B State of the Office 2013 How to Master the Office Dress Code ○ You know Taran Killam as Saturday Night Live’s next next-big-thing, but this month he shows off his dramatic chops in the Steve McQueen film 12 Years a Slave. S t y l i s t: M i c h a e l N a s h at C e l e s t i n e Ag e n c y. H a i r : Pat r i c i a M o r a l e s f o r J S Sloane Co. Grooming: Hee Soo Kwon using Malin+Goetz. Set design: JC Molina a t CL M . P r o d u c e R : S t e v e B a u e r f e i n d f o r B a u e r f e i n d P r o d u c t i o ns – W e s t . (Even If You’re Not Sure There Is One) Ever stand in front of your closet on a weekday morning and have no clue what to wear? Do you go business casual or Silicon Valley T-shirt chic? Or are you feeling kinda Tieless Tuesdays? We asked 1,000 men what they wear on the job, and here’s what we learned: Office style is more confusing than ever. To help, we offer forty rules on how to step up your suit, feel dapper in an anything-goes office, look like a shark in a polo, and talk style with your homeys (it’s okay, really)— plus everything else you need to know to kill it in the cubicles 178 gq.com October 2013 d a n i e l l e l ev i tt GQ intelligence 4–9 B State of the Office 11. project upgrade The TraditionalSuit office 1 Yes, it does matter c o r p o r at e - o - m e t e r • Sure, the well-dressed man gets ahead at work. But the real reason to look presentable isn’t to impress your boss or your colleagues: It’s to have some self-respect. This is your career. You probably busted your ass to get where you are, so take some pride in being there. Dressing well every morning acknowledges that you’re preparing for something important. It reminds you to prize your dignity and to never be the kind of worker—hell, the kind of man—who does only the bare minimum. 02 I Tighten Up I I A bunchy, ballooning, untailored suit says, “Hey, boss, I only sorta, kinda care!” Nix the Shiny Silk Try a tie with some texture, like a knit silk or nubby wool. Think Small... Trade the shirt with the supersize plaid for one with a tighter, more sophisticated pattern. I ...And Even I I Smaller A tie bar and a pocket square complete a killer look. Stay Closed for Business Keep the jacket buttoned unless you’re sitting down or you’ve closed the deal. Just Say No to Square Toes Unless you’re Daffy Duck, your shoes should be round-toed. ( o p e n i n g pag e ) Suit, $1,695, shirt, $350, and tie, $155, by Ralph Lauren Black Label. Tie bar by The Tie Bar. Pocket square by The Knottery. Glasses by Garrett Leight. Folio by Tumi. Socks by Johnston & Murphy. Shoes by Ralph Lauren. 12 “You have a responsibility to represent the company through your style. You’re the business card in that moment.” —f ra nk muy tje ns, Head menswear designer at J.Crew 13. Know what your dress shirt is saying. • You’ll never be underdressed; you’ll always look your best. And seriously, nothing’s easier to put on during your groggy morning routine than a suit: The top and bottom already match. October 2013 10 y No matter how safe you play it, at some point you’ll catch lunch on your shirt. Keep some Shout Wipes handy. (The Tide stick leaves rings.) Stash a spare white dress shirt and a lint brush in your desk drawer— along with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Coffee breath violates every dress code. Point You’ve had your job since 2011 and this shirt since 1994. Button-down You’re putting that liberal-arts degree to good use. Semispread You’re two years ahead on your fiveyear career plan. Cutaway spread Your last gig was as an usher at the royal wedding. i l l u s t r a t i o ns , b o t t o m r i g h t : B r o w n B i r d D e s i g n ( 4 ) That said, you kind of can’t go wrong wearing a suit. gq.com • Not all suits are created equal. Just check the massive difference between the two Taran Killams on page 178. y We’re not telling you to wear a three-piece suit to your start-up. We’re saying: Keep doing what you’re doing, only do it better. 3 180 yo ur to lo o s en yo u wa nt t j a unt y lo o k ? ha t ie for t No? T h en d o n ’t. .? .m p Is it 4 GQ intelligence B State of the Office 14 America, it ’s time for an intervention! When we asked 1,000 men about their office style, the answers were, well, ugly. Thirty-six percent of guys said their favorite suit color is black. We humbly suggest gray instead. You're an employee, not a pallbearer. 15–20 21 project upgrade The Polo Is Your Secret Weapon The businesscasual Office c o r p o r at e - o - m e t e r • Wear it right and it passes muster just about anywhere this side of a law firm. Keep the color solid and dark, avoid tacky emblems, and stick with cotton. 