The Proper Blog

Happy New Year!  Yes, we are a day late with the greeting, but post-NYE-hangover had Proper Cloth pretty much shut down yesterday.  Now we’re back though!  Well rested, well hydrated, and ready to take on 2009.

We’ve been thinking about making some New Years Resolutions so today we considered the popular ones, (courtesy Wikipedia).  Sadly, nothing seemed to really stick.  Lose weight (already skinny), get out of debt (just finished business school – impossible), get a better job (love my job), get a better education (see get out of debt), drink less alcohol (hahahahahaha), and quit smoking (never started that one)…

So, after careful consideration, we decided that our New Years Resolution for 2009 will be to dress better.  It’s one of those great commitments that provides infinite room for improvement and thus zero chance of failure: We pledge to spend more time crafting our personal image and aspire to present a polished, professional image at all times.  We’ll try to look good at all times – kind of like James Bond in Quantum Solace (with two exceptions though)  1.) We might not wear Tom Ford suits EVERY day and 2.) instead of battling an evil villain in Bolivia, we’ll be battling crowded subways and winter storms in New York.

So, what is the key to dressing up in 2009?  We’ll try to focus on the basics:

Nice Leather Shoes

Now, more than ever is the time to invest in a nice pair of leather shoes.  These will typically cost $200-$300+, but with the discounts going on now you can find great deals.  Avoid trendy but low quality shoes (Steve Madden) with rubber soles.  These look nice on the shelf but wear out quickly.  A good pair of shoes will last several years.  A really good pair of shoes will last you over a decade.  Look for leather soles and wooden heels.  You can never go wrong with a nice black dress shoe from Kenneth Cole, or something of similar or superior quality.  Keep a good pair of brown dress shoes in the rotation and if it fits your personality have some trendy blue leather shoes, or black combat boots as well.

A Good Quality Coat

If you’re going to dress up and look the part, especially if you’re in a cooler climate, you’ll need a nice jacket that fits the look.  This should be a high quality dark gray or black wool or cashmere coat.  It could be double breasted, a nice pea coat, or a more classic 3/4 length suit overcoat or trench coat.  A nice coat like this will dress up any outfit.  Your snowboarding jacket is not an appropriate cover to your suit and tie.

Nice Leather Belt

Don’t take this for granted.  If you’re still wearing the belt you wore in High School, it’s time to upgrade.  Make sure you have a couple high quality leather belts in black and brown.  The general rule is that the belt should match the shoes, so pick the shade of your belts based on the shade of your shoes.  When you wear slacks or khaki’s you should wear a narrower belt – probably 1″ wide.  When you’re wearing jeans the belt should be wider – probably 1.25″ or more. Get this right at all times.

Nice Slacks

If you didn’t get the memo, worn out jeans with raggedy holes are not in style.  And even if they were, they don’t qualify as dressing up (no matter how much you paid for them).  This year, dressing up and looking good is best accomplished with a nice selection of dark colored wool slacks.  Our friends up the road at Bonobos have some cool stuff as does J Crew and Banana Republic.  Avoid front pleats and make sure they fit right (length, waist and ass).

Wear a Tie – Just Because

Seems like people only wear ties for “special occasions” these days.  Put on a tie and suddenly everyone assumes you have a job interview or something.  But, there’s nothing wrong with rocking a tie every now and then.  You might think this is crazy talk – but trust us.  We don’t suggest styles that are out-there and truly “fashionable” or “trendy”.  Wearing a tie is as classic as you can get, so show the confidence to look good in one.  The good thing is that there are plenty of cool looking ties you can find at H&M, Express and Thomas Pink – and they’re probably all on sale now!

Great Dress Shirts

If you read this blog frequently, you knew this was coming.  The real key to dressing up and looking good is the shirt.  Everything else just supports this part of your outfit.  So, if you want to look better in 2009 than you did in 2008, make sure you get the right dress shirt.  Pay close attention to fabric quality, collar construction and especially how well the shirt fits.  Go for a slightly slimmer fitting shirt than you did before.  This can either be a custom tailored dress shirt made just for you or something you find off the rack that you have altered. Just focus on quality and take the time to get the fit right.

So if your goal for 2009 is to take your style up a notch, these tips should get you (and us) there. Best of luck!

2009 is coming.  Next Thursday actually. Yes, we are celebrating.

What you should wear on New Years Eve depends entirely on where you’re going and what you’re doing.  Here are some ideas.

Lying Low – Nice Dinner (Not Our Plan)

If your NYE plans are to simply take your girlfriend out to dinner.  NY Magazine suggests a nice black suit, white shirt and red tie.  Very presidential really.  We like this advice.  If you’re going some place nice expect everyone to there to be looking their best and you need to make your date proud.  Even if you didn’t twist your brokers arm to get you a table at Jean Gorges it won’t hurt to be looking extra sharp.

Lying REALLY Low – The Couch (Also Not Our Plan)

If you can’t be bothered to get out of the house for New Years Eve and are planning on staying at home alone (or with other miserable people), then it doesn’t really matter what you wear.  We suggest either nudity, or a comfortable pair of sweat pants and white t-shirt.

Something Outside (Also Not Our Plan)

If you’re planning on going to Times Square to watch the ball drop with the mob your friends, About.com suggests you wear plenty of warm layers (hats, scarves, jackets) and comfortable shoes and socks.  The last couple days it has been warm(er) in NY, but it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen next week.  Don’t worry about looking good as much as being comfortable.  Bonus tip: DO NOT let your girlfriend wear heels or you will be hearing about it all night.

The Scene (Also Not Our Plan)

You’ve already booked your table at the club.  You’re planning on going through several bottles of Dom Perignon and Grey Goose.  Justin Timberlake, Paris Hilton, or (insert celebrity) might be there and it’s going to be the best party ever.  You’re not taking a date, but you have coordinated with several girl “friends” to be at the same club – anything could happen.  If you’re prepping for this sort of scene you want to look the part.  We suggest following Askmen.com’s advice and going with a leather jacket over a blue or eggplant dress shirt.  Ignore their advice to wear leather pants though.  Stick to a good fitting pair of slacks or consider a nice pair of dark washed designer jeans.

The Loft Private Cocktail Party (Yes, This is Our Plan)

Either a friend, a friend of a friend, or a friend of a friend of a friend has an apartment that can comfortably accommodate 50+ people and they’ve agreed to host a party.  This could range from a catered all you can drink cocktail bar with professional DJ to a keg in the corner and someone’s IPod hooked up to a stereo. Regardless it will be fun.  As the party varies so does the dress code, so be aware of what you’re getting into.  Most likely your outfit should be somewhere between fancy dinner attire and the over-the-top-night-club.  A good host will lay out guidelines in advance – like “black tie” to help their guests – so be respectful and dress according to the suggestions.  Just do it better than everyone else.  You will certainly want to wear a dress shirt.  Possibly a jacket and or tie.  The lighting will be better than at the club and you’re probably going to take your jacket off, so make sure your dress shirt fits you right and makes you look your best.  We also suggest wearing a nice pair of shiny leather shoes.  They won’t get destroyed as badly as they would in a club and people will notice.

Ok – now that you got the “what to wear” problem solved – move onto the much more important “who to kiss” problem.  Sorry Proper Cloth can’t help you there – but we wish you luck.

Have any other plans, or know of any good parties?  Let us know.

Stay Proper.