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Caitlin McCabe is using Brazen Careerist to share ideas. Join now to become a member and start networking with Caitlin McCabe and other professionals just like you. Learn more.
Ok, I know you all have dress pants out there. Not suit pants, but those dress pants that you wear to work and not much else because making them look casual is a little tough. Last week I saw the most perfect dress pants outfit that I have ever seen at Barrique's and really wanted to ask the guy for his picture but wanted to avoid being creepy so I'll just have to verbally re-create it for you. You can wear them anywhere you want to appear to have some style (like dates or out on the town) and look so much better than if you wore jeans and a button down (and so much more personality) First things first:
1) Shoes - Dress pants do NOT need to be worn with dress shoes. This is the best way to make them look more casual. You can wear them with this kind of shoe:
Victorinox
or rock them with these. Ignore the grey pants this guy has on and imagine the grey pair of dress pants that you have sitting in your closet for Monday morning meetings or interviews. They have to be a little tighter at the bottom (you can have them tailored to fit this way and this look is huge right now). They go really well with beat up Converse as well.
2) Belt. Another great way to make your dress pants look cooler. Take that boring leather work belt and put that away for weekday wear, if you're brave, rock a studded belt instead. If that's not your style, try a belt buckle that you can find at just about any vintage store.
Rag and Bone
3) Shirt. This one is important. Blazer and T-shirt is the easiest so I suggest starting there. There are a couple of rules with this. Do NOT go with the T-shirt from the 5K you did last summer. In other words, use one of your good T-shirts. I'd suggest one that's black if you're unsure but I've seen some really cool pairings with colored and vintage shirts (like the D.A.R.E shirt you still have in the closet somewhere.)
If you want to go with a white tee and a casual blazer, that looks good too if you went the belt buckle route.
Ok it is *great* to see a post on BC about fashion! Yes! Power to you, Caitlin! More! :)
Ummmm no. We don't all want to look like hipsters.
I'd look so ridiculous in those pants and shoes, not to mention the tee.
Wow. Either I'm old or out of touch with fashion, because those pictures don't speak to me in the slightest (looks Emo, no?). I'll stick with classy slacks, dress shoes, and a traditional belt to match.
Hey Caitlin, tried to look for your blog but it just leads to the company: http://www.swayonline.com/
Is this the first random spam account on Brazen!
Hopefully we won't see more...
I don't believe it's about being a hipster ... it's about giving some concern to how you present yourself. Whether you'd like to admit it or not, what you wear and how you wear it is important. It's a part of our first impression. This is the first interaction people have with you - a visual one. Just as you can kill a deal by making an inappropriate comment, you can do the same thing wearing your dad's suit. Maybe you're not quite ready to wear dress pants with casual shoes, but it should get you thinking about the alternative to the Dockers/GAP oxford look. We all like to think of ourselves, our ideas, our capabilities as unique ... what better way than to make that visual then to get creative with how we present ourselves. Even in our chosen career fields, our visual presentation has become more important than ever. Not so long ago, every guy was wearing the same style suit, despite his industry. Our styles should reflect not only who we are, but what we do. The acceptable workplace fashions have evolved from the navy suit or the grey suit choice and into a place that goes beyond casual Fridays. Go to an ad agency and you'll see more "hipster" looks than suits. Even Wall Street is hanging up ill-fitted three pieces for slim cuts and plaid patterns. Men's fashion in and outside of the workplace is changing. It's time to hang up the wardrobe you had while interning and make the leap. I bet you'd feel liberated by trying something new.
It may work great for Ad Agencies, but fashion moves at a less than glacial pace for senior engineering executives. Someone dressed to fit in an ad agency would be looked at as a slick-talking wannabe who's destined to cost the company lots of money.
Don't believe me? Ask any senior executive of a company burned by a slick dressed slick talking Y2K consultant.
Jun - my blog is at http://www.bossygirls.blogspot.com
Frugal CPA - this will look hipster if you do all of them at once, which I don't recommend :) What I do recommend is switching out one or two things for a new updated look. Try them all at once at your own risk!
August - I agree with your sentiment exactly, the business look has changed and it's more acceptable to show some personality in your professional attire.
