The Spring Wardrobe Guide Part 2 addresses the details that help you make your statement. Paying attention to details in your wardrobe conveys the message that you are a guy who pays attention to every detail in your business transactions and in your personal life.
Accessories: ties, pocket squares, socks, and even our shoes
Accessories are a simple and subtle way to add pops of color that make a definite difference in your appearance. If you tend to be more conservative with your style, accessories are a great place to start taking some risks. Start by trying bright and bold shades of color with your ties, pocket squares, or socks. For example, adding a light pink paisley pocket square with a light blue suit and a pink plaid or check shirt may change your look from drab to right on point. The bottom line with accessories for all of us: This is the place to be bold.
Ties, pocket squares, and socks:
- Yellow, mint green, light blue, pink, purple, and lighter shades of orange and red are great colors to try in the spring.
- Patterns make a difference. Make your statement with a light blue sock with pink stripes or polka dots. Sometimes it is also acceptable to ditch the socks altogether, but make sure that the audience and the environment is right for that selection.
Shoes:
- Lighten your look by trading out brown or black shoes for a walnut or chili colored shoe. You can also change colors completely with white or lighter shades of gray suede but stay natural and neutral with your shoe color..
- In spring, feel free to give your lace-up shoes a breather and rotate in a nice pair of slip-ons when the wardrobe selection calls for a more relaxed look.
Don’t forget, the details matter. When you take the time to make small, careful, thought out adjustments to your appearance and/or wardrobe, all of these details combine to enhance your complete image. Consider John Wooden’s quotation, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” Not only does it apply to basketball but equally to men’s fashion.
Fabric Options:
As temperatures heat up, it is always great to wear fabrics that are lighter weight because they breathe a little easier than traditional woolen fabrics. Choose lighter fabric blends of linen or silk mixed with wool, and of course there are always linen and seersucker, two true southern staples. I personally like to make or wear garments in lighter weight wools that are unconstructed or unlined for a more natural, lighter feel. Finally, remember if a suit or sport coat is not on the agenda, wear a lightweight shirt that fits well paired with a nice tailored pant for a comfortable put together look. For spring, especially in the south, a lighter look and feel is the way to go.
Whether you use one or all of the ideas suggested, make your statement this spring dressed with confidence.
On deck post: The “go-to” Suit. Check back to find out more.
Make your Statement,
JMac
Check out these posts to see more looks like the ones described here. Let us help you make your statement by taking your spring wardrobe up a notch.
Travis Richardson Testimonial
The Spring Wardrobe Guide Part 2 addresses the details that help you make your statement. Paying attention to details in your wardrobe conveys the message that you are a guy who pays attention to every detail in your business transactions and in your personal life. Accessories: ties, pocket squares, socks, and even our shoes […]
Read More ›Robbie Ballard Testimonial
The Spring Wardrobe Guide Part 2 addresses the details that help you make your statement. Paying attention to details in your wardrobe conveys the message that you are a guy who pays attention to every detail in your business transactions and in your personal life. Accessories: ties, pocket squares, socks, and even our shoes […]
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Spring Wardrobe Guide | Part 2
The Spring Wardrobe Guide Part 2 addresses the details that help you make your statement. Paying attention to details in your wardrobe conveys the message that you are a guy who pays attention to every detail in your business transactions and in your personal life. Accessories: ties, pocket squares, socks, and even our shoes […]
Read More ›Spring Wardrobe Guide | Part 1
The Spring Wardrobe Guide Part 2 addresses the details that help you make your statement. Paying attention to details in your wardrobe conveys the message that you are a guy who pays attention to every detail in your business transactions and in your personal life. Accessories: ties, pocket squares, socks, and even our shoes […]
Read More ›On deck post: The “go-to” Suit
Check back to find out more.
Make your Statement,
JMac
This spring wardrobe guide can also be found in the April issue of Southern Distinction magazine, where we publish bi-monthly columns about trends in men’s fashion and help you make the most of your wardrobe. Spring Wardrobe Guide | Part 2 will follow soon with advice and images about accessories and fabrics.
Spring is the perfect time to make your statement. The warmer weather and bright colors of spring inspire us to have more fun and change our attitudes and wardrobes. There are several ways to make these changes that I will share with you. We can add color by choosing lighter, brighter hues for our suits and shirts. Patterns change for spring, as well, by letting us take a breather from the winter weight fabrics and colors. Spring is the perfect time to open our minds to fun accessories and fabrics with a lighter look and feel.
