4 Style “Do’s” For Men Of Any Age
It always irritates me when I need to use certain punctuation to get my point across even though that particular punctuation is incorrect. Case in point: in the title I had to write “Do’s” with a possessive “s” instead of just “Dos” because that obviously means “two” in Spanish and that might be confusing.
Hopefully, you all know what I am trying to convey. “Do’s”, as in “dos and don’ts”.
Anyway, on to the actual article…
I wanted this article to be about things you SHOULD do as opposed to things you SHOULDN’T do. I feel like some of my articles, especially my “The Case Against…” series, can come off as a bit negative, so I wanted to spread a little positivity here and give some actionable advice instead of just complaining (although complaining IS fun).
I also want to point out a few helpful things that aren’t as obvious as “get your clothes tailored” or “shine your shoes”, since you’ve probably heard those things a million times.
The good thing about what you’re about to read is that it’s applicable to men of any age. I was reading a recent article on StyleGirlfriend about style advice for college-age guys and it inspired me to think about things I wish I knew when I was in college that I would still adhere to today.
That’s one of the great benefits of men’s clothes. The guidelines don’t really change that much from year to year or even generation to generation.
#1 – Have at least one reliable “nice casual” or “business casual” outfit.
This might be one of the most important pieces of style advice I can give you. It took me until well into adulthood before I realized how critical it is (and was) to have a simple, go-to “nice casual” outfit.
For many men, there is a wide gap in formality between their regular clothes and the one suit they own. Their regular clothes consist of jeans and hoodies but there is nothing between those and a full-on suit. That’s a problem.
Honestly, having a good “nice casual” outfit is even more important than having a suit. Anyone can pull off a suit, more or less, and everyone basically knows in what situations to wear one. Interviews, weddings, funerals, court appearances. Most people already know they need at least one suit in their closet. But for many men, the instances in which they need to wear a suit are fairly few and far-between. It’s the instances in which they need to be “nice casual” that will pop up over and over again for which they should be prepared.
Think about it… dinner with your in-laws, parent-teacher conference, date night with your spouse, Christmas dinner with the extended family, traveling… what about all those days you need to be in the office or have Zoom calls (cameras on!)? We’re all aware of how often we need to be “dressed up” but not dressed to the nines.
But think back to when you were a younger man, when you were in college (or immediately after). I’m sure there were many times when it would have behooved you to step up your game a little bit. A first date? An internship? Going out to a nicer restaurant for the first time WITHOUT your parents? What about meeting your girlfriend’s parents? Or grabbing drinks with friends?
A “nice casual” outfit that you feel comfortable and confident in will be one of the most often-used arrows in your sartorial quiver.
And it might look a little different depending on what your preferences are. Maybe your “nice casual” outfit consists of dark wash jeans, boots, and a polo shirt. Maybe it’s a pair of khaki pants, some loafers, an OCBD, and a cashmere sweater.
I have my own “nice casual” ensemble that I reach for repeatedly, although I wish I had figured it out when I was eighteen.
#2 – Wear closed-toe shoes.
Obviously, if you’re at a pool or the beach then wear whatever you want on your feet. But in all other areas of life, wear closed-toe shoes.
We aren’t like the women of our lives who meticulously groom their feet to look pretty. I’ve never moisturized my feet, or painted my toenails, or done any of the other stuff that contribute to having presentable-looking feet. Sure, I keep my feet clean and my toenails trimmed appropriately, but I understand that my feet really shouldn’t be on public display. Not if I want to make a good impression, that is.
A pair of boat shoes or loafers is must more handsome than any pair of sandals. They’re also more practical, given their full coverage of the foot. And they don’t have the “ick” factor of displaying your probably-not-all-that-attractive toes.
There’s a saying that goes something like, “get the easy stuff right”. This is a perfect example of that. The appearance of your toenails will never not be a style hindrance. So, just get the easy thing right and wear closed-toe shoes.
#3 – A v-neck undershirt is your friend.
People think that the go-to t-shirt in a man’s wardrobe is a plain, white, crew-neck t-shirt. It’s not wrong to have one of those in your drawer, but I get much more mileage out of my white v-necks.
Now, I know that since I live in an area of the country that gets legitimately cold, I have more opportunities to wear an undershirt than someone who lives in, say, Arizona, but the usefulness of the garment is still pretty universal, I feel.
The white v-neck is something I always throw in my bag when I travel. It can be used as a regular t-shirt, as in under my flannels or denim shirt, or just by itself with jeans. But it also goes under a dress shirt or OCBD and keeps them fresher longer since they aren’t right up against my skin. It also helps keep me warm when it’s cold.
The neckline is key. When under a proper shirt, it disappears, which is good, since you don’t see the little sliver of white crew-neck beneath the shirt. That always looks a little sloppy. I’ve never found that I wanted my crew-neck shirt to show under my overshirt anyway so I can’t think of an instance in which I would choose a crew-neck over a v-neck.
Undershirts are also useful if you want to leave a little more to the imagination. Sometimes shirts worn without an undershirt fail to hide a man’s figure (or nipples, for that matter). An undershirt can help smooth out a man’s physique and help him feel more confident and handsome.
#4 – Learn how to iron clothes quickly.
I’m sure we all know how to iron clothes. I’m sure we’ve known how to do it for years. But let me stress how important it is to know how to do it quickly.
Almost every men’s-site article on ironing will say that the ironing itself takes less time than getting everything set up. That can be true, but it perpetuates the notion that ironing is this arduous time-suck. Because of that, many men just refuse to do it.
The benefit of knowing how to iron something quickly is that it opens up options, style-wise and saves you time and mental energy. You’ll be able to wear those linen pants at the drop of a hat, or the shirt that has been sitting in the dryer overnight and is now a ball of wrinkles.
If you have an ironing board and an iron in an easily accessible spot, and if you get practice ironing shirts and pants, you’ll get to the point where the longest part of the process is actually just waiting for the iron to get hot, which takes about a minute.
Being able to iron quickly will make it so that you can access your “nice casual” attire whenever you need to without a ton of previous planning. You’ll be able to grab whatever you want out of the closet and pop it on at a moment’s notice. It will help dispel the myth that dressing nicely is somehow more effort than dressing casually because you’ll be able to wear whatever you want whenever you want.
Whether you’re a middle-aged dad or a wide-eyed college student, hopefully these four style dos (or do’s… or dews… doos?…) will help you feel a little more confident navigating the often choppy sartorial waters.
