Fashion 101: It's a (Stylish) Man's World


Being well-dressed is quite easy for men; actually it's easier and a lot less petrifying than most men think. It's a three-step process -yep, just like the recipes on the ready-made cookie mix boxes- and it goes like that.


1. Stir furiously a couple of well-fitted basics. Clothes that fit well are of the utmost importance. Like tees in basic colors. Having a white and a black tee is necessary -if not life saving- in most cases. Soft greys look really nice on blondes or guys with fair skin, while navy blue is the absolute go-to if you have brown hair and slightly darker complexion.


Jeans is also another very important chapter in the style bible of men. When it comes to jeans, I usually say "the darker, the better", but I wouldn't mind the slightly bleached jeans in the second picture below (looks like a pair of boyfriend jeans that I could possibly borrow). One should pay great attention to size and the way the jeans fit, since your aim is to look sleek and sophisticated, not messy. You don't want your jeans to fit like your sweatpants -even the though alone sents multiple shivers down my spine. The perfect pair has to be tight, so as to follow the lines of the body, make it look longer and erm, flaunt what you have in the best way possible. At the same time extremely skinny pants are not a very clever idea, because a) they'll make you look like a teen skater or a hipster (was that the look you were going for?) and b) they're way too uncomfortable for men.* The magic word in this case is boot-cut,which means flared very slightly below the knee.

*Women embraced uncomfortable clothing and shoes about a million years ago, so  suffering in the name of fashion is not such a big issue for us anymore.


Good quality knits and/ or warm sweaters. Most guys usually opt for sweaters -especially on weekdays, but I'd like to stress the appeal knitted v-necks have on women. They're stylish but without that I'm trying so hard feel and refreshingly pleasant to the eye.



2. Add a few I can't take my eyes off of you pieces. There are some clothing items that are to men what ice cream is to a sunny day: Close to perfection! Invest in a couple of these pieces and you'll never regret it -I promise!

Firstly, my personal favorite, a piece that has also been an über trend the last couple years: the jean shirt. It's a very versatile clothing item, since it is 24/7 appropriate and can be combined in a million ways. The most popular is worn unbuttoned over a graphic tee, but during my search for photos I noticed that it also looks unexpectedly good worn under a blazer.




Secondly, stripes. If Cinderella knew how to work them, she wouldn't have needed a Fairy Godmother. The beuty behind striped shirts and tees is that make you think of so many different things. When I see a striped tee the first three words that pop up in my mind are sophisticated, french, vacation. And who doesn't want to wear something that reminds them of vacation?



The chino pants. You might think, that's just a pair of beige pants, what's so I can't take my eyes off of you about them? Big mistake. The chino pants may look like a classic everyday piece, just like the aforementioned pair of jeans, yet they are not. They are casual and comfortable, but not as common as  blue jeans. At the same time they're more versatile that colored jeans, since beige is less eye-catching and can be easily paired with multiple colors. In addition, studies show that 99% of a woman population with a fashion IQ higher than Kim Kardashian finds them very sleek and sophisticated.


3. Bake for about 30 minutes and serve hot with a few twists.

Most men are quite indifferent about the quality and the look of, well, the belts that they wear. The only men I know that pay attention -maybe a little too much, now I'm thinking about it- to their belts are my grandpa and my father. The second one always asks my opinion and also makes sure that the belt matches his shoes or bag. It seems to me like only older generation of men are aware of the importance of such little details. Well, considering all these men out there, walking around with no belt on (and the crotch of their pants possibly somewhere between their knees)... It's an absolute necessity! We don't want to see your underwear; your mum and your buddies either!



Moreover, I'd like to pinpoint the huge difference tucking your shirt into your trousers can make. This might remind you of that shameful feeling at the age of 6 when your mum used to do it for you in public, but it is a little move that suggests that you actually care for your appearance as well as for your shape -yep, it makes you look a little slimmer, too!



Last but not least, the suit. For the most guys I know wearing or even owing a suit sounds too formal, too high maintenance, since all of them are still students (the jeans and a tee kind of man). However, there are some arguments that you can't simply ignore, gentlemen. To start with, a suit is timeless. You can buy it now and wear it forever. In addition, thanks to some mystical power of the universe there is always a special occasion that requires suit and tie attire. A winter ball, a sibling's marriage, a graduation, a masquerade party where your best friend and you decide to show up as The Blues Brothers, etc. When shopping for a suit -or even a blazer, they work as well- opt for a modern cut (you don't want to look like your dad, right?) and make sure that it fits like a glove.


Many guys don't even want to hear about wearing a suit...
...yet they look ravishing in them!


In general I wholeheartedly believe that it's quite uncomplicated for men to dress up. Suit, shirt, tie and they're like woooow! :D



F.

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(all photos via various tumblrs)





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Meet The Blogger

Full-time daydreamer writing about fashion, love, food, traveling and beyond.