Don’t Let Style Get In The Way Of Practicality

The relationship between style and practicality is a strange one.

One the one hand, they are often opposed. Take the necktie, for instance. The necktie serves no actual purpose, other than being a decoration. Sure, it can keep you warmer on cold days since you have something wrapped around your neck, but that benefit is more incidental than anything.

On the other hand, they are often quite compatible. A leather motorcycle jacket not only serves the purpose of protecting the rider, but it looks incredible. Part of what makes the jacket so stylish is the fact that it’s so practical.

Unfortunately, I often see men let style get in the way of practicality.

This can be a problem, and it was something I was guilty of when I first started my sartorial journey.

Several years ago, I traveled to London for a business trip. I regularly wore a suit to the office back in New York City and planned on doing the same for my week abroad. What I didn’t consider was that London temperatures were forecasted to be in the low-to-mid 90s for my entire stay.

I didn’t think anything of it. Maybe I’d have to doff my jacket on my morning commute, but once in the office, I’d be fine.

It wasn’t until I was sweltering at my desk and a coworker said “Oh, yeah, we don’t really do air con” that I realized I had miscalculated.

I then, stupidly, continued to wear a suit every day after that! Why didn’t I just wear some cotton chinos and an oxford shirt with my sleeves rolled up? The office dress code was pretty lax, so it wasn’t like it would have been inappropriate.

Unfortunately, I was letting style get in the way of practicality by being too rigid to change and trying to adhere to certain “rules” (in this case “you wear a suit to the office”). And in doing so, I most certainly was not “stylish”.

You’ll also see this in many of the “rules” of menswear.

Ever read the one about how you shouldn’t wear “double linen”? It means you should avoid wearing linen pants and a linen shirt at the same time because it supposedly doesn’t look as good than if one of the items was cotton.

But adhering to this rule is a good example of letting style get in the way of practicality.

I’m wearing double linen as I write this article! Why? Because it’s August and it’s hot out and these are the pants/shirt I wanted to wear today.

What about the idiotic “Northern Lights” rule that says you shouldn’t wear pants that are darker than your jacket? Well, if you’re wearing a tan or camel jacket, what kind of pants SHOULD you wear? They have to be darker than your jacket. Are you telling me you’re not going to wear your camel hair sport coat because you don’t have any trousers that are lighter in shade? That’s just ridiculous.

Another example is from when my wife and I attended an Ice Bar event at a local inn this past winter. My main challenge with what to wear that night revolved around style versus practicality: how do I dress appropriately for the weather without sacrificing how I look (too much)?

I ended up wearing a pair of fur lined winter boots with my jacket and tie. Was it the most stylish choice? No. But if I went with anything else, I would have been uncomfortable.

Here’s another one that might not be as obvious: wearing a hoodie is a prime example of style over practicality.

Now, we might not think of a hoodie as “stylish”, but those who regularly wear them consider them part of their personal style. And I find that those individuals wear hoodies even though they are terribly impractical!

A hoodie is used, ostensibly, for warmth. But the vast majority of hoodies aren’t any thicker than a simple flannel shirt.

But it’s the hoodie’s signature design element that really pushes it over the edge into “impractical”. The hood only ever gets in the way. I put on a hoodie for the first time in a while the other day and was shocked at how top-heavy it felt with this giant floppy bit of material around my neck.

And have you ever worn a hoodie in inclement weather? Well, it won’t protect you from rain or wind. And if you put a jacket on over it, the hood is still sticking out, which means it gets soaked anyway and the water seeps down under the jacket to soak your shirt underneath.

The only times I ever use a hoodie is to exercise outside when it’s cold. And even then, I would prefer a regular hood-free sweatshirt.

All right, that’s enough hoodie bashing for today. But do you see my point? There are times when our own notion of style gets in the way of being comfortable.

Also, embracing the practicality of classic menswear is a great excuse to step up your style game (as if you needed one).

Sport coats and suit jackets are incredibly practical. They’re durable and protect you from the elements. They have tons of pockets for storing all your EDC.

Hats like fedoras are incredibly practical, too. Much more so than baseball caps which don’t provide nearly the same level of protection.

Boots and leather shoes wear out far less quickly than sneakers. Oxford shirts last longer than t-shirts.

Balancing style with practicality can feel like walking a bit of a tightrope at times. We want to look good, but we also want our clothes to adequately serve us.

Don’t be too rigid. Don’t pay too much attention to useless chatter on the internet. And don’t let yours, or anyone else’s, notion of “style” keep you from dressing practically.

After all, that’s what clothes are for.