The Real Power Tie

Do you remember the Ronald Reagan era; “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall…” and his many other quotable quotes? His speeches, excellent examples of wording, timing and the deft use of humor, are still studied by prospective politicians. And as a former actor, Reagan also understood the power of wardrobe and presentation.

Even during his downtime at the ranch, Reagan continued to project the American ideal at its best: the rugged cowboy. Clad in a jean jacket, Stetson and well-worn work gloves, he would pause on his horse just so, allowing the ever present photographer to capture the right image.

There was another, even more fascinating sartorial issue attached to Reagan, the red tie. Reagan himself was not overly devoted to red ties, however when word leaked out that the First Lady’s favorite color was red, guess what happened? Almost overnight, anyone seeking the president’s attention, from journalists to politicians, were sporting red ties. Their female counterparts suddenly discovered red blouses, scarves and jackets in their closets.

It was a fascinating, almost Pavlovian reaction to something never actually confirmed. Still, at a 1985 press conference, Reagan indirectly responded to a Wall Street Journal story that said he often called on reporters wearing red at his news conferences. Reagan, wearing a red tie himself that day, called on 12 reporters wearing red ties or dresses. Six non-red-wearing reporters also were recognized. You be the judge.

I had not thought about presidential ties too much until recently, when I saw the current President Bush and realized that lots of other politicians were wearing his tie. Clearly partial to a particular shade of light blue, Bush’s signature tie, white shirt and dark gray suit have become the presidential look of the moment.

The light blue color, say fashion experts, imbues the wearer with the impression of confidence, decisiveness and trust. It is a color of leadership – but unlike the traditional red power tie – without an overtone of aggression.

In testament to this fact, the candidates vying to replace Bush and even some foreign leaders, frequently sport an almost identical look. Barack Obama regularly wears one on the stump as do John McCain and, occasionally, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. It’s interesting that a look so associated with Bush has apparently gained bipartisan presidential status.

Lest you think that all this color coded subliminal messaging is nothing but hot air, consider Vice President Dick Cheney. Never one for elaborate wardrobes, he once wore a ski cap, snow boots and military parka to a formal ceremony observing the liberation of Auschwitz. All the other dignitaries wore suits and topcoats.

When it comes to office wear, Cheney is usually the embodiment of conservativeness, never straying far from red when it comes to ties. But, after a fateful accident in which he accidentally shot a friend while hunting, there he was on TV, explaining himself to a reporter while wearing a pink necktie. Dick Cheney in a pink necktie? It was soft and friendly, it made him seem so, dare I say, vulnerable. Once the issue passed however, so did that tie.

Who knows what will be next. But according to some industry experts, the blue tie has almost run its course. When President Bush leaves the White House, his blue tie will likely lose favor too.

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One Thing: The Blue Blazer

Over the past year or so I have occasionally highlighted essential pieces of a man’s wardrobe. The “One Thing” columns have covered a variety of items, but today I want to get back to basics with the blue blazer.

A blue blazer is the backbone of any serious wardrobe. The ever popular Preppy Handbook even dubbed it the male exoskeleton. Preppy or not, a blue blazer is the one article of dress clothing all men should have hanging in the closet. It is universally useful and chameleon-like when it comes to meeting your needs in a sartorial pinch.

When they hear “blue blazer” people tend to think of the classic brass button type found on the bridge of a yacht in a Ralph Lauren advertisement. Of course that version is the most traditional, but blue blazers come in a range of fabrics and styles; from lightweight linens to beefy flannels. As the king of odd jackets, a blue blazer can fill the gap when you need to dress somewhere between a suit and a sweater, regardless of the season.

Styles vary as much as materials. Some blazers have horn or resin buttons instead of shipshape brass ones. They can come with single, double or no vents; notched or peaked lapels. Other design variations can change the overall feel of the garment. A double breasted blazer, with its nipped waist and dramatic massing of buttons can impart formality. A single breasted sack jacket with no darting can give you a more casual “drinks at the club” New England persona.

