Formal attire on a budget

Uniqlo Dry Stretch Jacket [item code: 189569, COL09 Black] - $59.90 [offer price]
Uniqlo Extra Fine Cotton Broadcloth Long Sleeve Shirt [item code: 172929, COL00 White] - $19.90 [offer price]
TopMan grey tie - $9.90 [offer price]

3 new items for annual dinner this year. Paired them with Uniqlo AIRism mesh crew neck T-shirt, grey dry flat front pants, Decathlon grey belt, black socks, and Aldo brown shoes.

So a Black top Grey bottom combination for 2017.

Still looking for an affordable light-to-mid grey suit... or maybe a Grey top Navy bottom combination for 2018?

http://www.uniqlo.com/sg/stylingbook/detail.html#/detail/8800

Blue and grey

Another super late post, but better late than never, right?

Chose a navy blue jacket to pair with grey pants (both from uniqlo) for annual dinner [May 2015].
- dry light weight jacket [S$29.90, purchased during offer]
- dry flat front pants [$19.90, purchased during offer]
- White shirt (with faint stripes) and black tie;

Safe choices for shirt & tie, as I already went for separate colours for blazer and pants.

Went for comfort and wore Beetlebug brown mid-cut shoes, instead of my Pedro dress shoes. The Beetlebug shoes had white [maybe slightly faded cream] vibram soles, much more comfortable for running around [annual dinner is usually a working dinner...]

Last but not least, wore the cyan blue colour Mi band. The Xiaomi activity tracker "said" I walked a distance of about 5km during the event. :)

Anyway, blue & grey just seem to work well together; wore the same combo at an overseas conference earlier  this month.

Oh, and in case you were asking for photos, didn't really have a proper photo taken, except this heavily cropped photo of me opening the door for GOH to enter...

 

Cardigan - finally found an affordable version

Source: http://www.uniqlo.com/sg/store/men-cotton-cashmere-v-neck-cardigan-1370150002.html

Have been trying to find a black cardigan at a reasonable price. Already have a grey cardigan, but a black cardigan is easier to match with other attire.

Most cardigans seem to be selling at S$40 and above. So was glad to see Uniqlo putting it's cotton cashmere cardigan on sale for S$29.90. Bought a M-size one in black at their Vivocity branch.

Interesting care instructions on the label, "dry flat to prevent excess pilling".

Using it at work, where the air-con is often quite cold; switch between it and another Uniqlo fleece jacket, when it gets really cold. The thin material also means that I can easily pack it in my bag, to bring it everywhere I go.

Ask and you shall find - Converse Jack Purcell Mid

Spotted the Jack Purcell Mid last year. Looked great in Rusty [brown] colourway.

Source: Converse http://media.converse.com/news/converse-debuts-fall-2014-jack-purcell-sneaker-and-apparel-collections

Did a bit of searching, found it to be available in Singapore, S$120 pricing was a little high though. Didn't really pursue it further then.

Uniqlo linen cotton short sleeve shirt

http://www.uniqlo.com/sg/CPaGoods/itemcode=086623
Bought the dark blue colour, a.k.a. "69 Navy", size S. On sale for S$19.90.

Fit is just nice, but not meant for tucking in.

Wanted to get the white colour initially, but found it too "transparent", even with a airism t-shirt underneath.

Only white and navy colour available at the Chinatown Point store. Hope to find the other colours at other branches.

postscript: ended up buying the white version also; "transparency" ok with an inner t-shirt, but wrinkles (which linen is prone to) are more prominent on a lighter shade, compared to the Navy version.

Time to introduce the "Navy"?

2009 - black blazer, maroon striped shirt, black pants
2010 - light grey blazer, white shirt, black tie, dark grey pants
2011 - dark grey suit, black shirt, black tie
2012 - light grey blazer, blue gingham shirt, blue tie, dark grey pants
2013 - dark grey suit, black gingham shirt, black tie
2014 - ???

Once again it's that time of the year to think about attire options for my company annual dinner. With few occasions to wear suits, am personally not that keen to buy new items, but from the list above, I am sort of running out of new combinations.

Spotted a classy-looking navy blazer at G2000 recently. Would pair well with mid-grey pants. Example below.

Photo source link

Fallback would be using the light grey blazer with dark grey pants or navy pants, with ?? colour shirt.

The Uniqlo dry light weight jacket at $49.90 is tempting though, but need to try out the sizing; only available in S,M, L, and not the more fine-tuned suit sizing (e.g. 44, 46, 48, etc.)

