Summer Professional Outfit - Where to start?
Im new to this and have no idea where to start.
I’m looking for some type of a business professional outfit for the summer. Between business formal and business casual is what I’m thinking.
I want the pants to be somewhat versatile, so I was thinking gray.
I’m thinking loafers for sure. So gray pants loafers and a sports coat. Absolutely no idea where to go from here, no idea on colors.
Excluding the shoes I’m willing to spend $4-500 unless I really need to up it for quality pieces.
34 Replies
i think you have a decent framework for what it's worth. without knowing your specific industry or your workplace's dress code/culture the gap between "business formal" and "business casual" can be quite wide
linen blazer, chinos, button-up shirt.
the guide on blazers was helpful for me when i strapped on my big boy pants and started wearing them https://malefashionadvice.substack.com/p/blazer-guide
Blazer guide
Introduction This guide will give an overview of blazers. It'll cover the basics, inspiration albums, outfit ideas, and buying recommendations at the end. It combines and updates previous guides posted on /r/malefashionadvice. For more in-depth guides on putting together an overall outfit see the
chinos and shirt in lightweight cotton or linen.
in a nutshell what @jfarrell468 said
$4-500 per piece, or total? If that's total price, you will probably want to shop secondhand.
I would go for khaki chinos, although gray is OK. Both will work with a dark blue or navy blazer.
for shirt, white or light blue.
i would echo the suggestions of going secondhand if you know your size/measurements. my ebay saved search for suiting, which you can edit for type of garment (blazer, sport coat), size, price, season (summer) and color: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?Size%2520Type=Regular&Size=40%7C41&_nkw=%28canali%2C+zegna+milano%2C+cifonelli%2C+partenopea%2C+isaia%2C+kiton%2C+attolini%2C+rubinacci%2C+cucinelli%2C+luciano+barbera%2C+ralph+lauren+purple+label%2C+ring+jacket%2C+sartoria+formosa%2C+brioni%2C+southwick%2C+sid+mashburn%2C+orazio+luciano%2C+caruso%2C+j.+press%2C+j+press%29%29&_sacat=3001&_dcat=3001&Jacket%252FCoat%2520Length=Regular&_sop=10&_svsrch=1
eBay
(canali, zegna milano, cifonelli, partenopea, isaia, kiton, attoli...
Find (canali, zegna milano, cifonelli, partenopea, isaia, kiton, attolini, rubinacci, cucinelli, luciano barbera, ralph lauren purple label, ring jacket, sartoria formosa, brioni, southwick, sid mashburn, orazio luciano, caruso, j. press, j press)) from a vast selection of Suits & Suit Separates. Get great deals on eBay!
I own the company, it’s a mostly remote company and I don’t work with anyone most days. I spend a couple hours per day at a couple coffee shops trying not to go crazy working alone. It’s more of a mindset for me
Total but I’m flexible with it, secondhand probably makes sense though. Especially if I don’t like some of the decisions I make.
That’s very helpful thank you
I don’t really like any of them for me. I really like the gray blazer in the last picture. The look I’m going for would surely be considered much “douchier” to most people, I think.
I did read that, thank you
i'm in a similar boat, working from home and striving to find ways to get into and stay in a professional mindset from my living room. dressing a certain way helped
if i may make a suggestion for an olive pant; i've found it pairs well with most colors and can be professional without being completely boring (the last one is virtually the same color but is an olive linen and renders lighter)
I see what you mean for sure thank you
Let me give a starting point for some reference if you have time for some comments. The first picture was an outfit I bought at a men’s clothing store in town. I walked in a few days before my anniversary and said I needed something. I bought the linen shirt, khaki chinos and the shoes. I really never liked the shoes too much. They just scream luke warm to me I don’t know lol. The second picture I put on a blazer I bought from banana republic off the rack one day in a pinch a few years ago now. I got it tailored the other day. I don’t really like it but I think it looks better on me than off. Edit: I’ve lost 25 pounds since I bought the shirt and I feel like I’m swimming in it now. The blazer was just tailored
what kind of stuff would you wear off-work? what kind of things look good -to you-? pictures tend to be more helpful so i'd check #waywt and see what kind of things register as better than lukewarm
I’ve spent a lot of time in waywt and it’s a lot of striking out for me. I try to spend a lot of time looking but so much of it’s just not me
that's fair - you said that the look you're going for is 'douchier' to most people but how so?
are we talking douchebag (sleazy) like leaving buttons undone or tightly-fitted or douchebag (loud) like a bright or printed shirt?
You're not swimming in that shirt, it looks fine, if anything it's a bit short for tucking in
Let’s take a very slight turn towards sleazy douchier. I don’t want to unbutton my shirt down halfway nor do I want anything crazy tight. But we’re talking slight turn in that direction lol
Providing pics of what you do like will go a long way tbh
Carrion is right, I'm going on a fishing expedition here and coming up short so if you want more help you'll need to post what you're looking for
Can I ask why you want to look douchey
Sorry I was realizing this as well and as getting to posting some pictures
I didn’t day I wanted to look douchey
i feel like those fits are fairly straightforward, the key in all of them is fit
and not necessarily the super trim fit, overly structured stuff
The red striped shirt fit is so bad. Please don't do that.
a navy sport coat or blazer without shoulder pads, a white or beige linen shirt, gray or olive linen/cotton pants and loafers
I can't help you much with this stuff because it's not what I'm into (it's also quite off trend, if you care about that)
Yeah I wouldn’t
All these dudes look normal
I think this is a very regular and achievable look
Maybe a bit dressy for coffee shop but hey maybe you have some nice places around
They all look kinda conservative, though. Ben looks 1000x better
Sure, but op doesn't want to look like ben
Not a concern at all for me, thank you for the help though 🙏
Ok then I guess just look for slim/skinny tapered wool pants and wear them with your blazer and shirt
Now that you have a more cohesive vision you can try making another Q&A thread
Like post those fits you posted and ask what sort of stuff to buy, what brands, etc
Bit yeah as Sal says these looks are v achievable
Your inclination to disliking those shoes was dead on btw - they're terrible lmao def move away from those
😂 they’re pretty damn comfortable though
Got it thank you
At least 2k maybe more
I do promise once I’m on something I’m comfortable with I’ll start to loosen it up and branch out a bit