Q. You recently wrote: “You were smart to buy pants and a tie that went with your new jacket at the same time.” This is what is so frustrating about spending money on good clothing; it seems like each piece requires buying more to match it. I think it would be much more helpful if you explained how to match what you already have rather than this “now that you have a Lexus, you need high-end tires and a new carport.”
A. Well, realistically, you do need to match your tires to your vehicle and your upkeep to its value, but in both cases you can find savings and/or smart methods to take advantage of what you have. It can be a huge temptation, when you are shopping, to stop spending after you have just bought an expensive item. You may think it is frugal or reasonable not to buy additional items that complete the combination. Resist such false economy.
Because spending a lot on a suit or sports jacket (and especially spending more than your usual pattern) can be a traumatic experience for a man, you may feel you should quit at that point, go home, and just pull the covers over your head. But I urge you to consider looking around the store, or asking a salesman with great taste to bring along that new jacket you just bought and accompany you around the store, to discover the perfect extra item or two. (You should know that in most upscale stores, the salesman in the suit department can go with you to the accessories department and help you shop. He won’t mind, because he often gets a commission on all his sales.) Buying even a few additional “just right” pieces to go with that big purchase is wise. For some unknown reason, things you buy right then to complete the combination always seem to be the ideal ones. I’m not exactly sure why (maybe it’s because dye lots change from season to season, or manufacturers decide to make small changes, or something else), but any future shopping excursions take a lot more time and seldom yield the same satisfactory results as “the extras” you buy at the very same time as you are making your major purchase.
The most useful bit of advice you might get from this column is the importance of “synergism.” When shopping, a carefully chosen one-plus-one should equal more than two.That is, anytime you have an opportunity to buy two items together that appear perfect for each other, don’t pass it up. If yours is a limited budget and you come across, say, a few shirts you like plus a few ties you like, the best immediate decision is to buy only those combinations that seem to be really perfect together, rather than several nice shirts and a few random ties that you do not have the ideal “go withs.” The truly perfect one-plus-one combination will end up equaling three or more!
All of that said, shopping does not always have to be expensive. Several options allow you to save money. Rather than paying full price in a department store or a fine men’s specialty shop, you can go shopping in:
Quality stores during their seasonal “sales”
Discount stores and clothing outlets
Vintage or “gently used” stores
Thrift shops and tag sales
Your own closet.
All of these have advantages, beginning with saving you a lot of money. But each one also requires two other elements that you may be short of - time and patience. You will be on your own except for “on sale” shopping in a fine store, where you can take advantage of the expertise (that is, “pick the brains”) of the store’s most knowledgeable salesmen.
You must first invest some time learning what looks good together, as well as what looks good on you. An important part of this learning process is observing others and training your eye. Check photos in ads and catalogs and notice items that resemble ones you already own so you can copy and/or replicate winning color combinations. Incidentally, it makes no sense to worry whether it is macho to be aware and notice which combinations look good together. Every successful person has some vanity, or he wouldn’t be successful. Allow yourself to be open to new ideas and learning opportunities. You may discover them in stores on the display mannequins, in catalogs on the photographed models, in your office on that guy who always seems to know how to put himself together, or just on the street worn by a passerby. Notice, and remember. Then, when you are shopping, you’ll know what to look for. It won’t all seem so random.
And do not overlook that last idea: Shopping in your own closet. If you decide to shop at home, you will need to set aside some time and/or invite a friend with “a good eye” for color mixing and matching to help you check through the clothes you already own. When making combinations, color is the most important consideration; it is what we notice first. Very often, you have just the right item already there in your closet. After all, it was a design - and especially a color - you once liked well enough to buy, so not only is it likely to go with other items you have, but with new ones you have just bought. This may seem contrary to my earlier statements about spending the extra money and matching this season’s colors, but this is about spending extra time and finding colors that mix with those great shirts and ties that you own. The time you spend finding good matches, whether initially in the store with or without a salesman or putting your own shirts and ties with the new suit, is time well spent. The combinations will be ready in your head, and on hand, when you are getting dressed and pressed for time.
Send men’s fashion queries to Male Call at Lois.Fenton@prodigy.net
High Profile, Pages 45 on 03/30/2014