Men Can Dress for Success After Hours, Too

Pick an average office building within sight of the 405 and watch the men enter and exit. For the most part, they will be well-dressed.

You’ll see the familiar oxford-cloth button-down collar shirts with rep ties, as well as more flowery shirts and neckwear, with appropriate slacks and shoes.

“Power Clothing” is probably not a course taught in today’s business schools, but men seem to pick up on the relationship between their clothes and their careers very quickly, and they know how to dress when they come to work.

After work, their fashion acumen becomes a little blurry. The guys with the great Armani suits and Ralph Lauren ties are more than likely to have a couple pairs of ratty slacks and jeans and some chewed-up polos with the corporate logo on the breast as their casual clothing selection.

For some reason, men are often afraid of casual clothes. Usually the thought process is, “Why should I pay $300 for a pair of pants I’ll never wear to work?”

Dressing well and casually doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult, if you know some of the basics of how to look great when you’re not going into the office:

* The “Beach Casual” philosophy, which states that flip-flops are fine for any event, is wrong. And don’t think Topsiders will do the job, either. There are soft leather loafers available at better shoe stores that can be worn without socks and still look appropriate. Stay away from any shoe with foam rubber in the sole unless you really are going to the beach.

* Get the word pants out of your vocabulary when looking for nice casual wear and start thinking slacks. “There are a number of linen and ramie slacks available that are perfect for summer casual wear,” says Victor Estebanez of Mark Schell Designs for Men in Corona del Mar. “Start with a good pair of slacks and build up from there.”

You don’t need to put on popular cotton pants with a name that rhymes with “lockers” every time you go out. Adding some upscale slacks to your wardrobe will make a real difference in your appearance.

* Corduroy shorts, swim trunks, tennis shorts, et al, just cannot make it into the “nice casual” category. You’ll need to upgrade your shorts selection with linen or twill styles. Look for pleated shorts; they add a touch of fashion to this kind of summer staple.

* When looking at shirts, go for some color. Bright teals, corals and French blues are big. And don’t make the mistake of pulling some shirts off the rack and walking straight to the cash register. Go to the dressing room and try them on. You might love that teal polo shirt, but when wearing it you might look like a duck. Spending a little time picking out casual wear can pay off.

* Besides a good pair of slacks and nice shirt, the next thing you need is a jacket or blazer. The semi-constructed blazer in linen, cotton or the silk-like Microfiber can be worn with slacks or jeans and it turns a low-key outfit into one that shows a little style.

You should also have a traditional navy or black sport coat. This can be worn to the office with a dress shirt and slacks, and it will also look great with chinos and sporty shirt on the weekends.