When it comes to shoulders, there are some cultural variations as well. American blazers often have a soft natural shoulder, while English tailors tend to prefer them padded and more structured. This is particularly true with double breasted jackets. American makers like Brooks Bothers and J. Press are arbiters of the natural shoulder; a style I tend prefer.

When shopping for a blue blazer, approach it as a major investment. This should be a jacket that can carry you for years to come and something that you are happy to reach for in the morning. A well constructed blazer made from good fabric will be as comfortable as your favorite sweatshirt and its classic styling will conquer the vagaries of many fashion cycles.

The core benefit of the blue blazer is its inherent versatility. It can make jeans, Chuck Taylors and an old polo shirt look city cool or give khakis, boat shoes and an oxford some un-stuffy dressiness. The blue blazer works because of its balance between formal and comfortable. It’s one of those rare garments that has both stood the test of time and evolved to meet the needs of each generation.

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Commuter & Dad Bag Test: Timbuk2

Timbuk2 Cross Classic Messenger ($150.00) & Cross Wiki ($60.00) / www.Timbuk2.com

If there is one company that’s the proverbial 800 pound gorilla of the messenger bag industry, it’s Timbuk2. The San Francisco based company’s three paneled bags have become somewhat iconic, just like its curly-cue logo. Though owners can customize those panels to almost any color combination, the bags are still instantly identifiable.

From its founding in 1989, Timbuk2’s goal was to create a bag rugged enough to serve the street pounding bicycle messengers of San Francisco yet stylish enough to appeal to a broader market.

Unlike other messenger bag companies, whose bags were co-opted by people looking to emulate bike messengers, the epitome of cool, Timbuk2’s designs were created with potential suburban commuters in mind. In 1994, the three panel design was perfected and customers were encouraged to customize their bag designs.

This gave birth to the particularly unique Timbuk2 style wave, now seen from San Francisco to New York, Memphis to Denver. Produced in different sizes and with various functionalities, their bags all share a common look and distinctive personality that can go city slick or biker artsy based on the owner’s preferences.

The Timbuk2 web site is a combination retail portal and street art venue. You can customize your bag right down to the color of the swirling logo. The site also has an interesting history of messenger bags.

Background

The company sent me two bags, a medium classic messenger bag and Wiki laptop sleeve. Both are in the new Cross fabric that is somewhat akin to a heavy duty hounds tooth. The wide woven pattern at first looks loose and potentially weak. In fact, it is a tight weave that is totally waterproof. The Cross fabric is part of a textile experiment that has the company designers re-imagining their products with more high-end materials and treatments.

The Results

Both bags are great in their own ways. The Cross fabric is different enough to be innovative, but practical enough for daily use. In terms of bags’ functionality, they are each well designed and do what you want them to do.

Cross Classic Messenger (M)

The Timbuk2 medium classic messenger bag is in many ways the perfect commuter messenger bag. It’s large enough to hold what you need but small enough not to turn into a sack of stuff. Unlike purpose built bags that were later put to use by office dwellers, Timbuk2 messenger bags were built with that very constituency in mind.

That translates to the unique pocket panel fitted into every Timbuk 2 messenger bag. There are slots for pens, a clear window of business cards, a cell phone sleeve and a variety of other pocket in varying sizes. There are also two zippered pockets – one large and one small – for securing your valuables and loose items.

Other options like a body stabilizing strap and shoulder strap pad come with this particular model. Small but meaningful features include bag buckles constructed from metal rather and plastic and a key tether located in an outer pocket instead of the normal in-bag location.

Cross Wiki

The Wiki is a laptop commuter sleeve with a carrying handle. Other than an outside pocket that can hold a few sheets of paper, that’s it. The thickly padded corduroy lining cradles and protects your machine and the limited features keep its purpose clear and simple.

I found this to be a great bag for moving around the laptop and keeping it simple. I am a convert to keeping my laptop in its own slim and trim bag. I may not get everything into one bag, but this is a sensible and handy alternative.

