Dressing well, even in a recession, is easy, especially if you start by buying clothes that fit you properly. Stick to these 10 simple pointers and you can tidy up your act immediately
1Discover your size and buy accordingly. It's astounding how rarely the Irish male knows his correct measurements. As a result, our streets are thronged with men whose jackets and shirts are one or several sizes too big – and trousers proportionately too small. Well-fitted clothes are more flattering than looser fits.
Get yourself measured by a tailor and make a note of your dimensions. Buy a jacket that sits close on the shoulder, buttons snugly across the chest, and with arms that stop at the wrist. You will immediately be ahead of the competition.
2Invest in one good suit, preferably in a medium-weight wool with a charcoal colour. The weight of fabric is important: too heavy or too light and you're limited to the amount of the year it can be worn. Likewise colour. Black is oppressive (and shows every speck of dirt). Finding a tolerable shade of blue is almost impossible and brown, in my opinion anyway, is not to be countenanced. Charcoal grey complements every skin tone, works with every colour and pattern of shirt, and manages the dressed-up/dressed-down routine. Plus, the jacket can be worn with jeans or chinos. So, a medium-weight charcoal grey suit it is.
3Trouser hems should break on the shoe, not ripple in waves down to the ground or hover half-way up to your knees. Trousers bagging around the ankle destroy the entire silhouette and leave you looking ridiculous: have them taken up to the correct point (consider turn-ups, which are ultra-smart). In addition, and to make sure the hem stays sitting at the right place, buy a belt – those loops around the waistband were put there for a purpose.
4Buy shoe polish. Then use it regularly. Think of the process as being a form of aerobic exercise that'll help to tone the upper arms. Scruffy shoes suggest a slovenly cast of mind, whereas a pair of highly-polished shoes implies you're alert, dynamic and full of beans (not to mention the possessor of well-toned arms under that stylish charcoal grey jacket). Keep an eye on soles and heels, and have them repaired when necessary. Use shoe trees or, if the expense is too great, stuff your shoes with newspaper to help keep their shape when not being worn. Look after your shoes and they'll last for years.
5Get some solid wooden clothes hangers. Hang your clothes on them. It makes a startling difference, especially to the condition of your jackets, which have probably only ever come to rest on the back of a chair or, on a few shameful occasions, the floor.
6The wrong pair of socks – fine for the gym, perhaps, but unsuitable for an office environment – will negate everything else. Fine gauge wool, preferably merino, are best and in dark colours only; white or cream socks are strictly for the sports arena. And obviously your sock drawer should be a hole-free zone. The requirement for shoe removal at airport-security checks have exposed far more unkempt male heels and toes than some of us ever wished to see.
7You really ought to own a coat and not of the anorak variety favoured by a certain former taoiseach. A coat will keep you warm and dry and help to protect the clothes worn beneath. If you're only going to have one, make it a raincoat and, as with your jackets, take care to ensure it fits across the shoulders and has adequate length in the sleeve. Should there be a belt, buckle it: dangling belt ends just look a mess. A pair of decent leather gloves wouldn't go amiss either.
8Ties are an integral part of every man's wardrobe. If you lack confidence when faced with a deluge of patterns, stick with either a solid colour or with stripes. No "fun" ties, nor treating that meagre strip of fabric around your neck as an expression of your unique personality. Instead, as with everything else in your wardrobe, concentrate on buying the best you can afford (silk by preference) and on looking after what you have. Never wear the same tie on consecutive days – for all sorts of reasons. Always unknot it properly and hang or roll for storage.
9The devil is in the detail. When you get dressed in the morning, think through the process, so that every element works to create a coherent and harmonious whole. Don't leave anything to chance but make sure, for example, that your shirt and tie complement one another. At the same time, avoid being too well-matched; your appearance should give the impression of a happy accident rather than being too studied. Keep it simple and plan ahead. It's a process that will take maybe one minute before you go to bed the night before but will reap benefits the entire following day.
10There's a saying that keep clean is better than make clean. In other words, a little daily maintenance of your clothes is preferable to having them laundered or dry-cleaned. In these straitened times, you'll also find taking care of your wardrobe is the cheaper option. Spot a small stain on your jacket? Then sponge it off at once. Notice mud on your trouser hem? Let it dry and brush off. Even the cheapest clothing lasts longer if it is treated with respect, and since men's fashion changes at a far slower pace than its female equivalent, there's no question your clothes will last longer and require less attention from the professionals if you look after them.