Office Attire Part Two: Style and Cut

To return to my previous post on business dress, we've discussed how to brighten up your wardrobe through using colour in a tasteful way, http://thestudenttailor.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/office-attire-part-one-colour-and.html and in the last post I also touched upon the point that unless you're in a position of authority or perhaps a more creative, flamboyant position, checks and stripes should be kept subtle given the statement they make - no chalk stripes allowed! If bold pattern choices are limited then, how else can you brighten up the style of your formal wear? 

The solution - I'd consider experimenting with cloth weave and texture. Keeping fabrics plain, but in different weaves allows for lots of wardrobe diversity. Flannels add a soft, luxurious finish, and tougher cloths like fine herringbones, hopsacks and sharkskins make for hard wearing options. Similarly, birdseye fabrics are, to quote a friend of mine who works with Hackett 'hard as nails' and are a excellent multi-tonal option in taupe, chocolate or grey options. Don't forget that experimenting with the weave of shirting cloth makes for interesting differentiation as well.

Then, we come to the meat of the issue: cut. I've said again and again that business suiting mustn't look ostentatious, but can all too easily look dull. How many men reading this will have a wardrobe filled with two-button, twin vented, notched-lapel clad two pieces? Let me now introduce you to some alternative sartorial features to experiment with, which can add elegance and interest to your business suiting. You should be able to find some nice examples of the following features whether you're going shopping down the high street, or visiting your tailor.

The easiest way to vary the generic form of the notched lapel business suit is simply to change it. The peaked lapel is becoming more and more common and therefore more generally accepted as an understated, yet sharp choice for business dress. Its true that the peaked lapel can take an ostentatious form, but only if worn as a very broad lapel, something I myself am guilty of; such is my unfortunate tendency to dress like a mobster. So long as its kept to a moderate size, with a tall, sharp proportions to the peak, it looks crisp, modern and infinitely more sharp.

Bespoke blue flannel suit, The Cad & the Dandy.
Salmon pink end-on-end shirt with white collar and cuffs, Hawes & Curtis.
Blue and white dice check silk tie and white silk handkerchief, T.M. Lewin.
Antique silver tie bar.
Two-tone brogues by Alfred Serjeant.

Another feature that's becoming considerably more accepted and suitably stylish for work wear, is the classic single breasted waistcoat. Often lapels with waistcoats, or double breasted closure can be a step too far for business dress, but to truly stand out in elegant fashion, a single breasted waistcoat can really lift an otherwise conventional suit. A tip here, traditionally, the lower the waistcoat break (i.e. the fewer buttons on it and the lower it fastens around the chest) the more dressy its considered, so waistcoats for business attire should have a relatively high break, stick to classic five or six button closure for the most formal shape.

Few men realise the variety in trouser shapes that can be achieved through experimenting with the tens of possible pleat or pocket options available. Often, anything other than a classic outward facing single pleat is considered too dressy for work, but in a plain cloth, I firmly disagree, twin pleats add flow and body to a trouser in an understated fashion and truly do stand out from the crowd. So too do turn-ups, which contrary to popular belief, will suit almost any leg shape, and can be very easily added - just watch that you buy a trouser with enough length in the hem, a good two to three inches is necessary. 

Similarly, one of my real pet-hates with modern trousers is the tendency to let them slump around the hips - the shape this produces is truly hateful and unflattering. Look for trousers with a nice high rise (even if this means buying a 'long' length trouser as opposed to 'regular' or 'short' off the peg and re-hemming the leg). Since the very birth of the trouser as we know it, it has been designed to sit on the waist and aid in producing an elegant hourglass shape through the body. To truly show that you know how to dress, let you trousers fulfill their intended function and sit above your hips - they are not jeans. I promise you, once you can see what an elegant shape this produces, you'll never look at trousers in the same way again.

Cashmere flannel three piece suit, Austin Reed '110th Anniversary Collection.
Lilac striped shirt with white collar and cuffs, Hawes & Curtis.
Tie, Austin Reed.
Handkerchief, Charles Tyrwhitt.
Silver Pocket Watch, Jean Pierre.
Chocolate Derby's by Barker.

Also consider as much as possible the little details, if you've got a wardrobe full of jackets with four button cuffs, finding a jacket with three or two buttons could be a bonus? Similarly, consider pocket shape - if you've got jackets with lots of straight cut pockets, look for something with a slanting cut to add some variety, experiment with the inclusion of ticket pockets on jackets, or whether you change the number of jacket vents for example. Thinking about the little details can be invaluable in building variety into your attire, which in turn indicates that you're a discerning dresser who thinks about his professional image.

Of course, there is so much more I could say, but I'm fearing information overload here, and I think that's enough to think about and illustrate my point - business dress does not have to be dull, and nor does it have to revolve around limited options of colour and cut. If any of you would like any further thoughts or advice on this, then please don't hesitate to comment beneath, and similarly, see my corresponding Pinterest board for more inspiration: 

http://pinterest.com/studenttailor/business-dress-done-well/