Off the Cuff: Brooks Brothers; Breaking the Rules

A new post category for miscellaneous items not worth a full post each.

• Looking for some fall style inspiration? You could do worse than browsing Brooks Brothers' Back to Campus catalog online (the unfortunate quilted blazer on page 38 notwithstanding).

• We discussed the rules for jacket buttons recently. Because we like to also feature examples of how someone might break such rules and get away with it, here's a jacket button example. As usual, when you're going to break a rule so blatantly, your overall outfit better say that you're a man who knows what he's doing. (And it doesn't hurt if you're a gray-haired style icon whom many consider to be one of the best-dressed men in the world, if not in history.) Bottom line: almost all of us are best served keeping those jackets buttoned properly.

             

• Finally, speaking of the rules and how to break them, here are a couple of lines we recently ran across that put the matter well: "Personally, I would certainly not wear it like that but it is a different approach of someone who clearly thought about it." -- Gentleman's Gazette. "Regardless of the shirt or the style these are always good guidelines. If you're going to break one, have a very clear stylistic goal in mind, and double-check the look in the mirror." --  Antonio Centeno at the Art of Manliness.

Peeved: They're called "under"shirts for a reason.

As we stated at the beginning of this blog, wearing a polo shirt to work is not wrong; it's just not distinguished or interesting. However, there is an unfortunately common variation when wearing a polo that stands out for the wrong reason:  the white crew-neck undershirt showing at the neck of the polo. And this problem isn't limited to the polo shirt, as we see guys showing the undershirt at the open neck of their dress shirts much more often than we should.

Please don't.

We're not sure how this look escaped its acceptable confines at the end of the day when a guy took off his tie to kick back and drink a cold one, but it's now a premeditated part of work wardrobes. Perhaps the advent of "business casual" as standard workwear is to blame: "this dress shirt says business, but the t-shirt I'm going to let show underneath will say casual. Boom."

As we see it, there are two major issues with showing your undershirt. The first is that an undershirt is underwear, and people in a professional environment should not be publicly displaying anything in that category. The second issue is aesthetic: the bright patch of white at the base of your neck instantly draws attention to itself as it contrasts with the color of your shirt, drawing attention away from anything else you're wearing and focusing it on the most boring piece of your outfit. Still skeptical that this is an issue? Don't just take our word for it.

If you're wearing a polo or dress shirt with the top button undone, wear a v-neck undershirt with a deep enough v to stay hidden. Ideally, the v will lay just below the collar line of your outer shirt. If you get a v that's too deep, it may show underneath your shirt, which is also a look you want to avoid.

Another option is to skip the undershirt altogether. This makes sense for fabrics like linen or seersucker that are used to stay cool during the summer. Wearing an undershirt negates most of the cooling effect you would otherwise get from these materials.

That being said, there are several good reasons to wear an undershirt, including protecting and prolonging the life of your dress shirt by absorbing perspiration and deodorant. On a warm day, it's better (and less noticeable) to change to a spare undershirt than to a different dress shirt. Undershirts are also good to wear with dress shirts that are more translucent, especially for hirsute gentlemen.

Speaking of chest hair, some guys insist on wearing a crew-neck undershirt to help keep hair from appearing at the neckline. If you think you have to wear a visible crew-neck, then a better alternative to white would be wearing a gray, black, or other color of t-shirt that complements your outfit or stands out less than white. However, know that some hirsute gents, including GQ's Style Guy, recommend a little trimming to resolve the issue in favor of a v-neck or no undershirt.

Under thinner fabrics or on well-tanned guys, a white undershirt will sometimes be pretty visible underneath a dress shirt, especially where the short sleeves end and the bare skin of your arm begins. If you want to minimize this effect, a light-heather-gray undershirt will often be much less visible in such situations.

When should you wear a crew-neck undershirt? When you're wearing a tie, so that the v-neck doesn't show underneath your dress shirt. Note also that the more you wear a jacket with your tie (or without), the less you'll have to worry about the undershirt's short sleeves showing under your dress shirt, which will help minimize the issue described in the previous paragraph.

Finally, when buying undershirts, buy on the small side. You don't want a bunch of extra fabric under your outer shirt, and a snug undershirt can help you look just a bit trimmer.

Jacket Buttons

"Which buttons do I button on my suit jacket/sportscoat?" may be the all-time most-asked men's style question. It's also one of the easiest to answer.

One-button jacket: classic tuxedo jackets feature one button, which is to be buttoned.

Two-button jackets: button the top button, leave the bottom undone.

Three-button jackets: this one is just a little more complicated. First, always leave the bottom button undone and button the middle button. Whether to button the top button on a three-button jacket depends on the style of the lapel. In a "3-roll-2" jacket, the roll of the lapel covers the top button, essentially turning the jacket into a two-button jacket.

A 3-roll-2 jacket.

However, some three-button jackets do not have this type of lapel roll, and with these you can choose whether or not to button the top button. With these, take a look in the mirror and determine which is the better look for your particular jacket.

This jacket may maintain cleaner lines with the top button buttoned.

Four-button (or more) single-breasted jackets: buy yourself a 2- or 3-button jacket.

Double-breasted jackets: with these, the bottom button is optional, with all other buttons buttoned.

