Men’s fashion: Simple Steps To Improve Your Style
A stylish man is an attractive man. The confidence boost that comes with being well dressed is unmatched.
But the truth is that throwing clothes together in a way that makes them stylish outfits is a lot harder than it looks. Hard, but not impossible.
Here’s how you can become a more stylish version of yourself.
Take Dressing Seriously
The very first step to improving your style is realizing that dressing well is a skill.
Knowing this means that you acknowledge that being stylish is something to be practiced every single day, not something that just happens. It means psyching yourself up to work at it.
Nobody is born wearing a perfect 3-piece suit. Rather, they learn that a perfectly tailored suit is a style essential.
Purge Your Closet
Becoming a stylish version of yourself requires some sacrifice. You have to give up your favorite old clothes. Not all of them of course, but you have to get rid of all your clothes that:
- Have holes in them
- Are stretched out and worn
- Are permanently stained
- Are faded out
The purpose of this exercise is to declutter your closet so that you can get a sense of what you have and what you don’t.
When you start shopping for clothes, you’ll know the pieces you don’t have.
Develop Your Personal Style
We learn first by imitating others who are better than us.
Before you start shopping, you first need a sense of what works for your body. What look are you going for? Stylish businessman or Cool guy? Only you can answer this question.
When that question is answered, learn how to put the style together by imitating other men who dress in a similar fashion. A common mistake people make is trying to create original looks, but the truth is everything has already been done. The good things anyway.
Rather, study stylish people. It could be your favorite celebrities or your friends or even a character from a film. By studying their style choices, you’ll eventually develop your own, unique style for dressing.
Stick To The Classics
When you start buying clothes, stick to the classics. It is beyond tempting to get swept away by current trends because it’s what all the blogs, fashion magazines, and social media pages are talking about. Trends are exciting, but more than anything trends are temporary.
Classic styles are forever. A white T-shirt will never go out of style. Classic clothes are clothes that are simple, straightforward, and in the “everyday” menswear category. Clothes that go with outfits rather than defining them.
This doesn’t mean you should have zero trendy clothes. It simply means you should have more of the classics. A good rule of thumb is to have 3 classic clothes for every 1 trendy piece.
Here are some must-have classic clothing items:
A Selection of Neutral Coloured T-shirts
Every man needs a selection of white, black, grey and navy T-shirts. These pieces are the building blocks of almost every outfit.
Want to dress up? Wear a plain neutral T-shirt under a suit.
Want a more casual look? Pull-on jeans and a T-shirt.
A Selection of Slim Fit Jeans
Your wardrobe isn’t complete without a solid pair of jeans. Black jeans and blue jeans are the usual but don’t be afraid to include a pair of white jeans. Buy your jeans at a men’s branded jeans store because quality is essential. You wouldn’t want your black jeans to quickly fade and lose their color.
Single Breasted Suit
A single-breasted suit is an elegance itself. A charcoal single-breasted suit is perfect for the office and you can wear a navy single-breasted suit to both weddings and the office.
Don’t compromise on quality, the expense will be a worthy investment.
Shirts
Invest in a classic white collared shirt, a pale blue Oxford shirt, and a collarless “grandad” shirt.
The white collared shirt with or without a tie. The Oxford shirt underneath a navy suit or worn alone. The “grandad” shirt worn over a T-shirt like a jacket.
A Pair Of Chestnut Brown Lace-ups
It’s easy to overlook your feet when you’re planning the perfect outfit. To complete your “serious” look, wear a quality pair of chestnut brown lace-ups
A Pair Of Black Chelsea Boots
Originally made for old Victorian equestrians, the Chelsea boot is how to switch from elegant to casual without changing your shoes.
Tailor Your Clothes
In fashion, the fit is everything. It is the difference between a shirt that outlines your best features and a shirt that looks like you raided someone else’s closet.
Ill-fitting clothes make you appear sloppy and overweight, and shorter than you are.
In fact, the majority of everyone’s style problems will be solved if everyone knows to buy the right fit. Men wear the wrong fit either because they’re more comfortable, or because they simply don’t know what the right fit is supposed to look like.
Solve 80% of your style headaches by investing in a tailor who will fit your clothes to your exact proportions and stop wearing clothes made for generic body shapes.
Quality Over Quantity
Men’s clothes can be expensive. It can be tempting to buy cheaper clothes so that you have enough left over for more.
This is a mistake. In the long run, quality will always be better than quantity because quality clothes are an investment that’ll be useful pieces in your closet for a very long time.
What you should do is draft a budget. Put aside a set amount of your earnings every month as a shipping budget. Structure your budget so that it eliminates needless expense to make room for what matters, looking and thus feeling your best.
While money is important, remember that the value of clothes is not always reflected in the price or clothes.
Here are some tips for telling apart quality clothing:
- High-quality jeans are supposed to feel heavy and stiff.
- Seams should be tightly stitched together.
- Patterns should match with seams.
- Zippers on high-quality clothes are sheltered by a fabric placket.
- A detailed care label.
Style is not a God-given talent. It is a learned skill. If you follow advice from people who know what they’re talking about, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be turning heads with your great sense of style.
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