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Styles for Shorter Gentleman: Jimmy Au’s

When it comes to shorter men, finding well-tailored and well-designed clothes in styles that also enhance stature are not always easy to come by. In the business arena, clothing plays a key role because it can influence how others see you - tall or short, slim or wide. Perception, as usual, is king.

Based in Beverly Hills, Jimmy Au’s for Men 5’8” and Under, is an industry leader in tailored clothing for shorter gentlemen. Au is recognized as the leading authority in the men’s fashion industry when it comes to developing and designing quality clothing for shorter men. He is renowned for his uncompromising dedication to dressing shorter gentlemen and his store is where leading Hollywood studios turn for their television and motion picture wardrobe needs.

Alan Au, the founder’s son and company’s client relations director, spoke with www.OffTheCuffDC.com and outlined his key rules for dressing with style and increasing visual height. Although the average man in the United States is 5′9″, the average height of Jimmy Au’s customer is 5′4″. Alan, is also credited with encouraging his father to work with leading menswear brands like Michael Kors, DKNY, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Kenneth Cole to produce tailored fashion for men under 5′5″.

Show your stripes… While some fashion designers are abandoning these vertical enhancements, if you want to look taller at work, you need to consider stripes. Choose stripes of a thinner variety like beaded or pinstripes. Choose stripes where the width between stripes best balances your frame. ¼” to ¾” should be sufficient. The wider your frame, the wider the stripe option, however, any wider than ¾” and you’ll begin to look squat. Stay away from thick or wide stripes like chalk stripes or alternating colored stripes. The lighter color will dominate causing the width to visually double and, again, make you look squat.

Well suited… When trying on a suit, stand close to the mirror and take a good to see if it flatters you. Then, stand back about 5 to 10 feet from the mirror to get a visual sense of how others will see you in a typical day to day situation. Make sure you can see you in the suit and not just the suit. If only the suit looks good but not you in it, then pass.

The skinny on ties… Fashion designers seem to be split when it comes to tie widths. Some are going much wider while others are slimming down. For the short man, it’s best to go narrow. Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s more proportioned for a shorter frame. A ties that is 2 ½” to 3 ¼” at its widest point should be enough. Anything that will add width to your midsection will also make you look shorter, so stay away from the wide bib-looking ties. Narrower ties look more balanced and the effect will make you look better proportioned; which in turn makes you look taller.

Wear a shirt, not a chute… When you are less than 5′8″, the baggy shirt from the 1990s is an unwanted fashion statement in 2008. Even regular sized shirts are baggy on a shorter frame and that fullness makes you look like you’re wearing your older brother’s hand-me-downs. Choose a more trim European inspired fit with higher armholes and a slimmer body. These trimmer cuts can easily be shortened to fit your body and arms. Fuller cuts require more work from a skilled tailor.

Here comes the hammer… Pants that is! Some designers are showing pleated, full cut dress pants again. Avoid this look at all costs. Stick to more traditional cuts, preferably with a flat front and short rise. It’s not that you can’t wear pleated pants; just not ones that make you look like a B-movie genie. If you prefer a pleated pant because you have thick thighs or wide hips, stick to shallower pleats. You can have the extra width you need without having the extra depth you don’t; proportion is key. Regardless, making sure you purchase pants with a short rise greatly increases the likelihood of a proper fit.

The golden rule… The number one rule, no matter what the current fashion trend, is to have your clothes altered by a good tailor. This rule applies to men of all heights, but is particularly important to us short guys. Because of our shorter stature, most everything is big on us, which in turn makes us look even shorter.

Common sense proportions take on added importance for short men. Ensure that coat and shirt sleeves are the right length and that coat bottoms are not too long. Pant hems should never be too long nor pant legs too wide. Details matter even more for short men, particularly when the details are what can make or break your overall image.

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Fitting In On Wall Street

So you want to be the next Gordon Gekko? Think you’re a master of the universe, ready to wheel and deal with the big guns on Wall Street? I spend a fair amount of time with those guys and though it’s been a rough couple of months in the Big Apple, most are still looking pretty sharp.

