I have strong opinions. Shocker, I know. But I try to lay my
thoughts in front of people as just opinions and keep the word “should” to
myself. Who am I to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do, after all?
That being said, I still have my peeves that drive me crazy.
And if you catch me on certain days at certain times and in a certain light, I
might just should all over you.
For example, the other day a male acquaintance was
justifying some clothes choices because it’s “easier” and he “doesn’t want to think
about it.” He was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie on his way to a work
meeting in a business casual office.
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| Banana Republic: Pants, shirt, jacket, done. |
Now, I'm not against a casual look. I wear hoodies as much as my activities allow. But he was going to a meeting that his boss, his boss’s boss and his
boss’s boss’s boss were going to be at. His reasoning, and I almost quote, “It takes
me about 2 minutes to get dressed: pants, shirt, jacket, done.”
I could not let this slide, because it would take the same
time and it’s just as easy to put on a pair of non-denim pants, a button up and a better
casual jacket or sports coat (Well, it’s just as easy if you have them in your
wardrobe.)
In the end, I believe it’s all about the old “people fear
what they don’t know” adage. He knows how do dress casually, and fear keeps him
from doing otherwise.
But here’s the deal, it is comparatively so easy for men to improve their appearance. I’ll probably be
eternally frustrated that most men (at least most American men) just won’t
spend a one-time, relatively small time investment to figure out some lifetime knowledge regarding clothing that would absolutely not make getting dressed any more difficult or time consuming or less comfortable.
So here are five general beginning tips that aren’t overwhelming and
scary for you men to improve their appearance.
1. Ask for help. A sales person’s job is to help you and
most of them have a lot of experience and know what will fit you best. I used
to be one myself, and I would take great relish in truly helping someone find
something they look and feel good in. Bonus tip: If you’re super nice, many
sales people will bend over backwards to get you what you need.
2. Wear slimmer pants. I
did not say wear skinny jeans. (per se) What I mean is wear pants that fit and have a modern, slim cut. You may
have to try on a few pair to find what size and style are for you, but that will potentially take you only 20 minutes in the right store. And if you like skinny jeans, go for it.
3. Leave your gym shoes at the gym. There are plenty of
choices that are just as comfortable but look infinitely better, from Vans to Italian
leather.
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| Teva chukka built for comfort, looks good too. |
4. Ask your wife or a trusted female friend. I bet you
dollars to doughnuts that many have had thoughts about your appearance and can
pull up viable choices that will not offend you in less than 3 minutes on the
internet. However, I would leave moms out of this unless your mom is
particularly in touch with modern styling.
5. Last, but not least, don’t underestimate the power of basic
hygiene. I believe I speak for a fair number of women when I say that this is
very important to how attractive you are to them. Here is a simplified list:
- Trim your nose hairs (we do)
- Pluck those stray hairs between your brows (we do)
- Keep your nails trimmed and clean (we do)
- There is no shame in face moisturizer, use it (we do)
- Use chapstick, don’t let your lips crack or peel (we don’t)
- If you can’t grow a beard, don’t grow a scraggly, wishful beard
- If you can and do grow a beard, shave your neck
- Bathe at least every other day (yes, many still must be reminded of this)
I will happily address any specific questions you have about
men’s styling, comment away.
