Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette. Today's video is all
about how you can enhance a basic outfit. More specifically, we show
you how you can take an ordinary outfit and make it extraordinary.
♪ Gentleman's Gazette Theme Song ♪
In this first installment, we'll focus on suits. If you like the concept, we'll roll it out for other
outfit categories. Now, when you put together an outfit around a suit, and by that I mean matching
pants and jacket, there's a few things that can help you in most situations to change the look
and make it really pop. If you have some basic items in your wardrobe, this video is going to
be very helpful. So, what's a basic outfit anyways? Well, if you have a more contemporary style. it
could be a white T-shirt, some white sneakers, and a pair of jeans. For suits, it means a solid navy, gray,
or charcoal suit, maybe a white or a light blue shirt, black shoes, and a simple tie. Of course,
there's all kinds of other stuff, like socks and so forth. Now, the remarkable item about the dark suit
is that you can really make it much more casual and more formal. Just look at Preston here. First,
he has the full suit. Then, he has a combination with gray slacks that is more serious, maybe
office appropriate. And then there's something he could wear at a garden party. So, in today's
video, I started with a very basic outfit. It's a plain navy suit. It's a little bit in a
lighter side, two button, some patch pockets, with a pair of flat-front pants. The material is kind of a
hop sack, which is fairly typical of what you would find in a contemporary navy suit. I'll pair it with
a light blue cotton shirt with barrel cuffs and a red silk tie that has a subtle pattern. My socks
are solid navy, and my shoes are black cap toe Oxfords with some broguing on them. I'll be using
this outfit to show you all different editions and changes, so you can judge for yourself what looks
good or what you like, and what's maybe a little too much over the top. Always remember, there's
no right or wrong. Style is what you make of it, and what works for you and how you can express
yourself. First thing you can do is to go to the alterations tailor. If you've watched our channel
here, you know we mentioned it many times. It's simply so true, and so many men still don't do
it. If you have something that fits like a potato sack, but you're a slim guy like Preston, you want
something that's a bit more trim. Now, I could go in for hours when tailoring and fit, but we already
got you covered. Here's a video that shows you how a suit should fit. This video highlights how
a shirt should fit. And here we show you what an alterations tailor can and cannot do. The second
thing you can do is layering. And honestly, that's a lot of fun and I really enjoy that with outfits.
Adding layers to your outfit makes it literally multi-dimensional. It allows you to add more colors,
more textures, more patterns, and it's like building something like a puzzle or interior design. I mean,
honestly, you can take any plain good old suit and turn it into something eye-catching with a simple
popping waistcoat. For example, think of Salvatore Romano from the Mad Men series. He always wore
these plush waistcoats and everything look pretty different than on the other guys in that series.
If you're out into vests or waistcoats, you can go with an overcoat. Especially if you wear it open, it
just adds another texture of layer, maybe you will add a scarf on top of that, and everything looks
much more put together. On top of the patterns, textures, and colors, you also get body. And within
the layers, you have the power to make things look more casual or more formal. For example, the navy
suit with a mole skin vest in kind of an earthy tone has one look. Now, compare that to a sleeveless
cardigan vest with leather buttons; feels even more casual. Now, a very similar color but more
of a finer weave, lineny wool fabric changes it and looks more formal again. On the flip side, if it's like
an all sweater vest no buttons it definitely makes it more casual. Likewise, if you add a pocket square
to the basic suit, it looks already much more put together, and it's a simple little piece of
fabric. Here, we choose a light blue linen one that picked up the color of the shirt. It has slightly
contrasting cross stitches on the edge for an added visual interest. If you wear an overcoat,
chances are it looks better with a scarf. There's warmer scarves, such as cashmere scarves, or lighter
ones, such these double-sided wool silk ones from Fort Belvedere. Of course, if you are an overcoat
and a scarf, you also want to have some gloves. If it's not really cold outside, go with something
unlined. If it's cooler, maybe cashmere lined or fur lined. Layering in an outfit doesn't just
showcase your ability to combine different colors and patterns, but it allows you to really expand
your wardrobe, because this one basic suit can appear very differently in multiple different
situations. So, at the end of day, you become really versatile. It's nice to travel with because even
though it's the same basic outfit, it never looks the same. If you're, in general, curious about
layering and how you can up your game, check out a video on six tips on how to layer. Another great
way to enhance a basic outfit is by switching out the shoes. Now, many men these days wear sneakers
with their suit, and we have an entire video on how and if you should pull that off Today, I want
to stick with the classics. So, initially, I had this black pair of Oxford shoes; very inoffensive, very
business-like. Now, frankly, in most situations, you don't really need that look anymore, and you can have
a bit more fun. If you're just starting out and you want to have a lot of versatility, different shades
of brown are your friend, or burgundy. We've created videos about the first three or five dress shoes
you should invest in that give you the biggest bang for the buck.To give you a taste of what's
possible, take a look at these penny loafers in a medium brown. The outfit looks immediately
different. If this is too bold for you, maybe go with a darker color. Here it's this dark chocolate brown,
and while many say, "Well, that almost looks like black." The suede texture makes it more casual,
and the Chelsea boots silhouette, which is a bit shorter than typical Chelsea boots just adds a
cool nuance to the outfit. And a really underrated shoe color is burgundy. Honestly, it works with
a navy suit, but also with khakis, corduroys, tweed, and whatever else. It's dark enough for the office
or even an evening occasion, like cocktail attire, but you can wear them very casually, and they never
look out of place. Of course, if you want to go even bolder, you want some navy shoes, olive green
shoes, gray shoes, or a pair of spectators. I mean, honestly, the sky is the limit. As you know, quality
shoes are expensive and you may only be able to have one or two pairs in the beginning, but you
still want to have outfits that look different. The best way to get there without breaking the bank is
to invest in different colored shoelaces. You can also have different shapes. For example, you could
have the classic round shoelace or you can have flat shoelaces. By adding them in different colors,
you can really change an entire outfit. You can make things look a lot more casual, and you can
coordinate them with other colors in your outfit. Best of all, it's reversible and if you want to put
the black shoelaces in your black Oxfords, they look very formal again. But if you want to have
something that pops, maybe something in red will look very different. It's quick, easy, simple, and
affordable. For a selection of great shoelaces. take a look in our shop here. The fourth way to enhance
a basic outfit is to play with different wrist watches. Time piecing have been elevating men's
outfit for centuries, and while it used to be something like a pocket watch, the wristwatch
today is definitely the way to go. Unless, of course, you're going for a real vintage look.
