The Getup: A Good Day At The Office

Andrew is the founder and editor of Primer. He's a graduate of American University and currently lives in Los Angeles. Read more about Primer on our About page. On Instagram: @andrewsnavely and @primermagazine.

  • Rob

    Not sure about that tie with that shirt!

  • David

    This looks great! But I dare say it would *not* be appropriate for the office. I’m in my early 20’s and have been working in a hospital office for 2+ years: if my supervisor saw me entering the office in the sweater and chinos, I would likely be pulled aside and have a discussion concerning my “unprofessional” work attire. I am in *no way* disregarding this as a good outfit, as I will be sure to replicate it someday soon, but I would rather see this on Main street than in the office.

    However, I would like to see a variation on the midpoint between business casual and business professional dressing. I’ve been stuck in the rut for 2 years wearing dress shirt, shoes, and pants, but I would like to up my style a little. I’ve recently started wearing ties and have noticed a marked difference in my reception around the hospital while entering/exiting work and during breaks. How could I take this to the next level without putting on airs? I’m interested in diversifying my socks and ties, but I could use some more help.

    Thank you.

  • http://www.primermagazine.com Andrew

    David, It might not be appropriate for YOUR office. 😉 If all our professional getups were suits I’d be leaving a lot of guys high and dry. I try to mix it up when it comes to work attire to accommodate varying levels of dressiness.

    You can take the fundamentals of this look and dress it up to make it appropriate. Add wool dress pants (or even a suit) and swap the shirt for a similarly patterned dress shirt. If you’re going no-suit, you could add a sportcoat.

    Good luck, hope it helps!

  • Matt

    Hey Andrew,
    Would there be a way to put the color name with the swatch?
    I’m color blind and that sweater could be red or orange or pumpkin or whatever. It would help us colorblind folk out.

    Love these posts! I save them all as reference.

  • Apm

    Nice outfit, but I agree with David. Would make a nice weekend outfit I’d say.

  • Jessy Diamond

    I’m at the complete opposite of David. I work as a programmer in an office filled with plumbers and electricians wearing the same work shirt. There’s no way I could pull off a tie or a sport coat in my work environment. Without the tie, this is something I would wear.

    And I must say the timing of this article is just perfect. I was planning on getting grey chinos, brown saddle shoes and a plaid shirt or two in the next few months.

    I already have a taupe, a burgundy, a navy and a charcoal sweater. I just need to find which color the plaid shirts should be. Any ideas ?

  • http://www.primermagazine.com Andrew

    Jessy,

    Your safe bet would be blue for all of them except the navy sweater. You might be better off going for a white with blue check, which would also work well with the navy, and look great with the others.

  • ml bi le

    Matt,

    It’s orange.

  • ml bi le

    Dark orange, even.

  • Charles

    Hey all,

    I set my broswer to open a new tab on clicked links, then click on the item and usually all available colors/options are listed right there. Loden? I’ll have to search that later.

  • DAN

    Bought this J. Crew Factory bag today (April 2012). It has been clearance reduced to $45. With the nifty promo code “OURTREAT” (30% off clearance) it is $34 before shipping and tax.

    I paid about $44 with shipping and tax — I consider that to be a significant bargain.

  • Brandon R

    New code LOVEIT will get you there.

  • http://twitter.com/iamdalea Dale Allen

    Liking the overall look man! 

  • belgand

    And on the opposite end of the spectrum that would be a tad dressy for where I work. Part of that is the city (San Francisco) and the industry (programmer in a startup), but even beyond that I also bike in to work (again, typical for the city and industry) so dressier clothes are typically a bad idea and bags are chosen to suit being strapped across your back.

    The rules get rather different when you also spend a good bit of your time working from home where even putting on pants might mean you’re over-dressed.

    On a more personal level I’d actually suggest against wearing ties if you work in health care. True, you might not interact with patients as closely as others, but the environment as a whole is one in which wearing ties is strongly advised against.

  • Rafael Ulloa

    its appropriateness depends on the type of company you work for.