Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go (Workwear 101)

You've just graduated from university with flying colors and you've landed a top job at a prestigious magic circle corporation that doesn't mind dishing out a five figure salary to you come the 1st of every month . Could life get any better than this?

Life could get wayyy better if you don't come into work on day one looking like a bum.

To avoid the latter, you are going to need some:

• great ties


• rockin' work shirts


• decent trousers


• impeccable shoes

so let's get you hooked up with

Workwear 101.





Your Shirts

Get fitted shirts in popular shades - lighter shades if you have darker skin and vice-versa. Lighter skinned individuals should opt for darker shades for the sake of contrast, but can generally wear most shades. Fitted shirts are shirts that are cut close to the body, so as to reveal a slim, elongating silhouette.

Fitting, slim cut shirts are cut along the lines of the body for a more flattering, slimming silhoutte.

Great fitted shirts are not difficult to find - Zara and G2000 are two chains that carry many good varieties. I personally feel that the era of bold stripes is over and that good solid pastel colours are an excellent classic alternative. Nonetheless, understated stripes (stripes that seemingly blend into the outfit, stripes that are only visible upon closer inspection) still offer a good way to make a shirt stand out.

If you're wearing your shirt with a tie, see below.






Your Ties

Ties are much like people, they come in all shapes and sizes. It's easy to feel intimidated by the sheer range of ties available out there, but Straight Eye for the Straight Guy is here yet again to save the day with some very practical and simple guidelines to make tie picking quick and painless.

Tie matching involves the art of finding a tie which complements the shirt you're wearing and not otherwise. It's a lot easier to first choose a shirt and then match a tie to that shirt rather than choosing a tie and then matching your shirt to it.

The tie you want will depend on the pattern of your shirt. Plain solid colored shirts, especially crisp plain white shirts, make a safe backdrop for almost any tie. Go with your gut instinct, if it looks right, it probably is. In case of doubt, consult a female/gay/metrosexual friend.

In case of the unavailability of the said friend, let's talk about some basic guidelines. One method for safe coordination is to match your tie with your other accessories, i.e. your shoes and your belt. Also, understated colors are always safer options - think lighter shades of blue, brown, cream and darker shades of green.

If you're wearing a striped shirt, you'll only want to wear a striped tie if the stripes are not identical in size. You preferably want a tie that offers a sufficient level of contrast with your shirt. Feel free to mix up the stripes, i.e. wearing a diagonally striped tie against a vertically striped shirt, but avoid the temptation of 'over-stripifying' by wearing a pinstriped suit with a striped shirt and a striped tie.

Diagonally striped.

Plaid shirts and checkered shirts often go well with solid colored ties. Take a look at your plaid shirt and pick out a tie that complements one subtle color in your shirt. If you're unsure, understated, non-threatening colors are always safer than bright screaming shades. Once you've mastered these basic rules of tie picking, you'll be able to start experimenting with much more interesting combinations. Remember, ties are not the enemy. Ties can make you look better. So don't be afraid to experiment.



Your Trousers

In a nutshell - all will be well as long as you avoid pleated and/or heavily flared trousers at all costs. There is an ongoing debate about whether skinny trousers are yay or nay, but if you ask me - nay. Lots of my female friends say nay too.

Get yourself a few pairs of straight cut trousers with flat fronts in black, grey, white and khaki - all very safe colors with which you'll be able to mix and match your shirts.








Your shoes

Read the footwear article. You do read all the articles, don't you?