Business clothing essentials for stylish men

Neil Balani, CEO of HKT Clothiers

Author

Neil Balani - CEO at HKT Custom Clothiers

Neil started at HKT when he was 24 and the store was owned by his uncle, Cliff Vaswani. In 2005, Neil took over operations, and since then, he has overseen its growth and development from a traditional tailors to a modern enterprise that delivers exquisite products and an exemplary customer service.

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If you’re a man who works in an office, you may think it’s hard to look stylish for work all the time. Well, that doesn’t have to be the case if you’ve got access to some office essentials that will allow you to execute a wide range of polished professional looks.

In a world where money is no object, it’d be fantastic if all these items were bespoke or custom made so they fit you exquisitely and perfectly reflected your personality. But we understand the vast majority of people won’t have the budget to do this. Therefore, we recommend that you try to have a few of our essentials made to order and buy the rest off-the-peg.

Of course, that’s not to say you couldn’t add bespoke pieces over the years to gradually create your ultimate office wardrobe.

First essential – A navy suit

When compiling a wardrobe of office essentials, there’s one piece of clothing that you most own – a navy suit. It looks great at pretty much every event, and it can be easily paired with a wide selection of shirts and ties. In fact, if you work in a pretty relaxed office environment, it can also look fantastic matched with a T-shirt and sneakers.

At HKT, we can make you a bespoke or made to measure navy suit that fits you flawlessly and in a style that truly flatters your physique. On top of this, you’ll also be able to choose from a wide range of luxurious navy-colored fabrics from around the world, and select details such as the material for your lining, whether you have pleated or flat-fronted pants, and the shape and style of your lapels, pockets and much more.

In addition, we also stock a superb range of off-the-peg navy suits from some of the world’s leading brands. These are a brilliant choice if your budget doesn’t stretch to bespoke or custom but you still want a high-quality suit that looks amazing and fits you extremely well.

Classic combination of navy blue suit with grey shirt and blue tie.

Second essential – A dark gray suit

After navy, dark gray (think charcoal) is the second color of suit you need in your wardrobe, and particularly if you’re limiting your number of suits to two or three. What’s especially good about a neutral color like dark gray is that it’s the perfect foundation from which you can create many professional looks. That’s because it works really well with all colors of shirts, from white to black, and you can pair it up with many different styles of ties to create the individual look you want.

Visit us at our showroom and we can show you a wide range of dark gray fabrics from historic textile merchants such as Scabal, Dormeuil, and Holland and Sherry. These are perfect for creating a made to measure suit that that fits impeccably and hangs superbly from your frame.

We also offer a fabulous selection of off-the-peg suits in dark gray that are of the highest quality and can be altered to closely fit your physique. This is a great alternative to a bespoke or custom made suit, and will still make you one of the sharpest dressers in your office.

Third essential – 15 dress shirts

As a general rule, we recommend that you have access to three weeks’ worth of dress shirts that you can select from. This gives you plenty of scope to create a wide range of looks with your navy and dark gray suits, and any other color of suits you have.

Out of these 15 we recommend that at least three are white, two are blue, and the rest are a mixture of block colors, striped, checked or plaid. You may also want to think about having different styles of collars to add some extra variety.

Bespoke shirts at HKT are made from peerless fabrics and available in more colors, patterns and textures than you can imagine. We’re also positive that an HKT shirt will feel more comfortable and more relaxing to wear than any other shirt you own.

Of course, 15 dress custom made dress shirts will set you back a fair few dollars. So, as well as creating flawless custom made shirts, we also offer a carefully selected range of ready-to-wear shirts. These are available in wide range of colors and styles, so you’ll have no problem assembling a superb collection of dress shirts for the office.

Fourth essential – A strong collection of neckties

If you work in an office environment, you probably already own a decent amount of ties. What we suggest is that when you have some spare time you lay out your suits with your shirts and start to match ties with them to create some strong professional looks. When you hit upon a good combination, take a photo on your phone so you can remember how everything worked together as one.

If any of your ties don’t match well with any suit-and-shirt combo, then it’s probably time you sent them to your local charity shop. Also, look out for any gaps in your collection of ties. Are you missing darker colors, a checked tie, or a necktie with small polka dots?

Identifying these gaps can be tricky, so maybe have a look online and search one of your suit-and-shirt combos, eg “dark gray suit with white shirt”, and see what type of ties are paired with them. This should give you plenty of inspiration.

Once you know what type of tie you’re looking for, why not visit us at our Atlanta showroom? We stock a great collection of Italian silk ties from leading brands such as DolcePunta and Italo Ferretti, as well as bow ties created by our very own master tailors.

