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.

Wardrobe Considerations

A Practical Guide to Getting Started

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…

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Suggested “Essentials” for a Starting Wardrobe

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,…

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How to Judge Quality in Clothing

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…

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How to Put Together a Successful Outfit

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…

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A Basic Guide on Alterations

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…

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Five Suggestions on How to Dress For Winter

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…

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Five Suggestions on How to Dress for a Heatwave

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…

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A Complete A to Z Guide on Proper Shoe Care

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…

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How To Do Business Casual Without Looking Like a Schmuck

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…

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How to Think About Color

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…

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What Should You Get for Your First Suit?

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…

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Reading Formality in Tailored Clothing

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….

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“Does It Fit?” Checklist

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…

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If I Could Speak to My Younger Self

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…

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Proper Garment Care

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…

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Style for College Students

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…

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Men’s Clothes: How to Store Them

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…

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Twenty-Five Pieces of Basic Sartorial Knowledge So You Don't Look Dumb

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…

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Good, Fast, Cheap, Pick Two

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…

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Shopping Effectively Means Shopping Like My Mom

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…

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Product Buying Guides


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I Dropped $100 on Sweater Shavers and Tested Each One So You Don’t Have To

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…

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Five Suggestions for Buying Better Sweaters

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…

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A Guide to Fall and Winter Trousers

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…

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A Guide to Summer Shirts

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…

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Finding the Right Bag (Part Two)

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…

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Finding the Right Bag (Part One)

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…

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A Guide to Fall/ Winter Shirts

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…

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A Buyer’s Guide to Barbour

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…

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Outerwear That Won’t Break the Bank, Part Two

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,…

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Outerwear That Won’t Break the Bank, Part One

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…

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The (Still) Very Useful Work Boot

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…

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The Great PTO Briefcase Roundup

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…

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Where to Buy Good Pants (Part Two)

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…

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Where to Buy Good Pants (Part One)

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…

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Where To Look First for a Suit (Part Two)

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,…

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Where To Look First for a Suit (Part One)

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…

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Field Guide to Field Jackets

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,…

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What Shoe Care Products Should You Consider (Part Two)

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…

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Q and Answer: What Shoe Care Products Should You Consider (Part One)

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…

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The OCBD Shirt Series, Part VI: Our Recommendations

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…

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Finding Affordable Shoes

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…

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The Seven-Shoe Wardrobe

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…

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Affordable Basics

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…

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Our Luggage Picks

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…

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