Top 5 Items that should be in every man’s professional wardrobe

5. One Pair of Dark Jeans…Dark jeans are the casual Friday go to. They are the easiest thing to match because you can wear black or brown shoes and anything up top. I recommend either AG or Citizens for a good pair. I know those brands run near $200 a pair, but they are made here at home and they feel like sweat pants they are so comfortable.

4. Two Button Down Shirts…Everyone looks clean in a nice white button down. It also seems to be the shirt women are most attracted to, but my sample size is small (1). The other color is a toss up, but I recommend a solid blue. The shirts should fit correctly to support a tie if necessary. Through the sides the shirts should fit your body’s shape and not have too much excess material. Its amazing how getting a shirt that’s just an inch or two more fitted (if you are accustom to wearing a tent) will make you look significantly thinner.

3. Two Accessory Sets…I’m grouping shoes into accessories because they really are. A lot of men could care less how what’s on their feet matches what’s on their body. A lot of men should start caring a lot more. Is it true that women look at shoes? I have no earthly idea. However, I do know that looking put together requires the whole look not ¾ of it. So, you need two shoes (black and brown), two matching belts, at least two pair of dress socks, and optimally two watches to match the whole look.

2. Two suits…Everyone wears suits. The last wedding I attended there were a hand full of construction workers, a golf pro, and at least one truck driver. Now those are three of the first occupations that will tell you they do not wear suits, but occasions come up. We suggest a solid navy and a solid grey. You have now created four outfits. You can wear the suits as they are or you can “break the suit” and wear the navy jacket with the grey pant and visa versa. Also, grey and navy are the best for interviews and in today’s iron curtain job market there will likely be a second interview where you will want a different suit.

1. One Jacket…There are certain areas of the world where this does not apply. Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and the majority of other major metropolitan areas are not those areas. I recommend a rain coat with a liner. If you are going to have one jacket it might as well do everything. A rain coat without the liner is light and keeps you dry. With the liner, the rain coat becomes a winter coat and even repels snow. Most importantly, rain coats can be worn just as professionally as an overcoat over the suit.

images from Ben Sherman, Faconnable, Allen Edmonds, Cole Haan, Citizens, Jack Victor 2013