Alex's wardrobe

Sky-blue shirt tucked · beige pleated slacks

The baseline, reinforced. Tucked shirt to raise the waistline, high-rise straight leg with no break, brown penny loafers. The body reads as one column.

Grey knit vest · sky-blue shirt

The baseline with one more layer. Cream chinos, brown shoes.

Alex: no. The vest layer makes the upper body read thicker.

White shirt · charcoal slacks

Rolled white shirt with a belt, pleated slacks, penny loafers. Rebuilt from the contact-sheet crop.

Sky-blue shirt · navy slacks

Control. The same shirt over dark trousers stops the eye at the belt and enlarges the upper body. It shows why the rule exists.

Charcoal half-zip knit · grey flannel slacks

The heavy turtleneck, reworked. Zip down so the neck shows, charcoal over grey for a dark column. Black chelsea boots.

Dark green knit polo · light grey slacks

Work. Dark on top, light below, the polo's V. Green instead of navy widens the palette. Black loafers.

Navy unstructured blazer · navy knit tee · ecru slacks

Silicon Valley office and demo day. Unpadded blazer worn open over a single navy tone, ecru below. White sneakers, steel watch.

Sky-blue oxford shirt · cream chinos

Sleeves down, both hands free, white sneakers. The reference sheet for the baseline combination.

Sky-blue oxford shirt · jacket in hand

Sleeves rolled, a navy jacket over one arm. Cream chinos, white sneakers.

Striped oxford shirt · charcoal trousers

Open shirt over a grey tee. Charcoal trousers, white sneakers.

Alex: the trouser fit is off. The charcoal trousers cling at the thigh and narrow at the hem.

Washed burgundy shirt · beige chinos · buckle belt

This year's colour. Dark on top, light below. A crinkled washed shirt tucked in, one buckle as the accent. Brown loafers.

Light-blue chambray shirt · olive chinos

Weekends between Korea and the US. The baseline shirt in chambray over olive straight chinos, white sneakers.

Alex: the colours clash. Sky blue and olive muddy each other.

Indigo denim shirt worn open · white tee · ecru trousers

A denim shirt as an overshirt. One roll on the sleeve, white tee tucked. Suede loafers.

Black linen shirt · cream chinos

Rolled black linen shirt. Cream trousers, dark shoes.

Ecru knit tee · ecru pleated trousers · white sneakers

An all-ivory column in this year's colour, the whole body read as one. Tan belt, steel watch.

Plain grey sweatshirt · olive washed chinos

An experiment: how much a plain regular-fit sweatshirt offsets the crew neck's width. German army trainers.

Cream cable-knit polo · charcoal slacks

Short-sleeve knit polo, wide charcoal slacks, black shoes.

Alex: trousers too wide. The wide charcoal slacks enlarge the lower body.

Navy sweatshirt · beige chinos

Graphic sweatshirt, wide beige chinos, white sneakers.

Alex: trousers too wide, plus a crew neck. The least flattering pairing.

Navy harrington worn open · ecru knit polo · beige chinos

A short jacket lengthens the leg, and the open front splits the shoulder width. Light column inside, ankle-covering hem, brown loafers.

Washed olive M-65 · white long-sleeve · ecru washed trousers

The wearable version of the military trend. A slim-recut field jacket worn open over a tucked white tee. Brown chelsea boots.

Washed black denim trucker · white henley · ecru chinos

The open trucker's vertical line. White henley tucked, ecru below to keep it light. White sneakers.

Navy track jacket · white tee · beige washed chinos

The slim track jacket everyone will wear this year. No logo, zip to the chest. German army trainers.

Alex: not right. The sporty sleeve stripes call attention to the arms and shoulders.

Tobacco suede blouson · cream henley · indigo denim

A light suede blouson over a cream henley, indigo denim with one cuff. Brown tone in tone, suede loafers.

Olive chore jacket · striped tee

Olive chore jacket, striped tee, cream chinos, brown shoes.

Black mock-neck knit · white sneakers

All black with white sneakers and a steel watch. The late-night build scene.

