These gentlemen wanted to update their business casual look for an upcoming sales pitch meeting. They’re two intelligent and talented guys but their exsisitng look wasn’t showcasing them as such.

Now, business casual only works with modern, form flattering pieces; yet too many guys grab an old boxy blazer toss it over some dad jeans or dockers, and then for the final nail in the “don’t hire me” coffin, their old and busted 90’s squared toe lace ups or, trail shoes. Never wear footwear sold at REI to a business meeting, unless you and Richard Branson are talking merger while scaling a cliff face. Let’s take a look at the upgrades we made from head to toe. 

Sport Coat: Blobby blazers were switched out with better tailored sport coats in colors that are more flattering to their skin tones. Now while darker colors assert more ‘authority’, it’s August in Boston and their pitch meeting was happening on a 90 degree day, so a tan herringbone jacket was completely appropriate.

Pants: Both guys wanted to wear jeans to the pitch rather than slacks so it was important to find jeans that had an even, dark wash with no embellishments, distressing, or whiskers (I swear I’m not making these terms up) and were cut like a trouser.

Shirt: We got button downs with tailored torso so they wouldn’t have flying squirrel side wings when they removed their jackets.

Shoes: Time and time again I hear from guys that they can’t wear better looking shoes because they have wide feet, or they’re on their feet all day. Both of these reasons accompanied us to the shoe department. Yet after fighting me that fugly was the only was to go, both men, in their new shoes stood proudly grining as content as a politician with an envelop of special interest money. Turns out both Born and Johnston & Murphy make shoes that are plenty wide, comfortable, and good looking on our guys.

Accessories: Don’t forget that your belt and socks count. They may not be visible all the time but at those moments when they are, a beat up belt or hole ridden sock won’t help your credibility.

We replaced each of their looks for under $300 and all of the pieces can be incorporated into an unending array of outfits bringing their cost per wear down to pennies. Now that’s good business cents. And, in case you’re curious, I got word that they ”killed it!” during their pitch meeting.

So you’ve been invited to an event and the invitation reads “Dress To Impress”.  Hmmm, sometimes you’re impressed that you remembered pants that day, so does that count?

Here’s some helpful guidelines to dispel the mystery.  Starting with the shoes and working our way up, here’s what should (and shouldn’t) be on your body.

Shoes - Obviously no gym sneakers.  Sketchers, while ok for casual parties are a bit low brow for a stylin crowd.  That doesn’t mean you have to break out those uncomfortable dress shoes, plenty of in between options like a slip on, driving moc, or streamline street shoe.  Extra bonus points if you opt out of black.  Style isn’t about matching, it’s about coordinating- color shoes add excitement to traditional color schemes and look great with denim.  You don’t have to go out full technicolor either, a grey or color accented shoe can also step up your overall look. 

Pants – Most clubs and party venues now welcome jeans- not dad jeans, well cut, unripped (unless you’re with the band) modern wash jeans.  If you prefer a trouser, flat front only.  Again, go beyond black, like a taupe with subtle print of glen plaid or window pane can coordinate with almost anything.  Lightweight wool or linen for a summer event will keep you cool as the room fills up.  Keep the socks in line with the color of your pants, remember the ankle is an extension of the leg.  You can also go for a creative print, but avoid silly novelties like cartoon characters.

Shirting -  If you are only wearing a dress shirt make sure you nail the fit.  Being swallowed by your shirt doesn’t showcase you in a power position. French cuff shirts with links always add some elegance.  Wearing it without a tie? If you’re going to wear a undershirt, make sure it’s a V-neck so the collar doesn’t so the top doesn’t stick out from the unbuttoned collar, we may love accessories but an underachievers ascot is never where it’s at. 

If you prefer a T-shirt or a knit make sure these pieces are refined rather than loud.  Graphic Ts aka Jersey Shore are the fabric equivalent of jaundice, looks good on no one.  Unless your T-Shirt is hand crafted like a Murcielago, add some more interest to your look with another layer.  Tailored vest, lightweight cashmere v-neck or masculine (not Mr. Rogers) cardigan, or… 

Sport coat – A modern, Italian cut sport coat is the easiest, most instant way to dress up and dignifiy what you’re wearing.  Looks just as stellar over a well selected T or dress shirt, with jeans or with slacks.  And, provides you extra storage for your smart phone, wallet, and James Bond USB stick into poison dart key chain.  

Accessories – Accessories pull your look together and are the finishing elements that make women want to touch you, and guys secretly jealous that they didn’t think of wearing that too.  As with everything else on your body, only wear the accessories that you feel confident in.  A neatly folded pocket square in your sport coat pocket,  a well woven straw fedora, a tie or for some more youthful edge, embellished bow tie, are just a few accessory options. Remember your belt does not need match your shoes, as noted earlier, it’s about coordination not matching.

