Job Discussion Forums

Captain Onigiri · Joined: 20 Jan 2005 Posts: 103 Location: fly-over land

I reckon I don't understand. Granted, none of them look like they are ready to take their first strut down the catwalk but all of them look (except for some small tailoring/sizing issues) quite professional. All of it is within the realm of good taste. The young man has even been able to match his tie with his shirt. The only thing I can possibly come up with is that the young woman looks cold from being underdressed. What she probably needs is a professional yet still feminine sweater set from Landsend.com. Add some jewelry from an antique/flea market and it would be so vintage and completely unique. Maybe you could tell us what fashion faux pas is being committed in the photo?

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Hmm. Indeed, no disrespect to nicyvesweet intended, but I also don't see any issues in that photo. As far as I can tell, the men are all wearing dress shirts -- and quite possibly ties too, as the one man is wearing.

The woman sitting at the table does not look "matronly" although it's a bit tough to tell, as I can only see part of her pink top, and the type of fabric is not obvious -- though it looks like it might be some kind of cotton/poly blend... She looks appropriately dressed for work as far as I can see as well.

I second Captain Onigiri. Can you explain why we wouldn't want to look like the people in this photo? (Because I sort of do.... At least in attire).

I mean... It would be cool if people came to work dressed like this:

But I would tend to think it to be a little impractical. (BTW, That's from Jean-Paul Gaultier's 2005 spring/summer haute couture collection)

And even though the "Men in Skirts" show of 2002 was pretty interesting, and yeah, it might be fun to arrive at work looking like THIS guy:

I don't think the world is quite ready for it yet.

nicyvesweet · Joined: 21 Dec 2004 Posts: 90

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Nicyvsweet: Ok... I'll tell you what. You can be my "fashion consultant." Smile

Design me a wardrobe that's not "lazy"... No, seriously... I'm not trying to be facetious or anything... Maybe that's what my school needs... A smartly-dressed English teacher...

Oh, and if you can come up with some photos off the net, or scanned from a magazine or something, that'd be fantastic too! Links to specific sites or photos are also good... PM me if you wish... But I think this might be good discussion if it's left on the thread....

Here's some guidelines to get you started:

1. I'm a man (if you haven't guessed already). 6'0, average build, straight brown hair (used to be permed), blue eyes, (currently have a mustache and goatee, (used to be clean-shaven)) and Caucasian. Sometimes I wear glasses to work, but 95% of the time I wear contacts. Photo available upon request..... (Jeez, I feel like I'm applying for an online dating program)...

2. I work for a junior high school, and most of the men wear a combination of attire... The usual fare is shirt/tie about 75% of the time. I wear a shirt and tie about 85-90% of the time. In the summer, teachers DO wear short-sleeved shirts with ties... It's not THAT strict, because some people come dressed even in windbreakers and tracksuits... Though I think they are the exception... I would prefer not to dress down any more than a "business-casual" look... Denim is pretty much out.

3. I need to fit in with a reasonably formal norm, at least to some extent... I don't want to stand out any more than necessary... In other words, no man-skirts. I'm sure the spring breezes would feel oh-so-nice on my legs, but let's think Japanese schoolteacher attire... (As a bizzare aside, when I was in university, we had a fellow who wore a kilt to class on a semi-regular basis... I would occasionaly wear a men's sarong -- inspired by by Burmese friends who wore them all the time)... Must've been a liberal campus, because no one ever even looked twice... Yeah, I DO have nice legs... My wife will vouch for that).

4. I am more than happy to buy some new clothes and throw away some of my old ones -- as long as I don't blow my budget. In other words, I love YSL and Versace as much as the next guy, but it's just not reasonable.

5. Some cool accessories would be nice too.

6. Enough variety and ways to mix & match so I have about 5 or 6 different outfits.

7. I already have a ton of cotton dress shirts, and a variety of ties... But I'm of the mind that a man can never have enough nice ties... Wink

8. Post up or PM me anything else you need to know....

9. Take your time.... No need to rush if you indeed want to take this somewhat seriously.

What do you think? Are you up to the challenge? Very Happy

Oh, and if anyone else wants in on this, please go ahead.... If you have some good suggestions that I can follow, I'll even post up some before & after pix from uh... "Dave's Extreme ESL Makeover".......