Postscript: for 2014, light grey blazer, light blue shirt, grey tie, dark grey pants

Black on Black

Finally, after a long search [and a bit of fortune], I've purchased a watch suitable for formal wear.

It's a Casio EFR-523PB. Got it from Isetan Scotts for $128. Used Isetan vouchers from company lucky-draw, so only paid $38 cash.

Recent purchases

Round-up of recent (and not so recent) additions

Cat Footwear Davis well-cushioned waterproof in most situations vibram sole wears out quickly

Palladium Pampa Hi Leather Gusset waterproof, but stuffy hard sole, pain in ankles & knees not wearing it regularly thinking of getting superfeet green insoles to try to improve cushioning

Bossini TechnoDry (dri-fit) shirts bought 2 on offer to deal with hot and humid weather

Uniqlo broadcloth shirts bought 2 on offer to add to collection of gingham shirts

Uniqlo slim-fit colour jeans orange colour last minute buy, after I found a small hole on the jeans that I was wearing

Uniqlo knit tie striped knit tie, with black, grey and white stripes

Is there a foolproof way of getting the right fit?

Am a little hesitant about a recent purchase. Bought a pair of slim fit low rise trousers from H&M. It fitted very well in the changing room.

That was then.

Tried it on this morning, and it looked a little "off". Maybe I need to test it over the weekend first before wearing it to work...

Which brings me back to the title. Are there ways to improve your chances of getting the right fit when you try it on in a store? I know for shoes, the usual advice is to shop for shoes in the afternoon, after our feet have swelled a little.

Circa 2012

This is so late; the annual dinner was in May, and I write about my outfit now.

Anyway, I decided on an outfit that looks like the one below.

The combi was

1. blue gingham shirt (new, from Uniqlo)
2. blue tie (SMA's very own)
3. light grey blazer (existing, G2000)
4. dark grey pants (existing, G2000)
5. dark brown oxford shoes (existing, Pedro)

I bought the same gingham shirt in black also, so if I'm lazy, I can use that for 2013. Use my dark grey suit, pair with black gingham shirt, and find a suitable tie. Tada.

"Variations on a Theme" - the light grey blazer

The annual dinner at my workplace is coming up again. Time to think about what to wear. 

Quick recap

2009 - black blazer, maroon striped shirt, black pants

2010 - light grey blazer, white shirt, black tie, dark grey pants

2011 - dark grey suit, black shirt, black tie

2012 - ???

Not so keen to buy another new suit, so I think I will start by going back to my light grey blazer.

Yet another white sneaker

Recently bought a pair of Puma Rio sneakers, to supplement my long suffering pair of boat shoes, which I've been wearing almost every day.

After a long search via nearly all the branches of Isetan (I had $80 worth of vouchers from them), and after trying to get a non-white leather sneaker, I ended up with yet another pair of white sneakers.

Next target? A pair of desert boots.

Last minute shopping, last minute lucky

Only managed to buy my suit and shoes on Friday evening.

Revisited Vivocity, with priority to get a nice pair of shoes first. Tried 2 designs at Bata, but found my feet in between sizes. Pity, as the brown colour was just the right shade, although the shape of both designs was a bit too pointed.

Next stop was Pedro, where I found a pair with a classic design, but in a interesting shade of greyish-brown, plus a beige colour sole.

Tried at least 4 sizes before I found one that fitted. Mission 1 completed ($113).

Next, I went to G2000 to try the suits there. Went to the 'slim fit' section and tried on one with a dark grey colour.

The jacket fitted well (staff rightly chose size 46), and I proceeded to try the matching pants. Again I was lucky that it fitted well (except the pants being a little long).

Mission 2 accomplished, I went home a happy bunny. ($199)

Between a rock and a hard place

2nd day of shopping for a suit.

The suits seem either too skinny (Topman) or too loose (G2000).

The other issue is cost. For something that I will wear less than 5 times a year, buying an expensive suit is quite wasteful.

Tomorrow is D-Day. I better get sufficient sleep for another day of suit hunting tomorrow.

I have to admit that perhaps part of me is thinking of wearing last year's grey blazer again, but maybe with a black shirt, instead of the white shirt I wore last year. If so, the only missing piece would be a nice pair of shoes.