When it’s all put together your natural swagger should be as noticeable as a Vuvuzela in a library.  If all of this sounds scary and confusing, stop hyperventilating.  Show up, order a Kettle One martini, mingle, and be your most comfortable self.  Besides, confidence is the sexiest accessory.

Spring weather can be more fickle than your hot but crazy ex-girlfriend who broke up and reunited with you on a weekly basis.

A smart accessory that will help take you from chilly to warm in comfort and style is a lightweight (sometimes called spring-weight) scarf.  They come in a variety of fabrics from silk to muslin and in any color/print your heart desires.  You can tie lightweight scarves in the same traditional ways as your heavier winter ones.  Or, try this tucked alternative which looks chic under a jacket, vest, knit, or button down shirt. It’s easy and I promise that if you do it correctly, you will get compliments.  

Drape the scarf around your neck as you normally would, cross the ends to make a V shape across your chest and then tuck the ends underneath your top layer. Done.

If you choose to rock this look with a button down shirt rather than a jacket or vest, make sure the scarf is thin enough so it doesn’t look like you have a mountain of chest hair trying to break through your shirt (think: alien baby).

A: Kudos for knowing not to wear athletic sneakers to a conference.  Barring a medical reason, bulky sneakers instantly deplete your coolness factor by 97%, tough to recover from.  Plus, there’s an entire category of men’s shoes called comfort footwear.  Makers include Johnston & Murphy, Børn, Patagonia, Keen, Merrell and Dansko, to name a few. Comfort styles range from rugged (not good for professional wear) to business casual and it’s key to select the styles that work with your level of attire formality.  Since shoes that have been pimped out comfort wise are usually not labeled as such, here are the qualities to look for in shoes you’re considering bringing/buying for the conference.

1. Sole – Feel the rubber (resisting the low brow humor here with all my might…) sole.  If it’s rock solid the shoe will be very stiff on your foot, if the sole has some give when you bend it, the shoe will be much more comfortable.

 2. Versatility – SXSW or any conference can be a personal and professional networking mecca, so select shoes that will style up a relaxed look and can be worn with the most professional attire you are taking, like a sport coat.  Your feet (and shoes) will thank you if you take two pairs and switch them out daily.

 3. Cushion quality – Don’t scrimp when it comes to your shoes.  Cheaper brands that sell by price point or trend rarely have good support or shock absorbency.  If you solely (Ha! Sorry.) choose by looks or price, after 11 hours on your feet in cheap shoes, you’ll be kicking yourself for not spending the extra $30 to prevent your suffering in the first place.

Trend #1: No Rules.

It used to be the case that specific clothing items were “in” or “out” of fashion with everything supposed to be worn a particular way, and being in style meant following those rules.  Some men prefer easy-to-follow rules, sensing that fashion freedom will create too much room for error (incidentally, that’s where an image consultant comes in handy).  But now fashion, especially casual menswear, has gone the way of the individual - just like a BK Whopper, you can have it your way.  Now, this doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly look good in anything and everything (very few men actually look good in pleated pants), and there are still dated items, like the super square toe dress shoe of the 90’s. However, the old rules of not wearing black with brown, no white after Labor Day, matchy-matchy belt and shoes combinations, etc. are gone baby gone.  This embracing of individuality means that when you make choices about clothes, pay the most attention to how you feel wearing them and whether or not they flatter your physique and are appropriate for your lifestyle, and least about what is ”in”.

Trend #2: No Excuses.

“But they’re comfortable!”  The 3 words men most frequently utter while I’m clearing their closet of Dad jeans and over-sized freebie T-shirts (and they wonder why the spark in their marriage or dating life is gone).  Back in the day, it used to be that comfort and style were elements rarely combined in the same garment. Let’s use men’s shoes as an example. Think of the countless men opting for bulky athletic sneakers to wear with their jeans because they think it’s the only casual comfortable shoe available to them.  But designers have known for some time now that people want both form and function; just because we’re not at the office doesn’t mean we have to devolve into frumpy, undesirable blobs.  Now, no matter what the activity – professional, social, or sporty – there is an easily attainable, attractive option to the purely functional and fugly predecessor.  Even L.L. Bean, king of plaid flannel cabin wear, is launching a stylish, casual clothing line: reinforcing that other than laziness, there is no excuse to look like a schleb.

If there’s one thing retailer H&M does exceptionally well, it’s quickly bring spot-on trends to market at affordable price points (albeit dubious quality, but therein lies the eternal trifecta conundrum - you can have it cheap, fast, or good. Pick two).

