GQ’s 10 Commandments of Style – From May 2006
Originally published four years ago in May of 2006, GQ’s 10 Commandments of Style recently popped back up on their website. But do these rules still hold true today? Check out the slide show, then c’mon back to drop your opinion in the comments section.
The GQ Commandments w/ The Official Dappered.com Take
1. Honor Thy Tailor – Yes. Probably the single biggest factor that sets guys with great style apart from guys with good style, is their relationship with a terrific tailor. It makes a massive difference.
2. Thou Shalt Wear Sneakers Made for a Man – Yes. Been hearing this one for awhile, but running shoes are for running. PF Flyers, Jack Purcell’s
3. Thou Shalt Invest in the right Timepiece – No. They suggest a “high quality stainless steel watch.” A leather band just looks better. Also, feel free to skip the $3000 Rolex they point to. (There are alternatives)
4. Thou Shalt Match your Socks with your Suit – No. It’s a fine idea most of the time but not a hard and fast rule. Brightly striped socks that pop under a muted suit don’t really match but still look great.
5. Thou Shalt Not Wear a tie that is Too Slim – Yes. They suggest three inches for width. Good call.
6. Thou Shalt Put your Wallet on a Diet – Yes. Keep the wallet but a unique card case is a must-have. (Yeah, I know that card case suggestion is pricey. Here’s a more affordable option.)
7. Thou Shalt Wear the Right Tie with the Right Tux – Yes… thank goodness. GQ suggests/commands bow ties with Peak Lapel, neck ties with notch. Guess I’ll be sticking with the notch lapel.
8. Thou Shalt Wear Brown Shoes with Nearly Everything – No. Just because black shoes are “easy” doesn’t make em’ the wrong choice. Brown shoes might up the style factor but black shows you mean business.
9. Thou Shalt Learn when to Cuff em’ – Yes. GQ says no cuffs on modern slim cut suits, and cuffs on the bulkier sack variety. Works for me. No cuffs in my collection.
10. Remember Thy Undershirt – No. I don’t get the reasoning behind the traditional suggestion of wearing an undershirt if you sweat a lot. I’m lucky that I’m not too sweaty, but undershirts make me sweat MORE. And if you are naturally sweaty, it’s gonna show through anyway. Take a cold shower, stay away from caffeine, and wear antiperspirant
(Agree? Disagree? Are you a heathen in the eyes of GQ? Leave any feedback in the comments section below…)
This list is the exact reason why I check Dappered.com daily! Thanks for the notes, and keep up the good work!
7. How about just never wear a notch lapel tux. Save the informal notch for your suits.
If you’ve got some width to your chest, peak lapels can make you look gigantic. Charlie Rose-like. Feel free to wear your peak lapels, I’ll stick with a notch.
Great, re-working. It’s very damn agreeable what you wrote in 10.
This site is AWESOME. I check and cooncurr on everything you write man. On number 7, I am becoming a fan of the shawl(not sure if spelled correctly) lapel. I think is sexy, especially if you have the V shaped torso. what tie do you guys suggest? On 6, I went to Marshall’s, and bought an Original Penguin card case that looks exaclty like the KC one you picked. I paid 12 bucks for it.
I can’t wait till you tear apart GQ’s latest top 10 fashion looks for 2010. Denim shirts, rolled pant cuffs, dog race jacket… seriously they went for the worst looks from bad ’70s movies.
I like the brown shoes with almost anything look, I rarely wear black shoes and feel that sets me apart from most men I see. Also, I think you can cuff a more mordern looking flat front pants suit. Just check J.Crew’s websit and on many of their ludlow suits they have cuffs. Also, Matt Denim shirts are classic american style that I along with many others are very happy they are back in style. Thom Brown has been the biggest influence on mens clothing becoming more fitted and the pants either rolled up or hemmed shorter. I personnally dont agree with all of GQ’s new list but dont think it needs to be “torn apart”.
Oh I rarely tear anything to pieces… GQ reaches, but… that gets people talking. You guys are talking about this one… right? I saw it but… frankly the posing that Matthew Goode is doing is by far the worst thing about that slideeshow. After the bright pink v-neck. and the… I think that’s one of those pre-paint splattered sweatshirts. Ouch.
I was actually just responding to Matt’s comment but ya that slideshow seems to point out all of the styles that Matt aparently doesnt care for.
The internets never fail to confuse… thanks for the comments guys!
Chris R: Don’t forget that Thom Browne’s trousers also start WAY above the hip.
http://www.thestyleblogger.com/www._TheStyleBlogger._com/Blog/Entries/2010/4/14_Reader_Question__Tom_vs_Thom_files/3121130748_628e81e368_b.jpg
Kin-
Thanks for the reminder, I was just trying to point out that its not just GQ that decides certian trends. I personnally dont really like the Thom Browne look, however I really do like the jcrew rolled up cuff especially on chinos and denim. I also like this look alot better than the Thom Browne look… http://jcrewaholics.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/ludlow_suit.jpg
Hope this helps clear some things up!!
If you can get past the ridiculous poses and the pink V-neck, I think most (not all) of the outfits on that slideshow actually work.
I definitely wear brown shoes about 90% of the time. They still command respect because they’re got a good sheen to them, and I still look better than 99.5% of the other guys out there.
I do think every man should get a real watch they can hand down through the ages. Straps may be nice and comfortable, but they also wear down. A bracelet will stand the test of time.
The undershirt is important if you want your shirts to last longer than a year. I’m off them now only because it’s already 90F outside.
An undershirt is important if you want a shirt to last longer than a year? Do you sweat orange juice? Are your nipples made of diamonds? In all seriousness, an antiperspirant can sometimes do more harm than good. I think it’s the aluminum that can leave behind a residue that doesn’t wash out. I used to destroy shirts not with yellowed pit stains, but with the translucent mess that would be left behind. I switched to Old Spice High Endurance Deodorant, and although I still get a little damp on hot days, I don’t kill my shirts…
You can get Gillette clinical strength antiperspirant. You have to apply it on night to get all that swweet aluminum into your sweat pores and don’t have to worry about that crap in the morning.
I agree with Chris R that the cuffs on the pants & sockless is a good look. I admit I took a page out of Thom Browne a couple years ago when I first heard of him. Too bad it costs an arm and a leg to get one of his suits.
I also want to say what I read somewhere from a great men’s designer(can’t remember who it was). He said: the number 1 rule of great style should be being able to break the rules and still look good doing it. That is the best rule i’ve heard so far.
Hans – Thanks for the compliment. Trust me, there will come a day when you won’t concur with something that gets up on Dappered. Hopefully we all remember that what’s most important is if the person wearing it feels great in it. That’s #1. As far as the shawl collar tux jacket, those are sweet. Even I (who doesn’t like wearing a bow tie himself) would wear a bow tie with that one.
all antiperspirants contain some compound or other of aluminum, which some people are allergic to and in general is thought to contribute to a lot of health problems. i’ve read from several style-savvy people and magazines to ditch the undershirt. but if you are concerned about aluminum and you do sweat a lot (like me) a light v-neck undershirt does wonders. I don’t have to wash my shirts that often so they last longer, i just keep changing undershirts. it does have to be a v-neck though, nothing looks worse than a crew neck under an unbuttoned shirt.
Regarding #4: I believe the GQ list is emphasizing the importance of not matching socks with your shoes, rather than the importance of matching it with your suits. The way it’s written makes it a little difficult to understand, but they’ve pointed out in plenty of other articles that having colorful socks to accent your suit can be a “good thing.”