Collars and Cuffs

When you're picking out a shirt, you have several decisions to make, mainly the type of collar and the type of cuff. Material should be a consideration well. Some collars and cuffs don't work with some suits and ties. A collar can compliment your face shape and give variety to your look, even if you only have one or two suits to rotate. Here is a primer on the basic choices you have on your shirts and how they can help you look your best.

Collars
There are 3 basic collar choices (with variations on each that make for more options):

The Button Down Collar: This is the least dressy of the 3 choices mentioned here. If you're wearing it with a suit, you should pick a broadcloth material. An oxford cloth is more casual and isn't your best choice for a suit. Medium width ties go well with this collar.







The Straight Point Collar: Probably the most common of collars. Conservative and safe. Goes with pretty much anything and is a great go-to shirt. Works with all tie sizes and knots, and is probably your best choice if you're going to wear a narrow or skinny tie.






The Spread Collar: The most confident and stylish of the 3. Looks great with medium and wide ties. Looks great with a four-in-hand knot or a windsor knot.

Cuffs
There are also 3 basic kinds of cuff to consider (also with other iterations that usually fit into one of these molds):

The Single Button Cuff: The standard. Definitely the most common, and on less expensive shirts, this is probably the cuff you'll get. But it's nice and simple and goes with whatever.

The French Cuff: The most daring. Also the most formal, although you can successfully dress a french cuff shirt down if the links are right (subtle and subdued). Do it right and it's a nice, classy look.

The two-button Barrel Cuff: A great look. These cuffs look especially nice with the modern, streamlined suit, but they look good with anything.

The Pocket Square

Pocket squares, like the tie bar, are another one of those finishing touches that you don't see too much of. If you haven't worn one before, give it a shot and see if you like it. Here are a few tips on how to wear the square:

1. Don't wear a matching tie/pocket square combo. Never ever.

2. You can wear it as a simple folded square or use a multi-peaked fold. With the silk or sheen varieties, there are all kinds of ways of wearing it in a puffed fashion.

3. Use a solid color--probably white--in a simple cotton or linen. Some would say there is some utility to the pocket square: It's basically a handkerchief in your pocket. If you wouldn't blow your nose with it if you needed to, it's probably too fancy. Silk ones (usually worn puffy) can be overstated and they definitely have no utility, but can be a smart look and are usually more conducive to incorporating colors. The simple white square is a classic look, but as you can see in the pictures, it's also modern when coupled with a streamlined suit. You can get work stripes or patterns in if you dare.

Raising the Bar

The tie bar is an instant style upgrade when you're sporting a tie. We're talking about tie bars (aka tie clips) not collar bars. The tie bar is functional--it was created to keep your tie in place and not flying in the wind or in your food--but it's also classic and stylish. It's a great accessory to add a little flair to your look. They're definitely making a come back as far as trends go, but they were not seen for quite some time. Regardless of trends, the it is a great compliment to a nice suit. Here are a few tips for using a tie bar:

--Wear it higher than half way up the tie, but not too high. Right at about the lower tip of the sternum is good. Straight across the tie is best.

--Some tie bars have teeth on the back side. A lot of the teethed ones have hinges. Others just slide on. No hinge. Suit yourself.

--Keep it clean and simple. There are some pretty crazy tie bars out there. Steer clear of bejeweled or baroque looking stuff as a general rule. Less is definitely more with tie bars. You can't go wrong with a simple silver tie bar with or without subtle designs or lines.

Your Next Pair of Shoes

Here are a few tips on how to pick a pair of dress shoes that really pop. When you're getting a pair of shoes to wear with a suit or with dressier clothes, they should be somewhat understated for the most part, nothing too flashy, unless you are going for a trendy look. This post is about shoes that you can wear now or 5 years from now (and if you get the right ones, you can wear them for years to come).

Let's start with what you don't want: another pair of square toe shoes. These were popular for a long while and are still around. A lot of them are bulky and don't go well with a well cut suit. Some can be slim enough to compliment a suit nicely. The ones to avoid are the widely squared toe shoes with thick, clunky soles.


What is in style now, and will always be in style because they're classic, are a nice pair of round toe lace up oxfords. Stick with these and you can't go wrong. Wingtip, cap toe, plain toe, etc. Keep them clean and polished, use shoe trees, and they'll serve you for a long time. If you have the means, treat yourself to leather soled shoes, especially if you don't have any yet. They wear beautifully, last a long time, and you can have them resoled when the soles get a bit tired and it breathes new life into them for several more years. Rubber soles have their place (if you're on your feet a lot, need the traction, are in inclement weather a lot).









Loafers and slip-ons are also great. Some can be a bit casual for a suit (like the driving shoes pictured below) but they can be dressed up with jeans and a blazer or down with jeans and a T shirt. The loafers pictured are definitely suit friendly, or can be worn with jeans.












One final note: unless you're going to pair them with a black suit, try wearing brown shoes with most suit colors. There are lots of great shades to choose from, and they go best with grey, blue, and khaki suits. Apply these tips the next time you buy a pair of shoes and you'll come away with slim, classic shoes that are also modern and in style. Take care of them and they'll help you look great for years to come.