This is why I’m very curious to see H&M debut a new menswear collection from famed high end women’s shoemaker Jimmy Choo.  If you’re thinking “Jimmy who?”, then ask any well dressed woman near you but be ready to endure moderate screeching and frantic eye darting while she examines you to make sure you aren’t holding a pair behind your back.

The Jimmy Choo menswear line hits H&M stores in select states on Nov. 14th hoping to wardrobe the boyfriends and husbands of their shoe loving clientele.  The collection will include suiting separates, knits, jeans, jackets, and shoes; with a focus on simple lines and subtle detailing.  So, best case scenario, you’ll effortlessly look like a rock star.  Worst case scenario, you’ll have new pick line, “Hey baby, I’m wearing my Jimmy Choo shoes too.”

Q: I see plaid everywhere now and I like the look, but not sure if I can wear it to work even though our office is business casual. Ideas?

A: You don’t have to be a farmer to pull off wearing plaid to work, especially in a business casual setting.  The shirt Lebron James wore for his most recent appearance on the Daily Show is a perfect example of incorporating plaid into a casual yet professional look.  There are two keys to doing this successfully.  First,  choose a button down that is made from smooth dress shirt fabric rather than flannel.  Second, choose a tonal plaid (dark grey and light grey in this case) instead of bright contrasting (red and black) colors.  Bonus points for keeping the tonal coordination going, like Lebron (or his smart stylist) did by adding the slate grey vest.

The 80’s style revival is in full swing and while women are being deluged with giant shoulder pads and leggings in lieu of pants (aren’t you glad for that Y chromosome?), menswear is seeing a resurgence of double breasted suits. 

Now the double breasted trend has its dangers, and you may be wondering, “But Emmi, when have two breasts ever been bad?”, but the style is particularly body-type specific.  If you have a stockier and/or shorter build, the two rows of buttons on the blazer and peak lapels can actually make your torso appear shorter and wider.  If your frame falls into this category stick with single breasted suits. 

Alternatively,  if you really like the look but will not have occasion to wear a double breasted blazer enough to warrant the purchase, you can still incorporate the style into your repertoire with a double breasted cardigan.  The cardigan iteration looks good on a wider range of body types too, a guy who would look too severe in a double breasted blazer can still look great in the cardigan spin off  because the buttons are not spaced as widely apart and there are no formidable shoulder pads.

In addition to being more universally flattering, the cardigan will cost you less and give you more styling options than the blazer. Layering the cardigan over a solid, or printed T-shirt, wearing it over a button-down with or without tie, or underneath a sport coat are just a handful of the many options.

A: Length and fit will determine that.  Below is an example of the right length for an untucked shirt.  What you want is for the shirt to hit you no more than an inch below your hip crease.  Proportionally, up to an inch and a half higher than the photo is good too but no lower or your legs will appear shorter than they are.

Also notice that the shirt’s fit is lean, also known as tailored, sport or European cut.  Traditional or American cut shirts that fit looser around the torso should really be tucked in.  

You can submit your men’s style question to AskEmmi on Twitter.

When “change” came to America, was it only from the waist up?

I must admit that, as major news networks, politico bloggers, and late show hosts all got themselves worked into a lather because of a single pair of jeans, I felt a little giddy.  Not only because, in part, I’ve dedicated my life to preventing getup gaffes for my clients, but also because our President perfectly illustrated a core belief of mine about men and clothing:  where most men get into sartorial trouble is in their casual clothes.

Suiting up is to dressing down like paint by numbers is to abstract art.  One is relatively straightforward while the other requires a significantly higher degree of proficiency to look good.

When Obama was asked about his denim dilemma, the most powerful man in the free world suddenly sounded like every client I’ve ever worked with, “I hate to shop and those jeans are comfortable.”  Oh I know that swan song all too well – my clients say that so often I refer to it as background music that accompanies me as I clear their closet of pleated pants,  sweaters from grandma, and of course,  frump jeans.

Many men, the Commander-in-Chief included, naturally defend what they’re comfortable in and mistakenly think they can’t update to what’s modern because it’s going to be extreme (hence President Obama’s follow-up comment about him not being 20 and unable to fit into tight jeans).  I want to tell him what I tell countless other men:  it doesn’t have to be one extreme or the other, painfully hip or frumpville.  Comfort and good aesthetics are no longer mutually exclusive and there’s a whole world of casual clothing available to him that both feels and looks great.

Now the closest I’ve gotten to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington is when I dressed one of my clients for his meeting with the President, but suddenly I have incentive to attempt access at the presidential closet directly.  So… I’m coming Mr. President, and I promise that once I’m done no one will ever tease your casual attire again!