winter formal

as the weather grows colder every guy who has a pair is breaking out his charcoal grey slacks for those times when he has to look a little more business and a little less casual. now all you need is something to wear with your pants. my first suggestion comes from something i discovered this weekend.

the ben sherman scarborough shirt is a stretch dress shirt. it’s ben’s “mod” cut, which is super slim. i normally wear a small in ben’s other cuts, but if i wear a medium in this shirt, something wonderful happens. i can button the shirt all the way up to wear a tie with it. it’s not just the larger size, it’s also that the shirt is slightly stretchy. it’s 97% cotton so it’s not flammable or too shiny, but it does stretch just enough to make button the collar comfortable. and since it’s a slim cut, it doesn’t look stupid when you wear it one size bigger, you just have a little more shirt tail to tuck in.

the scarborough comes in many colors but one of the best for winter will be the sky blue. it’s not that predictable button down blue. it’s totally subtle. more like off white. just the right color to go with every pair of pants you own and to make a great background for a bold tie.

buy from nordstrom

which brings us to cyberoptix, who make ties that make statements. not offensive statements, just manly ones. jocko likes bombs away, which would look great in so many color combos with this shirt. i’d recommend grey with black print, or if you want to go really bold, black silk with a white print.

buy bombs away from cyberoptix

i prefer the gas mask. i’m a sucker for victorian style prints of odd contraptions. because of the print, you can rock the monochrome look and get the black print on a light blue tie. either one will look a whole lot better than that seasonal tie you got last year for the company holiday party.

buy gas mask from cyberoptix