Wristwatches today are often associated with a certain status or social cachet. That's probably
wearing such a common tool today for drip flexing, or other trendy terms that really confuse
me. Of course, showing off is not pretty gentlemanly, and if you learn more about what it means to be a
gentleman, today this video is for you. That being said, the reflecting bezel or metal on your wrist,
can create some visual interest. People who are into watches will definitely identify what you're
wearing, and probably make a form of judgment about you. Now, overall sports watches are really
popular today but with this suit, you go with a classic dress watch, and typically, they're less
expensive anyways, especially in a secondary market. Just because the modern James Bond wears a sports
watch with his tuxedo because it's just a huge product placement show doesn't mean you should. I
mean, the original James Bond didn't and I think he looked better. If you're not sure what type
of watch to wear with what type of outfit, this video will help you out. So, for my basic outfit,
if I stick with black shoes, I'd probably go with a black strap watch. Here it's an old vintage JLC
Reverso. Or if I go with something brown, I can just have this classic traditional dress watch from
[unintelligible speech]. Of course, everyone has different tastes for watches, so whatever works for you is great. It may
even be a Casio. The fifth way to enhance a basic outfit is to use men's jewelry. Men's jewelry has
fallen out of favor for several decades but in recent years, there's definitely a men's jewelry
resurgence. And we think that's a good thing. With a suit, a real easy accessory is a cufflink. Higher-end
cufflinks typically are decorated on both sides, but the sky is really limit, and you'll go find
something that works with your style. Whether it's a classic design, such a monkey fist cufflink knot,
or some semi-precious stones, diamonds, initials or whatever else, cufflinks will always elevate a suit.
Frankly, I know some people who made it even their hallmark to always wear cufflinks with anything
they wear, and they only have French cuff shirts. Each to their own. A very classic item to add is a
ring. Either on your ring finger on your pinky ring, some people associate mobsters with it, but if you
look at Charles or the English aristocracy, they often wear pinky rings and has nothing to do with
a mob. If you're interested in men's rings and if you want to understand what the meaning typically
is if you wear certain rings on a finger check out this video. We also have extensive guides on
signet rings and pinky rings, which you might fancy. If you wear long neckties, a tie clip or tie bar
may be interesting for you. Just make sure you wear it in the proper way. In recent years, there was
definitely a resurgence of collar jewelry for men. By that I mean collar bars, collar clips, or collar
pins. Shows like Boardwalk Empire or Peaky Blinders really put him on the map even for mainstream men,
and a lot of people were like, "Hey, what's that?" "I like that look." And, "How can I pull it off?" Frankly,
it's a relatively small accessory that slightly elevates your tie knot, but it's pretty cool. If you
just have regular dress shirts get a collar clip or a collar pin. If you want to wear collar bars,
you need a special shirt that has pinholes for it. Frankly, it's not so easy to find shirts for collar
bars, and often, you have to make a made-to-measure, although these days, there are a few ready to wear
providers that offer them. So, for the basic outfit today, I switched my barrel cuffs to nice gold and
lapis cufflinks from Fort Belvedere. They have this nice deep blue, which picks up the tone of
the shirt, as well as the suit. I also added a nice pinky ring, as well as a gold collar bar. For that, I
just switch on my shirt, but I had to do it anyways for the cufflinks. Instead of a collar bar, you
could also go with something like a tab collar, and then in that case, you don't want to tie that is
too big. Otherwise, it just looks unfavorable. Now, my cufflinks were gold, and so was my ring, so I also
chose a gold collar bar, but if I go with silver cufflinks and a silver ring, I would have gotten
a silver collar bar, or rose gold or whatever it is. For a selection of collar bars in silver, gold, and
rose gold, as well as clips and pins, check out our Fort Belvedere section on our website. Now, talking
about a tie. If you have a basic outfit and you just have a basic tie, changing that to a bow tie
really change the entire look, or something with a bit more texture, like a knit tie for
example, like here in this orange, really provides a very different look to your suit. Alternatively, an
interesting silk, such as bourette houndstooth, right? It's still a red, but it is distinctly different than
these relatively plain silk tie that you could probably buy at Men's Warehouse. Now, for my basic
the outfit, I wished I could have actually used the silk bourette tie in red and white houndstooth, but it
was too thick and it wouldn't have worked with the color bar, so I stuck to the original red tie, but
frankly, I think, overall, it's a very simple look with red and blue, but I quite like it. The seventh
thing you should upgrade in a basic outfit are the socks. Here, I'm wearing navy socks with a navy suit,
so you'd think it works together, but if you take a closer look, the navies are not exactly the same.
