Hand on heart — do you enjoy looking into your wardrobe in the morning? Yes?
Then you are one of the few who take pleasure in putting together an outfit in the morning. After all, your outfit should serve you throughout the day, not the other way around.
For everyone for whom that is sadly not the case: read on!
In what follows we give you tips and tricks on how your wardrobe should be structured and what it must contain, so that it once again becomes a pleasure to put together the right outfit for every situation and mood.
Here it is, of course, all about the business wardrobe, for it is here that choosing the right outfit is of the highest priority — far more so than in the casual sphere.
The guiding principle for your business wardrobe is, in this case, the “essentials”.
By this term we mean all the pieces your wardrobe should contain in order to be prepared for every situation, both in business and in everyday life.
Here come our six most valuable tips:
1. THE SUIT. This is the most important point of all. Every man should have it in his wardrobe — the dark blue suit. And please, not the grey one or the black one. Perhaps you have experienced, when buying your first suit at the outfitters, that the salesperson was very keen to sell you a charcoal grey one. Why that is, I cannot say. What I can assure you is that a grey suit is less creative and less formal than a dark blue one.
And we all know: elegant bearing requires courage — and courage is, unfortunately, still all too rare.
1.1. THE PATTERN. The fabric of your dark blue suit should feature a small pattern or a fine pinstripe.
1.2. FURTHER COMBINATIONS. Starting with the charcoal grey suit as your foundation, you can then move on to a patterned suit or a fine pinstripe. Of course we always take individual taste into account, and there are gentlemen among you whom navy simply does not suit, or who do not care for the colour. It is always, therefore, a matter of what pleases you and in what colour direction your wardrobe is designed.
1.3. THE JACKET. The essentials also include the dark blue jacket, which combines wonderfully with charcoal grey trousers and is therefore very useful in daily business life.
1.4. THE RULE OF THUMB for the essentials of your wardrobe is this: you should have an outfit for every day of the week — five is therefore the minimum. Once the essentials are complete, you can move on to more creative outfits — for example, suits to suit the seasons. For winter, the flannel suit is suitable, and for summer you should have a fine cotton suit in the wardrobe — as well, of course, as suits with striking patterns.
1.5. EXTRAS. Cashmere and linen jackets also belong to a fine and well-sorted wardrobe for a man’s business look.
2. THE SHIRT. The second important part of your essentials is, of course, the shirt, for it is a man’s calling card. First and foremost is the white shirt, together with shirts in shades of blue, striped or in a fine check. Let it be said: suits in blue and grey tones are extremely versatile in combination.
2.1. THE RULE OF THUMB for shirts as part of your essentials is: at least ten shirts in the wardrobe.
So you now have at least five suits and ten shirts in your wardrobe — but this also includes the fact that every piece must fit perfectly and give you pleasure when you put it on.
Collector’s pieces that we hold on to because they once cost a great deal of money do not count. Even if you acquired a garment cheaply, it is of no use to you if you never wear it.
3. SHOES. This subject is not reserved for the ladies. For a man’s business outfit, several pairs of shoes are essential. Above all, the black lace-up is a must, along with a dark brown pair and a lighter brown pair — perhaps as double monks.
3.1. THE RULE OF THUMB for shoes in your essentials is: three to four pairs of classic shoes should be present in a well-sorted wardrobe.
4. THE BELT. The belt, as we know, matches the colour of the shoe.
5. TIES. Ties belong to the business outfit as “amen” belongs to the church, and a certain selection matching the colours of your suits must not be missing from any set of essentials. Take care always to choose a tie that suits the look — but do not wear the same tie more than three times a week. Dare to try something new more often.
6. THE COAT. Last but not least — every man should have a wool coat in his wardrobe for winter, and a trench coat for wind and rain.
Bespoke suit for gentlemen
Marvellous! With these few tips you now have a well-sorted set of essentials in your wardrobe, and I guarantee that you will once again reach into it with joy in the morning and conjure up a perfect outfit every day.
Further reading
Sartorial freedoms in business — When is it permissible to relax the dress code?