Even with the financial market’s current turmoil, Wall Street continues to grind away at the business of business. Every day, newly minted MBAs surge into New York, hoping to take their places at the feeding troughs of profit. Though movies usually focus on the sexy, glamorous side of the industry (how unusual), the reality of a typical Wall Street starter job is one of emotionally exhausting financial analysis, intense competition and 20 hour days.

If you still want to take a shot at the brass ring the upside is that working on Wall Street can be a very rewarding career - literally. And to make a good impression with both your clients and colleagues, you’ll need to know how to dress.

Sure, the idea of the maverick trader or brilliant iconoclast is what plays well on TV, but in truth Wall Street is a very conformist environment. If there is a prominent color palette, it’s grey. And if there is a defining trait that sets the leaders of the pack apart from everyone else, it’s the quality of their stuff, not necessarily the flash.

The pinstripe suit is the uniform of New York’s financial community. Its inherent sobriety and maturity lets your clients know that they can trust you with their money. No matter how much you’re pulling down, the job of your clothes is to project conservative seriousness.

For those who are moving up the ranks and ready to show off, the name of the game is quality. Where other environments might celebrate flash and obvious excess, Wall Street eschews it (at least out in the in open). In this extremely competitive environment, projecting success and advancement without breaching the “code of grey” is the name of the game. Here are my observations from the Street.

The suit is where it all starts and when it comes to suits, bespoke is the pot of gold at the end of the sartorial rainbow. After depositing your $10 million bonus check (as several Goldman Sachs guys did last year) nothing says, “I’ve arrived” like a couple of suits made to fit you and only you. That kind of success also allows for wider wardrobe options like gen plaids, country windowpanes and the in-your-face attitude of a nice fat chalk stripe.

Custom made suits, where you are matched to an existing pattern tweaked to fit your frame, is the next best thing and certainly nothing at which to sneeze. Many well known fashion houses and tailors offer this slightly more affordable option to the up and coming traders and bankers of the world.

If going with off-the-rack, labels like Brioni, Kiton, Zenga, Kilgour, Canali, and Ralph Lauren are always good choices. Double vents are de rigueur in most cases, though single vents are perfectly acceptable for American makers like Brooks Brothers, J. Press and Oxford.

Almost to a man, French cuffed shirts seem to rule Wall Street. Younger guys in particular like the versatility they offer, along with the associated spread collars and cufflinks. Thomas Pink and Charles Tyrwhitt have made significant inroads in New York. Still highly respected is Turnbull & Asser, famously worn by Washington Post editor in chief, Ben Bradley. And when it comes to cufflinks, I’ve seen everything from subway tokens to solid gold bulls and bears. They are one of the few truly personal accessories a man can wear to the office, so great care is usually given when picking them out.

Ties are another area for individual expression, though again in a somewhat restrained fashion. Hermes and Vineyard Vines are popular in part because their classic and sometimes quirky repetitive designs possess a timeless quality. Of course these premium brands are very distinctive and instantly recognizable – another way to telegraph your taste. For those seeking a more traditional look, Brooks Brothers repp ties are a safe bet.

Footwear is often confined to the cap toe oxford or slip-in loafer; I don’t often see wingtips. Even though brown shoes pair wonderfully with grey, more often I see black. As with tailored clothing, when you can afford it, custom shoes are favored. Names like Edward Green and John Lobb are voiced with idolized reverence.

Of all the accessories that Wall Streeters use to indicate their status in the financial food chain, the wristwatch is king. And the king of wristwatches is still Rolex. I’ve lost count of the Submariners, Sea-Dwellers and Datejusts I’ve seen. Interestingly, when it comes to chronographs, the Omega Speedmaster in particular and Breitling in general seem to be the most popular. I suspect that even for high-flying money managers, spending $25,000 on a Rolex Daytona is a little excessive.

Overall, the Wall Street look is a classic one, steeped in purpose as well as iconic style. Elegance, attention to detail and luxury touches are its hallmarks. Of course, not everyone in the industry dresses this way; some are utterly clueless and others are dandies in the extreme. Nonetheless, this distinctive and polished style of dress has come to define what it means to be “Wall Street.”

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