As much as we’d all love to be recruited or spend our years fending off head hunters, at some point in your life, you’re going to have to go in for a job interview. Regardless of whether it’s a technicality to comply with HR law or you’re interviewing with a company that truly wants to meet candidates face-to-face, the interview carries a measure of importance and you’ll want to dress accordingly.

You want to wear a suit. Whether you’re applying for a Wall Street position, a fry cook, or anything in between, a suit it going to communicate that you take yourself seriously. You’ll hear arguments from all sorts of men telling you that, in their field, wearing a suit to an interview is overkill and communicates that you don’t understand the company or industry culture. Don’t believe them. The purpose of wearing a suit is to convey respect, not communicate that you will know how to fit in. You can do that with the way you speak, your body language, and your resume/portfolio. Your best choices are either gray or navy. Black can be too formal and other colors are too attention-seeking.

Wear a dress shirt, and for the love of common sense, iron the damn thing. You cripple yourself by wearing business clothing in a sloppy way. The contrast proves you have no idea how to dress up and implies you’re inconsistent in other areas as well.

Throw on a great pair of dress shoes. Remember that there is a large difference between shoes that look appropriate and those that look great. You want the latter. Depending on the industry in which you are interviewing you’ll want either black or brown shoes. Black is more formal and should be reserved for more conservative businesses, while brown is more unique and is better suited for creative fields.

Keep everything conservative. Unless you’re going into the clothing industry, you don’t want to look like you just walked out of a #menswear blog. Keep your tie solid, ditch the pocket square (or wear one in plain white), avoid french cuffs (unless you’re already at VP status), and wear a decent pair of dress socks. The purpose of the suit is to communicate something about you, too many details and it will take over the conversation itself.

Comb your hair in a conservative way. It doesn’t matter how you normally wear it. You can even go back to your typical style on the first day and from there on out, but keep it clean and simple at the interview so it’s not a distraction.

Shave. Even if you have a beard, trim up your neck and cheeks. Odds are you don’t look like the model you think you do when you’re rocking the five o’clock shadow. A job interviewer doesn’t care how sexy you look, they care how sloppy you appear.

That’s it. Wear simple, appropriate clothing that fits you well and makes you the center of the conversation. Let your personality show through in other ways and you’ll be walking out with an offer in hand.

One of the most egregious summer style offenses I see on men (both urban and suburban) are awful sunglasses.

It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing a suit or shorts, sports sunglasses belong in the world of sport. It is only the nerdy and neckbearded who attempt to pull them off as part of a stylish outfit.

For the average, aspiring male there are three sunglass types that you should consider.

The Wayfarers

Yes they’ve been co-opted by hipsters, but did you know that the classic Wayfarer is one of the few pieces of men’s style that can actually be considered timeless? These sunglasses have had popular ubiquity since the 60′s and have never experienced a decade in which they looked dated or out of style. As long as you’re built well, carry yourself like a man, and don’t dress ironically, no one will confuse your classic tastes for hipster irony.

The Clubmasters

While not as popular as Wayfarers, the Clubmasters have had a similarly long run. They have more of an association with East Coast Ivy League prep and are a perfect add-on if this is your ideal style. For you men who do venture into hipster territory (there is certainly something to be said for the girls) these will be a better option than Wayfarers, as not everyone is wearing them – yet.

The Aviators

For you who are looking for something a bit more traditionally masculine and more rugged, you can’t go wrong with aviators. Yes everyone from presidents to celebrities has worn them, and there’s a reason for that. They look rugged and manly. Anything that’s rooted in military history yet has a long-standing presence in the civilian world is a staple than any man should consider having in his rotation.

With sunglasses you’ll want to find the ideal balance between being penny wise and dollar smart. If you’re a man who loses things easily, then grabbing a cheap imitation pair is the way to go. However, if you know how to take care of your things and want the added benefit of more comfort, better protection, and superior materials, I recommend going with the real deal.

Speaking of buying the real deal, if you plan on ordering these online, please consider doing so through Amazon or Nordstrom (banner below) as I get a bit of a kick back for your purchases.

Also, if you want a better idea of what glasses are suited to your face shape, check out my post breaking it down.

Sunglasses are a detail that is easily seen and evaluated, so don’t underestimate the effect they have on your style. Buy the right pair and wear them all summer long.

