ALPHA MALE: How to Dress Well (Without Dressing Up)

ALPHA MALE: How to Dress Well (Without Dressing Up)

For the greater part of the last century, “dressing well” meant “dressing up”.  Being well dressed meant a recently dry cleaned suit, a crisp white shirt, a designer tie and wingtip shoes.  Almost anyone of importance in the office wore jackets and ties... and the only people donning jeans in the office were cleaning the toilets.

The internet entrepreneurs of the late 1990s rewrote the dress code affiliated with success in the business world.  All of a sudden, a small portion of millionaires were wearing jeans and bringing dogs to work.  A new type of executive was born, and along with the rise of these entrepreneurs, the rules of office dress were redefined.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

The traditional outfit of success – the dark suit, white shirt, and tie – had become familiar and comfortable to men.  It certainly doesn’t take the brightest candle on the menorah to put this simple outfit together and most men are still able to execute on this look with a decent rate of success.  That said, the new frontier in office dress consisted of unfamiliar office items such as jeans, colors, and sweaters left a lot of men seeking their mom’s fashion eye.

As a clothier, I dress a portion of ‘non-suit’ clients.  Some of these clients are among the most successful, polished, and well-dressed professionals in Providence.  While these clients aren’t wearing suits, they succeed in establishing a tone of professionalism in dress and presentation through polished dress.  Even though these guys aren’t in suits, several of them are among my best-dressed clients.

Some tips to turn heads

Iron your clothes.  All clothing looks better when well pressed.

Wear a sport coat.  A sport coat with almost any outfit is creating a more confident and sophisticated look.  Sport coats with jeans are very cool.

Make sure jeans fit well and don’t have too much “pocket graffiti”.  We recommend Incotex jeans as the ultimate executive denim. 

Replace old-fashioned cotton khaki pants with wool trousers in the khaki color.  Wool trousers drape better and fit the entrepreneur’s uniform.

Loafers are cool.  Stay away from loafers with corny jewelry on the tops.  I recommend a pair of Toschi loafers for comfort.

Lace-up and slip-on boots can replace dress shoes.  Make sure they are well-polished. 

Wear a streamlined cardigan to create a “jacket-like” look without being traditional… or check out a Gran Sasso chocolate Merino Ribbed Cardigan for a crisp look any architect would love to wear.

Unconstructed gun-check sport coats with plaids communicate success. 

As both the president and owner of Marc Allen Inc, Marc Streisand takes the custom clothing business very personally. Having enjoyed a successful career in the clothing industry since 1985, Marc brings his clients extensive specialized experience in menswear. Prior to taking over the Marc Allen store in March 2005, he cultivated his knowledge of luxury male attire in New York and his home state of New Jersey, where he began his vocation at Wallach's Specialty Stores. Nothing gives him greater pleasure, he says, than seeing raw cloth transformed into a custom outfit that can directly impact his customer's lifestyle.