You find a variety of men on the style spectrum. Some are more with the program, while others are… less aware of how far a great sense of style can take you. You will notice, however, that stylish men often have a lot in common. They understand the rules of the game, and, whereas, they may differ in some of the finer aspects of their style, you will find that all of men of style subscribe to, and live by the same style habits. Let’s break this down.
1. Fit is the Key
Stylish men wear clothes that fit. No man looks good in a baggy T-shirt or a boxy, ill-fitting suit. Working your clothes to complement your body type, and attenuating your weaknesses while simultaneously accentuating your physical strengths, is a science. Wearing clothes that fit isn’t synonymous to wearing clothes that are fitted. Wearing skin-tight shirts, even if your physique is something to be proud of, is still a huge no-no, because it simply doesn’t look elegant. It looks like you’re trying too hard to get attention. Wearing clothes that look that they were made for you, on the other hand, sends off all the right signals.
2. They Understand that Less is More
Be wary about going over the top. Simplicity is the name of the game. It’s like the old Nokia ad – simply elegant and elegantly simple. Take T-shirts, for instance. You’ll never find well-dressed men like George Clooney or David Beckham wearing Ts with abstract slogans or too much going on. Nah, it’s always solid (well-fitting) crews or Vs in black, white or grey. The same goes for everything. For jeans, stick to a zero ‘bling’ policy. Excessive distressing takes away from the elegance of your outfit, too.
3. They Build their Wardrobes
They build their wardrobes around timeless classics and then inject that with their own personality. Stick the basics. You can never go wrong with tried and tested style essentials like black and white V-neck T-shirts, dark, well-fitting denim and tailored white dress-shirts. Make sure these fail-proof items are in your wardrobe, and then experiment a bit. It’s essential that you understand the rules of the game. Understand what looks good and what doesn’t, and then, once you’ve mastered the basics, you can up-grade your style and go for some nice personality quirks. For instance, make sure you have (and know how to wear) polo shirts in white, black and navy blue before branching off in to some experimental colors like hot pink and neon orange.
4. Stylish Men Make a Style Statement
Stylish men make a statement through the elegance and simple intelligence of their style, not through gang symbols on their jeans or provocative slogans. Your style should out a message – you have an eye for aesthetics, you’re anything but sloppy, and you mean business.
5. Stylish Men Coordinate their Outfits
Black leather shoes match black belt and brown shoes match brown belt. Once you internalize the rules of color coordination, you can bring it up a notch. Exceptionally oriented men can be seen matching their ties to their shoes, for instance.
Stylish men are not afraid to overdress. They know the unspoken dress code of the event they’re going to, and they take it notch higher.
Style is a lot about what you wear, but even it’s even more about how you wear it. Whatever you put on in the morning, wear it with confidence. Be comfortable in your clothing and wear it like you mean.