Canter Bridge

You don’t need to mortgage your future to look good. You just need to choose wisely.

Since you deploy your intelligence all the time in your work and life, you already possess the qualities it takes to dress appropriately: economy, discernment, respect for tradition, and the occasional dash of valor.

Think about economy.

Economy is not the same as bagging the cheapest possible option. More often than not, that’s false economy. What you want is the economy that is synonymous with value.

You’re going to need a modest but not humungous inventory of jackets, suits, pants, shirts, ties, and shoes. You’ll want to start by choosing classic lines that don’t stand out but that mark you as someone who respects his tradition and acknowledges his environment. Much as you might anchor your investment portfolio around an index fund, you’re going to want the core of your closet to contain one or two dark business suits, a pair of brown and another of black dress shoes, the right coterie of ties, and some classic shirts that won’t turn heads but also won’t trigger anyone’s stylistic gag reflex.