With the passing of Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer, attitudes start to change as much as the color of the leaves. Kids are back in school and the seasons of polo shirts and flip-flops are behind us. It’s time to get back into full work mode and time to start thinking about your wardrobe. For many, this week is going back to wearing suits and dress shirts after a more relaxed summer. As you start to do this, it’s time to look at your wardrobe and decide what needs to be updated. First, start with your suits. As the weather gets colder, you want to move into darker suits. I wear lots of beige and light grey in the summer; fall is all about dark grey, navy, and for something fun – brown. Keep the black suits for formal events or the evening dinner with a client. Solid or pinstripes, this is the time of year to get a new suit or two. If you buy something appropriate, you can wear it from September thru April. If you are looking for something fun, I think a brown suit with a subtle orange pinstripe is perfect. You can wear it with lots of fall colors and make a great statement next to all of the folks in their standard solid navy suits.

With the colder weather, you should also think about adding a vest / waistcoat to your look. A 3 piece suit is a popular look right now. It is a sharp look and you can ditch the jacket at a meeting and still be the best dressed in the room.

Speaking of what is popular, all of the major men’s lines seem to be talking a lead from the amazing “Mad Men” TV show. Retro 60’s suit styles are back: slim suits, solid white shirts, and skinny ties. Even 3 piece suits and a great hat can been seen on the streets today. It’s a great look if you can work it into your style without coming off as a hipster ‘wannabee’. You’re trying to make a good first impression, not a lasting bad impression.

Fall is great for colors such as brown, orange, dark yellow and dark green. I personally put away the pastels and go with darker colors in my shirts and ties in the fall. There is nothing like an orange stripe shirt with a brown and orange patterned tie to make your navy suit stand out.

It’s time to look thru your closet. Catalog what you have and do some minor updating. A good start is to get a fall suit, a couple of shirts, and a couple of new ties to add something different to your weekly wardrobe. I tend to retire one suit and three to five shirts in the fall and spring. If you have a favorite shirt with a fraying collar or limp cuffs – have the collar aand cuffs redone.

Lastly, don’t forget to add some great accessories with your fall wardrobe. A splash of color in a pocket scarf livens up even your most basic and reliable suit.

Next time, we will talk about accessories. Enjoy the fall and if you haven’t already, request your appointment to update your fall wardrobe today!

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