Dressing better

SleepyEnnis

Up to now I've never really given my clothes a whole lot of thought; I generally just wear whatever's comfortable or that I personally like without thinking too much about how it looks etc. I've decided (early-in-the-year enthusiasm!) that I want to change that and to put some thought into making myself look better by dressing better.

I realise this is a very vague OP because I don't really have concrete questions to ask - I guess I'm just looking for tips and pointers to the kind of things I should be thinking about or the type or combination of clothes that I wear.

My default outfit at the moment doesn't change a whole lot, it's always a variation of the same thing: tshirt, hoodie/jumper, decent slacks, shoes. Help?

[e] 27 y/old male, by the way!

padi89

http://www.fashionbeans.com/ is a great place to start IMO.

Getting there

Iv made a similiar kind of new years resolution. Iv realised I too tend to wear whats comfy. I have a staple wardrobe of long cardigan, comfy baggy dress, leggings and boots. Literally day in day out. I dont know how this happened, I was never much of a dress gal.

Anyway I think I can look a lot better if I start to put a little effort into what I'm wearing and am going to embrace "The Accessory". Be it scarves, jewelery, belts, bags etc Im really gonna try think about my outfits.

Any tips would be very welcome.

OP, I always thinks boys look a lot smarter when not wearing hoodies, I know theyre comfy but if you got a couple of nice sweaters they could make the world of difference! And , albeit a personal thing, I think scarves look lovely on guys in the winter!

AnneElizabeth

I think every guy should have at least one good quality black suit, they're perfect for every formal event and all men look good in them. Also some nice shirts and well fitting jeans.

Jet black jeans are good because they're more formal than average blue jeans, but not as much as a suit. They're good for work, dates etc. Make sure they're well fitting though. Baggy jeans look sloppy.

For day-to-day wear:
Jeans, T-shirts (Penneys have some nice ones, really cheap too), Shirts (long-sleeve) and a good quality jacket. Leather jackets are nice, but if you're not into them then just a nice jacket like this or this.
(no hoodies, once you're over 25). Ordinary jumpers without the hoods are fine though, as are sweaters like this.

Blazers are great too. Penneys have some cheap, nice ones. You can wear them with jeans when you want to dress up a bit more but don't want to wear a suit.


Good shops for men:
TopMan (there's one on Grafton Street I think) also here: www.topman.co.uk
All Saints (very dear, but very nice) www.allsaints.com
Pull and Bear (There's one in Henry Street. The website is a bit confusing) www.pullandbear.com
Penneys
Asos www.asos.co.uk

And most women's shops usually have a male section in them, like River Island.

(Got a bit carried away there. I love shopping )

EDIT: Just looked at your username. I assume you live in Ennis then? I guess these Dublin shops aren't a lot of use to you, but somewhere closer like Limerick might have some of these shops.

compsys

Getting there wrote: »

Iv made a similiar kind of new years resolution. Iv realised I too tend to wear whats comfy. I have a staple wardrobe of long cardigan, comfy baggy dress, leggings and boots. Literally day in day out. I dont know how this happened, I was never much of a dress gal.

Anyway I think I can look a lot better if I start to put a little effort into what I'm wearing and am going to embrace "The Accessory". Be it scarves, jewelery, belts, bags etc Im really gonna try think about my outfits.

Any tips would be very welcome.

OP, I always thinks boys look a lot smarter when not wearing hoodies, I know theyre comfy but if you got a couple of nice sweaters they could make the world of difference! And , albeit a personal thing, I think scarves look lovely on guys in the winter!

+ 1 about the scarves. So many guys will say they look 'gay' but personally I think these are the type of guys who know little about fashion anyway.

Also agree with the comment about hoodies. It's a very casual piece of clothing. A nice sweater or cardigan will make you look a lot smarter.

My other comments would be:

1) Wear clothing that's fitted or even tailored when possible.

Nice, well-fitting clothing is an essential if you want to look smarter.

2) Avoid baggy jeans.

I'd also go so far as to say you should avoid boot cut jeans as well. The Irish seem to be unique in their love for boot cut jeans. Personally, I just don't think boot cut jeans look as well as a pair of nice, fitted, straight leg jeans.

Also, remember that there's a difference between skinny jeans and straight leg jeans. Usually people say they only wear boot cut jeans because skinny jeans look silly on them and only suit skinny guys. However, there's an alternative to the two styles and it's called the straight leg jean!

3) Invest in your clothing.

People may disagree with me but I think that good-quality, branded clothing looks better on people. Quite simply, the extra price you pay for something does show. I'm not saying everything in your wardrobe has to come from Brown Thomas or House of Fraser, but I would recommend that you spend a bit of extra money on some good-quality wardrobe essentials that you'll get good use out of.

For example, instead of buying five pairs of jeans in Penneys or H&M for €20 each, buy two good-quality pairs for €70 to €100 each. They will last longer, fit better, and look better too. Personally, I love the Nudie brand of jeans and they've a size and fit for all tastes!

Wardrobe essentials that I'd spend a bit of extra money on would be:

Jeans
Jacket (at least two)
Nice shirt(s)
Shoes
Scarf

By the way, I'm not saying you can't shop in H&M or Penneys etc. I shop there too a lot and there's some great value. Just don't shop in places like that all the time or for everything.

4) Wear more shirts

Shirts look well on guys. I have to wear a shirt Mon-Thurs for work and admit that when the weekend comes often the last thing I want to wear is another shirt. However, they do look well on us.

Buy good-quality, plain, simple shirts that you can mix and match with e.g. plain white, plain light blue. Personally, I'd try avoid shirts with those little pockets on the breasts (for holding pens etc). They'll make you shirt look too like a work shirt. Also, avoid like the plague those shirts that you can get in places like Motion Picture with the different coloured collars or cuffs!

5) Zara, Zara, Zara

I'm sorry, but I just love this store. Good-quality, competitively-priced clothing that fits well and is much smarter looking than the clothes in other high street stores such as Penneys or Top Man.

GAP is also great for nice sweaters and cardigans. It is a bit expensive for a high street store, but they use good quality, natural fibres in most of their clothes i.e. cotton, cashmere, wool.

Anyway, those are my thoughts!

FleurBelle

compsys wrote: »

5) Zara, Zara, Zara

I couldn't agree more with this! This is my No.1 shop (although I'm a girl) but I think their style of clothing looks great on guys too. Smart and stylish! If there isn't a Zara near you I'd suggest you have a look at their online store (they deliver to Ireland!). Also, if you are completely stuck for ideas as to what style you even like, just having a look on the website and seeing what different outfits the models are wearing is a good way to get some ideas, and ASOS.com is great for this too!

SleepyEnnis

Thanks for all the advice guys, it's very helpful. Time to start expanding my wardrobe I guess, it won't know what hit it. And I'm going to need to get over my constant initial "oh no I can't possibly pull that off" reaction to pictures of well-dressed men!