The Proper Blog

Fancy yourself a pretty cool bloke?  Consider yourself on the bleeding edge of fashion?  Think you have the confidence to pull off the truly original?  Then, maybe you’ve considered wearing your watch on the outside of your cuff?

Ridiculous right?  Well, apparently some people think it’s cool.  According to fashion guru the Sartorialist, this is

“…still extremely pervasive on Italian Sartorialists…”

Really?  Who are these Italians?  We want to meet them.

A bit closer to home, the Natty Banker says”

“It’s more a specialized, advanced, and interesting thing to do. But certainly not dominant or necessary! Also the occasion matters. I think it’s best saved for going out to dinner or having cocktails, as opposed to when attending a graduation, for instance, or just going to work.”

Ok, we want to meet that guy too.

In the photo above is Gianni Agnelli, the inspiration for any man that wears his watch on the outside of his cuff.  You may ask: who is this Gianni clown?  Well, he’s passed away now, but in his time he was a super successful Italian business man.  As the head of Fiat,  he controlled 4.4% of Italy’s GNP.  He’s also known for having impeccable style, a beautiful wife and for “allegedly” sleeping with Jacqueline Kennedy.  Basically what we now refer to as a Master of the Universe.

In this case, we suggest you think twice before copying trends from the uber successful.  There’s a lot we can learn from them, but there are also certain things they can get away with that us mere mortals cannot.  For example, while we strongly advocate dressing more like Brad Pitt, we also suggest you think twice before copying his new moustache.

So, in conclusion, no matter how gutsy and fashionable you are, we suggest you take Daphne Galizia’s advice:

“Watch – strictly to be worn BENEATH your shirt-cuff; when you wish to know the time, push up your cuff; this can also be used as a signal that a meeting is over and you wish the annoying person sitting across from you to be on his way.”

Stay Proper.

We’re not sure if Brad Pitt deserves the credit for how well he dresses, but (at least on screen) the guy can make an outfit work.  One of our favorites is Mr. and Mrs. Smith – where he demonstrates how to really wear the men’s dress shirt with style.  Here we’re going to examine what it is exactly that makes the outfit work – and how you too can get the right look.

Stick to Simple Colors

The first thing to notice is the color of the shirt.  It is white.  For most of the film it is just simple, plain old, boring white.  There are a few scenes where he’s got some thin black stripes on the shirt, but for the most part the color and pattern is extremely simple. This is so important and often overlooked.  So many guys will look through hundreds of fabric patterns and not see anything they like – as if some strange combination of pink and blue stripes is going to make them much more attractive.  Truth is, for most guys, the more simple the color and pattern of the shirt the better you’ll look.  Classic plain white pinpoint will never fail you.  Ever.

But you say – “White is so boring – how will I stand out?”

Get the Perfect Fit

What’s really critical to looking good in a dress shirt is getting the right fit. In the top picture, you can see that with a tie on the collar fits perfectly around his neck – not squeezing at all, but not too loose either.  This looks comfortable and effortless.

In the second picture you can really see how well the shirt fits in the arms and shoulders. The yoke of the shirt goes right to the edge of his shoulder but not past it at all.  Most off the rack shirts you buy will have a yoke that is too wide – and it will come over the edge of your shoulder.  The width of the sleeves is also important. Here you can see that it doesn’t cinch around his arm, but doesn’t have a lot of extra fabric either.  The length of the sleeves is also perfect.  Even with his arms extended in front of him the sleeves come just to the base of his hand.

Insist on High Quality of Construction

The key to a nice dress shirt is the quality of the construction.  Probably the most visible way of telling a shirts quality is looking at the collar.  A high quality shirt collar will be smooth, fairly sturdy and have a round curve around the neck.  Cheap, mass-produced shirts usually don’t get this right because it needs to be done by hand and takes some time.  Look at the collars in the two pictures above.  The curve of the collar flows smoothly and the points are crisp.  You don’t see an imprint of the collar stays, and the tips don’t flair out at all.

Proper Cloth offers high quality dress shirts with a perfect fit.  We offer the most advanced online system to purchase shirts and all shirts are made in the US from Italian textiles.  See what our customers are saying here and get Brad’s style next time you buy one.

This is a guest post from Amy Salinger, a big time “image consultant” in NYC – more about her at the end.

As a fashion stylist people love to ask me the tough questions. For men, mixing patterns is apparently the toughest task of all! Stop fretting, getting dressed should be the least complicated part of your day and I am here to be your superhero stylist of fashion.

Here are a three basic rules to keep your anxiety levels low and your style quotient high:

Rule One: Stay Safe by Mixing Subtle with Subtle

Mixing patterns should be complimentary, and the safest way to make this happen is to combine subtle patterns.  Don’t be that guy with the crazy tie and the checkered shirt. Simply put, subtle patterns with subtle patterns will always be a winner. Think thin pinstripes with thin pinstripes or solids with solids.

This is one of the easiest pattern mixing looks to achieve. The main goal is to keep the patterns as simple and subtle as possible. This mixture of tie and shirt works because of the thin pinstripe against thin pinstripe. Nothing overpowers the other. Having all of the colors be underneath the blue umbrella creates a no-brainer approach to styling. Contrasting the blues is what makes this simple combination pop.

Rule Two: Be Bold with One Standout Piece

Your tie can scream personality while your shirt and suit are the simple backdrop.  Have everyone talking about your tie by picking a bold and fun color just like this red striped one.  You can work in another pattern as long as it is simple. This shirt may appear to be busy, but that is because this is an extreme close up. At a glance the black and white checkered pattern will seem more gray against the red color of the tie. Have lots of fun with your ties, just be sure to keep the backdrop just that, a backdrop.

Rule 3. Take Care When Combining Bold with Bold

Here is an example of how “Bold with Bold” can work. Remember that practice makes perfect and that this should be reserved for the stylishly capable! This works because not only are the colors playing off of each other, but the bold stripe with stripe combination is extremely complimentary. The tie has enough of a contrast to the shirt that it stands out as a focal point of the ensemble.

Amy Salinger has worked or appeared on Oprah, What not to Wear and The Today Show. She has been quoted in such publications as People, InStyle and The Wall Street Journal among others. Check out www.SASSNSTYLE.com for your daily does of style from the sassiest stylist of all!