Q. I like dark grey suits with white vertical pinstripes for business wear. I have also worn solid dark blue ones for variety, but I like grey ones better. White broadcloth shirts are most formal, but there may be alternatives that are still sober and dignified. What colors and patterns of shirts and ties do you suggest for my formal business look? How about shoes? For bonus points, what brands and models of watches would you wear with such a business ensemble? It seems that magazines have recommended many tres gauche combos, and celebrities have worn many tasteless ones, so people are confused about proper dress now. Some people who have answered questions in this category have good taste, but some do not.
Doesn't anyone know something about proper dress for business? Surely someone works in a proper and conservative office as I have. I see some people recommending garish and tasteless ensembles, somewhat along the lines of stuff Woody Allen once wore to be ridiculous, but now, other celebrities wear worse stuff and don't know or don't care if it is tasteless.
I want to see what people say about watches. For business, Simple is best, so "Cellinis' are the Rolexes proper to wear with suits. I saw one recently for $3650. My basic dress watches by Cartier, Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe cost $10,700 to $15,000 now. I have 2 Rolex sports watches. The gold bracelet "OP Datejust" cost $13,150 in 1994. My Breguet "Marine" cost $29,500. The most complicated Rolex is a "Cosmograph Daytona" chronograph. I think a new on in gold costs $19,450. The ultimate single complication is chimes, e.g, a $507,000 Vacheron Constantin "30010" platinum skeleton minute repeater. I have written seeral books about watches. I am working on the 4th edition of "THE COSTLIEST WATCH BRANDS". Rolex places 41st now. In earlier editions, it was 18th to 24th. Breguet was costliest with Patek philippe 2nd, Vacheron constantin 3rd and A. Lange & Sohne 4th. A new brand Richard Mille wins now.
My coloring shows my 2 Cherokee grandmothers, i.e black hair with red highlights (some grey around the ears since age 17), ruddy bronze tanned skin plus brown eyes. when i was age 10, we went to a Cherokee village at the foot of the Smoky mountains. The Indians nearly kept me. Dad was amused. They didn't notice my siblings who have olive skins and medium brown hair. I look Cherokee, but they do not.
A. *laugh*
Ok.. first off, dark grey and white is pretty neutral as it can get. You could pretty much go for most colours, but I'd suggest lighter colours rather than the medim>dark colors. Why? because medium shades might be too intense against the contrast of the dark suit, and dark colored shirts will blend in too much... might make you look too .. dull.
Now, it depends on your skintone what colors look best on you. If you're light skinned, there are certain shades that will bring out your coloring, versus if you were dark or olive skinned. Without your notes on coloring, I can't really suggest any colours or any shades of colors... (example: yellows might make olive skin look too strange and dull, but the light blues/greens will bring olive skintones out) That's not a hard and fast rule because a very pale shade of yellow might look stunning against you, just not a green-yellow or a blue-yellow.. it's all relative in how the light hits your skin and bounces off the suit.
As for shirts/ties.. the general rule is that if your shirt is busy or bright, go for a neutral tie.
example: pinstriped suit, a light green shirt with faint white checks in it (not plaid..please), means you wear a tie that's a light grey/silver to pick up the white in the pinstripe, or even have a tie that's a mix of greens and silvers or a pattern to really bring out the shirt. You can go kind of crazy in terms of slick patterns with the ties (checks, stripes, light dots), but nothing like saxophones or weird babies on the front please... Spend up to about $100/tie, in a neutral silver or offsilver colour and it'll go with pretty much any shirt/suit combo.
As for shoes, if you have cash to blow, go to a high end store like Holt Renfrew in Toronto (depending on where you are, ask a woman..) and get a black and a brown pair of shoes, in real leather that are comfortable, and the same height (so that your pants will hang at the same height each time)
THen you'll need to get your pinstriped suit tailored to fit you perfectly, and to get the tailor to put a proper break in your pants so that they sit well over your new shoes. I like the Gucci loafers for men... if you can't afford high end, go to a place like a department store, or Aldos, or any place that sells trendy but decently done shoes.
The best watch? Rolex of course. Then Gucci or Prada. If you can't afford that, you could even go to Walmart and pick out a gorgeous smoked-grey face watch with a clean, silver band that would look great with your grey pinstriped suit. You can also try Fossil watches for a lower-end alternative that will last almost forever.
Some options for dress watches:
http://www.fossil.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=39175&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=957&iSubCat=967&iProductID=39175
http://www.fossil.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=39175&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=957&iSubCat=967&iProductID=39175
http://www.fossil.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=39449&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=957&iSubCat=967&iProductID=39449
http://www.fossil.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=30138&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=957&iSubCat=967&iProductID=30138
http://www.fossil.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=8524&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=957&iSubCat=967&iProductID=8524
http://www.fossil.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=15417&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=957&iSubCat=967&iProductID=15417
I think you get the idea.
If you need more help, email me.. via brokeinthecity@gmail.com
Is there such thing as Trendy Orthopedic Athletic shoes?
Q. I'm a 34 year old woman who works in a business casual setting. Can anyone help with finding trendy orthopedic shoes? My Dr says I need to wear gym shoes while treating my planter faciitis but it seems difficult to accessorize around the New Balance shoes??? Puma is trendy but are they ok? I'm going to ask my Dr about them but thought I may get an answer here first. Help please?! Most styles are just too u-g-l-y!
A. Hi,
This question is the reason so many retailers of orthopedic shoes have trouble selling their products to consumers. The answer is quite simple -- yes! Nowadays, orthopedic shoe manufacturers have started bringing in shoe designers to update their shoes. In fact, they try to mirror the current styles of ordinary shoes as much as possible, while preserving the qualities and features that make them orthopedic.
If you are looking for a place to start your search for stylish orthopedic shoes, check out brands such as Orthaheel, Aetrex, Ecco, and Propet.
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