Tag / dress shirts

by Beau H.

Shopping on a Budget: An Updated Men’s Style Starter Kit, Part 3

While getting dressed casually on a budget can be done relatively inexpensively, adding dressier items into the mix makes things trickier in terms of price. Parts 1 and 2 in this men’s style budget recap (which you can see here) tackled just how to revamp your downtime wardrobe in a versatile manner, and Part 3 will set out to do the same. However, this time around, we’re diving into the best places to go for dressier items — dress shoes and dress shirt or two, along with ties and suits. Later on, we’ll wrap things up with other accessories, including watches, belts and socks. For now, suit up on a budget below!

The Shoes: JC Penney

A low price for a versatile shoe in a versatile shade.

A low price for a versatile shoe in a versatile shade.

While JC Penney’s dress shoes won’t win any awards from shoe snobs any time soon, don’t be so quick to turn away from this pair. While it’s a more casual-leaning wingtip shoe (which some would say makes it harder to wear with suits), a lot of us don’t seem to have jobs that require a suit every day of the week. And in those instances, it’ll work just fine. If you have the capital to invest in a higher-quality shoe (even something from the Mercanti Fiorentini line at DSW would work), go for it. But these shoes provide a similar look for a much lower price. On top of that, when worn as part of a rotation throughout the year and when mixing in other business-casual styles, these shoes should hold up alright for the price. Reviews have been largely positive, another plus for these shoes — and it’s worth noting they can drop down to about $50 when on-sale. They’ll also work with jeans and chinos alike (for more on budget alternatives for those styles, check out Part 1 in this series). On top of that, this pair is available in multiple shades, including the versatile dark brown (which would even work with a charcoal suit or pants).

TOTAL: $50

The Dress Shirts: J. Crew Factory

Staple c

Staple colors at terrific prices.

Quality can be hard to maintain when delivering dress shirts at a discounted price, but J. Crew Factory meets that challenge. Unlike other brands (such as Express), J. Crew Factory’s shirts seem more consistently on-sale, especially if you can get into a store during a promotion (currently, one shirt will set you back about $43). Available in staple colors like white and light blue — two shades that go with practically any suit-and-tie combination you can think of — their dress shirt offerings also include stripes, prints and other patterns. And their quality, while a step down from J. Crew, is on-point with similar budget brands. Starting out with two of these in your basic colors expands upon an already solid casual wardrobe. Don’t forget that these shirts, despite the ‘dress shirt’ title, can be worn under v-neck sweaters or cardigans alongside jeans, too.

TOTAL: About $86

The Tie/Pocket Square: The Tie Bar

Two wardrobe staples well-suited for more casual or dressy wear.

Two wardrobe staples well-suited for more casual or dressy wear.

There’s a reason GQ uses products from The Tie Bar month after month after month in its shoots. For a fraction of the price of other high-end ties, The Tie Bar delivers the same styling and pretty darn good quality, to boot. While the sheer array of fabric choices and variety of ties on their website is overwhelming at times, the brand makes terrific ties at terrific prices. And for all the wide varieties they stock (including a dizzying 62 pages of bow ties), they do the essentials very well, too. If you had to start with only one or two ties to pair with the restock you’ve already taken care of, reaching for either a navy or a black knit tie would be one great way to go. The silk knit hits on both casual and dressier fronts —either color goes with virtually any outfit combination from chinos to jeans (although a navy knit tie should be worn with brown accessories), and there’s a reason James Bond wore a black knit tie. Additionally, the price makes it easy to throw one of these in your cart along with other accessories — like a white cotton pocket square, an all-season essential that’s the perfect finishing touch to a blazer or suit. So, if you start with one go-anywhere, do-anything tie (like the navy knit) and toss in a versatile pocket square, you’re looking at a price that hits the sweet spot.

TOTAL: $23

The Suit: J. Crew Factory

In a classic color like navy, this J. Crew Factory suit is worth the extra money.

In a classic color like navy, this J. Crew Factory suit is worth the extra money.

When you need a suit on a tight budget but prefer a step up in quality, turning back to J. Crew Factory is once again the way to go. Their line of Thompson suiting has drawn high praise across the blogosphere and with customers for exceptional fit and quality for a budget-tier suit. This year’s run of suits appears to be no exception. The brand doesn’t do anything overly fancy — standard double-vent suits in worsted wool that could work in a pinch in nearly any season. The color offerings are the perfect starter’s set for a suit — charcoal and navy options, along with some flannel fabrics mixed in and a chino option for the warmer months. If you’re just jumping into the suit game, either of those staple colors (navy or charcoal) would be a great look — their neutrality, while not flashy, provides so many options for mixing and matching. The pants, crucially, come in a slim-fit option. Admittedly, the line doesn’t have the pedigree of J. Crew’s Ludlow suits, yet you get nearly a dead look-alike for the price. Take that navy suit, throw it together with a light blue dress shirt, navy knit tie and white pocket square as discussed above, and you have an office-ready outfit While the price, even on discount, might cause some eyes to pop, this suit is a definite upgrade from a standard department store offering, or a more affordable option, like Express. On top of that, the suit brings versatility with it. In a tight spot, the jacket can function as a blazer with chinos, for example, while the pants can be worn on their own with other dressier offerings.

TOTAL: $316

Editor’s note: This rundown is pretty focused on the color blue, no? Fear not — shake things up with some wild socks! 

