New York Fashion Week doesn't mean much to most guys out there. Maybe for some young bankers, it's an excuse to go out armed with business cards, pay for bottle service, and probably still go home alone.
Still, there's no shortage of advice when it comes to men's fashion. And there's obviously no real consensus. You've got Mark Zuckerberg showing off his closet that enables him to "focus on more important decisions" in life. And on the other end of the spectrum, you've got people creating charts to help color-coordinate suits with every conceivable color and style of shoes. Both are equally pretentious.
The problem with men's fashion is that people try too hard or not at all. The vast majority of guys can't pull off an azul indigo suit, cerulean socks, and tan brogues. As I see it, particularly in banking and in the business world, men's fashion is a function of risk reward. Guys need to be pragmatic, live in the safe zone, and keep it simple, yet elegant.
Again, this advice is all about risk reward. Because the vast majority of men are fashion illiterates, the smartest thing they can do is keep it simple and stay in a safe zone.
So, these tips won't get you noticed at Soho House or on the cover of GQ; but on Wall Street and in business world, you can't go wrong with this advice, which is more important.
John LeFevre is the creator of @GSElevator on Twitter, the editor of The Graze, and the author of the New York Times bestselling book, Straight to Hell: True Tales of Deviance, Debauchery, and Billion-Dollar Deals.