Green suede and a rich, brown, pebbled leather. These are awesome.
PS. Don’t forget I’m running a deal on Basic Consultations all month this month as a back-to-school special.
Green suede and a rich, brown, pebbled leather. These are awesome.
PS. Don’t forget I’m running a deal on Basic Consultations all month this month as a back-to-school special.
With fit being the most important aspect of dressing well, most men who are just starting out are left in a tough spot. Either they pay for all new clothes, or they pay to have their existing clothing altered. Neither one is an especially cheap option.
My recommendation is to start off buying one new piece or having your tailor tweak with one existing piece at a time .
For most of us, our clothes don’t fit because they’re too large. Let’s say you have to wear a shirt and tie to the office every day like I do. That’s a lot of button-up shirts to replace. There’s a cheater option though, and this option is a lot easier now that the winter months are upon us.
Here’s a picture of an old shirt I have that doesn’t see much rotation in my closet. The sleeves are too billowy and the body of the shirt balloons out at my pants – not particularly flattering. I like the color of this shirt and it’s a good one to have around if the laundry hasn’t been done and I’m in a pinch.
Here’s my cheater solution. With a fitted sweater over the top, no one has any idea how poorly this fits. I still get the color on the cuffs and collar and I don’t have to have it altered. On top of that, the sweater will work with any shirt I have that doesn’t fit.
And here it is with my jacket on as well.
The sweater cost me ten bucks at H&M a couple of years ago. Cheaper than having a single shirt altered and now I can wear a few extras that hang out in my closet if I want to. Easy.
If you go the cheater route, get a neutral color. Things like grey, blue and brown go with almost everything. I personally avoid black because it’s too overplayed but if that’s your personal preference, run with it. The sweater isn’t a permanent solution but it’s a good cheater option while you’re building up your others.
It’s no surprise to most men that anything found from a top-tier designer is going to look overly effeminate or too stylized. Even if they do design the occasional piece that looks masculine, it gets snatched up by effete hipsters who ruin all traces of masculinity in it (the lumberjack look anyone?).
But that doesn’t mean a man who likes to look like a man can’t take some cues from these designers and find something to wear that will make him stand out and still look like a man.
Here’s an example I found the other week.
As “hard” as he tries to look, this guy is relatively girly. But take a look at his traditional hunting vest. The leather is used to pad your shoulder from the butt of a shotgun. It’s in camo and he’s wearing it over a tweed jacket. It even has cargo pockets on it. All of these are very traditional and very masculine in both style and function. So what separates this vest from one you’ll find at Cabela’s? First it looks like it’s made of wool instead of some modern synthetic blend. And second, is the fit. This is tailored to hug this guy pretty closely. I would assume that, were it not over his jacket, it would still look fitted but be roomy enough he could breathe.
For some reason, puff vests are huge right now. Men’s magazines are talking them up and it seems like every style blogger has a post featuring them. I like the way they look. But I’m going to scour eBay until I can find a traditional shooting jacket. It’ll be a quick trip to the tailor and I’ll have something that is unique, stylish and unquestionably masculine.
Steal ideas.
While button-up shirts, vests and suits have their place, there is room in a stylish man’s wardrobe for something a bit more dressed down. Yes a well-made T-shirt can be a part of that, but there are better options out there. Here are a couple.
The polo is the most common and recognizable of the T-shirt upgrade. The main standout is that it has a soft collar. There are usually two but sometimes three buttons. Never do up the top button and don’t ever wear a tie with one of these. It’s a casual shirt.
For me, the henley is a step up from the polo in both uniqueness and overall masculine appearance. I’ve heard it called lumberjack underwear and there’s no problem with having that kind of manly association. Essentially it’s a polo without a collar and can come in both short and long sleeve styles.
And speaking of long-sleeved, the crew-neck thermal is the last of the easy upgrades. What used to be long underwear is great as a layer on its own – especially in the fall. Throw on a tweed jacket and scarf over this guy and you’re set for any activity inside or out during October and November.