So, the total for today’s dress essentials comes to about $475 — quite a lot of money in comparison to last year’s men’s style starter kit.  However, these items are the basics of a dressier wardrobe, yet can do so much more. Break up the shirts and knit ties with sweaters and jeans, wear the wingtip oxfords with chinos and suit pants, and use the jacket as a blazer when needed. The color palette of most of these offerings, as well, can be mixed and matched with plenty of other choices.  Plus, paying a bit more money for a few basics up front can ensure you get more use out of these items than you would when picking them up from a cheaper retailer. Keeping these essentials in mind will save your pocketbook more in the long run. After all, building great style on a budget is fun, but having more money left over to go out and wear those clothes is infinitely better.

Do you have any go-to’s for dress essentials on a budget? Alternate picks? Leave it all below! 

 

by Beau H.

Starter Style Review: Banana Republic

Editor’s note: Building great style on a budget can be difficult and expensive. This is the sixth part in an occasional series chronicling great locations to start a wardrobe and buy affordable, good-looking style staples. Catch posts 1-5 in the series here .

The more formal, older brother of the Gap, Inc. group.

The more formal, older brother of the Gap, Inc. group.

Earlier in the year, I took a  look at some essential stores that can be used to start building great personal style at nice, affordable prices. Now, we’re getting back to that same idea, diving into the dressiest of the Gap-Old Navy group — Banana Republic. It’s a store that most of us seem to shop at during one point or another, and it’s not that tough to see why. The prices are, by and large, affordable. The quality is well put-together, and the items feature a fairly good bit of variety. So why does a store like J. Crew seemingly get more attention and appear more on the cutting edge? It’s a question worth considering.

A trip to an NYC Banana Republic (the Upper West Side location, for those curious) offered some answers to those questions and revealed some unconventional items. BR does a lot of things well, quite well, but doesn’t appear to stand out in one particular area (as J. Crew does with its Ludlow suiting and its curated collaborations with brands like Mougin & Piquard or Timex and Alden). However, that doesn’t mean the store is worth overlooking in its entirety.

A selection of lighter-weight blazers on display.

A selection of lighter-weight blazers on display, right next to some polos.

Namely, the store’s lighter-weight blazers and tailoring are a particular strong point. From houndstooth linen to a light grey cotton-linen blend and a khaki option, all were relatively high-quality, with nice, trim fits, minimal interior lining (a crucial point in the hot weather), and features like slimmer lapels. The basics were included too, like some navy and light grey suiting options. However, the selection even in this NYC store was nowhere near as extensive as the website, and only appeared to include the brand’s Tailored Fit option, as opposed to the trimmer Modern Slim option. On the other hand, there were quite a few tailored dress shirts and silk ties on display, making BR a pretty solid first bet to pick up a starter suit and tie set.

Some of the extensive shirting and ties offered at BR.

Some of the extensive shirting and ties offered at BR.

So, the suiting and dress shirt selection is solid and reasonably-priced. What about the rest of the store? Banana Republic has, to this point, done a nice job staying competitive in the men’s footwear market. Some of the more modern options offered in-store (like the Ryan suede double-monk strap shoes, as reviewed here) seem durable and of reliable quality in terms of construction and appearance. And the options offered in-store seem to reflect that  — basic oxfords in grey and navy suede, a chukka sneaker option and some leather loafers, among others. The selection had nice variety in terms of color and options offered, and when on-sale, (like the 30% off featured on this particular day), the prices are knocked down to just north of $100 for some shoes — definitely not a bad price at all.

Shoes on shelves, mostly in summer suede.

Shoes on shelves, mostly in summer suede.

But, it seems Banana Republic could do more to draw in younger customers looking for more contemporary items. The brand’s slim-fit denim is a relatively recent arrival, and exists on the website next to a relaxed-fit option — admittedly, most younger, trimmer guys are looking for something a little more polished and free of most pre-distressing, as found in some of BR’s pairs. Now, not that a lighter-wash or slightly distressed jean is a bad thing (it’s certainly not, especially in the spring or summer) but when combined with a slightly less-trim fit, it would seem that J. Crew has Banana Republic beat in this department (with its slim 484 fit).

The 'vintage straight' fit, as seen in-store.

The ‘vintage straight’ fit, as seen in-store.

Elsewhere however, the brand turns up some pleasant surprises. Many seem to love the dressy sheen of BR’s Luxe-Touch polos,  which can also be worn fairly casually with shorts. Some other eye-catching options include the washed vintage polos (as seen near the bottom of this page) and a bevy of striped and colorblock selections (try and avoid that logo, though!). And some more unique, sporty-looking summer and early fall sweaters were on display, too (think thicker, athletic-inspired stripes, sturdy buttons and ribbed collars — like this option here.

The store’s selection of T-shirts, in both crewneck, V-neck and pocket options, is pretty straightforward, although the shirts that combine, say, colorblocking, a slight wash and a pocket (as seen online) look promising for the future. Much of the same goes for Banana Republic’s shorts, which recently underwent a slight overhaul with the introduction of the slimmer-fitting Aiden short. As always, be sure to keep an eye on the sale section — a spin through that area of the store turned up some pieces with a pop of color, including the dark green military-inspired jacket below (which was not available on the website).

photo 1While the brand has done a nice job positioning itself as a good entry-level location for suiting and tailored blazers, as well as standard sweaters, polos and T-shirts, it appears there’s one key factor that could be keeping younger customers out of Banana Republic stores. The brand seems a little more straightforward and less edgy than, for example, J. Crew, and has only fairly recently introduced more tailored fits in some products. The slimmer fits are largely a positive step, but it’s come a bit later than other brands.  And the same qualities that make it ideal to build starter style also might keep more stylistically advanced customers away.

At the end of the day though, it’s a store that’s worth checking out for affordable, more tailored basics and some good steals in the shoe department. When combined with slightly more forward brands, like J. Crew, BR’s products can definitely exist side-by-side as part of a well put-together wardrobe. That’s about all you can ask from your closet.