Q: What would a 27 year old MBA student like for a June birthday present?  I'd like to get him some smart/casual clothes.  (This is my son, slender to average- maybe average build, and about 5'9".)  (KM, via email)

A: With regard to smart casual, this is probably where most of the new purchases go. This because of new 'rules' that seem to apply to business, as a result, I believe, of the new kinds of businesses there are that didn't exist 10 years ago.

For smart casual, I'd suggest a shirt like Stenstroms from Sweden as a starting point. These are terrific shirts, and can do double duty.  In fact, as I type this, I'm wearing such shirt. Tie on, or tie off, they look great.  From there, I think a pair of pants in a 5 pocket style (think: jeans) in a non-denim fabric is comfortable, familiar but a bit less weekend-ish that denim proper.  A topper might be a merino vee neck sweater from Italy, which would look great with the Stentroms shirt, or cool with jeans and a tee shirt underneath. And if he's going out somewhere, we've got some very hip, lightweight outerjackets in nylon from Tumi (the luggage maker), or Andrew Marc New York.

Really, there's so much to talk about, I think a store visit might be in order. However, whatever I can do for you, let me know and I'll try to make it happen.