What to Wear to an Interview: The Be Dapper Way

The interview: one of the most dreaded and intimidating moments in most men's professional careers.  Whether you're out of work and trying to immediately find a new job or are just exploring options, the interview is most likely the only face time you will get with a hiring manager before they decide on who will get a position.  Generally you're going to get between a half hour to an hour of time to speak with a prospective employer, which is why this first impression will be so important.  In my experience, I've known whether or not I wanted to hire someone within 5 minutes of speaking with them.  My guess is that most hiring managers would agree.  As such, it is incredibly important that the person you are interviewing with has a good first impression of you.  That first impression will be how you look, for better or worse.  And believe me, if you show up underdressed or look like you just bought a suit off the $99 rack, your chances of landing that job will drop like a rock.  Today I'm going to go over what you should be wearing to an interview to give a stunning first impression.

Leave the Black Suit at Home

First off, always wear a suit.  Always.  Even if the workplace is casual or the job is not in an office environment, no interviewer is going to look down on the fact that you dressed well.  However, showing up in slacks and a button up with no tie might send the wrong impression or not be appropriate for that position.  Moving on: black suits are great, they are bold without even expressly being so and work with a variety of colors and patterns.  However, your black suit is not your interview suit, not even your business suit.  Save your black suit for evenings out or dinner parties.  For an interview, you should be wearing a navy or charcoal suit.  I recommend navy, as it displays a refined level of style sense and professionalism.  Keep it single breasted, with a notch lapel and preferably two buttons. Patterns, if any, should be subtle.

Navy Suit with Brown Shoes | Freshly Educated Men

This is an Interview, Not a Fashion Show

You may have a very extensive wardrobe with many fashion-forward pieces and accessories, however this is not the time to wear your lime green knit tie and boat shoes.  If what you're wearing is getting noticed by an interviewer more than what you are saying, there is a huge problem.  For your shirt, go with white or light blue and no french cuffs, you're not an exec (yet.)  Your tie should be dark and muted, no bold patterns or colors, and include a tie bar.  Wear simple lace-up oxfords, preferably brown if you're wearing a charcoal or navy suit.  No accessories beyond a leather strapped watch, if even that.

The Perfect, Simple Accessories

Fail to Prepare and You Can Prepare to Fail

Just as you would research a company, their history, look at their website and prepare otherwise for a job interview, you should be preparing your wardrobe the day before as well.  Prepare your outfit, make sure it is what you want so you're not scrambling for a new tie in the morning.  Shine your shoes, there is a lot you can tell about a man by his shoes.  Remove any stray strings or thread from your suit and use a lint roller to remove any hair, dust or other debris.  Looking your best takes preparation, and there are few days more important than an interview to do so.

Charcoal Topman Suit | City Society

Thanks for reading.  As always, be dapper.

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Nordstrom's Half Yearly Sale for Men: This is the Weekend to Upgrade Your Style!

We all know Nordstrom's carries some of the top brands in the world, but it seems like they also usually have the highest prices in the world as well.  Good news: the Nordstrom's Half Yearly Sale for Men is going on from June 17-19, so this weekend is the time to upgrade your style.  I'm going to highlight 5 picks from this sale for you to consider because they are nearly impossible to pass up.

1901 Saddle Up Oxford

I love saddle shoes and these are the definitive style of these bold shoes.  Made from geniune suede, these are a steal at $65 and are a perfect look for the summer (especially when going sockless.)

1901 'Saddle Up' Oxford - $64.90

Salvatore Ferragamo 'Loris' Oxford

Still pricey, coming in at $329.90, but these lace ups are a master made pair of full leather shoes.  If you've been looking for a pair of shoes that will last you a decade or more (like I talked about in this article) you should be picking these up.

Salvatore Ferragamo 'Loris' Oxford - $329.90

Ibiza Collection Grey Strip Linen Blend Sportcoat

I love this jacket, but don't wear it if you're looking to blend in.  This jacket is bold and makes a statement, perfect for the summertime as a linen cotton blend that you can keep cool in.  You're going to need to get it tailored, most likely, so don't expect it to fit perfectly off the rack.

