Ok gentleman, it’s that time of year again.

Yup. You guessed it. It’s the season of the holiday party. And today we’re going to throw you our $.02 about how to dress for the most important of holiday parties: The office holiday party.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, office holiday parties will come around every year, regardless of your sentiments.

Our advice? Take advantage. With a rockin’ outfit to boost your confidence and an open bar to lighten the mood, you’ll be able to both rub elbows with your senior boss and tactfully approach the pretty lady you’ve been eying in the department two doors down—in the same night! How’s that for killing two birds…?

Now to get you in with the boss and the lady friend, we, at indiTailoired, have a few pointers. First, since this is a work event, there are a few key adjectives we want you to keep in mind when picking out your shirt: classy, professional, and stylish. 

Ultimately, your goal is to show that you have style, but not go too crazy with patterns and bright colors.

With that in mind, we’ve come up with a sophisticated twist to a professional office party shirt: A tight-fitted collared shirt with color and the right amount of personality. We’ve chosen a green/blue/white checked luxurious Italian fabric with a blue/white/brown check fabric for the contrast collar and cuffs to add a bit of dimension and spice. If you find yourself at a more formal affair, we fully endorse pairing this shirt with a solid color (think navy) tie and a fitted blazer to top off the look.

Just remember, when mingling with co-workers, you want a style that is festive enough to get you noticed, but not too festive to get you confused with the Christmas tree.

Take it from us, this classy shirt from indiTailored is sure to do the trick…

Holidays sneak up on you again? Us too…

But no need to worry, we’re not going to leave you hangin’. This year, we’re doing something special for all you gentlemen out there who need some wardrobe inspiration to get you through the holiday season.

Introducing: 7 days of style with indiTailored. 

For the next 7 days, we’ll be dropping a daily shirt design that we think is especially fitting for each of the many occasions and venues you’ll find yourself at over the next few weeks. If that’s not enough to keep you coming back on a daily basis, we’ll be celebrating these 7 glorious days by offering you a festive discount. Just enter “7DAYS” in the coupon box at the check-out and you’ll get 15% (or more, depending on how nice we’re feeling that day!) knocked off your order. Awesome styles + surprise discount—what’s not to like?

And now, without further adieu, we have today’s style. We call it, “Shopping on-the-go (An effortless look when you’re rushing to get those last minute gifts).”

Since we know it’s highly unlikely you’ve completed your shopping duties for this Christmas, Channukah, or Kwanzaa, you’ll definitely need a shirt to help you power through the stores (online or off).

So, for our “Shopping” dress shirt, we’ve chosen a lighthearted check fabric in a tailored fit. With this delightful pink and blue combo, you’ll be sure to catch the eyes (and maybe even phone numbers) of all the female saleswomen—which will surely keep your spirits high. The tailored fit and center back pleats will give you the little extra room necessary to dodge your way through the holiday crowds.

And when the stresses of shopping finally get to you, all you’ll need to do is unbutton the collar and roll up the sleeves and show off your rockin’ contrast collars and cuffs. Not only will you feel cooler, you’ll find that a long gaze into the floral patterns on the interior of your cuff will calm you down enough to get your mind back in the game and give you the stamina to hit the remaining stores on your list.

Don’t believe us? Buy the shirt (style below), and see for yourself.

Welcome to the 21st Century: Pleats are dead.

image from http://permanentstyle.blogspot.com

OK, they’re not a complete fashion no-no like boxy jackets or white socks with black shoes, and we’ll even admit that we’ve seen them on the runway recently, but in our fashion eyes, a flat front pair of pants is far superior to pleated pants, especially when going the non-suit route. Dress shirts are becoming more and more tailored and fitted, and pants should follow suit (pun intended).

It’s time to face the facts. It just doesn’t look right to have a sleek, fitted button-up shirt tucked into a pair of pleated pants with all that extra fabric around the front. We’re not endorsing skinny, flat front dress pants for all—although, if you can pull them off, we heartily encourage you to—but, the message to take home is, wear pants that fit and say buh-bye to the boxy pleats.

Why? Well, it is just a fact that the majority of looking good is about wearing clothing that flatters your body. If your pants puff up in the hip area it makes you look full or bulky. If you are a skinny man, this just looks ridiculous, and if you are a larger man, it emphasizes an area you probably don’t want to emphasize. And since pleats (no longer) serve any functional purpose, we recommend you drop them off at the nearest Goodwill. Stat.

Once you’ve ditched the pleats, you can trade up for something better—like color and patterns! Just remember, if the pants are going to be somewhat loud, make sure you temper that with a more classic shirt, like this pink twill dress shirt.

So go forth and live your post-pleat life to the fullest.

And, in case you were wondering, we support anti-pleat evangelism. 

White dress shirts: suit-staple, yes; fail-safe, definitely; traditional, often; boring…

Not necessarily.

This may come as a surprise to many of you, but white dress shirts can do more than complete a great looking suit. They are often be used as a starting point, or a building block for trendy outfits.

To illustrate this point, check out one of our favorite white dress shirts that includes a spread collar (we hold it down for the spread collar) and French cuffs and imagine pairing that with a light, cool blazer, skinny tie, pocket square and slim jeans.

Imagination failing you? Check out this dude below. Now there is a coolness to aspire to. 

Image from the Sartorialist

And if you prefer a more edgy number, try a colorful cardigan or vest and a complementary tie. The great part about a white dress shirt is that it serves as a solid base when the rest of your outfit is going to be loud.

The basic message here is two fold. Choose a white shirt with a bit of character and then pair with some pieces (bright ties, pocket squares, cardigan, sweater, blazer, etc.) that will really shine in front of/on top of a white shirt. Just be sure not to commit the worst of all white dress shirt sins.

...looking like a waiter.

If you’ve ever worked in a start-up, you might be familiar with that one guy who wears running shoes, high-water jeans and a Hawaiian shirt to work. Here’s a pointer. Don’t be him!

image courtesy of santamariasun.com

At indiTailored we advise you to always look ridiculously good—wherever you work—and we’ve got a few ways to help you get there.

To start off, you should always look put-together. We’re not saying you have to wear a suit, but even at a start-up (one of the most laid-back working environments), everyone appreciates a tailored shirt with a pair of crisp trousers. It’s a simple look, but a winning one.

The key here is ensuring that your put-together outfit doesn’t end up looking boring, old, or cliche.

If you’re wondering how, we recommend experimenting with different collars, cuffs, and details. These little things keep the outfit looking professional and fresh, in addition to showing off your impeccable style and taste.

Case and point: Take the wide spread collar we recently wrote about. The wide spread collar on a slimmer shirt makes for a great Euro look—a far cry from what your father used to wear (thank god!), but still appropriate for the office setting.

And perhaps most importantly, don’t forget to play around with color! The black suit/white dress shirt/black tie will always make you look sharp, but color gets you noticed. Integrate salmon stripes or blue pin dots, find ties that complement your tailored shirts and trousers, and you’ll be well on your way to best dress in your office superlatives.

Don’t know where to start? Here’s an idea—click this link and start building your custom dress shirt!