How to Put On the Big-Boy Trousers
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
No, nobody cares what you wear at home. If you want to wear those old boxers with the blown-out butt because they remind you of good times, knock yourself out. But everybody cares a lot about what you wear at work. Whether or not your company has taken the time to write it down and conduct a seminar on it, your company has not only a dress code but a set of official uniforms for the different job classes.
photo credit: greggoconnell
When you finally get liberated from “the rank and file,” moving into a position that suits your dignity, brains, and accomplishments, the company expects you to pull on the “big-boy trousers” and join the cadre of professional men who have mastered the subtle and delicate art of “business casual.”
We’ll go out on limb here and assume you understand the basic principle: We’re talking slacks and a real shirt that buttons all the way from the bottom to the top-usually with seven buttons. Even if the company leaves a little latitude for polo shirts, you will manifest the good sense to save your polos only for casual Friday because you do want to continue your climb up the ladder.
Beyond the basic principle, however, you need to master the details. You see the difference between the guy wearing the big-boy trousers and the little boy playing dress-up. Learn your fabrics, learn your colors, and especially learn your shoes.
As a matter of fact, let’s start with the shoes, because about 97.896% of all guys recently promoted into management would not know a proper pair of shoes if it fell on them. One word - just one word: “Classic,” which, unfortunately, also means expensive, but you do get what you pay for. Climb out of those clod-hoppers from Bargain Barn, and invest in a decent pair of shoes. If the label says “Bass” or “Cole-Hahn,” you cannot go wrong-not in style and not for durability. If you work in a sort of rough-and-tough business, you may compromise on Doc Martens. Get the guy at Nordstrom to help you.
photo credit: Steve Punter
Working our way up the body-you do know that fit and lean increase your odds of promotion, right?-accessorize with proper socks: dark, preferably black or charcoal gray, all-wool for comfort and wear, and a lot of them so that you always have a clean pair. No, you cannot recycle the socks from the top of the laundry pile.
Trousers? Not Dickies. Dockers. Enough said. But, please, invest in a proper all-leather belt to hold-up those trousers and please make certain that those trousers fit you all the way up to your natural waist. The sagging thing was cool while you drove the fork lift; you’re over it now.
And, finally, the part you almost, without doubt, missed and you cannot know what a difference this detail makes: Once again, invest in all-cotton long-sleeved shirts with button-down collars. No matter what profession you plan to master, the oxford cloth button-down shirt is always the official uniform of the Masters of the Universe. Sure, you will pay fifty bucks per shirt, but each of those shirts will last at least a decade. Sure, those shirts requires proper laundering and ironing so find a laundry nearby that will do them for 99 cents each.
From the standpoint of your peers and all your partners, if you look the part, you are the part.
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Tags: Fashion, fashion tips
It is really a great sharing.i have washed white trousers 3 times but there are still mud stains at bottom of trousers, has anyone any ideas how to get them out please?
Tnx