PS. Did you know I do private consulting? I can help you dress your best according to your build, coloring, and contrast type.

One of the more common tropes in this corner of the Internet is the parable of the crabs in the bucket.

The story goes that you can place crabs in a bucket without having to leave a lid on it because none will escape. The reason for this is that, once one crab starts to make his way out of the bucket, his companions will pull him down and ensure that none gets away. They do all the dirty work for you.

People are the same way.

This shouldn’t be a surprise for Red-Pill men because we see it in every aspect of our self-improvement. Whether it’s going to the gym, approaching women, standing up to our bosses, eating animal fats, or eschewing any other form of “conventional” Western wisdom.

It’s obvious that this applies to the way you dress as well. If you’re just starting on the path of self-improvement it can feel much safer to make small and subtle changes that only you are initially aware of. It prevents the other crabs in your life from knowing you’re trying to escape and pulling you back down into the bucket.

While it may feel safer to make subtle changes, it’s less effective and the results will be less obvious – making it easier to fall back into old habits and old ways of thought.

I propose that one of the easiest but most dramatic changes a self-improving man can make is changing his style. You can buy an entire new wardrobe within a matter of hours and completely change the way you see yourself and the way others see you. It may be an easy, and even a shallow step, but it’s an intentional one – one that you make to communicate to those around you and to yourself that you’re done with the man you used to be and are ready to make some serious changes.

All of your friends, family, and peers who are sloppy and dress like they only shop blue-light specials are going to resent you. They’re going to tell you you’re fake, that they miss the old you, or even that you’re not being true to yourself. Ignore them. If it means abandoning them along the way, do it. Those who try to pull you back into the bucket with them aren’t your real friends and they don’t want to see you improve because it casts a damning light on how content they are in their own mediocrity.

The friends you grew up with look retarded. Don’t let them determine how you’re going to look.

PS. Did you know I do private consulting? I can help you dress your best according to your build, coloring, and contrast type.

No words. Just some inspiration for how you should be spending your summer. With style being as visual as it is, I’ll be doing one of these each season in the future. Enjoy.

In past posts I’ve addressed two major, albeit subtle, aspects of how individual men can look their best – knowing their contrast type and maximizing patterns according to build and proportions. After having those two as a foundation you can take it a step further by maximizing patterns according to your contrast type.

Before outlining all three of these variations I want to emphasize the importance of seeing these as guidelines.  I write posts like this to give you knowledge of their visual effects, not to restrict you to certain types of clothing. I think it’s great when guys know the rules and then choose to break them, unapologetically, to create a unique appearance. So, use this knowledge to expand your style, not to restrict it.

Stark Contrast:

Because a man with a stark contrast needs strong color variation to properly frame his face, his best option is to wear color-based patterns.

The most common example of this is a strong color for the pattern against a white background. The deeper or brighter the color, the better, as it provides more of a contrast against the white base.

Rather than distracting from his face, it helps to not only keep it framed, but also give some vibrancy and visual health to his skin tone.

Moderate Contrast:

Just like with colors in general, a man with a moderate contrast has the most freedom in his pattern selection. He is free to choose color-based or tone-based patterns. That being said, he is best served by seeking moderation in the pattern’s strength.

Those that are too powerful or too weak can either over or underwhelm his face and have negative visual effects. For men with a moderate contrast the key element is color saturation, not contrast between colors within the fabric.

Muted Contrast:

Because a man with a muted contrast can be visually overpowered if either the colors or color contrasts are too strong, his best option is to wear tone-based patterns.

These are characterized by combining different shades of the same color together in a pattern. While the depth or brightness of a given color still has an effect on the overall appearance of the pattern, it is mitigated by balancing it with a different shade of the same color – making it safer for men with muted contrasts to wear without being swallowed up by their clothing.

What’s nice about learning the strengths and weaknesses of pattern intensities, shapes, and sizes is that none of the options are mutually exclusive. A short, squat man with a muted contrast can find shirts with small, tone-based vertical stripes to help him look his best. While a tall, broad-shouldered man with a stark contrast can do the same by wearing a large plaid with bold, color-based variations. When all three aspects function independently of each other, you’re able to tweak all three as you need to accomplish the desired visual effect.

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