22 • Right now there is perhaps no greater pitfall in the world of work style than the half suit, a.k.a. dress pants with no jacket. We’re not against the idea; we’re just against doing it wrong. You Can Actually Talk Style in the Office Shirt, $145, by Sid Mashburn. Tie and tie bar, $15 each, by The Tie Bar. Watch, $180, by Void Watches. Suit jacket, $568, by J.Crew Ludlow. Pants, $275, by Michael Bastian. Belt by Club Monaco. Socks by Pantherella. Shoes by Esquivel. Backpack (in cart) by Jack Spade. Go Shrink Yourself Oversize dress shirts are an avoidable tragedy. This is the (slim) fit you want. Mix-and-Don’t-Match Play with shirt and tie patterns—just make sure the scales are different. Watch This A work-proper timepiece means a leather strap and simple face. • For lots of guys, we've reached a moment when a break-room discussion about custom wingtips is just as normal as jawing about fantasy football. But what if you’re not sure whether a cubemate actually wants to talk about style? Just say: “Nice suit.” Or shirt, or shoes, or jacket (anything, really, besides pants, which could seem weird). More than likely, he’ll be excited someone noticed and start reeling off details. But if he gives you the side-eye, change the subject to the one thing every guy feels safe discussing: how much the Jets suck. 23ist.’s sake, Matte It Down Your belt buckle shouldn’t be chrome or large enough to serve tapas. r For C h yo ur s h irt. in k tuc Catch a Bad Break No more puddling pants; hem ’em so they just graze your shoe tops. 24 “I don’t believe you should have different clothes for work and for going out. These days the coolest guy in the bar is the most Punch Up Your Kicks Suede bucks and colorful socks were made for business casual. 182 gq.com dressed up. You shouldn’t have to go home and change.” —mi c ha e l basti a n, designer October 2013 GQ intelligence B State of the Office Don't Be That Guy! A GQ Taxonomy of Office Types 25 • You don’t have a job, you have a tribe. Gone is the monolithic office culture of olden times (i.e., 1992)—these days what you wear has more to do with where you live and what you do. Here, GQ offers up an anthropology of the modern working stiff f f Company tee for a revenue-less start-up whose name ends in “.ly” 20-oz. Mountain Dew, free from the office break room f f Expensive commuter bike “Barefoot” shoes f f T-shirt that isn’t even really a color Hard leather briefcase for that ’70s-CIAagent vibe Forgotten ham sandwich in sport-coat pocket f f Running shoes that have never been run in f Unfettered joy at the return of pumpkinspice-latte season The Assistant Regional Executive VP hollywood cincinnati f Custom suit, shoes, shirt, socks, underwear f Slouchy jeans that say “Dressing up is for suits and the talentless” The Tentpole Rewriter silicon valley Suit sized for two f f The Bitcoin Tycoon f Tie as wide as a towel f One-percenter teeth Oakley sunglasses tiara f Polo with countryclub crest and elbowlength sleeves— the capri pants of shirting f “This isn’t just a tie, this is Hermès.” f Steak belly f Cigarcutter key chain f Ten-pound watch, usually from IWC or Panerai Wrangler jeans, clean and stiff Oversize and pleated navy twopiece suit atlanta f f f Poorly maintained goatee Kombucha f $120 T-shirt f Gucci horsebit loafers The Back-Nine Barrister texas f f Obsessively polished silver Sigma Chi ring f The Domesticated Wildcatter wall street Doublebreasted suit with the peakiest lapels possible Washed-out polo f Copy of Purple fashion magazine f 217 bracelets, all purchased at the same time f Spermicidally skinny gray jeans tucked into motorcycle boots f Relaxed-fit chinos Black backpack that looks like it weighs thirty-seven pounds Chameleonlike ability to blend into the background brooklyn gq.com f f The A&R Rag & Boner 184 Same sweptbangs haircut since college f Cowboy boots for proper oil-baron street cred f The Bespoke Quant f October 2013 That Guy from Tech 7th floor f f Accessories include Tom Ford sunglasses, Patek Philippe watch, David Beckham stubble Looks like a human Mercedes convertible The CAA Shark beverly hills J ess i c a H J . Lee GQ intelligence B State of the Office 26 America, it ’s time for an intervention! Seventy-four percent of men go to work dressed like Mark Zuckerberg or Jim Cramer. Guys, if you need some boss-style inspiration, turn the page. Because no man should aspire to dress like an asshole. 27–32 33. Do n’ t be th e di ck w ho as ks if yo ur co -w or ke interv ie w ju st r ha s a job beca us e he’s w eari ng a ni ce su it. Project Upgrade The AnythingGoes Office c o r p o r at e - o - m e t e r • The dress-code happy medium is really a confusing mess. Our advice: the businesscasual ratio should be 80-20. Start with office-proper pants and a slim-fit dress shirt, then pepper in stylish details. 