Ibiza Collection Grey Stripe Linen Blend Sportcoat - $229.90

Boss Black 'Slim Fit' Dress Shirt

You're getting a high quality dress shirt for under $100, so count yourself lucky.  There are a smattering of other brand, color and pattern options available, just make sure that you are looking for "slim fit" or "trim fit" in the title.

BOSS Black 'Slim Fit' Dress Shirt - $62.90

1901 Stripe Skinny Knit Tie

It's no secret that I have a thing for knit ties, I talked about them in this article, and this one is no exception.  Classic prep style and colors, this is a great pick to match up with chinos or lighter slacks.  Even jeans will look great with this tie, it's so versatile that it works for most any situation beyond formal and uber-professional.

1901 Stripe Skinny Knit Tie - $32.90

You're going to have to move fast if you want some of these deals, the sale only runs til Sunday so make sure you make it to a Nordstrom store or to their online store this weekend. If you're looking for a great father's day gift this would also be the perfect time!

Thanks for reading. As always, be dapper.

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Hit the Bar: Tie Bars and How to Wear Them

If you're knotting up for any occasion, I highly recommend that you dress up your tie a bit. You may have used a tie pin before, and while there are many fine tie pins on the market, a tie bar is an undeniably more sophisticated look than the pin.  The bar is both functional and aesthetic, holding your tie back from flying all over the place but also breaking up the silhouette of your tie.  Today I'd like to give you some recommendations on what kind of tie bar you should buy and how you should wear it.

Keep it Simple, Stupid

There are thousands of tie bars on the market, plenty of them having embellishments from sports team logos to diamonds.  I recommend keeping yours fairly toned down.  That doesn't mean you can't get something to set your tie bar apart from others, there are a great variety of tie bars with different finishes, subtle striping, textures and so on.  Bottom line is that you should look for something that won't overpower your tie.

Calvin Klein Skinny Tie with Tie Bar

Bigger isn't Always Better

One tie bar isn't going to work for every tie in your ensemble, sorry it's just not going to happen.  Get one too short and you're going to look you misused a paper clip, too long and it will look like you put your pen on your tie.  I like to think that a tie bar should extend across your tie anywhere from halfway to 3/4 of the width of the tie where you are clipping it.  For skinny ties, a one inch tie bar will be perfect for most situations.  For standard width ties, I would recommend getting out to 2 inches.  See below how Jake Gyllenhaal rocks the one inch tie bar perfectly with a skinny tie.

Jake Gyllenhaal on GQ's May 2010 Cover

Where to Wear It

There really is no standard in my opinion of where to put your tie bar, but Glenn O'Brien from GQ has put it best: "Think of it as the needle on a meter or the mercury in a thermometer. Imagine the tie knot as the top of the scale, which we shall call 'ridiculous,' and the bottom of the tie as the bottom of the scale, which we shall call 'stolid.' Measure bar wearers accordingly."  I don't think much more needs to be said here.  With that, clink on the link below and head to TheTieBar.com to get your next tie bar, they have great stuff and most of it is reasonably priced.

TheTieBar.com

Feel free to experiment with different colors on your tie bars. Silver will be the most versatile choice, but you can find gold, black or white tie bars that will work with select colors and patterns. Even some bolder colors might be appropriate if you're looking to make a splash, just keep in mind that you don't want the tie bar to overpower the rest of your ensemble. Are you already wearing a tie bar? Do you have one that you love? Let me know!

Thanks for reading. As always, be dapper.

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Knot Up! Necktie Fabrics & Which One You Should Own

After writing yesterday's article on How to Tie a Tie I promised that I would talk more about neckties, so here is another edition of Knot Up! on the Be Dapper Blog.  Today I'd like to talk about necktie fabrics.  While the silk tie is obviously a long time standard, going beyond the standard silk tie is a sophisticated way to show off your individuality and set your style a notch higher.