Adding Color and Pattern
This spring, look to add color through brighter hues and bold patterns that turn heads. With suits and sport coats, move into lighter shades of blue and gray. This is the time of year that I like to replace colors like dark navy and charcoal suits with slate blue and light gray. Adding khaki and light brown back into the mix with your suit and jacket choices also gives you more options for the warmer weather. Now is also the time to throw in a touch of color with pink, lavender, or light blue pinstripes and plaids.
Change up the look of your shirts by adding patterns such as small and large checks or stripes with a splash of color. My personal favorite is gingham. Spring is also the perfect time to bring out bright beautiful, spring time solids. Let your spring wardrobe make your statement this season by taking more risks with boldness and hue. If all of this talk about color and pattern is too far out of your comfort zone, then a crisp white well-fitted shirt is always a good option, as well.
Make Your Statement,
JMac
As we move into the new year, our resolutions are packed with goals and expectations that will lead to our successes in the coming months. Make sure you give yourself every opportunity to project the image that makes your 2015 statement with these wardrobe resolutions.
Resolutions that are sure to help you make your statement to your colleagues, customers, new business contacts, and most of all to you:
Let me know what you think about these looks. What is the look you have in mind for 2015?
Make Your Statement,
JMac
Do details really matter? My simple answer is always yes. They can be the difference between getting a big account, getting the job, or closing a sale. Personally, I hope details matter to my surgeon, my attorney, my contractor, and my barber (for those that know me, feel free to insert your joke here).
Let’s discuss the details of the way you dress. There are many ways that you can show that details matter to you in the way you dress. Your suit, shirt, and tie combo can be the basis for you to perfect your look. You can also add the right pocket square and cufflinks to that combo to complete the details. On your business casual day in lieu of a tie, be sure to throw in a cool pocket square or socks to make your statement. Also, remember to add subtle details such as color and texture to express your personality and display the image you want to project.
As I mentioned in my previous post, first (and lasting) impressions are being made from the moment we walk in the door, and in most cases our attire is our business card. The details of our clothes from the style, to the way they fit, and their care (pressed garments and polished shoes) are the first impression that we get to make. We don’t have to be in a suit and tie to look professional, but always looking professional and paying attention to details will separate us from the competition and make sure we are portraying the image that we want to make.
Take a look at the pictures below to see the importance of details…
Let’s figure out the details that will help you perfect your look.
Make Your Statement,
JMac
It’s been said, “Control your image, or your image will control you.” Is that statement relevant to you? What image are you portraying on a daily basis? Does it say you are professional, serious, lazy, confident, fun, conservative, or willing to take risks? Your image is your best business card; what does your card say about you? In the business world, business is usually done based on whether the prospective client likes you or not.
We are all selling ourselves on a daily basis regardless of what career we choose: Teacher to students, CEO to employees, pastor to congregation, sales person to business owner, real estate agent to client-just to name a few. Why not make sure that you are giving yourself every opportunity to succeed? Fair or not, people judge us from the moment we walk in the door. How we dress, how we communicate, our facial expressions, and our attitudes tell people who we are when we meet them. Why not control the things you can control and make sure you pass the image test? Is image that important? I think it is vital to your success and mine; fortunately for most of us it is 100% controllable.
What are some things that you can do to make sure that you are controlling your image?
- Make sure your clothes fit.
- Your clothes should match or coordinate.
- Press your garments. This is NOT optional.
- Don’t wear clothes that are old or out of style.
- Polish your shoes and be sure that your shoes match your belt.
Your choices in wardrobe say a tremendous amount about the person you are on any given day. For example, if you are a sales person with an important meeting, you want to give an image of professionalism, confidence, and being detail-orientated. Whether you choose a suit and tie, or a sport coat and slacks, the details such as fit, coordination of colors, style, accessory selection, and attitude toward your appearance will portray a certain image. The way you approach your wardrobe can really tell the story and create the image you want for yourself.
As I venture into the world of blogging, I hope to help you define your image and discover the ways that you can control your image by approaching your style with the basic tips I have given today. Whether or not you are a suit and tie kind of person, you can still portray a great image through garments that have the right fit and with attention to the details. Going forward, I will help you look at all elements of your wardrobe to make sure that you are making the statement that you want to make.
Here are a few pictures to get you thinking about the ways you can define and control your image:
Make your statement-
JMac
We’ve got some exciting things in store for our brand-new blog, so please stay tuned!