Foreword

As someone who’s been working for Nordstrom since the age of 12,
I’m a guy who’s expected to dress like I know what I’m doing. You’d
think I’d know it all when it comes to getting dressed, but what I’ve
learned is that it’s the subtle things that make a real difference
in your appearance, and it’s the confidence that you gain from
knowledge that allows you to pull it off.

 
By Pete Nordstrom
President of Merchandising
Nordstrom, Inc .

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There are fundamental building blocks to dressing well: The pattern on your tie should be bolder than the pattern on your shirt. The color of your socks should match your pants, not your shoes . . . and so on. These aren’t mystical secrets intended for a select few. We’ve been selling menswear for more than forty years, and we share our knowledge in the Nordstrom Guide to Men’s Style so that you, too, can have access to this information whenever you need it. At Nordstrom, everything we do is driven by the goal of taking care of our customers, and this book is no exception. We have an ongoing dialogue with our customers, and this style guide is a response to some of the sentiments they’ve shared with us: Be honest with me. Inspire me. Teach me. Our goal is to give men a very easy, applicable guide to dressing well. It’s not about spending more money on clothing; it’s about having the confidence and knowledge to dress right and to be efficient with your purchases. That’s why we turned to popular fashion analyst Tom Julian. Tom is someone Nordstrom has worked with over the years, and he’s earned a top industry reputation for working with major fashion designers, covering the runway shows from New York to Milan, and presiding as the fashion authority for the official website of the Academy Awards, Oscar.com. Does this tie go with this shirt? I still ask myself this question every morning, but I’ve developed the confidence to make what I think is the right choice. And with our style guide in hand, we hope you will, too.