Suiting up again, and fashionbeans

While searching online for ideas for a suit, I came across this great website, with a running series of fashion basics for men's fashion.

http://www.fashionbeans.com/category/mens-fashion-basics/

Meanwhile, my hunt for a grey suit continues...

Stand Out From The Crowd: Sachin On Fashion

AskMen.com
I previously wrote about the dreaded monotony of the T-shirt and jeans combo, and Askmen has given some great suggestions also in the link above.

Suiting up

It's a bit early to be thinking about what to wear for a formal dinner in 2011, but I thought I should pen down my Eureka moment before I forget it.

Was wondering how to follow up on my 2010 outfit, a grey blazer, white shirt, black tie, dark grey pants, and brown loafers.

First thoughts were a grey suit with black shirt underneath. I then got stuck, as this look normally looks better without a tie.

My Eureka moment came when I saw someone with a dark grey shirt & black pants office attire on my way home. It then became apparent that a black suit with dark grey shirt would look great. Rounding this off would be a black tie and a pair of nice black chelsea boots (or a simple pair of black oxfords in a pinch).

Well that's one thing sorted. But I still don't know what to replace my knackered sneakers with...

Hot & humid weather = T-shirt & jeans? How to break the cycle

How do you cope with the recent hot & humid weather? (global warming is upon us). Many have lamented about the sad state of affairs of what men wear in Singapore. Well, global warming isn't helping us in this respect.

I have pretty much given up, and wear T-shirt and jeans almost everyday. And I'm one of the lucky few who don't need to wear long sleeve shirts and pants. But how do you fight the weather (a.k.a. break the cycle of wearing T-shirts everyday?)

Look for the collar

• a well-fitting polo T-shirt will almost always look more smart, and more mature; do consider one with "dri-fit" material for better breathability
• rugby jersey-styled collars always look good; do wash them well, as most of them come in white collars
  

Don't forget your accessories

• wear a belt; go for a different colour; use it as a style tool, not just to hold up your pants
  
• backpacks are for school; they also make sweat accumulate at your back; sling/messenger bags have been in fashion since Crumpler made such bags cool enough to wear with office attire.
  
• the more adventurous can also consider jewellery, e.g. chain necklaces or bracelets
  

Material world & colour

• corduroy makes a stylish alternative to jeans
• also consider those G2000 casual pants; versatile enough with a dress shirt or a T-shirt
• the daring can try coloured jeans, but keep the bright colours to one piece (e.g. avoid a bright colour shirt with bright colour jeans)
  

Run away from running shoes

• most running shoes are not stylish enough for streetwear, although there are some exceptions
  
• classic sneakers have been popular since the adidas superstars made them cool. converse chuck taylors are evergreen; my favorites are retro white sneakers; they go with almost any attire
  
• or consider a leather casual (slip-on, chelsea boot, desert boot etc)

Layering is still possible (but indoors)

• cardigans, hoodies, and retro track jackets are still possible indoors where there is air-con; in fact, most air-con in Singapore are too cold, so these are maybe more a necessity than an option
  

The final (brown) jigsaw piece?

Went shoe shopping today.

The Bata store at Peninsular is one of the bigger Bata branches, and I managed to find 2 suitable "candidates". But their price (on the wrong side of S$100) blew me away.

Next was Aldo. I liked this, the Jakubowski.

Price? Supposed to be on sale for S$122. Went to Robinsons to take a quick look too.

I then went to Suntec to visit Hush Puppies, Tracce, Everbest, and Clarks. Passed by BeetleBug and Pedro in Citylink. Not suitable shoes spotted. Maybe I'll try the Clarks store in Ion Orchard, but I think I've pretty much exhausted my options.

A strange (grey) twist in the tale

Another torrid heaty day. Another long (lots of walking) shopping day.

But I finally bought something. But it was not what I was expecting. After going through circles and circles of suit shopping, I had given up, and wanted to try something leftfield.

But the more I thought about a black cardigan look, the more I was concerned that I would look under-attired. So I went to Raffles City with some doubt as to what I would eventually get.

After a few rounds of seeing the same outfits in the same shops (ala last weekend), I decided to get a grey blazer instead and pair it with perhaps black pants and a black tie.

Saw a few grey blazers before I settled on one from G2000. Now to try out a few colour combos to see which one will work. I may still have to grab a nice pair of shoes from now till Saturday to complete the look...

p.s. above is a quick screen-grab from the G2000 website. Actual blazer I bought has a peaked lapel, and has fine pinstripes.