Necktie Fabrics

Silk ties

The undisputed standard for men's neckties, the silk necktie has drapes perfectly, has vivid color and reflects natural light well which can create a 3D-like effect. Silk can wrinkle easily however, so it is recommended that you roll your silk ties (as pictured below) rather than hanging them to avoid any permanent creases. Also, if you dirty a silk tie they can be extremely difficult to clean and will usually never look the same after being dry cleaned.

Wool Ties

The wool tie is a less formal tie but is very versatile and can still be used in most situations, save for a black tie event.  Wool gives a very rustic, natural look to your style and is a great look for winter.  I tend to enjoy the look of a wool tie year round but it looks especially sophisticated during those cold months.  These wool tie styles below are all great looks for any stylish man.

Knit Ties

The knit tie has made a comeback lately and is being seen everywhere from Urban Outfitters to Polo.  Knit ties are certainly a less formal tie than silk or even wool, so if you work in an uber-professional work place I don't think it's a great choice for every day, but for those of us who work in a more casual environment this is a style that will turn heads and have people asking you where you got your tie.  Below you can see two examples of how you can use a knit tie for both casual and professional looks.

Polyester Ties

Polyester ties are often a cheap or inexpensive tie that have many of the same benefits of silk, such as the reflection of natural light.  Be wary however, polyester does not look great and is not a fabric I would ever take to any professional office.  Next time you see one while you are out shopping, tie one on and see what I mean.  That said, they can be a hip look for casual events and are easy to pair up with a vest.  Keep the tie slim or skinny though, a wide polyester tie with jeans will just make you look like a stand in from a bad 80's movie.  Polyester retains stains and especially smells very easily, so if you end up sweating profusely while wearing one you can count on your stink sticking to that tie forever.  Below are some cheap skinny polyester ties that you can pick up from Forever 21.

Though there are some other fabrics that ties can be made from such as cashmere or satin (not technically a fabric but a weave style) I think these 4 are the standards that you should take notice of when you are shopping for your next tie.  Always look at the fabric labels to ensure that you are getting what you pay for and that the fabric will match the use you plan for it.

Thanks for reading.  As always, be dapper.

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Knot up! The 3 Tie Knots You Need to Know

According to Google, the term "how to tie a tie" is searched for almost 2 million times a month globally.  Needless to say, it seems that many of us need some help when it comes to knotting up.  Most likely this is due to the fact that many working people simply are not required to wear a tie to work anymore.  Thus, when it comes time to "dress it up" a little bit, if you can even remember how to tie a tie, it probably takes a few tries before you get it right and doesn't really look great.

Let me start by saying that I think we should all take opportunities to knot up more often than most of us do.  Just because it isn't required to wear a tie to work doesn't mean that you should avoid it all costs.  Quite the opposite, looking like you put some time into your wardrobe conveys a professional attitude to your coworkers and managers.  And you just never know who you might run into at lunch or when you grab your morning coffee.  If you ran into a prospective client, the CEO of a large company or even an old friend would you want them to see you in a wrinkled polo or in a pressed, clean shirt with a perfect tie around your neck?

Below is a guide to the three knots that you need to know how to tie, I will go over each of them and explain how to pair them up with certain ties and collar styles.

The Four in Hand Knot

Skinny and often ends up slightly asymmetrical,  the Four in Hand knot is the easiest knot to master because you don't have to get it totally even.  This knot looks great with button down collar shirts but it's usually tough to get a dimple into this style.

The Half Windsor Knot

This is the classic knot that looks great for nearly any occasion: triangular, dimpled and symmetrical.  Most any collar style works with this knot, however you should take care to make sure you get it perfectly symmetrical and have a dimple.

The (Full) Windsor Knot

This knot is easy to mess up, not necessarily in the way it is tied but in how you wear it.  It can be perceived as cheesy, especially if you end up with the tie being too short.  Thus, you need to make sure your tie is long enough to hit at the right spot.  That said, this knot is the only way to go with a spread collar shirt and often too with a semi-spread.

In my next post I'll go over some other tie considerations you should think about when you knot up.

Thanks for reading.  As always, be dapper.

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