Put toe taps on your leather-soled dress shoes. They will significantly increase the shoes’ life span.

Shoes, Burberry Prorsum, at Burberry, select stores, (800) 284-8480.

Matching wood hangers will transform your closet into one of the sleekest, cleanest spaces in your house. Wire hangers belong in the trash.

Hangers, Hold Everything, (800) 421-2264, www.holdeverything.com.

 

If you’re going to own one sweater, make it a charcoal gray v-neck. It goes perfectly with a dark suit in fall or winter and with jeans or cords in spring.

V-neck sweater, $95, by DKNY, www.dkny.com.

A black J.M. Weston belt works with khakis, jeans, suits, everything. It is the one belt every man should own.

Belt, J.M. Weston, (877) 4WESTON.

 

A dark, slim tie will instantly give any ensemble a younger, cooler feel. And unlike wider ties, it looks as good with a jean jacket as with a suit jacket.

Tie, Stephen J. Sotnick, at Macy's, select stores, www.sotnickdesigns.com.

 

Your raincoat should be as trim and tailored as your suits. Buy a mackintosh by Jack Spade and you’ll look sharp in even the most inclement weather.

Coat, Jack Spade, (212) 625-1820, www.jackspade.com.

 

 

Invest in a classic one- or two-button tuxedo with peak or notch lapels. It makes no sense (stylistically or fiscally) to rent a tuxedo each time you attend a black-tie event.

Two-button tuxedo, $1,795, by Calvin Klein Collection. Available at (800) 294-7978.

 

 

Don’t waste money on a fancy lint remover. Buy a tape roller instead at your local drugstore—it works better.

 

 

Learn how to tie a bow tie. At the end of a wedding, you want to be the guy with an untied bow tie hanging around his collar, not a clip-on stuffed in his pocket.

Steps 1-4: Keep in mind that the end of the tie that winds up on top (the black part) is what will eventually go under and through in steps 5 and 6.

Steps 5-6: Once you’ve formed the shape of the bow (step 4), pinch it in place with your thumb and forefinger. Loop the black part of the tie over it. Then find a passageway in the center of the knot and push the looped part of the black side through it. Pull the black and gray looped parts away from each other to tighten. Gently adjust the straight ends of the tie until it looks perfect.

 

Get a long, dark scarf and don’t wait till the temperature plunges below zero to wear it. Skip the parka and pair it with a suit or a sport coat and jeans.

Jacket, Calvin Klein Jeans, at Bloomingdale's, select stores;

Sweater, Calvin Klein, at Macy's, select stores.

Shirt, Brooks Brothers, at Brooks Brothers,

Jeans, A|X Armani Exchange, Scarf, Michael Kors, Beverly Hills and NYC, (212) 452-4685. Watch, Nixon, www.nixonnow.com.

 

 

Learn how to form a dimple in your tie. It’s the little things that make a gentleman.

Tie, Gant, at Gant, Bal Harbour, Fla., and NYC, (888) 645-GANT, www.gant.com.

 

 

Cordovan dress shoes are indispensable. Made from horsehide, they conform to your foot’s shape and last for ages.

Shoes, Brooks Brothers, (800) 274-1815, www.brooksbrothers.com.

 

 

If you want your suits to survive, dry-clean them infrequently. Instead, have them steam-pressed when they need shaping up.

Flannel suit, $3,110; shirt, $370; tie, $170: all by Thom Browne New York, at Bergdorf Goodman Men, NYC, (212) 753-7300

 

 

Puffy or multipeaked pocket squares are dorky. Yours should be, well, square—like Sean Connery’s.

 

 

Always stow a dress shirt at the office. You never know when you’re going to sweat through a shirt in the dead of summer or spend the night out and not make it home in time to change.

Shirt, Turnbull & Asser, Beverly Hills and NYC, 877-887-6285, www.turnbullandasser.com.

 

Keep your dopp kit stocked and ready to go—ibuprofen, toothbrush, condoms, etc.

Toiletry kit, $30, www.flight001.com

 

Tell your dry cleaner you want your dress shirts cleaned without starch and pressed by hand. It’s pricier but worth it—they’ll look crisper and last longer.

Shirt, $210, by Thom Browne New York, at Bergdorf Goodman Men, NYC, (212) 753-7300

 

 

The gray crew-neck sweatshirt is an American classic that’s more versatile than ever. You can wear it on its own, underneath a jean jacket, or even with a suit and sneakers.

Sweatshirt, Y-3, www.adidas.com/y-3.

 Khakis, Lucky Brand Jeans, www.luckybrandjeans.com.

Belt, Vintage. Sneakers, Dior Homme by Hedi Slimane, at Barneys New York, NYC; Dior Homme, NYC, (212) 421-6009.

 

 

Invest in a great shoulder bag. If you carry a cheap one with a nice suit, it kills your outfit.

Bag, Louis Vuitton, Beverly Hills, San Francisco and NYC, (866) VUITTON, www.vuitton.com

 

When you wear your trim two-button suit, leave the belt in the closet – you don’t need one. Going beltless lends the suit a clean, confident look.

Coat, $1,095;

suit, $1,095;

shirt, $175;

tie, $95: all Hickey by Hickey Freeman, www.hickeyfreeman.com

 

Wear cuff links without a tie. It will give you a rakish yet elegant flair.

Cuff links, $190, by Catherine Zadeh, www.catherinezadeh.com.

 

When wearing sunglasses with a suit or sport coat, wire-rimmed aviators are your most refined and understated option. Leave those athletic wraparound shades for beach-volleyball players and center fielders.

Sunglasses, Ray-Ban, (800) 343-5594, www.ray-ban.com.

 

 

Sambas are the one sneaker that always goes well with a suit. But be sure to dress down the suit—nix the tie and go for a T-shirt, an open-collared oxford, or even a layered track jacket.

Suit, Perry Ellis, www.perryellis.com.Jacket

American Apparel, www.americanapparelstore.com.

Shirt, Steven Alan, NYC, (212) 343-0692, www.stevenalan.com.

Sneakers, Adidas, www.adidas.com.


All Sources From GQ.com