Gotta say, I find pleated pants make men look fatter than they are. Get a nice pair of flat front pants and pull off the same look, but without the added puff.
Men's Fashion: 3 Classic Items for Nearly Any Occasion
Photo: Amazon
This men’s fashion article is for guys of all ages, and the women who shop for them. It features three separate items that not only work individually, but look great paired together. Better yet, these three items don’t just work on boys ages two to twenty, but on dads and grandfathers as well.
This post began nearly six years ago, during an encounter I had with a grandmother at a thrift store in Arizona. We were shopping the racks standing next to each other, when she asked me where I thought she could find dress slacks for her grandson that would match the excellent-condition navy blazer she had just found for him to wear at an event where he would need to be on stage and looking sharp.
I took one look at the blazer and was reminded of an outfit I’d seen at various airports on my way home from a recent business trip to the Middle East. Navy blazer. Pleated, khaki pants. Plain-toe oxford dress shoes. My answer was simple and immediate. “Go to Target.” Why? I knew, having reviewed their flyer that very morning that they were having a sale on tan casual dress pants in both the men’s and boys’ departments. For ten bucks, I told her, she could have the remaining item she needed.
Over the years, I’ve paid attention to just how many times I’ve seen this particular men’s dress uniform in use. It’s universal and worn by men from a variety of income levels, albeit with an equal variety of price tags. I’ve seen it in airports, country clubs, dinner parties, and business meetings. As I recall, even Matt Damon’s character in The Talented Mr. Ripley used the navy-blazer-from-a-thrift-store trick to land a paid piano-playing gig at the garden club style event that launched his long-term double life.
Having to replace an entire suit to keep up with pant wear and tear and the latest styles can get expensive. Factor in rapidly growing little boys needing dress outfits for various events, and things get even pricier. This outfit’s been in style for as long as I can remember, and likely will be for years to come. Bonus? Each of these classic men’s fashion items is a power house multi-tasker in its own right.
Navy blazer or sport coat
In addition to looking fantastic with a pair of pleated khaki dress trousers and dress shirt of choice, a classic navy blazer looks nice with other colors of dress pants as well. For boys, it doesn’t need to be worn that often, making it a great item to hand down to younger brothers. You also don’t need to waste time shopping when your oldest boy needs a new one. Just go for the same brand and style in his current size to keep the stair-step fashion grooving frugally on the home front. For men full-grown, this classic piece is a great investment, and can hang in your closet for years as a go-to item. My husband is coming towards the end of his online science teaching degree, and needs something to wear to interviews that is not a military dress uniform. Guess what we’re shopping for?
We’d previously narrowed it down to a wrinkle-resistant navy jacket from Travel Smith for just under two hundred bucks. However, I noticed that Amazon now has Ralph Lauren navy blazers (normally close to four hundred dollars) for an even better price.
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Pleated khaki dress pants
I’ve seen some rather popular brand name men’s slacks at the warehouse store, which is where we just stocked up the hubster recently, along with a Van Heusen dress shirt or two to round out a limited, but well-chosen professional wardrobe. These Haggar brand pants on Amazon are also an affordable way to go, particularly for an outfit you’ll only need to pull out from time to time. Just make sure you select one of the tan shades, if you’re going for this particular look.
For moms with little men of school age at home, boys khakis are generally affordable, even when they’re not on sale. These too can be handed down when the time comes and still be in excellent condition. (This post from Linsey Knerl has tips on getting the best deal at Target, where I've seen these types of pants go on sale repeatedly for a great price.)
Plain-toe oxford dress shoes
At the risk of being accused of pushing a particular brand, I really can’t say enough about Timberlands. My husband bought a pair of these just before we met, and they are still going strong as we start our eleventh year of marriage. They are one of only two pairs of civilian dress shoes he owns, the other being a nice black leather pair we picked up in Italy. His happen to be brown leather, but if you want to stick to only one pair of dress shoes, you could get them in black. They are not a shiny shoe, but are of good quality leather and go the distance with durability and cushioning. I don’t believe they make his exact style anymore, but here is a similar pair I found on Endless.com. Many of their shoes fall into the “rugged outdoorsy” category, but they have several plain-toe oxfords that would do the trick for this outfit, and work with many other ensembles as well. Bonus? Many of their styles come with great tread. Something those who live in northern locations with icy driveways need to worry about.
This is a great classic outfit for all men to have in their closet, particularly if most of their time is not spent in a suit. It looks nice, let’s people know you “get” the unspoken rules of the big money network without emptying your bank account (see this “fake it till you make it” post for ideas on thrift where it doesn’t show), and is a stylish look for any generation.
Do you have another favorite look when it comes to affordable men’s fashion? How about a favorite brand of any of the items mentioned in this article that you feel represents a good buy for the money? As always, you have an open invitation to share the love in the comment section below.
Related Readings: Look Rich for Less and Three Frugal Fashion Items for Women of All Sizes
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Do yourself a favor and get a good black suit with flat front pants. Therefore you can wear the blazer or the pants without the other one.
And get a nice pair of black shoes.
