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Paging Frank Ridgeway: Shirt and tie without a jacket?

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Dick Whitman, Sep 12, 2012.

  1. Buck

    Buck Well-Known Member

    I wear button-down shirts almost exclusively, but they are more casual than regular point or spread collars.
     
  2. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    I am *not* a fashionista, as my girlfriend will readily point out (Although she believes foofy Spanish or French guys wearing women's scarves have "style.")

    That said, I have always made a distinction between looks and appearance. Looks are what you were given. Appearance is what you do with it. And that includes how you dress yourself. It's the part you can actually control.
     
  3. Frank_Ridgeway

    Frank_Ridgeway Well-Known Member

    Depends. There are ties that lend themselves to a more casual approach and ties that don't. Even on the latter, though, at some point in the day, you are going to take off the suit jacket for a while and thus you at times have tie without jacket. But the quality/formality your tie, your shirt, your trousers and shoes exclaim very loudly: NOT MAILROOM. Even Donald Draper sheds the jacket and keeps the tie at some point in the office. There are various clips online of this. He puts the jacket back on to meet with a client.

    I think I can pull off the buttondown collar, khakis, loafers or longwings and striped rep tie without looking mailroom. Why? Because the tie's width (2.75 to 3.25 inches) and quality of the fabric exclaim "preppy." There may be a blazer or tweed jacket at my desk, or there may not be, and what diff does it make? It's not like I would try this look with a pindot tie.

    I don't care for the suit without tie. To me it screams: Someone or something is trying to make me dress like "a suit," but I'm going to rebel. If I'm wearing a suit, I'm wearing a tie.
     
  4. 2underpar

    2underpar Active Member

    I avoid most places that might require some sort of coat/tie ensemble.
    Are zip-up/clip-on ties fashionable?
     
  5. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    We wear caps and sleeves on this level, son. This isn't the California Penal League. We're professionals here!
     
  6. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Some thoughts from observing people today in my city and office:

    @ I do think it can work. But the margin of error is thin.

    @ You don't need to be good-looking, but you can't be overweight.

    @ Slim-cut shirt. No extra fabric at the waist or in the back.

    @ Patterned shirt. This seems like a big key in not looking like you are either in middle school or forgot your jacket.

    @ Tie bar. This seems key, as you don't want your tie flopping around like an elephant trunk. I don't own one. I plan to fix that.

    @ Thin tie. You don't have to look like you walked off the set of "Reservoir Dogs," but try to keep it on the sleek side.

    @ No pleated pants. The key to pulling this off is the über-clean lines.

    @ Essentially, you have to look like you planned this particular look, not that you learned to dress in Sunday School and stopped.

    @ A watch seems like a nice touch, as well. I need one.

    @ Oh, and shoes. Real dress shoes. No substitutes.
     
  7. BB Bobcat

    BB Bobcat Active Member

    Can we all agree that what's really bad is wearing a sport coat with any sort of shirt other than a dress shirt? Like over a polo. I think that's really awful
     
  8. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Oh, and I can't pull off button-downs. Lots of others can. I salute them.
     
  9. ColdCat

    ColdCat Well-Known Member

    With Gillette's "Masters of Style" ad airing during PTI, I would just like to point out that Brody and Andre 3000 are going coat-no-tie and they are masters of freakin' style for god-sakes
     
  10. 3OctaveFart

    3OctaveFart Guest

    http://www.louisvuitton.com/front/#/eng_US/Collections/Men/Accessories/Scarves-ties-and-more
     
  11. Azrael

    Azrael Well-Known Member

    We've long since passed the point of no return on the suit-without-tie. It can be made to work with a well-made, well-cut suit, and sufficiently beautiful shirt.

    Body type has a lot to do with this question. Fat guys get less fashion latitude.

    And there's an age past which you no longer look good in jeans. It varies from person to person.

    You will not recognize it in yourself.
     
  12. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    There is a trick to pulling off a button-down shirt?
     
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