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Men's Guide to Getting Dressed
Fellas, here's your primer for dressing yourself confidently. If you want a more advanced lesson, follow the links on the Style Resources for Men or go to the specific articles of clothing in the Clothing for Men directory. |
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There are three main axes along which you will need to dress yourself. The first is non-negotiable and the second is very important and the third is what separates the boys from the men.
Cleanliness
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- Wash your clothes regularly -- with soap. Remember clothing comes with washing directions on their tags--read them or suffer the consequences.
- If it says "Dry Clean Only," take it to the dry cleaners. Find a reputable cleaner in your area (ask a well-groomed neighbor or friend) and invest in proper care of your garments.
- Are you a messy eater? Science Daily has a guide on how to remove 250 types of stains from your clothes.
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Fit
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- Clothing will either have a numerical measure or be on the small to x-large scale.
- Pants
 are measured with your waist circumference and inseam length in inches. Run a flexible tape measure around you waist and up your inner leg to get these numbers.
- If pants drags, they don't fit. Hem them or buy another pair.
- Jackets ' shoulders should be exactly as wide as yours -- No more, no less. A tailor cannot take in shoulders or lapels, but everything else on a jacket can be altered.
- Dress shirts are generally labeled by neck size and sleeve length. Measure both on you and buy accordingly.
- Ties should hit your belt, no more, no less. Buy a length that does that.
- If it hurts, binds or pinches, it doesn't fit.
- If ankles and wrists are popping out when you cross your arms and legs, it doesn't fit. Find a good tailor to adjust your wardrobe.
- If better-dressed friends offer to take you shopping when you're wearing a particular article of clothing, it doesn't fit--toss it.
- Remember, a tailor can make anything smaller, but very few people can make something bigger.
- Sizes differ from brand to brand. It's more important to find something that fits well, than something that conforms to the number you think you are.
- Reevaluate (in the mirror) every few months to see if you look too skinny or fat for your clothing.
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Style
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- Colors you should not combine:
- Black and navy.
- Light grey and light khaki.
- Brown and black is a negotiable pairing. Black shoes do not belong with a brown outfit and vice versa.
- Prints of the same general "weight" (e.g., thick stripes with thick checks, tiny polka dots with pinstripes) should not be mixed.
- Prints of different "weights" (e.g., pinstripes with big diagonal stripes) can be mixed.
- Pleated pants are the mark of a man who hasn't bought new pants in six years.
- Ditto for woven belts, cargo pants, and acid-washed, tapered, carpenter, and black jeans.
- Socks should match your pants.
- If not monochrome, socks should be darker than your pants and lighter than your shoes.
- Belts should match your shoes.
- Short sleeve shirts never get ties.
- Suspenders and belts are mutually exclusive. Do not combine them.
- Never button the bottom button of a suit or blazer.
- Your shirtsleeve and shirt collar should extend past your jacket sleeve and collar by just a bit.
- Pocket squares, in the breastpocket of a suit, should accent your tie.
- Once you graduate to upper tiers of fashionability, you can break any number of these rules
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Stuff that Never Goes Out of Style
External Links
- GQ-- The bible of men's style.