Navy knit polo · ecru pleated slacks

Dark on top, tone on tone. The polo collar makes the V, the light trousers lengthen the leg. Suede loafers.

Black knit polo · charcoal slacks · black loafers

Dinner. An all-dark column with the polo's V, a steel watch and a small silver buckle.

Grey cashmere knit · grey trousers

Light grey knit over mid-grey trousers, tone on tone. Black shoes.

Brown suede blazer · ecru knit tee · charcoal slacks

A good restaurant. Suede's soft sheen, one ecru tone inside the open jacket. Brown chelsea boots.

Dark brown coatigan · grey henley · ecru slacks

Cozy-core done properly. A jacket-style cardigan with no ribbing, worn open so the waist is not cut, brown tone on tone with a value gap. Suede chelsea boots.

Tobacco suede trucker · ivory turtleneck · ecru corduroy

Aged suede in a regular fit, worn open, over a single ivory column in this year's colour. Brown chelsea boots.

Navy V-neck cardigan · white shirt · light grey slacks

A relaxed evening. The cardigan's V draws a vertical line and the white collar lights the face. Black loafers.

Camel coat · cream cable knit · indigo denim

Knee-length camel coat, cream knit, cuffed indigo denim, white sneakers. Rebuilt from the contact-sheet crop.

Alex: no. Long coats never work on a shorter frame. Outerwear stops at the hip.

Turtleneck · all black

Black turtleneck, black trousers, black shoes. The outfit from the profile photo.

Turtleneck · beige trousers

Black turtleneck over beige trousers, dark brown shoes. Wider value contrast top to bottom.

Charcoal knit blazer · white oxford · grey slacks

A Seoul conference talk. The knit blazer has a soft shoulder and the open collar makes the V. Black loafers.

Navy knit blazer · sky-blue oxford · beige slacks

Events and talks. The baseline pair with a knit blazer on top; a soft shoulder keeps the width down. Brown loafers.

Grey blazer · navy knit polo

Herringbone grey blazer, navy knit, cream trousers, brown shoes. 4K original.

Navy blazer · white tee

Unstructured navy blazer over a white tee, grey trousers, brown shoes.

Sage overshirt · black mock-neck · charcoal slacks

For YouTube recording. Matte fabrics only, no shine under lights; the mock-neck gives a lav mic a place. Black chelsea boots.

Navy suit · sky-blue shirt · navy knit tie

The formal default. Unpadded shoulders, no break, the baseline sky-blue shirt inside a suit; a knit tie softens it. Black oxfords.

Grey flannel suit · white shirt · burgundy knit tie

Flannel's texture tidies a solid build. One burgundy tie is this year's accent. Brown loafers.

Navy suit · open-collar shirt

Navy suit with an open white shirt, no tie. Black shoes.

Charcoal suit · black turtleneck

Two-button charcoal suit over a black turtleneck, black cap-toe oxfords. Rebuilt from the contact-sheet crop.

Charcoal knit travel blazer · white tee · navy tech trousers · weekender

Off the plane and straight into a meeting. A wrinkle-proof knit blazer worn open, matte tech wool below. White sneakers, leather weekender.

Navy zip knit cardigan · grey tee · black tech trousers · crossbody

Airport and business travel. Zip half open, the one-shoulder crossbody is this year's bag. White sneakers.

Navy nylon blouson · grey knit tee · ecru chinos · crossbody

The lightest travel kit. Unpadded blouson worn open, light below with white sneakers. One-shoulder crossbody.

Olive coach jacket · white long-sleeve · beige washed chinos · one-strap backpack

Trains and short trips. Flat-collar coach jacket worn open, backpack on one shoulder only. German army trainers.

Navy shirt jacket · white tee · grey tech trousers · nylon tote

Airport to hotel to office. The shirt jacket is a shirt when off and an outer layer when on. Black sneakers.

Navy overcoat worn open · charcoal turtleneck · charcoal slacks · holdall

Winter travel. An above-the-knee coat worn open to show the dark column inside, a thin turtleneck to tidy the neck. Black chelsea boots.

Caution: above the knee, but still a long coat. By the camel-coat verdict this should become a short coat.