Every man is unique. What may work for one man, may not for
another. This is true for all facets of a man’s life, but today we’re focusing
on style. A man’s style is part of how he defines himself, both in home style/décor
and clothing style. Today’s post will be about finding your individual style of
dress. If this turns out to be a good post, I’ll probably continue by writing a
post about integrating your style into your home.
Finding your style is generally a very personal journey. No
one but yourself can look at you and say “This style works best”. The word “style”
can be pretty ambiguous. It can refer to hair, clothes, home décor,
personality; many things. My goal is to tie this all together to make a nice,
cohesive, presentable package. I’ve found it difficult to put this all into a
learning-style format, so I’m going to do something that seems easier: I’ll
lead by example. Your results may vary from mine, but I hope you’ll get at
least an idea of what I’m talking about.
As I start my 30’s, I’ve decided that I want to look nice
but remain casual with the option of being more formal if I want to. I have
found a series of four articles at the Art of Manliness that are geared toward
rebuilding your wardrobe; going from “college-age dude” to “well-dressed
casual/professional man”. I will do my best to take tips and interpret them for
you here.
In order to start rebuilding your wardrobe, you first have
to weed out all the ancient relics that haven’t seen light in a long time. Go
through your closet and/or dresser, pull out anything that a) you haven’t worn
in a year or more, b) looks dirty or dingy, even though you’ve washed it many
times, and c) comes within a hair’s breadth of falling apart because it doesn’t
fit anymore and set these items aside to either donate, toss or sell.
Next, you need to figure out your style. Remember, we’re
trying to get away from looking like you’re still in high school. A sharp
appearance is important; if you’re anything like me, you want people to respect
you. That doesn’t happen when you’re wearing “dad jeans” and a t-shirt that
says “I’m with stupid” or equivalent. I’m not saying throw away everything you
own and go buy 30 suits, but you probably don’t want to be wearing anything
that says Tapout on it.
I’ve compiled, from many sources, a list of essentials that
every man should have. This list is the basics. It’s not the be-all end-all,
but it should give you a decent foundation to work with:
1 Suit, dark in color – a navy or charcoal would do fine,
single-breasted with 3 pockets (2 side-flap and one breast). The trousers
should be made from the same fabric, and if pleated they should have a cuff.
3 Dress Shirts, solid colors (white, blue, etc). Remember -
the darker the color, the less formal the shirt. Starting out, you shouldn’t
worry about French cuffs; just get the standard barrel cuff for now. Point
collars are the standard as well, and they fit just about every face type.
3-4 pairs of shoes/boots. In general, you’ll want to have
one pair of black dress shoes, a pair of brown dress shoes, a boot of some sort
(desert boots, Chelsea boots, etc), and your casual shoes (Converse one-stars
are nice, and for the summer you could have a boat shoe)
3 Ties for every suit you own, in colors and patterns that
compliment your suit. You don’t want to overpower the suit with the tie, so
subtlety is key here.
1 Belt, at least; preferably reversible black/brown, to go
with your shoes.
2-3 pairs of jeans, varying shades of darkness. Stay away
from “dad jeans” though – tapered leg, light blue or stone-washed, high waist.
Those are just ridiculous.
2-3 pairs of chinos, in similar styles to your suit as far
as color, cut, etc. In my closet, there are 2 pairs right now – a light tan
color and a navy blue color. A bit more modern, but they fit my style.
4-6 Polo/Golf/Tennis shirts, in varying solid colors.
Smooth, soft wool or cotton are more dressy than the rougher weaves, which are
considered more casual.
2-3 pairs of shorts. Ditch the jorts, go for a nicer style.
Remember these two rules and you should be good to go: they should provide
decent space in the hips and be no more than 6 inches shorter than your knees, but
never extending past them. Swim trunks are just that; don’t wear them around
unless you’re going to be swimming.
Sweaters – Make sure to have a few, for the winter months.
They can vary in style and color, but make sure they fit and try not to wear “Cosby”
sweaters. I prefer cardigans and the like more than pull-over style, but all of
them can look attractive when worn right.
Lastly, you’ll want to own at least one classic navy blazer
or dark wool sport coat. These are very versatile pieces in your wardrobe, as
they can be added to just about any outfit. People always say you can’t go
wrong with a sport jacket, dress shirt and jeans.
I think that about does it for today. Keep in mind, I’m not
even close to an authority on this subject as I’m still starting out like you;
I just thought I’d share what information I’ve been able to glean from the
various sources out there on the ‘net.
I hope this turns out to be a good source of information for
you all, and as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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