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Contrast Style: Blue-Collar Edition

17 September, 2012

One of the best ways to use your style to get some positive attention – that being the attraction of women and the respect of other men – is to have a little contrast. When most people think of a profession there is an associated image that automatically pops into their mind. Doctors wear white coats, bankers wear pin-striped suits, and auto-mechanics wear greasy coveralls. On top of the clothing, there is a grooming and overall appearance association. Most doctors and lawyers are clean-shaven with short, trim haircuts. Most auto mechanics are seen as relatively greasy and sloppy.

A good way to stand out is by defying those stereotypes in certain ways while still holding onto them in others. For you blue-collar guys who get dirty all day, this means taking advantage of some of the clean-cut aspects from the white-collar world.

Whether you work construction, framing, an oil rig, or under the hood of a car, you’re going to get grimy. It would be a waste of your time to be overly concerned about the cleanliness of your work uniform as it’s made to get dirty. It’s part of the job. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t have a little contrast to go against that griminess.

Buy clothing that fits. I’ll beat this dead horse until there isn’t a corpse left – the most important aspect of dressing well is finding clothes that fit. If that means having your coveralls tailored so they flatter you, then that’s what you need to do. This will make you look healthier, more professional, and therefore, more respectable. It may mean an approach from a female customer or it may mean that you’re getting more positive attention from your boss. Either way, it’s worth the investment.

The next thing you can do is take care of your grooming. This is where you’ll get some good contrast. Most people associate a certain roughness with blue-collar laborers and you can contrast this by having a clean haircut and keeping clean-shaven. If you look at the picture above, this guy looks good all around and it’s mostly due to his grooming. I’m not advocating you become a pretty boy who’s afraid to get a little grease under his nails, but I am saying the contrast of a traditional haircut and a clean face will have the same positive effects as well-fitting clothes. A man who respects his appearance commands the respect of others.

You’ll probably start to get grief from your coworkers about your change in looks. It’s because it makes them uncomfortable. Those who advocate the lowest common denominator will always try to pull down men who want to exceed it. If they start to rib you, go with the tried-and-true Agree and Amplify technique. It works as well on other men as it does on women. Internalize their discomfort as a sign that you’re moving in the right direction.

PS. Did you know I do private style consultations? I can help you dress better according to your budget and your needs.

A Masculine Approach to Life

14 September, 2012

“When you go in the lion’s den, you don’t tippy toe in. You carry a spear, you go in screaming like a banshee, you kick whatever doors in, and say, ‘Where’s the son of a bitch!’ If you go in any other way you’re gonna lose.”

– Brian Billick

Caual Friday: Docked

14 September, 2012

Like:

The colors. Autumn is a month better suited to warm colors. These golden pants are a perfect example.
The texture. The rougher weave of wool on his sweater is a good way to get some High/Low in with your outerwear game. Most guys feel too dressed up in a sweater as opposed to a hoody but throwing one on that’s a thicker, rougher weave makes it more casual and more masculine.
The fit. Not too baggy, not emo skinny. Everything fits him well.
The beard. Fall and winter are great for wearing a beard. Even if you keep one year round, now is the time to let it get a little longer.

Fence:

The boots. I can’t tell much about them from this photo. However, I do know this is a catalog photo from H&M’s fall collection so I’m assuming they are H&M boots. I’ve heard the quality of their footwear is not the best.

Don’t Like:

The ponytail. A man can pull one of these off when his hair is adequately long. However, this bob-looking thing is awful.
The hood. It completely ruins the whole look of this shot. If it were a tall collar or even a turtleneck this outfit would be near perfect. The hood, especially with the drawstrings, turns this into a weird, casual tweak on something that should have been left classic.

PS. Did you know I do private style consultations? I can help you dress better according to your budget and your needs.

