineering aviator sunglasses, some charming beads and a lovely rucksack.

Q and Answer: The Pants After Jeans

James writes: Recently I’ve been paying more attention to my clothes and their quality — that meant scrapping a lot of boxy khakis and ill-fitting jeans for a pair of APCs, but I’m looking for more than one pair of “everyday pants.” I feel like khakis make me look like my Dad (I feel like every generation of dudes wants to look as much like their grandfather as they can but as little like their father as they can) and after wearing pants cut for humans everything else feels baggy and awkward. Where can a guy go to get a pair of pants after he’s used to the durability of raw denim?

If you’re talking about a casual wardrobe, the next logical step after a good pair of jeans is a good pair of chinos.  Not all chinos are the triple-pleated monstrosities that you associate with your dad and Frasier Crane.

There are plenty of options these days for chinos with a trim fit.  Above are J. Crew’s “Urban Slim Fit” pants, which come in several colors - we prefer the slightly sandier British Khaki to the standard khaki.  A little more flavor.  They’re about $60 at full price.

My own favorite chinos are ones that I’ve recommended here several times before - the Uniqlo Vintage Chino.  A great fit, some great details, and they’re usually about $35.  If you live in New York, you can go into the store, but if you don’t, they ship, just call them (917-237-8811) and ask for phone orders.  I like that the Uniqlos retain a bit of a military feel - it makes them more useful as a casual pant, rather than as a second-rate substitute for dress pants.

Dockers, feeling the pressure to update their image, have released the K-1.  It’s inspired by WW2 military chinos, but with a dramatically slimmer cut.  I haven’t touched them, but I’ve heard good things from the clothes nerds.  They’re inexpensive as well, at $68.

Everyone seems to agree that Bill’s Khakis are the bee’s knees when it comes to quality in a chino.  Their M3 size isn’t quite as trim (from what we’ve heard) as the J. Crews, for example, but it’s pretty solid.  The price is a bit higher at $135, but the khaki aficionados say Bill’s are worth the scratch, especially if toughness is what you’re after.

Go flat-front, slim-fitting, and possibly with a little bit of military, period detail - like a wider belt loop, a richer color, a heavier twill.  Don’t buy them pre-destroyed.  Start them a bit more formal, and move them towards casual as they wear.  Your goal here should be to rock these as effortlessly as JFK on his boat.  With some good accessories and a nice fit, you’ll look great.  Then, you’ll be ready for some gray flannels.

Eight Days of Style

Reader Lucy wrote to us to ask that we suggest eight super-basic, affordable Hanukkah gifts for her boyfriend “to replace his stained light-wash jeans and Nine Inch Nails t-shirts.”  We’ll offer one choice for each day the oil burned.

For days when jeans aren’t quite enough, drop Uniqlo NYC a line and get a pair of their Vintage Chinos.  Good looking, nice fabric, great cut, great details.  They cost about $40, and Uniqlo will ship to you if you drop them a line.

“I love golf.” - This guy

Q and Answer

Tyson writes:

I try to present myself well at work.  I iron my shirts, shine my shoes, and try to match.  Some people may say, dress for the job you want.  What’s the PTO take?  I work in a khaki/polo/button down habitat.  A suit would be too much.  What are some nice styling’s that don’t scream look at my new suit, but still out-class Dockers and a semi-old Ralph Lauren polo.

Let’s start with the bad news: you can’t really wear a suit in a polos and Dockers business casual environment.  When you’re doing business, you always want to look as good as you can without seeming like a dick, and when everyone else is wearing polos, you’ll look like a dick in a suit (even with a tie).  Unless you’re meeting with clients that day, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb.

That doesn’t mean you have to dress like the guy pictured above, though, and it sounds like you’re well on your way to a better look.

1. No polos.  Don’t wear a polo shirt anywhere you wouldn’t wear shorts.  Playing tennis, weekend in the park, wear a polo, fine.  Having a meeting?  You can handle the five extra buttons and full sleeves on your shirt.  (No short-sleeved dress shirts, either, but that should go without saying.)
2. Don’t wear a tie without a jacket.  This is the fast route to looking like you work at Blockbuster or maybe, at best, are a teller at Wells Fargo.  Ties are meant to be worn with coats.
3. Watch your fit.  Most men wear casual pants like chinos way too long and way too baggy.  A trim, clean fit in your pants is key.  Buy them the right size and avoid pleats at all costs.  Similarly, your shirt shouldn’t pool out around your waist.  Buy a slim-fitting shirt, or take your shirt in to the tailor to get the waist taken in - it’ll cost $10 or $15 and make a huge difference.  A button-down collar is a nice way to keep your collar in check if you’re not wearing a jacket.
4. Wear good shoes.  A great pair of shoes will take you from boring to sharp.  No Kenneth Cole duckbilled b.s.  No corrected-grain leather with a plastic-y finish.  Rotate a couple pairs.  Wear a belt that matches.  No clunky rubber soles.  You work in an office, not on a marathon team.
5. Wear a sportcoat.  Even a quiet pocket square if your office won’t think you’re totally insane.  It shows that you care without showing anyone up, particularly since you won’t be wearing it around the office much anyway.  A nice cashmere sweater won’t hurt in the winter, either.

We’re essentially talking, here, about focusing on the fundamentals: wear quality clothes that fit.  Dress so that someone looking at you would think you’re someone who they’d trust to work with.

Q and Answer

Ben S. writes:

In Episode 1, Denim, you said that one should only wear one piece of denim. If one cannot wear a denim jacket with jeans, what *should* a denim jacket be worn with?

First of all, we want to be clear about one thing: there are some people who look good in a denim jacket and jeans.  These people work harder than you in their jobs and less hard than you on their outfits.  They have very shapely rear ends which are highlighted by a snuff-can fade on their back pockets.  They are badass.  The Marlboro man is a good example.  Hats off to these guys.  More power to ‘em.

There are also “denim heads,” who build their lives around denim.  Mike Hodis, the subject of Episode 1, is a good example.  Usually they are wearing pieces that were originally the same color, but have gained patina over time.  These guys are so committed to their favorite fabric that they can often pull it off.  Even they, though, sometimes look like yutzes.

Our advice is for the other 97% of the population.

Denim jackets are tough to wear, frankly.  That’s why we said that the one piece of denim in your outfit should probably be jeans.  They are entirely possible to wear, though.

Kanye West looks great pairing his denim jacket with chinos, and that’s probably your best bet.  The trick is that they have to be tough guy chinos, not IT-guy chinos.  Khaki pants were developed for the military, not for guys in Dockers commercials, and the closer you get to that practical aesthetic, the better you’ll look with a denim jacket on.  The pants have to be denim alternatives, not dress-pant alternatives.