None of these options are anything ground breaking but I guarantee they will make you stand out without making you look metro. They’re stylish and masculine which means they’re exactly what you want.
The trick is the same as always, finding something that fits right. For short sleeves, you want the sleeves to hit somewhere in the middle of your bicep. Too low and it looks sloppy, too high and it looks like you’re wearing a child’s shirt. The other length aspect is where it fits on your torso. The rule with the polo is the same with any other casual shirt, it should fit just below or at your belt. Again, if it goes too low it looks sloppy and too high is mid-riff territory. Lastly, you want it to fit your torso. Slim cut, athletic fit, custom fit – whatever the name for it – it just needs to fit your body instead of blousing around you. Thankfully, this cut of shirt is getting easier and easier to find.
The best thing about these shirts is how cheap they are.
One of the first things a newcomer to Game and the pickup scene will learn about is peacocking; essentially the idea of wearing something or adding a visual element that makes a man stand out from the crowd.
This concept makes a lot of sense. While women aren’t as visually stimulated as men, they are still affected by what they see.
Take a look at Mark Zuckerberg. Even if you were to ignore all of his mewling, beta behaviors, he’s still not going to instill any awe in a woman across the room who doesn’t know him as the guy who invented Facebook. He dresses like the vast majority of geeky, post-college-aged guys.
Or how about Steve Jobs? The guy is worth a ridiculous amount of money and is the idea behind the company that made computers and smart phones not only accessible, but downright sexy for women. But outside the sphere of devoted Mac fangirls, he doesn’t cause a lot of women to swoon.
From a pure hypergamy standpoint, these two are pretty top tier. They’re wealthy beyond most people’s wildest dreams and are famous to boot. But even without knowing much about their personalities, women still aren’t turned on by these guys.
The sad thing is that these two look like the majority of men in the West today. They think looking good and being comfortable in one’s clothes are mutually exclusive. That or they believe they are too busy to be concerned with how they look – an ironic viewpoint considering how much money both of them spend on making sure they’re products look as good as possible.
As unfortunate as it is that most men look like this, what’s even more unfortunate is overzealousness with which budding men latch onto the idea of peacocking.
I understand the idea. Dress like a rockstar and women will think you are one. Stand out from the crowd and women will be attracted to your social dominance and willingness to not fit in. Wear something interesting and it will you give you something to talk about as you approach a woman.
The downside to over-the-top peacocking is – unless you have the game or the status to back it up – you end up looking as ridiculous as Tom Haverford.
Thankfully there’s a balance between the two. A man can dress well and stand out from the crowd without looking like a clown or a poser. And no, the middle isn’t dressing like some trendy hipster kid either.
The balance lies in cultivating a sense of style.
Style is still peacocking; but unlike fashion, style is timeless. A stylish man will look at a picture taken of him today and it will still look good five, ten, 50 years from now. A stylish man will walk into the room and all the schlubs will feel underdressed and self-conscious while all the fashionistas will feel trendy and foolish. A stylish man will walk into a room and draw a woman’s attention and curiosity while still garnering some respect.
Now don’t get me wrong, a stylish man can and certainly does incorporate fashionable elements into his wardrobe. The key is to only have one or two fashionable elements as opposed to trying to look like you just stepped off a runway or out of a lookbook. The line between fashion and style is a blurry one.
And the most important thing to remember is that your style has to be your own. On my blogroll you will see a number of different sites that are geared towards men’s style. Some are by dandies who want to go back to the last turn of the century, others are traditionalists who will only dress like the men of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Still more are rooted in the style of Ivy-League schools and East-Coast Americana. Whichever elements of style you choose to incorporate, make sure they look good on you. Make sure you’re physically comfortable in what you’re wearing. Make sure you don’t walk out the door feeling like you’re wearing a costume. Mix and match, try new things and have some fun with it.