So, it looks kind of off. Socks are really a key element to bridge the gap between your shoes and
your pants, and how to combine those three together is an art by itself. We have an entire video and a
guide that will help you to come up with cool combinations. If you sit or walk your socks are always visible, and
it's definitely something people will notice. You can also coordinate your socks with your tie or
other elements in your outfit, and it creates that harmonious overall look. Of course, there are more
formal options, such as a navy and blue stripe; different but not offensive at all, or there is
something more casual. like this blue and white version, which I think looks really great with a
suede boot, for example. Because I have red in my tie and navy in my suit, I got a mix of both navy
and red - works well with the shoes, works well with the pants, and it ties everything together
from top to bottom. Of course, there's so many other sock colors out there that you could also
use, the creative sky is the limit here. If you wear a suit, though, do yourself a favor and get
over the calf socks that stay up, because no one wants to see your hairy legs with such a nice
garment. Not sure what socks are right for you? Take a look at our guide that walks you through it.
Another thing you can do to make an ordinary suit look extraordinary is to add sunglasses, especially
if you're around outside. Unless you wear glasses regularly, typically, you don't add much to your
face in terms of accessories. Sunglasses are really a fantastic way to change the look, whether it's kind
of an horn imitated acetate frame, some classic aviators, modern aviators Steve McQueen Persols,
or whatever other model is out there, it can really change the entire feel of the outfit. Go from trendy,
to 80s, to vintage. Now, harmonizing the sunglasses with the rest of the feel of your outfit will just
make it even more cohesive. People will think, "Man, this guy looks great," even though they can't quite
put their finger on it. As they started looking they may say, "Oh these socks are cool ,or this vest, or
these sunglasses," but at first, they just notice that you're really well put together. If you're
not sure where to start with sunglasses, here's some basic styles and tips for face shape and
shade style. Last but not least, a great way to enhance a classic suit outfit is by wearing
a hat. Now, I know not every man is comfortable wearing one, and it's definitely out there but
if you pull it off and you do so well, it really changes the entire feel of your outfit. A hat keeps
you warm, it adds nice texture, it frames your face, and because of that, people like Preston wear one
every day when they leave the house. Personally, I'd love to wear them more often, but I have to
deal with acne and zits on my forehead. So, I don't wear them all the time. So, if hats make you look so
good why are just so few people wearing them today? Actually, we answer a question in this video here.
If you're interested in classic style, though, no water accessory changes the look and feel
of your outfit as much as a hat, such as a Fedora. Even if you might feel uncomfortable right now
to maybe wear a bow tie or a hat, I encourage you to experiment with it because there was a time
when I felt a bow tie wasn't right for me or a head wasn't right for me, but once I wore it
more often, I actually really came to like it. And whenever I go places, people always compliment
me on it. So, where should you start with hats? First, check out the guide on finding the right
style for your face shape, and then we'll tell you how you can pull them off confidently. And
hey, if that's not something that you like that's cool too. You can still really enhance the basic
outfit without any form of headwear. So, for this the outfit I could have easily pulled off this navy
felt hat with kind of this silverish band, or I could have gone with something brown. Even though
the color doesn't quite match my shoes, overall, having something brown on top and at the bottom
ties it all together visually. Okay, so looking at the basic navy suit outfit, it started out rather
plain. With an experiment with some layering, we added pocket squares, tried on some different ties,
added waistcoats, knit vests, casual vests, but then stuck with the off-white or cream linen. I exchanged
the shirt so I could wear cufflinks and a collar bar, which definitely changed the entire look. I
also put in a pinky ring, and I changed my shoes, and I upgraded my socks. Because I kept the red tie
I went with the navy and red socks, I could have gone with the red shoes, but I felt the loafers
were just as good of an option. And overall, even though they're brown, they have a tone of red. If
you just quickly glimpse at it, definitely doesn't feel like the same suit. I think the
vest definitely has the biggest impact, because it has the biggest and boldest color, but even those
little changes, like the socks, may not be something that you see immediately, definitely has an impact.
♪ Gentleman's Gazette Theme Song ♪