April 5, 2018
A Practical Guide To Getting Started
It’s crazy to think that Put This On is nearly ten years old, and while we have tons of posts…
Welcome!
For readers new to our site, this page will guide you through some of our most popular articles. There are three sections. The first article below, titled "Why This Matters," makes the case for why it's important to think about your clothing choices. Our section on wardrobe considerations answers some of the more basic (and, at times, not so basic) questions on how to dress better. Finally, our product buying guides will help you find the best items for any budget.
Why This Matters
One of the questions we sometimes get here at Put This On is why clothing matters at all – why…
Wardrobe Considerations
March 27, 2018
Suggested “Essentials” For A Starting Wardrobe
So, I’ve recently gotten into coffee and I spend an embarrassing amount of time online reading about different brewing methods,…
March 26, 2018
How To Judge Quality In Clothing
It’s been over ten years since men’s style was obsessed with all things Americana and heritage, but the movement has…
February 25, 2018
How To Put Together A Successful Outfit
Bruce Boyer, one of my favorite writers on men’s style, has a great intro to one of his chapters in Eminently…
February 19, 2018
A Basic Guide On Alterations
The easiest way to improve your wardrobe is to take things to the alterations tailor. Since clothes are designed for…
November 20, 2017
Five Suggestions On How To Dress For Winter
Fall and winter are my favorite seasons for clothes. Few things feel better against the skin than wool flannel trousers…
September 6, 2017
Five Suggestions On How To Dress For A Heatwave
One of the things I love about living in the Bay Area is the temperate weather – winters never get…
August 30, 2017
A Complete A To Z Guide On Proper Shoe Care
If you want to score a pair of good dress shoes for less than $150, your best bet is to…
January 4, 2017
How To Do Business Casual Without Looking Like A Schmuck
It’s never been harder to figure out how to dress for work. A generation ago, the average office uniform was…
October 31, 2016
How To Think About Color
We’ve all been there before. You’re in a store, flipping through a stack of sweaters (or ties or jackets or…
August 10, 2016
What Should You Get For Your First Suit?
There are a lot of articles about what you should get for your first suit. Maybe more than the number…
April 2, 2015
Reading Formality In Tailored Clothing
Let’s get something straight: wearing a suit or sport coat in 2015 is going to make you look dressed up….
November 27, 2013
“Does It Fit?” Checklist
A friend of mine recently had to get a new suit for a wedding (not his), and asked for my…
January 28, 2013
If I Could Speak To My Younger Self
In my time as a man interested in men’s clothing and style, I’ve made many mistakes, some of them very…
January 21, 2013
Proper Garment Care
Buying high quality garments, with the assumption that they’re built to last, only means something if you know how to…
October 24, 2012
Style For College Students
There’s no kind way to put this: college students are some of the worst dressed people in America. I say…
October 25, 2011
Men’s Clothes: How To Store Them
Men often email me to ask how to store their clothes, so I thought I’d offer a few simple best…
September 12, 2011
Twenty-Five Pieces Of Basic Sartorial Knowledge So You Don’t Look Dumb
When I’m interviewed about men’s style and Put This On, I’m almost invariably asked “what are the fashion mistakes you…
December 5, 2010
Good, Fast, Cheap, Pick Two
John writes: I’m trying to transition to better, more interesting clothing, but when I double-check the internets regarding whether something…
November 30, 2009
Shopping Effectively Means Shopping Like My Mom
(me and my mom, 1981) My mom’s current (modest) salary, as a Junior College professor, is the most she’s made…
Product Buying Guides
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January 15, 2018
I Dropped $100 On Sweater Shavers And Tested Each One So You Don’t Have To
Almost everything nowadays is labeled as a “wardrobe essential” — Melton wool pea coats, Dainite-soled boots, and even tapestry bombers…
December 13, 2017
Five Suggestions For Buying Better Sweaters
I love good knitwear. Chunky, heavy-gauge sweaters, plush merinos, and various neckline styles, from crew to turtlenecks. This year has…
September 25, 2017
A Guide To Fall And Winter Trousers
Trousers are usually in the background of an outfit. They play a secondary role, setting the stage for whatever you’re…
July 17, 2017
A Guide To Summer Shirts
There’s an old saying about how there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes. I would amend that…
March 2, 2017
Finding The Right Bag (Part Two)
Unless you’re one of those handsome Italian men who wear suits even when cycling – through what I can only…
March 1, 2017
Finding The Right Bag (Part One)
Hunting for the right bag can be a lot like hunting for the right pair of shoes. You want to…
December 8, 2016
A Guide To Fall/ Winter Shirts
More often than not, if I’m wearing a dress shirt, it’s an oxford cloth button down. Plain whites and light…
October 26, 2015
A Buyer’s Guide To Barbour
It’s been five years since Barbour came into fashion with the rise of the heritage trend. Despite them being a…
September 24, 2015
Outerwear That Won’t Break The Bank, Part Two
It’s harder and harder to find well-made, well-priced clothes these days. Everything is either cheap crap from fast fashion brands,…
September 23, 2015
Outerwear That Won’t Break The Bank, Part One
We all love the cold weather seasons for the opportunity to wear tweed and chunky sweaters, but nothing will transform…
November 24, 2014
The (Still) Very Useful Work Boot
The craze for Americana/ workwear clothing seems to have died down, but the trend did leave us with some very…
November 13, 2014
The Great PTO Briefcase Roundup
Whether because you need something to go with a suit and tie, or perhaps just want to look a little…
July 10, 2014
Where To Buy Good Pants (Part Two)
The market for trousers is pretty wonky. There’s surprisingly not that many good options, and despite there being a new…
July 9, 2014
Where To Buy Good Pants (Part One)
Readers often ask us if we have any recommendations for where to buy good trousers. Usually grey flannels, as those…
October 24, 2013
Where To Look First For A Suit (Part Two)
Finding the right suit can be really difficult if you’re not familiar with the terrain. And even when you are,…
October 23, 2013
Where To Look First For A Suit (Part One)
Far and away, the most common question I get in my inbox is: “Where should I go to buy a…
September 3, 2013
Field Guide To Field Jackets
In the last couple weeks at Put This On we’ve set up midcentury utility- and sportswear as ideal for easy,…
July 3, 2013
What Shoe Care Products Should You Consider (Part Two)
Over the weekend, one of our readers asked us for our opinion on which shoe care products he should consider…
July 1, 2013
Q And Answer: What Shoe Care Products Should You Consider (Part One)
Lookyoungspeakold writes us to ask: I just watched the PTO episode on shoes and am now working on picking up some…
April 24, 2013
The OCBD Shirt Series, Part VI: Our Recommendations
After reviewing so many companies, we thought it’d be useful to say which we recommend the most. Obviously much depends…
February 13, 2013
Finding Affordable Shoes
Shoes may or may not be the most important part of a man’s ensemble, but they can certainly be the…
July 19, 2012
The Seven-Shoe Wardrobe
The longer I write about men’s clothing, the more disinclined I am to say what men should own. There’s tremendous…
May 28, 2012
Affordable Basics
Most people want to dress well, but they don’t care to spend a small fortune or an inordinate amount of…
July 12, 2010
Our Luggage Picks
If you’re a regular traveler, it makes a lot of sense to invest in high-quality luggage that will get you…