Five Style Difference Makers – The keys to standing out quietly.
Five simple keys. Five game changers. They are the five things that set the top 10% of all men apart, stylistically, from the rest of the crowd. They make up the foundation for looking as good as possible, and more importantly feeling your absolute best in any situation.
Take em’ or leave em’. Here they are…
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1. Wear well fitting tailored suit jackets and blazers
It’s almost unfair how much better a well fitting jacket will make a guy look. Two major points of fit: First, the shoulder pads need to be slight and should never jut out over your own shoulders. And second, the waist needs to be tapered by your tailor to the point that a half inch more and you wouldn’t be able to comfortably hug someone. Tail & sleeve length / how it drapes, etc… also important. But the shoulders and waist are the big two.
(Below Left: Dockers Traditional Bulky Sack Suit. Right: J. Crew Worsted Wool Ludlow Fit Suit – $590)
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2. Wear casual clothes that fit
That means the shoulder seam goes on your shoulder, your sweaters shouldn’t make you look 25 pounds heavier, and your untucked shirts shouldn’t hang halfway down to your knees.
3. Know what shoes get worn when
Slim and shined laceups when you’re dressed up. Thicker laceups, slim boots, or slim loafers when you’re kinda dressed up. Clunkier stuff or classic sneakers when you’re kicking back. Running shoes for running or the gym. Sandals or flip flops for the beach or your backyard. Burn your crocs.
(Below: PF Flyers center lo- $49.46
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4. Invest in two great looking coats
For a huge part of the year you’ll be wearing a coat every day. It gets a disproportionate amount of playing time in relation to the other pieces of clothing on your closet roster. Go with a wool peacoat or a single breasted overcoat for the winter. Ideally something that hits mid thigh so your blazer is more than just barely covered. A slim (but not tight) trench or mac for the warmer months.
5. Don’t look down on someone who doesn’t dress like you
Style and class go hand in hand. Right along side of those are having your priorities straight. You can be the best dressed man on the planet, but if you’re guffawing at others who are otherwise dressed respectfully and feel comfortable in their clothes? Then you’re noting more than a prick in a well tailored suit.
Agreements, disagreements, and everything else goes in the comments section below…
Advice to live by, Joe! Wonderful tips
Cheers,
Ben
Great stuff, Joe, and thanks. Could you say a few more words about getting the waist taper on a coat right? IOW, is it as simple as buttoning the coat and telling the tailor to make it slim? (My tiny town only has one tailor and she ain’t the world’s best …)
Great tips. My favorite is #5.
As always, a great post, Joe. I especially like no’s 1 and 3. It’s a long time gone now and I should finally get around to sending my blazers in for slimming down. Thanks for the reminder!
Question about untucked shirts.
I wear a large bc mediums are too tight around my chest and arms. My problem is when my shirts are untucked, they are too long.
Are getting shirts hemmed the norm? If so, how long should the shirt normally be?
Thanks.
@Rik: Sure thing. Your tailor should “pin you up.” Meaning, while wearing the jacket, your tailor should put pins in the side or back of the jacket (depending on the vents/construction) to quickly take in the sides without cutting and sewing. That’ll give you the idea of shape and how it’ll feel post alterations. Look for a sculpted shape, not boxy. But also make sure that you don’t feel like you’re going to rip anything when you move around/cross your arms… (hope that helps?)
Help a lot. Thanks much.
Number 5 is an oft-forgtten rule – well done.
Number 5 is an oft-forgtten rule – well done.
For an untucked casual button up, I usually don’t let it drift any farther than the bottom of the fly. But it can vary. I haven’t had to get many (if any?) shirts hemmed. I just have dress shirts that I’ll tuck in, and casual shirts that I won’t. The one exception is the Express 1MX, which on me, is right inbetween and works both ways.
Joe, all great points. I think a great key too is “don’t be afraid to be well dressed”. Many men feel like they are trying too hard or maybe not masculine because they’ve paid attention to the minor details. Go that extra 10% and you will set yourself apart from the masses.