Men’s Wardrobe Essentials
What clothes should a guy have? This article lays out the basics. Every guy needs to *start* with a good base wardrobe. Remember to choose clothes in your seasonal color palette. If you need help determining what colors work on you, check out the article below.
Suit
Your suit should be a 3 piece. Choose a conservative style and be sure to have it fitted properly by a professional. The color should be neutral and dark. This allows it to be worn at dressy events and less formal events (without the vest.) If you’re not sure what suit color to buy, I wrote an article to help you. Click the button above to read it.
Dress Shirts
Start with 3 dress shirts. Your go-to shirt should be white. A flattering shade of it. Click here to learn which white works best for your skin tone. An oxford button down collar or broadcloth plain collar both work depending on your style. A broadcloth is more formal.
Shirt 2 should be for dressy situations. Choose a broadcloth with a plain collar. The shirt can be white or an understated color that fits your season. Make sure the color works with your suit.
Shirt 3 is for less formal situations. Choose an oxford in a color from your season. This shirt can be striped or subtly patterned.
Ties
Start with 3 ties. A solid, a striped, and a patterned. Your first tie should be a solid color from your palette. A safe bet is one of your reds or blues, depending on your personality.
Tie number 2 should be striped. Stripes can be big and bold, or thinner and subtile. Again, choose based off your personality and in a color scheme that works with your skin tone.
Tie 3 should be a paisley, foulard, or club. As always, choose one in your color palette.
Dress Shoes
These are shoes for formal and business settings. They should compliment your suit. Matching the color of these with your belt is a safe bet. I prefer a leather Oxford style but you can wear a formal loafer too. Choose what you prefer.
Formal Belt
Your formal belt should have a silver (cool) tone buckle if you are a Winter or Summer. Autumns and Springs should use a gold (warm) tone buckle. The belt should be made of leather and preferably match your suit color. In any case it should be a neutral color.
Everything Else
While the suit and formal wear I talked about above is essential, everything else is lifestyle dependent. A young professional may want to lounge around in polo shirts, while another type of guy prefers to wear normal tees. Some like sweaters, some like jackets. You get the deal.
The main thing here is to choose colors that match your skin tone. I wrote an article about determining your color palette here. Wearing the colors that work for you is the key to looking good.
That said, here are a few items you may want to consider for a complete wardrobe. Thanks for reading!
- Casual Pants (Chinos, quality jeans, etc.)
- Casual Shirts (Polos, flannels, turtlenecks)
- Casual Shoes
- Sweaters (crewneck, V neck, etc.)
- Shorts
- Fabric belts
- Robes
- Jackets
- Etc.
Oh yeah. Check out Next Level Apparel T-shirts for casual shirts to wear around the house. Particularly for their wide range of color options. They make it easy to find shirts that go with your seasonal palette. Anyway! Until next time. Cheers.