When should your jacket be buttoned? As often as possible, but always while standing. Your jacket was designed to be buttoned and, if properly tailored, is more flattering (i.e., slimming) when buttoned. Some single-breasted jackets will not present as well if buttoned while sitting, though, so you may want to unbutton it to sit. (Double-breasted jackets generally look better buttoned at all times, including while sitting.)

Addendum [8/15]: a wise reader writes to suggest we mention the royal origins behind the bottom-button rule. The Art of Manliness has a good description:

Historically, in the early years of the suit as everyday menswear, it appears there were no formal buttoning rules. Look to trade magazines and illustrations from the earlier part of the 20^th century, and one sees jackets with between one and five buttons, each buttoned in a manner that suited the personality of the wearer or the cut of the garment.

But much of this changed with a king who was too fat to button his jacket. Or at least, that’s what legend says.

According to the lore of menswear, in the early 1900s King Edward VII started the trend of leaving the bottom button of a suit undone.

Apparently, he grew so rotund that he was unable to fasten the bottom button of his waistcoat and jacket. To not offend the king, those associated with him started doing the same. The custom then gradually spread the world round (as England was still largely an imperial power with great influence across the globe).

For today's purposes, the most important reason to follow these rules is that nearly all modern men's jackets are designed with the intent that the bottom button will remain unbuttoned. Thus, buttoning the bottom button will likely negatively affect the lines and drape of the jacket and may cause unsightly bunching.

Building your wardrobe: the essential pants.

We started this series with shirt advice, so now let's move down to the pants. We'll assume you already have serviceable chinos/khakis in your wardrobe. Those are great for everyday casual or dressed-down office wear, but it's time to add another basic that can be dressed-up more than chinos: gray wool trousers.

A Brooks Brothers offering.

Like chinos, gray wool slacks are highly versatile. While there are many situations where chinos or gray wool slacks could be worn equally well, chinos also occupy the more casual end of the spectrum (t-shirts) while gray wool serves the more formal end (coat and tie). Thus, with these two types of pants in your closet you will have every situation short of "suit required" covered.

Now, there are some US climates where one medium-weight pair of gray wool slacks will suffice. The Midwest is not one of those places. Our extremes of heat and cold mean that you will actually want to obtain two pairs of gray wool slacks: a lighter summer-weight pair (look for "tropical weight" wool) and a heavier winter-weight pair (flannel is good here). Color-wise, we would recommend a deeper charcoal shade of gray for the winter pair and a lighter shade for the summer pair.

While we're on the topic of pants, here are a few pointers to keep in mind when shopping for them. Plain-front trousers are the standard these days. If you really want to go with pleats, try to stick with a single pleat and as trim a look as you can find. Pleated slacks should be worn higher than plain-front pants: this is how pleated slacks are designed and will help keep the pleats from puffing out. The general rule of thumb is cuffs with pleats and plain hems with plain front trousers, although the weight of cuffs can help maintain a good line on any pair of pants. When you're having your slacks cuffed or hemmed, you'll need to tell the tailor how much break you want, which determines how much of your shoe is covered by the slacks and how much extra fabric bunches at the bottom. You'll probably want to ask for a slight (quarter) or medium (half) break.   No break is a popular look in some quarters these days, but will definitely attract attention in the Midwest. Whatever you do, avoid the full break, which can look sloppy. (Remember this when selecting the length of pre-finished pants, as well.)

American Men's Style

On this Fourth of July, why not check out Esquire's 12 Styles of American Man, a tongue-in-cheek survey of 12 common American men's style categories? It may give you some ideas as you declare independence from a t-shirt-and-polo-heavy wardrobe and work on finding your own style.

Tweeting @BeyondThePolo

We've opened a Twitter account and installed a feed from it in the right sidebar. The plan will be to use the account to provide alerts regarding sales, pass along interesting links not worth a longer post here on the blog, and follow up on ideas that we've previously blogged about. Follow the account at @BeyondThePolo.

Button-downs and suits.

Since our last post recommended the blue OCBD as the first building block for the Midwestern guy looking to upgrade his style, it seems appropriate to address perhaps the most well-known alleged rule relating to button-downs*: that they aren't properly worn with a suit.

The interesting thing about this rule is that, evidently, no one bothered to pass it along to Brooks Brothers, who are the generally-accepted foremost men's clothiers in the USA. The same can be said of J.Press, another of the upper-echelon American men's retailers.

It is true that the Europeans look with horror upon the button-down with a suit (and often even with a tie), but in America the button-down has regularly been worn with suits and ties, at least in the Ivy League tradition.

That being said, the idea that a button-down is inappropriate with a suit has gained significant traction in the USA. Thus, we would highly recommend against pairing a normal OCBD with a suit. At the least, go with the finer pinpoint oxford button-down. To play it safe, a straight or spread collar is always suit-appropriate (because they are more formal in the shirt hierarchy than a button-down), so why not invest in at least a couple of those to wear with your suit...remembering your collar stays, of course.    

* We should clarify here that the term "button-down" is properly used to describe a shirt with collars that button at their tips. Some folks use the term when referring to any shirt that buttons in the front, but the proper term for that use is, logically, "button-front."