Gus from 'Psych'

Solving crimes part time seems like a pretty cool gig, especially if you are based in Santa Barbara, Calif., and have your job as a pharmaceutical sales rep to fall back on. And that's just how Burton "Gus" Guster of Psych, whose third season begins Friday, July 18, on USA Network, plays it. He's seen enough of his buddy Shawn's shenanigans to know the straight and narrow is right where he belongs.

Of course, a little adventure does a body good, so Gus tends to partake in a fair amount of crime solving. But unlike Shawn, who flies by the seat of his slacker pants, Gus is always a picture of professionalism. In fact, Gus might just be the best-dressed crime solver on television thanks to costume designer Simon Tuke (Everybody Loves Raymond). What's even more impressive is that Tuke does it on a limited budget and without relying on exclusive labels.

"I don't really look for labels," he says during a break in filming in Vancouver, British Columbia. "We go with anything we like -- it's much more about the shirt than the label."

With that in mind Tuke will put Gus in everything from Etro to Le Chateau to Banana Republic, with only Etro falling into the upscale label category.

"When I came in, he was in suits and ties all the time," says Tuke, who joined the series midway through the first season. "We tend to take him out of the suits but still keep him a bit more uptight and tucked in. Everything matches. Especially compared to Shawn, who is all over the place."

It also makes sense when you consider that Gus could be going to or coming from the office at any moment.

"We keep him well put together for that very reason," Tuke says.

Gus is also the voice of reason, which makes the buttoned-down shirts and flat-front khakis such a perfect choice.

"He's always very appropriately dressed as opposed to Shawn, who just wears whatever," Tuke says with a laugh. "We just did an episode where Gus walks through a store and finds a mannequin dressed exactly like him.

"I think the main thing is that this is more of a comedy, so we tend to punch up the color," the designer says.

So re-creating Gus's look is surprisingly simple. Tuke has him in flat-front khakis constantly -- never jeans -- and a vibrant-colored tone-on-tone striped buttoned-down shirt, both of which can be found easily at Banana Republic, Tommy Hilfiger or Gap. His signature low-tech white Puma sneakers add to the practicality (you never know when, as a private investigator, you might need to make a run for it), while the occasional suede shoe dresses things up a bit. And since he's always belted, go with a classic suede belt with a brass buckle, also available at the aforementioned retailers.

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