I've heard it said that a modestly well-dressed man never fails to impress. Yes, never. And truer words were never spoken.

It's one thing to be sitting alone in your office in a polo shirt covered in the fur of a certain feline friend that you may or may not have used in an elaborate ruse to collar some serial killer. That's a unique situation. In the real world, the measure of your potential is almost always in direct proportion with the cut of your coat. Or your shirt. Or your cuffs. In other words, what you wear matters, and it matters more than you think.

Take me, for example. Many is the time my outfit has been the reason I've closed a deal or snagged a new account. I'm not saying this because I'm some kind of fashionista, although I'd like to think I've got the queer eye (just the eye, thank you very much.) I'm saying it because I've seen things go terribly wrong far too many times for fashion-challenged associates of mine.

Like Dave Garcia, who worked at the office a couple of years ago. One morning he shows up wearing a black belt and brown shoes. Later that afternoon, he was trampled by a mounted police officer chasing a purse-snatcher. Freak accident? Maybe. But I'm thinking things might have gone differently had the belt matched the shoes.

And since we're on shoes, we may as well begin there, because style is built from the ground up. Remember, footwear should be appropriate for the situation. This means no boat shoes at a formal dinner, no loafers at the beach, and no boring banker-type wingtips or ultra preppy lace-ups ever. If you've recently purchased anything with a lug sole, return it immediately, even if you don't have the receipt. Oh, and for the love of Mike, never wear sandals with socks. As I mentioned before, you'll never go wrong when the shoes match the belt. And if the watchband matches too, all the better.

Moving on up, the story on socks is pretty simple. Match them to your pants. They don't need to be the exact same color, just from the same color family. Also, over the calf tube socks: bad. Natural fibers: good. Ankle socks or the ones with the little cotton ball at the heel: bad. Reinforced heel: good. And if you think I'm putting too fine a point on the importance of appropriate hosiery, tell it to my former Regional Manager Paul Van Otto, who wore no socks at all with his topsiders � and then his appendix ruptured. True story.

This brings us to pants. There are a lot of choices these days, but that only means that you have more opportunities to look stupid. Let's start with jeans. Blue: of course. Black: sure. White, purple, yellow, acid washed: are you kidding? Also, if you're feeling a draft, and your wallet is banging against the back of your knee with each step, you're probably wearing your jeans too low. Stop it. Just stop it.

As far as business attire is concerned, gentlemen, step away from the pleats. They're hard to iron, and will only make you poof out when you sit down, and that makes people giggle. A tailored chino with a crisp break at the foot is a smart look. Buy two pair in each color.

So here's the thing about shirts: know your size. Go to a good shirt shop, have a nice salesman give you the once-over with the tape, and then memorize your measurements as if it were your fashion PIN number. Because it is. There is more to life than small, medium and large. There's stitching, button and hem. And if the shirt looks cheap, it probably is. Be mindful of the collar. If it's a button down collar, then button it down; you don't want to wind up like my ex-colleague Stan Cranston. He eats all his meals through a tube.

On matching ties and shirts: we've all seen the solid color shirt with the tie of the same color. Cool it there, Regis. It's 2006. You actually have more options than you think. Mixing patterns is all right, as long as it's no more than two. Otherwise, go with your instinct: stripes can be horizontal or diagonal, but never vertical. Novelty ties? File them under Not Funny. And remember, there are knots other than the one your dad taught you. Try the Windsor or the four-in-hand, but don't forget a good knot has a dimple. It's the little things that make the gentleman.

Now, everyone should own a suit, or better yet, four: standard blue, basic black, classic gray and any one of those in pinstripe. Ignore what you've heard about "the new black". Black is the new black. Like the shirt, the suit should fit you. Most of the suits you see on guys are actually badly fitting suits purchased off the rack from some salesman out to make a commission. I'm a salesman, I know. And a salesman that tells you that you look good in an off the rack suit, just wants to sell the suit. Go ahead and buy it, but get thee to a tailor, stat.

Finally, don't be afraid to accessorize, but back off the bling, K-Fed, it's not TRL. People will only make fun of you for your bracelet and the gold chain draped under your tie. Go classy. A pocket square in a solid color or a subtle pattern ought to give you all the sophistication you need to make an impression. But beware. The pocket square should be, well, square, and not pointy or puffy.

Andy McStubrick left the office one day with a sloppy pocket square and no one's seen him since.