JRandom42 - I agree. A young man with black framed glasses, skinny pants and ankle boots would not work well within the engineering industry. However, I am merely suggesting taking whatever works for your industry and trying something new. Next time you pick up a new pair of slick dress slacks, go for a different pattern or color or something that jumps out at you. I think you'd be amazed by how changing one small detail will make you feel and that is what rolls over into your confidence and productivity. A small change can do drastic things for our attitudes and outlooks.
Caitlin,
While I agree that it's ok to show personality in your business attire (I have a very cool blazer that I wear into the office, but I dress it way up), wearing any of that to work (unless you work in fashion, art, or marketing) will discredit you. NO ONE, not eve young people, want to see someone walk into a typical office dressed like that, the executives will look at you like you're a young punk, and the other employees will automatically classify you as a prick.
As with most things in the "male fashion" genre, just because someone wears it down the runway, doesn't mean it should be worn anywhere else.
I must have missed the part where Caitlin insists that this look is for the office. You guys do go out on weekends dont you? Even engineers right?
As for looking like a "hipster". Whatever, I don't discount an item or outfit just because it fits into a particular category of people which I don't like... that's being a slave to fashion the same as if you wore it only because it was fashionable. I wear things because I like them. It's a fashion-oriented post and like most matters of art/design, fashion is a matter of personal taste. If you don't like it, don't wear it and don't troll around bitching about it on blogs (that's aimed at "Anonymous", the engineer-related comments are fair enough).
Thanks for posting the blog URL Caitlin :)
Great post! It's important to take pieces of the corporate "suit" and make them your own.
Another thing to note, though, is to make sure that these choices fit in with your company's dress code. For example I know that men are not supposed to wear t-shirts or sneakers when meeting with our agents or clients. My company, however, has an extremely relaxed dress code when not meeting with folks that includes jeans if desired. I would think an adult conversation with supervisors would be the best way to figure what may or may not be appropriate for your position/department/industry/etc.
However I very much recognize that other companies may not be as tolerant...
Wow. Some of you kids really need to get out of that cold, steel, bolted box you've been living in.
It's very refreshing to see a post on CB that is not about resumes, interviews, or the the analysis of a handshake.
Cheers to Miss Caitlin for offering some suggestions on the subject of "integrating personality your wardrobe". And kudos to Mister Alex Lobov for recognizing that these suggestions are perfect for weekend activities, as well as during the week.
Another thing to keep in mind guys is that versatility in the wardrobe is key, it's all about the PIECES of your wardrobe that when put together in a particular arrangement will lead to pure envy from your fellow male colleagues. You should NEVER put all the aforementioned pieces together all at once (gee, shame on the author for not putting the 'common sense' disclaimer at the beginning of the post).
But I digress, back to that key word: versatility. I think this particular post was perfect for the following scenario: Perhaps you are employed at a very conservative firm (of whatever kind) and you have after work drinks planned as a little "get to know you" date. Ordinarily, you would just meet your date out in your typical work attire, but let me ask you this: just how comfortable will you feel in that attire? Knock those dress pants down a notch by switching into those converse, and take off the button up shirt you have on (because we all know you've been wearing that DARE shirt under it all day). See how effortlessly versatile you are now? And just ooozing with personality. Your date will recognize this and make a mental note of appreciation that you are NOT boring and/or stuffy.
One disclaimer I must make: CONFIDENCE IS KEY. You must have confidence when attempting to rock any of the previously mentioned looks. Also, if you feel this post does not relate to you and/or your fashion sense, then just move right along. There's no need to waste time admitting to everyone your inability to have an open mind to style. I mean really, don't you guys have some conservative work to be doing?
cheers.
Alex,
At this point in my life, I really don't care how I dress after work, so long as it's comfortable and adheres to local standards of decency. For me, my old shirts, old jeans and old sneakers do just fine. My wife will nag me to dress up for more formal occasions, and I'll comply reluctantly, but that's fairly uncommon. I'll dress differently for camping, but the basics of comfort and suitability to the weather still apply.
A perfectly understandable outlook on life, JRandom42, but not one that applies to all men, regardless of age, profession or marital status. :)
hey... great topic, i wear alot of jeans but lately been thinking in wearing regular black dress pants, with lets say those white shoes u see at aldoes and lets say a tight t-shirt ( vintage) and a jacket moto style or a hoodie? yellow? what do you think?
also what do you reccomend better white shoes or the converse black on top and white line at the bottom?
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