I should probably take up dressing men professionally because I had an outrageous e-mail response to the “Men’s Fall Looks” post. I’m not kidding. I guess you guys like being told what to wear. 🙂 Just kidding, I’m sure it’s nice having a girl that isn’t your girlfriend or wife (or mom) giving you some idea as to what looks good.
Apparently I didn’t cater that well to the business profesh crowd, as I received many questions that were all similar: “So, what do I wear to work?” “I want to look nice at the office but not overdressed.” “I need to look professional but my age.”
Well, look no farther. I have the solution you’re looking for. And no, you don’t need to go out and buy a three piece suit. It’s one item, my friends. And this one piece of clothing will dramatically alter your outfit choices!
It’s a blazer.
Yep. Again, I can see a lot of you running and screaming at the thought of a blazer because maybe it’s not your usual style. It’s time to become men, boys. Well-dressed ones at that. You can still rock a tee shirt and jeans, but throw on a blazer and you’ve taken things ot a whole other level! Blazers are not only for the pretentious, stuffy types. There are plenty of options to choose from, and I’m sure one won’t cramp your style. And let’s be clear… I’m not talking about a suit jacket. I’m talking about a blazer; it’s versatile and you can wear it with dress pants or jeans!
Utilize it for:
- Networking events
- Business dinners
- Frat formals (I had to include this)
- Holiday parties
- Dates (she’ll die.)
- Keeping it classy yet casual at the office
Please do everyone a favor and stick to black or grey (graphite, whatever you want to call it) and stay away from NAVY at all costs. Navy is maybe the hardest thing to match and it reminds me of a sailor (not like sailors are a bad thing). More importantly, you probably won’t realize it’s navy when you’re matching it in your closet with pants and it will be a navy-black mix-match fiasco that nobody wants to deal with.
Gap has a great blazer. And I love this one from Lands End (main photo), only $89! The dude in the picture is a great example — pair it with a collared shirt OR add a skinny tie to spruce things up. And the jersey blazer is awesome because it definitely gives a laid-back vibe (top left, from Urban Outfitters, only $68). There are plenty of blazer options (go to Shop Style and type in “blazer” in the search engine) but they can get pretty pricey, and my goal is to keep you all looking good on an affordable budget. A rule of thumb is to keep whatever you’re wearing under the blazer simple and then go all out with a nice tie or shoes. I’ve paired tee shirts with blazers before and it’s a relaxed yet put-together look for a night out or for shaking hands, kissing babies, all that jazz.
Kirbie Johnson 