Seven Days of Dapper: A Week of Style with New Contributor Emily Smith

dapperQ is honored to announce that Emily Smith, founder of the blog The Dapper Butch, is joining our writing team! As an introduction to our readers, we asked Emily to provide us with a week’s worth of style for dapperQ’s latest edition of Seven Days of Dapper.

Bio

Emily Smith is a graduate student at Northeastern University in Boston, MA studying to be a Physician Assistant. For the last six years, she’s been working in healthcare in one form or another, but has always maintained a passion for grooming and dressing well. She is the author and founder of the blog The Dapper Butch, where she reviews products, gives up her best style advice, and talks about life. Emily has written reviews for Birchbox Man, and is currently part of their influencer network. She is always on the lookout for her next favorite tie, and can’t wait until she has a job where she no longer has to wear scrubs. Emily lives with her partner, Jillian, in Watertown, MA.

Seven Days of Dapper

Living in Boston can be rough, especially in the spring. One minute it’s pouring, and you’re racing through Downtown Crossing trying to grab a cab, and the next the sun’s out and you’re sweating your wool pants off. Nights are still really cool, and days are busy and packed with work and meetings and the buzz of the city. Because I’m a grad student, I make it my personal mission to outdress my undergraduate cohorts in their sweat pants and Northeastern t-shirts, while still keeping it dapper on dates with my girlfriend and nights out with friends.

Monday, 8:00am

Just because your morning starts early, doesn’t mean you have to skimp on style. This look is perfect for a business meeting or luncheon where a full suit isn’t quite called for. Also, the raincoat is inconspicuous enough to pass as a regular spring overcoat, even if it’s a nice, sunny day out.

Shirt- H&M, tie- GAP, tie bar- vintage, vest- Volcom, pants- Zara, overcoat- GAP (Goodwill find)

School Days

Now that I’m a grad student, my days of going to class in pajamas are (thankfully) behind me. After spending the last five years wearing scrubs to work every day, I jump at the chance to dabble in some dapper, business casual wear. Pairing a tie with dark denim and some rugged boots brings down the formal-feel of the outfit, making it better suited for daytime wear. I love this tie bar. It came in one of my monthly boxes from Birchbox Man, and has some really great detailing on the edges. Also, it even smells like cedar.

Shirt- Jcrew Factory, tie- Nautica, tie bar- Adair (from Birchbox Man), watch- Omega (vintage, a gift from my girlfriend), cardigan- H&M, jeans- H&M, belt- H&M, boots- Timberland Earthkeepers

Weekend Warrior

My weekends are precious, especially in the few months of summer we have here in Boston. During the day, I like to play my outfits down a little. This look works for going to the market, hanging out by a fire pit, walking through a park, or grabbing coffee. I like to add a denim jacket to my everyday hoodie to make it a little more interesting.

Hoodie- Johnny Cupcakes, shorts- JCrew (another Goodwill find), denim jacket- H&M, hat- O’Neil, shoes- American Eagle, sunglasses- Persol

Road Trip

My girlfriend and I spend a lot of our summer weekends in P-Town, and are often hitting the road last minute. This outfit takes me from the car to the beach in no time.

Shirt- H&M, pants- American Eagle, shoes- Sperry, weekender bag- H&M

Day at the Ball Park

Nothing is bigger in Boston than baseball. But that doesn’t mean you have to wear an oversized jersey and sloppy gym shorts to get out to the game. I like something that mixes preppy and sporty, upping my game just a little.

Hat- the Knottery (also from my Birchbox Man), shirt- American Eagle, pants- Banana Republic (Emerson chino), sneakers- New Balance 547 Yacht edition, sunglasses- Ray Ban (my girlfriend’s… I took them because I wore my Persol’s in every other picture).

Cocktail Hour

Sometimes, you just want to get dressed to the nines. For me, the details really pull the outfit together. It’s all about a cool tie bar or a pocket square, like this one with the black edges. Finding a suit that fits well is tricky, but also the biggest difference between looking good, and looking like you got dressed from your Dad’s closet. Find a suit that fits in the biggest place (especially the shoulders), and then take yourself to a good tailor. The jacket in this picture is actually from Zara Boys. I find that boy’s suit jackets fit me much better than men’s, even with tailoring. The pants, however, are Zara, but from the men’s section.

Suit jacket- Zara Boys, suit pants- Zara Man, tie- Nautica, pocket square- thetiebar.com, shirt- H&M.

Date Night

Dressing for a night out is probably one of the harder things to do. I like my outfits to fall somewhere between jeans and sneakers, and a suit. This look is my go-to for dinner, drinks, pool or a concert. I’m a sort of jacket enthusiast. And I usually get tired of a jacket after about ten wears. But I’ve been wearing the heck out of this leather jacket. A good-fitting leather jacket turns up an outfit, gets better with age, and makes you look badass. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to date a badass?

T-shirt- American Eagle Heritage, jacket- Wilson’s Leather, jeans- H&M, hoodie- H&M, boots- Call it Spring