Dressing the (Smaller)Man

13 September, 2012

As important as proportions and fit are for the average man, their value is amplified for a shorter guy. If you’re short, the rest of your proportions are usually a bit smaller as well. This means the already-too-large off-the-rack clothing that drowns most men will completely obliterate you. Check out this shot from GQ.

The suit above is about three sizes too big, the pants are way too long, the shoulders are too wide, the sleeves are large. This kid just looks awful. There is an added downside to not dressing well for shorter guys in that it makes you look like a child. The image above makes me think of a 16-year-old boy on the way to his first job interview. He didn’t have a suit of his own so he borrowed his dad’s. No man or woman will be able to take you seriously with ill-fitting and child-image-inducing clothing.

Thankfully, there are certain rules and guidelines that apply specifically to smaller men.

The first thing you need to do is embrace the fact that you’re smaller. Our egos don’t like doing this as it makes us feel inadequate but you’re only going to look smaller by not embracing your actual size. If you’re 5′ 8″ or shorter you should be sizing down your suits and jackets to a Short.
Next is having everything either custom-made or tailored to fit you like a glove. This means having the trousers and jacket sleeves brought in to follow the contours of your body. You will want to have your dress shirts tailored the same and even your casual shirts if you can’t find something that fits you correctly. Any excess fabric will exaggerate your stature so you want to get rid of it. That same excess-fabric effect is also why smaller men should always stick with flat-front pants instead of pleated trousers.
Tailoring your clothing is about more than just the bulk of the fabric. It also applies to the length proportions. You will want to have your jackets altered to show a good amount of sleeve cuff. This will visually elongate your arms and make you appear taller. Same goes for having your pants tailored to have a very slight break or no break at all. By making it look like your legs are poking out of your pants, your legs appear longer and will help you look taller and larger overall.
Stick with two-button jackets. A 3/2 roll or a three-button suit will close up too much of your chest and make you appear smaller. For this same reason, your jackets should have a lower button stance.
Wearing peak lapels draws the eyes up and outwards. This will give you more visual height and make your shoulders appear larger.
Having your jacket pockets angled will also draw the viewers eyes upwards to make you appear taller and help frame your face.
Proportion everything down. Smaller men need narrower lapels, slim ties, small shirt collars, even a stubbier tie bar. By sizing everything down, your body appears proportionate with your clothing.

Take a look at the after picture once GQ was done helping this same guy dress according to his build.

Other than throwing on a peak lapel, the men at GQ did everything else on the list to help this guy look better. He now looks like he means business.

The last thing you should focus on if you’re a smaller guy is the size and type of your patterns. Just like excessive fabric, patterns that are too large will accentuate the slightness of your stature. Instead you should be wearing small patterns.

Vertical stripes will give you visual height while boxes and checks will give you visual heft. Both of these are your friends in helping your build appear larger than it is.

Here’s one last example from a recent GQ cover to show how all of this is done right.

Proportions are all good here. Small tie, small collar, small tie bar. The patterns are smaller too. Notice how the buttons on the vest end a lot higher than they do on most waistcoats. This makes his whole torso appear longer and gives him more visual height (it works on a vest instead of a jacket because it ends at his waist and doesn’t affect the proportions between his legs and torso where a higher button stance on a jacket would). Rolling the sleeves makes his arms look longer. Even his hair cut being short on the sides and tight all the way up elongates his face and gives him more visual height. There is nothing short or baggy about this look at all and it’s the perfect example of what to emulate if you’re a smaller man.

The last piece of advice I can offer is to look at the bright side. If you’re shorter you probably have a smaller shoe size – which means those killer Allen Edmonds won’t be sold out in your size when they go on sale. Same goes for that online deal to try to get rid of last season’s inventory from J Crew. By having fewer men to compete with in your size, you’re able to spend less money and look better.

PS. Did you know I do private style consultations? I can help you dress better according to your budget and your needs.

Wednesday Weigh In: Double Breasted

12 September, 2012

PS. Did you know I do private style consultations? I can help you dress better according to your budget and your needs.

Author: Tanner