Fifth essential – Extra pairs of dress pants

If you purchase a suit from HKT or elsewhere, it’s a good idea to buy some extra matching dress pants, as trousers are far more likely to need replacing than a suit jacket. Also, it’s often the case a full suit is not needed in the office, and especially when the hot summer months come around.

Of course, you don’t have to get pants that match your suits. Instead, you could invest in some trousers that offer something a little different to your suit pants so you have even more variation in your wardrobe. As always, start by looking at what you’ve already got in terms of shirts and ties and then think about what trousers could be combined with them to create a killer look.

Alternatively, you could book an appointment with one of our style consultants to discuss the type of pants you’re looking for, as well as take a look at the hundreds of high-quality fabrics we can create bespoke trousers from.

This is a great way to acquire some new dress pants that perfectly complement your current wardrobe, and which provide a fit that delivers amazing comfort and a winning style.

Sixth essential – A couple of blazers that pack some punch

Sometimes it’s important you make an impression and stand out from the crowd. A blazer or sports jacket that adds a pop of color is a great way of doing this. Matched with navy or gray trousers and a pristine white shirt and tie, this look can certainly turn a few heads but also project high levels of professionalism.

It’s also a great choice for office events or when you’re entertaining clients, as you can easily wear a blazer for daytime meetings as well as drinks in the evening.

Inside our showroom, you can view and try on a superb selection of ready-to-wear sports jackets. But if you really want a statement piece, we highly recommend that you have a custom made blazer created for you. Using specially created sports coat fabrics from suppliers such as Ermenegildo Zegna and Dormeuil, we can construct a jacket that fits perfectly and makes you look extremely stylish from every angle.

Seventh essential – A range of good quality leather belts

A piece of clothing that’s often overlooked when creating a stylish office look is the humble belt. Yet the piece of leather you put around your waist can make your whole appearance tie together perfectly.

At HKT, our style consultants suggest you have a staple set of belts to get you through every eventuality. Typically, these should be dark brown, black, blue, and tan in color. But, most importantly, consider what shoe colors you wear the most to the office and try to match to those. Also, ensure that the finish of your belts – patent (ie shiny), matte, and suede – work well with your office shoes too.

Another element to consider is the buckle of your belt. Shiny golds and silvers certainly project a different look to more matte-finished metals. That’s why we recommend you stock up with a range of buckles that feature different types of finishes.

With regards to going custom made, you don’t necessarily have to do that, as high-quality leather belts can be bought for not too much money (we stock a fantastic selection). However, if you do want something truly unique, HKT’s expert craftsmen can create you a stunning handmade belt.

This service allows you to choose the thickness and length of your belt, the color and pattern of the leather, and the finish of the buckle – rose gold, matt silver, shiny silver, or gold; plus, you can also add your name or monogram to the inside of your belt.

Eighth essential – Colored socks that complement and contrast

Our eight essential is another piece of clothing that’s also regularly forgotten about in terms of creating a stylish look. But do this at your peril. Imagine having carefully matched your suit, shirt, tie, belt and shoes, and then deciding to wear some sock that don’t go with your outfit. Straightaway, everything falls apart.

If you really want to climb to new sartorial heights, you need to think about investing in some colored socks that complement your look. Usually, to create a harmonious appearance, your socks should match or pick up on a color in your tie or pocket square, or they should be of a similar hue to your pants, so there’s a seamless transition between the two.

Alternatively, you could contrast your socks with your suit for a more noticeable look. But if you are going to do this, try to use complementary colors, for example, orange socks look great with a gray suit, and purple socks work really well with a navy suit.

As with all items of clothing, you can get very high-quality socks and very poor-quality socks. If your budget stretches to it, we recommend that you invest in at least a few pairs of luxury Italian socks by Marcoliani.

They have a strong reputation for producing some of the finest socks in the world. That’s because their socks are made from the finest yarns, deliver a perfect fit, are easy to care for, and are available in the most fashionable colors. Visit our store to find out more.

Want to create a wardrobe of office essentials? We’re ready to help

So, there you go, our blog on office essentials for stylish men. We hope you find it helpful for the coming year. Of course, if you do have any queries on the back of this post, please do make an appointment with one of our expert style consultants. They can help you create completely new looks as well as identify items of clothing that will work perfectly with the office clothing you already have in your wardrobe.

 Schedule an appointment at HKT Clothiers today and start to experience the difference first-class tailoring can make to your confidence and style
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