34 Trim Down A ratty beard isn’t rebellious, it’s dirty. Keep it tight or cut it off. Tee Off Even a start-up deserves a collar. Save the tee for yard work. Carry On Your briefcase should be like your clothes: slim. Never mess with any knot except the four-in-hand. It’s the perfect all-purpose knot. A quick refresher... A Start by twisting the wide end (right side up) over the thin end. Stay Inside the Lines Cords: Just as comfy as jeans; way more chill than trousers. C Wrap the wide end of the tie back over the thin end once more... E Yes, You Can Kick It Simple low-top leather sneaks are fine for the job. Busted running shoes are not. 186 gq.com Cardigan, $395, by Todd Snyder. Shirt, $340, by Thom Browne New York. Cords, $176, by AG Adriano Goldschmied. Bag, $325, by Mismo. Sunglasses by Steven Alan. Socks by Paul Stuart. Sneakers by Common Projects. Where to buy it? Go to GQ.com/go/fashiondirectories Now pull the wide end down through the knot loop you’ve just created. B Then wrap it under, keeping the overlap close (but not tight) to your throat. D ...but this time pull it all the way up through the neck loop, behind the knot. F Tighten up. The tie tip should hit mid– belt buckle. You look great. Really. i l l u s t r a t i o ns , b o t t o m r i g h t : B r o w n B i r d D e s i g n ( 6 ) Layer Up(grade) A cardigan is just a fleece jacket with self-esteem. GQ intelligence 35 Sixty-three percent of men with significant others let their better halves buy their work clothes for them. We’re all for a second opinion when it comes to matters of style, but at least have your own opinion first. 37 w 36 America, it ’s time for an intervention! Dress Like a Boss o rs t TV offers us plenty of inspiration. Choose wisely. to n y m i c e l l i Who’s the Boss? Dear Tony: Doing housework doesn’t actually require a guy to wear mom jeans. Work Bags Don’t Have Shoulder Straps • Not even if you’re in IT. You want a soft leather brief, a leather-and-canvas tote, or our new favorite, the zip folio. It’s simple and professional and limits what you lug around. And you’ve still got one hand free to carry your red-eye soy latte. mr. burns The Simpsons Unstructured shoulders on a suit the color of money? Excellent. charlie skinner The Newsroom Trim bow ties underline his distinguished look and angryman rants. m i c h a e l s c ot t The Office “Just too big!” That’s what she said...about the cut of his jackets. roger sterling Mad Men Wears a threepiece suit with threemartini-lunch nonchalance. be st king joffrey b a r at h e o n Game of Thrones The young king may wear Oriental rugs, but they’re really well-tailored Oriental rugs. dav i d e s t e s Homeland Suits so sharp, you barely notice that he accessorizes with a plastic ID badge. banana republic • $98 38 Beware of Bosses Wearing Jeans i wish my boss were more of an asshole. The monstrous boss may be tragic or comic, but he is always a villain. He is Sam Zell, Miranda Priestly, Ken Lay, Bill Lumbergh. He is one of the few people whom you are allowed to hate unreservedly. Except that increasingly, he’s not. ta k e m y b o s s ; we’ll call him Craig. Craig founded the start-up where I work. Instead of occupying a glass box in a corner, Craig’s desk sits in the middle of the company’s openplan space. There’s no secretary or soundproof door to separate him from the ri≠ra≠. Instead of Brioni suits, Craig wears slim-fit shirts and 188 gq.com October Levi’s. When I find Craig in the kitchen creating his signature medley of gluten-free cereals from the cereal bar, I joke with him about his statement socks. He calls me dude. In short, Craig looks and acts like a person I’d be friends with. this makes it much more startling when Friend Craig morphs into Boss Craig and shoots down my ideas in a meeting or flat-out upbraids me for dropping the ball. In old jobs, I could metabolize negative feedback as well as anyone else. With Craig, I feel like I’ve been sucker punched by a pal. on a basic level, a boss is a person endowed with the power 2013 to command you as he pleases. It’s your moral duty as a human to resent your overlord, even if that overlord wears jean jackets and Jack Purcells. Do not fool yourself into thinking you’re buddies. Don’t gossip with him, don’t call him by a nickname, don’t do anything you wouldn’t do if he were wearing a suit. it’s not just my fault, though. By eliminating the trappings of power, Craig is being misleading. My job would be much easier if Craig accepted the terms of his position and we could o∞cially end our lovehate relationship. A hatehate relationship would be so much sweeter. —WILLIAM SPENCER 39 No Logos Larger Than a Nickel • Not on your belt, not on your shirt, not on your gym bag. Even if it’s your company’s logo. No, especially if it’s your company’s logo. 40 y And some parting advice: The idea here is to dress like the best version of yourself. And if the best version of yourself doesn’t fit in at your office, then maybe you’re in the wrong office. 3 6 ) D a v i d R i n e l l a . S t i l l - l i f e s t y l i s t : R e n a t a C h a p l y nsk y f o r A r t D e p a r t m e n t . 3 7 ) C l o c k w i s e f r o m t o p l e f t : A B C P h o t o A r c h i v e s / G e t t y Im a g e s ; c o u r t e s y o f M e l i ss a M o s e l e y / H B O ; M a t t G r o e n i n g / P h o t o 1 2 / A l a m y ; c o u r t e s y o f K e n t S m i t h / S h o w t i m e ; c o u r t e s y o f F r a nk O c k e n f e l s / A M C ; c o u r t e s y o f H e l e n S l o a n / H B O ; P a u l D r i nk w a t e r / N B CUn i v e r s a l / G e t t y Im a g e s . B State of the Office
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