Oftentimes men will take one of either two disastrous approaches to fashion. The first is apathy – jeans, white trainers and hoodies will, for them, be the perfect uniform to wear at all times regardless of whether it is to lounge around the house, attend a lecture or go on a date.
The second, something which is equally as bad as the first, is splashing out large amounts of money on things they believe to be in style regardless of how they look – if it’s in a high street store and it costs a fair price they will buy it! Once purchased, however, this type of dresser will have no idea what to team his new clothes with. Here are some common mistakes they make and ones you should try and avoid!
Casual Ties
Ties are a wonderful item when used in the context of a full suit yet, somehow, in recent years, they have started to be appropriated for use in casual ensembles. Ties are a way to dress up already smart outfits so wearing one whilst you are wearing a pair of old jeans or a cheap short-sleeved shirt is a no-no. It’s not too far off from adding a cummerbund to a tracksuit. It should simply be avoided.
Attention Socks
It is well established that socks should not be worn with sandals – and there is a reason for this; it’s an unappealing look! If the sandal is uncomfortable without them, don’t wear the sandals! Similarly it is understood that white socks with smart shoes, particularly in combination with black trousers, are a fashion no-go area yet people still seem to get this wrong. Three rules of thumb that will get you through potential sock faux pas are: when in doubt wear black socks, white socks are for sport only and never wear socks with sandals. Stick by these rules and you will not go far wrong.
Antiquated Style
I mentioned the cummerbund earlier and for good reason – it is a perfectly ludicrous example of a style item from the past that should not be worn today in any circumstances other than fancy dress. Some men, in an attempt to be the antithesis of the apathetic dressers I mentioned earlier will go too far in the opposite direction in trying to make themselves appear dapper. Combining bow ties, smoking jackets, loafers and other archaic items into one ensemble can make the wearer look like a borderline Pee Wee Herman. A rule of thumb is – go for, at the most, one item of “archaic” clothing at the most per ensemble as any more is sure to have a negative effect.
Suit Jacket With Jeans
Jeans with any type of smart clothing makes little to no sartorial sense but, at its extreme it can look downright odd. Whereas sports jackets, the more casual cousins of a suit jacket, can be worn with much ease in less formal settings, suit jackets are made as part of an ensemble and removing them from this context does neither the jacket nor the clothing it is paired with any favours. Suit jackets go with the suits they were made for – stick by this rule and you will not go far wrong.
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About the Author
Kieron Casey is a fashion writer who takes men’s style seriously. He suggests always wearing black socks with smart mens shoes