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The Gentleman had originally intended to present you with an article on the clothing on display at last weekend’s Federalist Society Lawyers Convention in D.C. However, midway through my third helping of turkey and mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving night, I had two revelations: (1) I didn’t get that many great photos at the National Lawyers Convention, and (2) I’m very interested in collars.
More precisely, The Gentleman realized that the area around the collar is the focal point for much of what a man wears during the fall and winter months. As always, the eye gravitates toward the collar because it is right below the face, but during the year’s colder seasons, a gentleman may take special advantage of this space by experimenting with layering.
I realized that this kind of layering is really a “game of threes.” A gentleman has three articles to layer: the shirt, the tie and the sweater. He has three different types of shirt collars that he can work with: the spread collar, the point collar and the button down collar. He has three different types of ties: a necktie, a bowtie or open collar (no tie). Finally, he has three basic sweater types: the crewneck sweater, the v-neck sweater and the cardigan. A little math tells me that this yields 27 different shirt, tie, and sweater combinations. This is a veritable cube of different winter collar combinations.
This week, I’m going to feature what is perhaps the most classic sweater, the crewneck, and examine which combinations are best complement it.
This grid shows all nine possible combinations of collar and tie with the v-neck sweater. Keep in mind as you’re taking a look at it that I don’t necessarily endorse all of these color combinations. I have a pretty wide palette of shirts, sweaters, and ties to work with but in the interest of getting every possible combination photographed, I had to grab what was handy.
The first row features each of the three shirt types with no tie. At first glance, this row looks the best to me. Each of the shirts looks casual but refined when paired with the crewneck.
The second row of the grid features the crewneck sweater with neckties. The crewneck provides so little space at the collar that in each of these photos the necktie is getting choked out. In fact, I have to “fluff” the tie out of the collar a bit so that it can be seen at all.
Finally, in the third row, we have the crewneck sweater with a bowtie. The rounded neckline of a crewneck sweater provides no framing whatsoever for a bowtie. Thus, the bowtie looks large, fluffy and a bit clownish with the crewneck. Clownish is never a good look when wearing an already eccentric bowtie.
It seems that with a crewneck sweater, simply wearing no tie at all is probably best. What collar style should a gentleman wear with this sweater? There doesn’t seem to be a wrong choice here, however, I’m gravitating toward either the button-down or the spread collar.
A button-down shirt, the most casual dress shirt, would make the most sense with a casual crewneck sweater. Pulled down by the buttons, the collar creates interesting diagonals as it emerges from the shirt. At the same time, I also like how the spread collar rather dramatically criss-crosses with the sweater’s rounded opening.
Thus, of the nine possibilities available with a crewneck sweater, The Gentleman leans toward wearing it with a button-down or spread collar shirt and no tie.
Next week, the Gentleman turns his attention to his favorite sweater, the v-neck…
As a response to our readers who commented on Lindsay’s post about earmuffs last week, Cubicle Chic decided that Lindsay should put together a list of some of her favorite options for vegans, animal lovers and those who just prefer to go faux. One huge plus about ALL of these? They are machine washable! That’s right – no paying an extra fee to the dry/fur cleaner to keep these options squeaky clean.
I’ve decided that if I were to go faux, I’d want the faux fur to at least resemble real fur; I have seen pairs that don’t even come close to seeming authentic, despite that the “real” look was obviously the designer’s goal. The ones below seem like great options, and they each offer a little something extra. For the record, it seems that England is much more well versed than American in selling these faux fur earmuffs — interesting, right?
Airile Fur Earmuffs (made from faux fur): Topshop, $24
Spotted Earmuffs: Marks & Spencer, $30 (approximate, original price in pounds)
White Faux Fur Earmuffs: Primark, $5 (approximate, original price in pounds)
Brown Faux Fur Earmuffs: Liberty, $63 (approximate, original price in pounds)
Enjoy and stay warm!
Meredith and I love sequins so much that we decided to put together a little sequin week (she’ll be posting her look on Wednesday)! I wish I could say this was a corporate office-appropriate ensemble, but it’s not. It’s too short for my conservative law firm and far too festive and sparkly. However, in a dream world, I’d be able to wear this (and other sparkly things) to work. The blazer certainly adds structure and a professional touch, and it smartens up the loose blouse I’m wearing underneath.
These shoes weren’t made for walking, that’s for sure. While they are mighty cute, both times I’ve worn these I couldn’t wait to take them off. They’re a touch too high and the soles are molded in a way that makes my stride very awkward. Alas, they make for a very pretty outfit! I always wonder whether the Miu Miu versions (like Joelle from theowlsarenotwhattheyseem wears here) are better quality than my Forever 21′s and hence, easier on the tootsies.
In a way, I also think the red lips add another professional layer to the ensemble. Usually a bold lip is quite a statement maker at the office, but this seems to fit right in to me. What do you think?
According to J.Crew, these Italian sequins from my skirt were hand-sewn, which gives the skirt a special quality. They sold out of them quite quickly, so I was lucky I was able to get my hands on one. (Thanks Mom!)
Ah, daydreams. 
Lindsay’s Look:
Shirt: Cheap Monday, $35
Blazer: Courtesy of Meredith
Skirt: J.Crew, a gift from Mom (I love you!)
Necklace: H&M, $12
Tights: H&M, $4
Platforms: Forever21, $26
DOs and DON’Ts of Shopping on Black Friday
1. DON’T worry about the stampede at Wal-Mart… word is they’re open all night to avoid such phenomena.
2. DON’T have too many cocktails before you go out (especially if you’re driving!) so you have an advantage over everyone else.
3. DO make sure to check the return policies on stuff you buy to avoid a pile of unwanted gifts that once seemed like a good idea.
4. DO opt to shop online… we think sitting in your living room with a glass of vino seems like a much better experience than the chaos depicted below.
Photo Credit: insidesocial.com
5. DO like Santa Clause does. Make a list and check it twice.
6. DON’T forget the list. If you do, you might as well go home.
7. DO impose a spending limit… it’s easy to go overboard with all that plastic.
Photo Credit: taxdollars.oresgister.com
And last but not least…
8. DON’T forget to order your triple shot, skim, grande, one-pump-of-vanilla, no whip red eye from Starbucks (ew, gross, haha). You’ll need that fuel!
What are your plans for the holiday? Lindsay’s hometown paints its turkeys festive (Gozzi’s Turkey Farm, in case anyone is interested) colors! Enjoy family, travel, food and…
your expandable waistband pants! 
Here at Cubicle Chic, we have a lot to be thankful for in our lives. We are saving our personal thanksgivings for the dinner table today, but we are also thankful for many things in our professional lives, too! Here are a few things that make our daily grinds just a little bit easier
Meredith:
1. The Starbucks coffee machine. Every single morning I’m thankful.
2. Square paper clips. If they haven’t already, THEY WILL CHANGE YOUR PAPER CLIPPING WORLD.
3. The falafel man across from the office who knows my order and makes my lunch just right. Makes this huge city feel a little more familiar, and I love it.
Lindsay:
1. I have to second Meredith’s number one… the coffee machine. It’s there when I work until 2 a.m. and it’s there when I come in at 7:45 a.m.!
2. Post-Its! I write just about all of my notes and to-dos on the little squares: I don’t know what I’d do without them!
3. Hale & Hearty and their easy online ordering and delivery service. I have been able to add 30-40 minutes to each workday because of the ease of ordering and eating at my desk!
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