adminHELLO there folks, how are you all doing? This week, I am doing a special dedication to a good friend of mine who is about to make his transition from being a man of grease to management….woooo woooo makorokoto! Amphlope shamwari. So as promised I am going to help you build your professional wardrobe from scratch —Amai we zvangu!As much as this is dedicated to my friend, there are so many men out there who are in similar positions. You might actually find the things I mention here are already in your wardrobe, if so no worries. Just remove the things you don’t need anymore and leave the ones you want to incorporate into your new professional wardrobe. These are the categories in every male wardrobe; shirts, jackets, suits, T-shirts, jeans, pants, socks, shoes, ties, caps and underwear.
Shirts —You will need long sleeved (mainly) and short sleeved shirts. Depending on the type of job you have, long sleeved shirts are better suited to a professional look especially if you need to wear a tie. If, however, you do not need to wear a tie, go ahead and wear short sleeves. White, light blue and another colour are essential colours. Go ahead and invest in stripped shirts especially if the strips are thin, nothing wrong with that. There are also some short sleeved patterned shirts out there – go for it.
Jackets — A minimum of three different jackets a must. Black or brown leather, blue denim and a dark coloured blazer. Leather just speaks style all by itself at any event. Blazer says smart/excellent at any corporate event. Denim jackets work well for all those casual professional events.
Suits — Let us face it, you cannot claim to be in any profession or to have an all inclusive wardrobe if you do not have at least one suit in the wardrobe. Now if you are a professional that number goes up to at least three suits. The other two can be separates that you can mix and match. But be careful with the matching, because any slight colour miss, you could look like one of your pieces are older than the other. You will need a single breasted suit and a double breasted suit. You will also need to have a suit that is three piece or one of your suits can be a three piece. Keep your colours dark please, such as black and dark grey depending on your skin shade. You may be able to add grey or brown to that colour match.
Pants – Dah! Of course you need pants/trousers, but what kind is the question? If you have suits, it is easy to wear the pants for work, but your best bet is to purchase some smart pants in black, grey, Khaki and or dark brown. Baggy pants do not do most men favours. If you are a professional or office bound person, your best style is loose, but not baggy, fitted but not tight. It needs to fit you comfortably around your torso, but be slightly loose on the legs. Chinos are a definite for any man’s wardrobe right now, so if you are a professional you do not have an excuse not to have at least two in your wardrobe. The colours are usually in beige, brown, tan and white for professionals. Chinos do not fall into the smart category, but neither are they in the casual category. So they are perfect as smart casual wear. They look great topped with
T-shirts or shirts, with blazers or leather jackets – Chinos are a must have.
Golf shirt — Personally, I think if you are a professional and you do not have a golf shirt in your wardrobe, something is amiss there, especially if you have T-shirts in your wardrobe. You can wear them to weekend drinks with the guys, or after work drinks. Golf shirts can be worn with a smart trousers or Chino pants, at any casual professional event you attend. Any colour gold shirt will do for men, as long as you keep your trousers dark.
T-Shirts —Plain white is a must have. Get one on a round neck and a V-neck. Whether you wear it under a shirt or on its own for a casual look, a white T-shirt is necessary. As a professional, the only T-shirts with writing you can wear in your professional setting are those with your company logo or sponsors logo. Any other gicky writing is out for a professional.
Jeans/Denims — Throw out the baggy denims and bring in the fitted denims. Every man needs to have at least one denim that fits well. Black or dark blue denim is the way to go. No problem if you also want to have one or two baggy denims in your wardrobe, but I suggest you keep those to the trips to kumusha or to the older relatives.
Ties — Oh guys, if only you knew how ties can make or break your look. Professional fashion is just that, it’s made to fit the professional fashion rules regardless of your character. All those funny colourful squares or circles on your tie won’t do – sorry. Stripes are good on ties, but only if your shirt is plain.
Socks — Just like your ties – please keep the funny for private events and outings. Keep work simple. Nothing wrong with socks that have patterns, but not the funny type.
Caps / Hats— Yes you need two or so different caps in your wardrobe (not just the ones donated to you by sponsors). There are some really stylish hats and caps being sold on the street (oops no more street vendors), at the vending spots kikiki and some shops that sell male wear. No you are not going to work with the hat or cap, but trust me the occasion will arise when you will be glad you have one of each or more.
Special Note —
This is for free guys. If you love the facial hair – take note it is not so fashionable if un-kept when you enter the professional world. So please keep it neat. Trim your beard and moustache. Take a note from some of the good looking mature artists we see on TV with the neat side burns – oh so sexy.
That is it from me this week folks, until next week – God Bless!
Anastasia is an ex-photographic model, a blogger (annruthenburg.blogspot.com) , a writer, and a fashionista and can be messaged on 0772 933 845 or emailed at [email protected]
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