Professional Dress Help

[Cerebite]

If your feet required a "different" width you would know by this time in your life.

If your shoes wear out at the pinkie toe, you might have wide feet

If you find youself buying shoes with "lots of room in the toe" so they feel good, you might have wide feet

If your feet hurt at the pinkie toe after being in shoes all day, you might have wide feet [and have been wearing a shoe that was too small all day]

If you buy shoes a size [or 2 or 3] larger to make them feel comfortable, you might have wide feet

If you tie your shoes loose so the top of your feet doen't hurt, you might have high arches.

etc... you get the idea. Of course the antithesis is true if you have narrow feet. As you can tell I have "square feet" and a high arch. If I can find the width I can wear an 8.5, I usually end up in a 9.5 for the width and they still wear out at the outside of the toe box.

The cruciform shoe sizer that most shoe store use has a width measure as well

[ThreadBbdr]

BB, I noticed the haircut - your look is totally different now! I like it and it makes you look older as well as more professional. And it sets off your jawline in a way that your old haircut didn't. Good choice.

Re suits. A very subtle dark charcoal pinstripe is a very classic suit, As is a high quality solid black. Those are the only two non uniform suits that JC owns. He has white (several), blue with white collar, and cream on white pinstripe shirts plus three colored shirts with coordinating ties (black, electric blue and burgandy). Those last three are for socializing and church, but not business, though.

While you'll need to look good and can use this time to start your work wardrobe, just don't spend a ton of money on it. Remember, after November, your opportunities to wear civilian suits will go WAY down. JC's civilian suits mostly live in the closet here and he wears his Class A's or Dress Blues. He says that dockers and a sports jacket have pretty much covered anything his uniforms don't.

He cleans up well, and so do you.

[sharpdressedscot]

Holy crap, you look like a different person with that haircut!

Looking sharp, but what about the belt?

[Raphael]

Washington is a place with power brokers and your clothes need to to reflect that. Aside from the colour adivse, make sure your clothes fit. Don't be afraid of using a tailor to give your suit a more tailored fit. When your clothes fit, you look like you are in charge.

Most shirts work with your outfit. Make sure that you don't wear a tie with a short sleeves shirt. you will look like a used car salesman or Homer Simpson. Even Homer got into hot water once with his tie and short sleeves shirt.

I am also not a fan if tie with button down collars. I don't like the look because the buttons make that area too busy. However, it will fit it with a blazer and trousers look.

Dockers are a man's best friend as we can wear them anywhere we go. Get a couple of pair for those casual outtings.

I think you are ready to go with what you have. Just pay attention to what people of your age are wearing and expand your arsenal from there.

Now that you have clothes for work, what about casual outtings?

[ozone]

H.S. Trask...best dress shoes ever....and they hold up after YEARS of abuse. Also made from bison leather; tough stuff that bison leather.

here's a link:

http://www.hstrask.com/Display_sub_c...&Sub_Cat_ID=14

BTW, you can often find HS trask on DEEP discount on sierratradingpost.com

[McMurdo]

Wingtips would be very appropriate, have at it.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Excellent choice! Now get 'em to your local shoe repair dude and have him glue a rubber half-sole on them so you don't slip on DC's notoriously slippery pavement.

[McMurdo]

Nice find, and MacMillian is right the DC pavement is slick, best protect yourself.

[McMurdo]

While I am not a fan of button down collars. I do not know the culture of the White House, being a visitor to your great country from time to time, I was lucky enough to see it live however that is as far as my experience goes. You may well be fine in those shirts, I am sure that the quality of the shirts will shine through buttons or no.

[O'Neille]

Good luck and make sure you take something to wear while bashing crabs in Annapolis.