Our style guru answers your most pressing sartorial questions.

This week we help someone out with devising his own Christmas gift list so that he doesn’t end up with a load of socks. Again. We meet a man about to start a new job who needs to pull up his socks. And we help out a guy who genuinely wants some new socks – he just doesn’t know what kind.

As ever, keep your questions coming via our Instagram feed, or email them directly to dan.rookwood@mrporter.com with “You Asked” in the subject heading. And to those of you for whom this applies, happy Thanksgiving.

I’ve been asked by my partner to put together a Wish List for Christmas but I’m a bit clueless. What would you suggest? I’m late thirties and I have to look presentable for work but not formal.

From Mr FS, via email

Let’s look at what you really need. Start with the highest-impact items, the ones that will be seen by the most people and from which you will derive the most value: your coat, your work bag, your shoes, your glasses (if, like me, you wear such things). To this list I would also include a fragrance. As Mr Tom Ford says in this video, it “can be a man’s most memorable style choice”.

Here are my three suggested picks in each of the above categories.

Coats: AMI’s classic camel coat; this grey double-breasted herringbone overcoat from Mr. P; this navy top coat from Acne Studios.

Work bag: this Want Les Essentiel de la Vie’s canvas tote bag; or if you can push the boat out, this beautiful burnished leather briefcase from Berluti.

Shoes/boots: some black leather Common Projects derby shoes; these chocolate brown suede Chelsea boots from RM Williams; some pebble grain leather brogue boots from Cheaney.

Glasses: these black rounded frames from Cubitts; the Cutler and Gross glasses worn by Merlin in Kingsman; some tortoiseshell frames from Garrett Leight.

Fragrance: L’Eau D’Hiver from Frederic Malle; Tom Ford’s classic Neroli Portifino; Sunday Cologne by Byredo.

Finally, we’ll add some stocking fillers: a tan leather iPhone case from Native Union; a woven leather wallet from Bottega Veneta; this excellent value Timex watch.

In the new year I am starting a new job with a web agency – it will be my first time in a management position and I’m unsure how I should present myself. Being in a creative environment, a suit is strictly out of bounds outside of meetings. However, I would like to show I’m deserving of my position and avoid the cliché T-shirt and hoodie. Do you have any suggestions to solve this problem?

From Mr Michael Wright, via email

Good for you, Mr Wright, firstly on landing the big gig, but also on your determination to subvert the cliché that everyone in tech dresses poorly. Increasingly this is changing.

In your situation, I actually think several pieces from Mr Porter’s own brand, the recently introduced Mr. P, could be just the (new) job. It’s designed as a wardrobe of classic everyday essentials. The ethos behind Noah, which launched on site this week, is also apposite because that is all about mixing the formal with the informal.

A useful idea to keep in mind when smartening up one’s act at work is to look at what you already have (and what people in your office normally wear) and just take each piece up a notch. (Switch out jeans for navy cords, say.) But then also keep in mind a high-low combo, so that you have something more relaxed (elevated minimalist sneakers) to take the edge off something more formal (an unstructured blazer) or something more formal to dress up something more casual.

Try to break away from the default of jeans. Tailored trousers with, say, knitwear and sneakers is a winner. My most recent purchase off the site is this pair of tailored trousers which are slightly cropped and have a drawstring waistband.

There are also ways of softening the shirt-and-tie combo so it doesn’t make you look like “a suit”. For example, you could wear a button-down shirt and knitted tie with a grey crew-neck sweatshirt. I also like the look of a buttoned up shirt worn with a round-neck knit, as recently demonstrated here by Mr Mathias Mentze.

Another way of subtly communicating your more senior position is through your watch – and celebrating a new job is as good a reason as any to purchase one. While many people in web agencies seem to wear the Apple watch, you could opt for something that is smart in all senses such as the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45.

My staple has become white Common Projects and dark jeans. But I still can’t decide on what socks I should be wearing. Trainer socks don’t seem such a great idea now it’s cold outside.

From Mr Jamie Simon, via email

By trainer socks, I assume you mean those secret no-show socks that leave one’s ankles exposed? Correct: as discussed in an earlier column, they are impractical in winter and therefore look rather silly.

Mr Porter has a vast selection of socks on the site at the moment.

If you’d rather not undue draw attention to them, opt for plain dark cotton socks that will visually blend into the denim such as this triple-pack from Hugo Boss in black, navy and grey or this box of 15 navy pairs from London Sock Co. You could even wear your jeans without any turn-up so as not to break up the eyeline. But dare I say, that’s a bit dull?

Don’t be afraid of injecting some flair into your look via a flash of colourful and/or patterned sock. It can serve as a useful way of tying an outfit together, the colour of the socks echoing a minor colour in the top half of your outfit. Paul Smith socks, in particular, are a lot of fun without straying into novelty.

Socks also offer an accessible entry point into some designer brands such as Gucci, Thom Browne or Vetements. I’m a big fan of Missoni’s signature pattern socks.

Come winter, I prefer a thicker sock and seem to keep restocking on Anonymous Ism’s mélange-styles and also their more festive patterns – perfect for toasting your toes by an open fire at this time of year.

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