There are enough rules in life as it is. Some, however, are there to help. Like the rules that govern how to dress well. Of course, every man or woman that has an opinion on such things speaks from personal experience – and no doubt what works for one doesn’t always work for another; or what works for one is considered too pedestrian or too avant-garde by another. So, when it comes to dressing, they always have to be taken at face value. They’re solid suggestions rather than the last word on style.
These dressing tips for men tend to be founded in history – they’ve worked for generations, so might well be assumed to work well today too. And they tend to be founded in the obvious, so obvious they’re often overlooked: a preference for good fit, high quality, versatility, good value, lack of extremes and keeping it sober.
- Wear A Suit Well
The key to a suit looking good is fit. If you’re buying off-the-peg, focus on the fit across the shoulders because getting the chest and waist altered is a relatively easy job. Be cautious about wearing a period suit unless you’re pursuing a total period look because in isolation the suit starts to look like a novelty. Classic is best and most useful – dark, two-button, single-breasted, moderate in details. It’s not boring. A suit is a uniform. The idea is to think of this suit as a canvas to build different ideas of individuality around. It’s the way you wear it, not the label inside that impresses.
- Invest Wisely In A Watch
A watch is like a piece of art, argues Don Cochrane, managing director of British watch brand Vertex. Choose it because you love it, not because you think it might make money. Watches are personal; it marks your passage through time. But you also have to be practical. Aesthetic, functional, rugged sports models go with anything and can take the hard knocks of everyday wear. Yet, a watch still has to fit you. It should feel comfortable and be right in terms of size and depth relative to your wrist as well – 40mm is considered the Goldilocks size.
- Don’t Shy Away From Colour
Whether it’s on casualwear or formalwear, indulge in a bit of colour. Most men are unjustly scared of it – they’re intimidated by anything that isn’t navy or grey, says menswear designer Oliver Spencer. But colour can be timeless too. A green suit, for example, can look particularly rakish, while Spencer also recommends pinks, greens, mustard and brighter shades of blue as especially versatile year-round shades that will lift your entire outfit. But he adds that, when it comes to colour, less is still more: You just need a bit of it, in one garment.
- Wear In Your Jeans Until They Are Yours
The all-time most useful cut of the world’s most popular garment is slim-tapered. It’s wider in the thigh, so it’s comfortable, but narrows, so it works with either smart shoes or sneakers. It’s the best year-round, wear-with-anything, dress up or down style. The wise will wear dark, raw denim too and give the pre-distressed a wide berth. The whole pleasure of denim is that it ages with the way you wear it. Why miss out on that?
- Look After Your Appearance
It’s the kind of advice your mother might offer, but if you’ve invested money and thought in your clothing, look after it. Use wooden hangers for shirts and shoe trees for your best shoes; have your suit dry-cleaned and pressed; wash your clothes regularly and, ideally, don’t tumble dry them (it can degrade the fabric); and polish your shoes. Equally, it’s not just the skin of your leather jacket that you need to care for, the same goes for the one you wear every day. Establish a simple, but no less solid, grooming regime, brush your hair and cut your nails. After all, the devil resides in the details.
- Keep Accessorising To A Minimum
Accessories like ties and pocket squares bring individuality to classic clothing, but be careful how you use them. It’s best to harmonise them with what you’re wearing by picking out a colour or two. Or even to juxtapose them entirely. What you don’t want is to match them up. When it comes to curating shirt and tie combinations, wear your tie or pocket square in a darker shade than your jacket. And don’t overdo the accessories either – if in doubt, think less is more and take one element away. You’re aiming for an air of nonchalance. You just need one point of interest.
- Don’t Skimp On Glasses
Invest time into finding the right spectacles for you. People spend an average of seven minutes picking a pair that will define them for the next three or more years. Poor choice and poor fit are why so many people learn to hate their glasses. Buy what you feel good in, taking into account your face shape but considering the top line of the frames’ relation to your eyebrow shape – team straight with straight, curved with curved – and your hairstyle. Buy wisely too: there’s no point buying cheap frames and being up-sold on expensive lenses because the frames will look tatty soon enough anyway.
