Much has been made in the past few years on office dress codes in a new and more casual world, with the breaking being Goldman Sachs going “business casual”. While I have nothing new to add as to the appropriateness of dress codes I do have a suggestion, starting dressing like Conan on his updated show.
Conan’s look for the past 20 years (!) has been pretty standard late night fair, dark suits, light shirts and ties all the way. After a three month hiatus, he returned with a fresh look that seems perfect for the in-between space most men find themselves in the modern office.
Recreating Conan’s new looks is relatively simple. Instead of wearing a blazer or suit jacket with your work shirt and tie, exchange it for a denim or leather jacket. Make it more of a “rockstar” look by loosening that top button and the tie to go with it. Conan has excellent taste when it comes to his leather jackets but there’s a couple of things I’ve learned while looking at his new look.
Trucker jackets are perfect for this look. Levi’s always has several options but avoid going with something that’s too light or washed out. When Levi’s is running one of their deals these are truly a steal. If you want to try something besides the normal jean jacket, Barbanera has some incredible suede jackets right now, that are much pricier than Levi’s, but the quality is top notch. I personally love both the tan and darker brown ones. Uniqlo also has some great denim and twill jackets right now for a steal.
For leather jackets try going with a Cafe Racer. These jackets are usually more minimal than a typical Perfecto leather jacket. Schott NYC is always a great company for all kinds of leather jackets and while expensive new, you can almost always find some good used jackets on eBay. Gap also has one this season that’s sure to go on sale at some point and these, at Nordstrom, are on sale right now.
For all these looks avoid khakis and go with darker chino’s or jeans. Light blue and gray shirts will almost always look great with the denim truckers and a light chambray shirt also pairs incredibly well with suede and leather. For the ties, nothing to fancy but a subtle stripe or other print works perfect. If you’re going with a full color trying picking a tie in an interesting fabric like wool, linen or a slubby silk. On a budget try The Tie Bar but if you’re ready to get a truly incredible tie, Drake’s is always great.
(photos via Team Coco, The New York Times, Vulture, and Indie Wire.)