You can wear these with UNLIMITED amounts of other items.
And you won't look like a 13 catholic school boy or country club prep.
Lisa, good point about an alternative look with the flat front pants.
David, I see what you're saying about the suit, but I have to say I find that suit jackets are cut a bit different than sports jackets and they really don't give you the same look and "drop" (for lack of a better term). That's why I recommend a separate sports coat, but to each his own. Also, a separate sports coat in general that coordinates with the rest of your wardrobe wouldn't be a bad idea . . . say . . . a tweed?
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Not a big fan of the navy blazer. There are so many other attractive coats/jackets to choose from. Just too old fashioned.
In this case, Chandler that was sort of my point. It's been around forever, and it's still an outfit worn quite often by men of all ages.
That being said, this look won't necessarily appeal to everyone. And if you have to dress up quite a bit, you might definitely want to develop a different style that feels more personal to you. In fact, I say go for it.
My point here is that if you only have to pull off the dressed up thing occasionally, and just want to know that you are wearing a classic look that will fit into a variety of situations, then this outfit will do you.
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Yeah, this look doesn't work for many settings.
That said, if you must have an outfit that says "this is my only jacket," without really working for weddings and funerals - when non-jacket-wearers most need to wear one - it's worth every penny to get one of the really top-notch nano-tropical-wool versions that don't stain, can be tied in knots, etc. Less than $400 even in a boutique.
Good point on those types of events, guest. In fact, my husband does have one nice black double breasted black suit for those events. When he was active duty military, this worked out fine as his only area of need outside of a military dress uniform. Now, he needs something that will serve him in the variety of situations I mentioned in the article, as his career and social networks have changed dramatically since retiring from the Air Force. I agree, for weddings and funerals, go with a dark suit. For most other things, this outfit will do, particularly if you use the strategy of meeting up casually, when high quality sportswear will suffice for making an impression with the " I don't need to be at the office" crowd.
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NO on the black shoes with a navy blazer. Dark blue and black DO NOT GO together. Black outfit, black shoes. Gray/navy need brown shoes.
But it screams that "this is my only thing to wear when I play dress-up." It really is a casual and inexpensive outfit. Notice how you described it: seen in airports, cost effective for growing children, etc. That said, there's nothing wrong with looking like you're starting out when you're starting out.
The navy blazer is ubiquitous, which also means it's very easy to find good quality examples at thrift stores or on ebay. My current "go to" blazer is a high quality Brooks Brothers I got for about $12 plus dry cleaning.
As soon as you can, step it up a notch with charcoal grey slacks (not chinos) which would go a bit better for more formal events (e.g., funerals, evening weddings, the theater). Avoid navy pants as they won't match and will look a bit funny.
For a first suit I'd recommend charcoal grey over black. Black is fashion forward, is technically inappropriate for daywear and, frankly, makes most men's complexions look washed out.
Black shoes are good if you have only one pair (and yes they go with chinos), but a dark oxblood is best for switching between tan, grey and blue pants. Or you could try the trick of polishing your old dark brown shoes with black polish and watch the patina develop over time. The key is they should be capable of being polished. (And your man knows how to shine 'em up right if he was in the service.)
@Myscha The word you are looking for is "drape." The "drop" on a suit is the size difference between jacket and pants. E.g., a suit with a 44 jacket and 38 waist has a six inch drop.
Love the ox blood shoe color tip. Very insightful.
As for this screaming "this is the only thing I have to wear", I have to respectfully disagree. I have seen men wear this look who have more than enough money to wear whatever they want. And without name dropping, believe me when I say more than enough money, I mean nauseatingly wealthy. They just aren't the type of people who feel it's appropriate or smart to flaunt their wealth. It isn't necessarily their only outfit, but one they feel comfortable wearing in a variety of situations where they don't know the crowd.
Black shoes versus brown - well, to tell you all the truth, I prefer brown with this look. That being said, I have seen it worn with black. However, if you only want one pair of dress shoes, want those shoes to be black, and don't care for black with this particular look, you could always go with a different type of sports jacket.
Re: military shoe-shining skills . . . yup, twenty plus years of practice makes for some seriously shiny shoes.
As for being able to find the navy blazers everywhere, well . . . I would have agreed with you when Tucson was my main experience for thrift store shopping. But to be honest, I've had terrible luck finding a high quality thrift store in our new area outside of Tampa. (I'm totally open to suggestions, though.)
You can also follow me on Twitter and Trek Hound.
Don't mean to step on anyone's feet, but pleated pants are not a good look for anyone. In fact, if you are a bigger fella, they only make you look bigger.
No worries, Ibrahim. We're all entitled to our own opinion. Personally, I'm more into pleats than flat-front pants on men. But not everyone feels that way, so definitely wear what you feel comfortable with.
You can also follow me on Twitter and Trek Hound.
Navy suit with khaki pants and dark brown oxfords... This is a classic style that can look fantastic for any man. To perk up the whole look, just pair it with a blue check dress shirt with white base. Just ensure to keep all your dressing well fitted and you will look smart and sharp in them.
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