Lover · Joined: 14 Feb 2005 Posts: 86

I was so relieved to see the picture in JimDunlop2 post because I bought an outfit very similar! The expensive nice looking outfit! Not the white skirt being wore by a man!

Captain Onigiri · Joined: 20 Jan 2005 Posts: 103 Location: fly-over land

nicyvesweet · Joined: 21 Dec 2004 Posts: 90

Okie dokie!

Let's start with pants. A straight fitting pair of pants is a more youthful spin on the classic dress pant. Just as conservative, but a better fit. Instead of the tried and true black, try a brown pant instead with the old skool true blue shirt.

gap

Different skin complementing shades with brown, pink (if you're into wearing pink), burnt orange (only in autumn), green, and even a crisp white.

Khakis are always good to have around, so nothing to say there. However, to shake it up a bit, for spring, pair it with a polo and blazer. That way, you've escaped the ugly short-sleeved button-down shirt. Here is a canvas Blazer from The Gap.

Yes, these things are expensive, but I am a firm supporter of the sale rack. Fabrics to look out for during the summer, linen, cotton, all the old cool, breathable classics. Avoid silk, you'll sweat like a pig. An example of a linen blazer:

Old Navy shirt (that you can find at Target)

There are loads of cool things at Banana Republic, but that's a tad high. So let's look at Target! (No international shipping, sigh) Did you know you can get custom fit dress shirts from Target? Pretty cool ey? The khakis and a couple of the Blazers shown can be found at Target. Here's a link to check out all the cool prints:
http://www.target.com/gp/browse.html/601-0348478-7076929?%5Fencoding=UTF8&node=1041846

That's about all I can think of. Men's clothes are pretty easy, just pay attention to what cuts look good ON YOU. I don't especially know which men's retailers ship internationally, so for that, I apologize. Oh yeah, you don't always always have to wear a tie. I think its pretty darn sexy to see a man skip the tie with a nice suit (particularly linen). Oh, of all things, NEVER EVER GET CHEAP ON THE SHOES. Your feet will hate you for it..or maybe that's just women's shoes. That's all I got.

Captain Onigiri · Joined: 20 Jan 2005 Posts: 103 Location: fly-over land

I completely agree with nicyvesweet for the most part. I will disagree with her on the three button linen jacket. I would go with a jacket with more classic, two button lines. The jacket shown is very trendy and will be out of style in two years and you will have dropped $200 for a jacket you can't wear anymore. If you want trendy, buy a trendy tie. They're only $20 and by the time it goes out of style, you'll have dribbled custard on it anyway.
I will also disagree with her on saying that men's clothing is easy. It's actually much more difficult when you try to get beyond the standard cookie-cutter fare. The acceptable pallatte of color is much smaller and there only a few acceptable cuts and styles and fabrics. Acceptable men's fashion is much more subtle than women's. If a woman wears outlandish clothes to work, she is "into fashion". If a man wears outlandish clothes to work, he is a "quite a dandy" and loses a lot of professionalism.

nicyvesweet · Joined: 21 Dec 2004 Posts: 90

Celeste · Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 7:34 am Post subject:

I believe the style in the photos above could be described as dress casual, but for some schools that is too casual. (The red polo shirt would turn more than a few heads, and a WHITE jacket?????? Are we Don Johnson here??? Can't disagree with the trousers, however. Those look fine. A nice banker's suit in a dark navy is always a good thing to have around.) I hate the short sleeved dress shirt look, but it does seem to be the norm for my male Japanese co-workers in the summer. My husband opts for a white polo shirt through most of the summer, and then suffers the long sleeved dress shirt for the more formal occasions requiring a tie. The rest of the year he wears a long sleeved white dress shirt and tie.