The Curated Wardrobe - Commonly Made Mistakes
While I will be the first to admit that I am no trained expert on the ins and outs of menswear, as I observe my fellow man going about his business in whatever attire he chose for the day, there tend to be a few eh "issues" that continue to be fairly common. Particularly when it comes to suiting. As the cliche goes, first impressions are everything and if you are taking the time to get dressed, the following pointers may come in handy.
The Oversized Suit...
I've read in a couple of places now that the average American male tends to wear a suit that is one or two sizes too big, sometimes as much as three sizes and based upon my observations, this is very true. If you don't believe me, look up images of Paul Ryan during this last election campaign. The jacket should definitely not have enough room for you to smuggle a phone book in. No matter how much your suit costs, if it looks too big on you, it looks sloppy. This is especially true when it comes to the trouser break. You want your pants to hit right around the midpoint of the back of your shoes not pooling around your ankles.
Tags, Buttons etc...
You don't want to be this guy. If there is a tag sewn on the sleeve of your jacket, remove it. Same rule applies when you purchase any suit, jacket or sportcoat that has vents. If the vent is sewn shut with thread, remove the thread. On to buttons. If you already own a suit with three buttons, ok cool. If you don't, then stay away from them unless you happy to be very tall. You don't need more than a two-button and only, only button the top button. Three button? Button the middle one. When sitting, unbutton your jacket.
Shoes...
Everytime I see a pair of these, I can't help but think "whyyyy?!?!" Alright, so once upon a time, square toed shoes were hot. When exactly? Not sure but that's not the point. Every man needs two solid classic pairs of dress shoes, brown and black leather. Then of course you have your boat shoes, loafers etc. However any shoe that is a mash up of anything? No. While we're on shoes, make sure the leather color of your shoes matches your belt. What about flip flops? Only if you're on a beach.
Labels, Embellishments and Graphic Tees...
Where to start on this? When a man wears denim, it should be clean and to the point. I know some rapper says whatever denim label is cool, so we hop on the band wagon ignoring the ridiculous embellishments on the back pockets, down the sides etc. I even saw a guy wearing a pair that appeared to have glitter and rhinestones on them. Same thing goes for graphic tees, whether its a big label that YOU are paying to promote by purchasing or some witty image/statement. Feel free to wear them around the house or to do yard work.
Accessories...
Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. For example, with the recent popularity of accessories for men such as bracelets, I've observed more than a few men wearing far too many of them at the same time. One or two should do the trick. Think of it the same way you wear cologne. You don't want to be that guy that stinks up the room. Let's talk a bit about the tie bar as well. Your tie bar should never be longer than your tie. It should also go without saying that it should clip your tie to your shirt and not just the tie itself.
