Mention a guy in khakis to most women and the first thing they think is: “boring.”

Alas, this man uniform is the go-to for most men when they’re in the office, especially on Fridays. Come on, look down. Are you wearing khakis today?

“Nowadays, men have no excuse when it comes to being stylish,” said Lisa Maynard-Atem, managing director of Stylisa, a fashion consultancy. “The khaki pants, button down and socks with sandals is just wrong and lazy.”

I know that’s harsh, but the fashionistas out there are just trying to help.

And if you’re looking for a new gig you better start taking a harsh looks at how you dress.

“66% of HR professionals believe that a candidate’s physical appearance is very important or important in distinguishing them from other job candidates,” according to a Harris Interactive survey commissioned by Gillette.

So what should you be wearing? Sometimes it helps to see a type of style in all its glory instead of explaining it so I asked Maynard-Atem to offer some famous men she thinks have fashion savvy.

George Clooney:

David Beckham:

Bruce Willis:

Brad Pitt:

Djimon Hounson:

Don’t be intimidated by these guys. Seriously, their looks are not difficult to pull off. You just have to get out of your fashion rut, stressed Rachel Yeomans, owner of RachelAnna Consulting, a business fashion consulting firm.

Instead of khakis, she suggested you “wear a nice pair of wool or gabardine slacks with a nice quality cotton t-shirt tucked in with a belt and a sweater over it. I personally like the 1/2-zip mock-necked sweater with this look.”

Oh, I love that look. I bought two of these sweaters for my husband. OK, full disclosure here: He doesn’t wear them often. Even though he does have an inner fashionista he’s still apprehensive when it comes to really putting his style out there.

Yeomans offers some direction for casual and formal office garb. But the big advice is fit. Everything must fit well, and be tailored if need be:

* In a casual office environment (as many are nowadays) and where jeans are acceptable, men can be a lot more creative with their wardrobes. Nice straight-leg jeans of a darker color, a tucked in polo or t-shirt with a sportcoat, and nice moccasin-style leather shoes with neutral-colored socks is a great casual ensemble for work.

* For a more formal office, you can substitute the t-shirt with a button-down shirt and tie under the sweater. A sweater/turtleneck is also a great combination even under a sport coat during the winter months. For the more formal office environments, it is quite important to stick to the suit with a button-down tucked-in shirt and tie. However to be creative and stand out, men can be creative with not just ties but also pocket squares and shoes.

The word “creative” rarely comes up when we think about the men we see at work. Why not?

Men need to take a bit of a chance with their wardrobes in order to stand out, especially in this freakin economy where there are 100 of you boringly dressed guys for every job interview.

Belle Chen, owner of men’s jewelry online store Kuu Steel, still remembers I guy she worked with a while back that wore one red sock and one yellow sock with a neatly cut suit and a hoop earring. This was his “signature style,” she said, and it garnered him respect among the people he worked for and those who worked for him.

Who would have thought. My seven-year-old son is constantly wearing two different socks and I never thought of him as a fashion plate.

OK, enough of the jokes.

Please don’t just disregard this post by saying, “I’m no George Clooeny. He can wear a Moo Moo and still look good.”

While that may be true, it’s time to stop making excuses and take a chance with something new. I’m not suggesting you go crazy, just update your look a bit.

Here’s some advice on how to make a good impression from the the style correspondent from the bible of men’s fashion GQ, Brett Fahlgren:

– The Right Color and Fit: Go for simplicity—solid colors like navy, black and grey are perfect for suits, while white or shades of blue are ideal for dress shirts. But even the most expensive suit can look sloppy if it’s not the right size. Make sure the items in your wardrobe fit flawlessly, even if this means seeking out the help of a tailor. When purchasing a new suit, look for:
§ Shoulder Fit: The arm should fall naturally right from the edge of your shoulder.
§ Jacket Length: Try a jacket that is a bit shorter than what you typically wear and notice how it can clean up your look considerably.
§ Arm Length: Try a higher and slightly more fitted armhole so that when standing with arms to your side, you can see a bit of light between the side of the jacket and your arm sleeve.
§ Sleeve Length: The arm sleeve length should line up with your thumb knuckle, allowing about 1/2” of your dress shirt cuff to show.

– Don’t Sweat It: Some of the most embarrassing grooming issues in the workplace have to do a personal care basic – deodorant. Ninety-three percent of HR professionals in the Harris/Gillette survey said body odor or sweat stains are big red flags when it comes to meeting job candidates.

– Effortless Style: Trying too hard never translates well. You want your interviewers or colleagues to notice that you look good without quite knowing what you’ve done. Pay attention to those items that will help you to establish a modern classic look that is all your own: a nice watch, well made shoes and a well-fitted suit.

And Maynard-Atem offered suggestions for a great “capsule wardrobe” as she calls it. Basically “a collection of classics”:

· A Good Suit – I would strongly advise getting a suit made, even if it means saving up the pennies. A bespoke suit can run into thousands, but it will be a worthwhile investment in the long-run. Ready-made suits can never compete with a suit made especially for you.
· White shirts – another piece to have made, and always ensure that they are 100% cotton. If you prefer to buy your shirts ready-made, opt for Thomas Pink or Marks & Spencers.
· Straight-cut jeans – avoid distressed, frayed or bleached ‘boy-band’ styles. A straight cut dark pair of jeans will not date. French Connection offer a great selection and are reasonably priced.
· White T-Shirts – as I said in the ladies section, invest in as many good-quality white t-shirts as you can. White T-shirts are a bigger must for men, than they are for women. Avoid wearing T-shirts with suits (the same goes for trainers). A suit is not a casual item of clothing and should therefore not be worn with casual clothing.
· A Good Coat – in a base colour. Hugo Boss is ideal for a great coat.
· Shoes – a good pair of black shoes, and a good pair of brown shoes. Edwards of Manchester do a great range of reasonably priced men shoes and they are also available online.
· Ties – it is important to have an array of ties, in base colours as well as patterned ties. Invest a tie and shirt that matches exactly, whether they are plain or patterned. Silk ties are a definite worthwhile investment.
· Cufflinks – ensure you have a good selection of cufflinks in silver and gold. Silver looks great with cooler colours like blue and gold compliment warmer colours like brown. Avoid gimmick cufflinks (and ties) – this is about building a look that is representative of your personal brand. Mickey Mouse cufflinks are cute, but are out of place in the boardroom (unless you work for Disney of course).

And don’t forget grooming, she advised. “I know you are probably wondering why I have included this in a capsule wardrobe. There are still many men out there who believe that grooming is for girls. Well it isn’t – what is the point in putting beautiful clothes on an un-kept body? You don’t need to spend hours in front of the mirror, but a clean shaven, moisturised man, will be better received than a modern-day Robinson Crusoe.”

Just in case you’re wondering what Crusoe wore to the office:

If you have to guts, send me a photo of your fashion style and I can have one of the mavens above critique your look. Also, send links to looks you like, or hate.