Ask A Woman: What men’s clothes are zero-tolerance for women?
If you’ve got a question that needs the female treatment, chances are you’re not the only one who wants to ask it. Beth is our source for the answers. From opinions on men’s style to decoding the sometimes mysterious ways of women, she’ll take on a different question every Thursday. And don’t worry, your identity will be protected too. Click here to get to know Beth, then get in touch with her by sending your question to: askawoman@dappered.com
.
—
Hi Beth:
First, thanks for being the voice for women here. Its been enjoyable to read your weekly responses. Here’s my question. Are there any zero tolerance, deal breaker things that if a guy is wearing a woman won’t give him a chance? I’m thinking bracelets on guys. No? And is there anything else?
Chris
.
Hi Chris,
Just like Jeremy and his flat ass from last week (sorry Jeremy, you’re going to have to endure some ribbing for awhile on this one), there are very few articles of clothing a reasonably stylish man could wear that would cause the average woman to reject him on this criteria alone. Have fun chasin’ skirts.
-Beth
Ha! Not so fast. Okay, so while women will tolerate a whole lot, the operative word here is tolerate. I actually think bracelets on guys are fine. Unless it’s hemp. Let’s just state here and now that hemp is heinous. It was cool in 7th grade, around the same time that you were wearing patchouli oil and “discovering” Led Zeppelin
An incomplete list of items that fall into the “tolerate” category might include:
1. Cargo pants–The formless construction looks lumpy, untidy, & tends to add pounds.
2. Capri pants–Did you accidentally grab them out of your girlfriend’s side of the closet while dressing in the dark?
3. Clothing that is too small–Swallow your pride and buy the next size up in jeans; no one expects you to retain your 17-year-old waist forever.
4. Clothing that is too big–If you are sensitive about your body size, do not hide it in billowing shirts. Trust me when I say you will look better in clothing that fits properly.
5. Pleats–Enough designers/retailers put pleats in their pants that I know some people must like them. But I don’t understand it myself. They seem fussy, and the pleats make the area between the crotch and the waist look baggy and expansive…in a bad way.
Of course, this list assumes some basic understanding of both fashion and women. I don’t think I need to explain to the Dappered crowd where women stand on t-shirts with sayings like, “If I were you I’d sleep with me.”
-Beth
Got a question for Beth? Send them to: askawoman@dappered.com
First, thanks for being the voice for women here. Its been enjoyable to read your weekly responses. Here’s my question. Are there any zero tolerance, deal breaker things that if a guy is wearing a woman won’t give him a chance? I’m thinking bracelets on guys. No? And is there anything else?
Chris
And on top of all those, make sure the clothes you wear don’t look like they were grabbed from a pile off the floor because it was the first thing you saw when you woke up. I see that too often.
lol I used to not care about ironing… ah the good old days :/
About pleats. It’s funny because someone mentioned on dappered a while ago that it was only a matter of time before they came back in style and people were laughing at the style-less people without pleats. I still don’t see it hitting mainstream again any time soon, but in a recent Details Magazine issue they listed pleats as a new trend.
In the immortal words of half the BSG cast: “All of this has happened before, and all if it will happen again”
How about the biker shirt that says, on the back, “If you can read this the bitch fell off?” No??? 😉
I see horribly dressed guys with cute girlfriends all the time. Like rumpled cargo pants with Aeropostale t-shirts bad. All the time. I’m pretty sure women don’t care what guys are wearing as long as they’re not dressed like total slobs.
I agree with John D.
My own observation is that the vast majority of women, even well dressed women, unfortunately do not appreciate well dressed men. I see men in their 30s and beyond wearing flip flops and baseball caps backwards while taking their dates out to dinner. Sad.
Women appreciate more the fact that you think you look good with what you wear..even though you might not look good at all.
Well said Chris! It’s true, I think. Confidence probably has a lot more to do with it than what you are actually wearing, though that can also only take you so far I’m sure.
This isn’t about confidence, it’s about respect. Taking the time to dress and groom appropriately shows that you feel the occasion is important. Looking like you just rolled out of bed shows poor taste.
I find that when I dress well, even thought my behavior is otherwise the same, I am treated better and people feel more at ease with me.
@Skinny Vinny
I’m right with you on that man. Dress nice and get shown respect will get the confidence up overall.
I think classy women with schlubs are actually viewing the men as a project.
I think most women, at least in SF, seem to “date down.” Perhaps because here they haven’t much choice (other than to turn lesbian) because, after all, this is SF, and it is the land of arrested development, a Neverland for the eternal man-boys. Here it is okay to wear your pajamas to work, ride your Razor scooter, and look like you just rolled out bed from a camping trip. Here, its all about dive bars, tattoos, piercings, and “hipster” fashion.
So when someone actually does dress normal, and I am just talking a blazer and khakis, here, everyone wonders what the big occasion is.
The bottom line is that most women, in my opinion, have pretty much given up on men, and are happy to take one that’s at least willing to use soap once a week.