How does one learn fashion and style?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I was thinking the other day that it would behoove me to learn the mysterious ways of dressing stylishly. Now, I’m not a fashion nightmare, and often enough I actually receive compliments on the rapier wit of my various T-shirts. Still, as great as t-shirts and cargo pants are, I’m thinking it would be nice to expand my horizons somewhat.

But how does one learn what is “in,” or, even better, forge one’s own style? How does one learn how to co-ordinate? What style of jeans are popular currently? There’s so many questions that I don’t even know what I don’t know.

Once again, I turn to the dope for help. Fashion mavens, mavericks, and mucky-mucks, what is your story?

Oh, and for those of you who don’t already know by now ;), I’m 24, male, and living in Florida.

2

People watch.

Look around and check out what other guys are wearing, notice what looks good to you and look for commonalities; is it fitted or loose, fabric types, casual or more purposefully put together, etc.

Once you get an idea of the type of things that appeal to you, look in your own wardrobe for similar things you might not wear often and try them. Add a few similar pieces bit by bit and see if you’re comfortable in them.

Your best style is what you are comfortable in and when we feel comfortable and like we look good, it shows to everyone else. That never goes out of fashion.

3

I have to amend this a little: while it is important to feel comfortable with the clothes that you’re wearing, it is not the case that feeling comfortable equates with looking good. No matter how much you like your sweatpants, you’re not going to look good in them.

The most important issue for men is finding clothes that fit. If you get that down, you’re 90% of the way there. Don’t buy anything that looks cheap or poorly made, and you’ve got most of the rest of it. Also, for whatever ineffable reason, women care about how your shoes look, so be prepared to spend some money on a decent pair if you care about impressing the ladies.

4

This book was quite thorough, if a little unorthodox, in its approach.

5

Look for styles and cuts of clothing that flatter your body shape.

Same goes for getting clothing with colors that look good with your eye/hair/skin coloring, though more so for clothes you wear on the upper half of your body.

In the store, try on a lot of different clothes to see what they look like on you. If in doubt ask a female friend with good taste to go shopping with you.

6

In general, copying what everyone else does is going to be sufficient in most cases. True, you’ll look sort of silly in photos when you look back on them ten years later, but so it goes.

If you want to actually be good at it, you need to first of all be able to tell whether someone of X bodyshape looks good in a particular outfit. Then you decide whether that’s an issue of the lines (i.e. how high/low the hem is) or the colors. Everything boils down to that.

I posted a general walkthrough in this thread.

7

Some more suggestions.

In terms of color, learning some basic color theory would be helpful to learn what colors go well together.

Buy clothes in terms of an entire outfit or if you have something in your closet that matches the new item you are going to purchase.

Also think about the quality of the fabrics you buy. It’s a subtle point, but it makes a difference.

When putting together an outfit, think of the impression you want to create, whether it is trendy, conservative, preppy, athletic etc.

Make sure your shoes and socks match your outfit. Too many guys wearing sneakers with dressy clothes.

8

This is something I always have an issue with. I like my dorky-casual look sometimes, but I’m noticing that a lot of people will associate negative social meaning to this. I know that in a sense who cares what people think… but, eh, it’s not fun to have people assume you are a social misfit dweeb before you even open your mouth. It pisses me off that when I wear my Evangelion T-shirt out most people are going to assume “anime… dork… possible crazy otaku,” but that’s life I guess.

Well, this thread made me realize two things I can already improve upon. One, I need to buy smaller clothes. All my clothes minus a few are too big. I have to wear belts with all my pants and shorts, and my shirts are always too long. It makes me look childish.

Second, I love my blue sneakers to death, but I’m starting to notice that stylish people just don’t wear sneakers unless they’re going to the gym. I see a lot of loafers, sandals, dress shoes, boots and everything else BUT sneakers. Maybe I can find a blue New Canvas or something.

9

Another comment about my look. Often people tell me, “Wow you look so intelligent.” What this really means in my experience is “Wow, I feel intimidated and stupid compared to you.” While looking intelligent might be good in certain professions, it’s not something I’m sure I want to project. Once I open my mouth people will know I’m dorky-smart anyway.

I’m not sure why this is either, but I suspect it’s the glasses and just my all-around face. When asked people usually just say “I dunno… you just look smart… maybe it’s the glasses.”

10

If you’re serious about it, I would recommend getting Alan Flusser’s Dressing the man. He deconstructs fashion in a logical and systematic manner based on factors such as your complexion, how much contrast there is to your face, what shape your head is etc.

Flusser’s was the first book that made fashion make sense to me.

11

Oh, well yes! I was trying to convey that the most expensive, fashionable and stylish clothes in the world won’t look good if they don’t fit right and are uncomfortable, or if you think they’re silly but are wearing them to fit in. Find ways to step it up a notch without compromising who you really are, since sitting there chafing at a suit and tie really sorta kills the sexiness of a well-fitted suit, for instance.

Totally agree on fit, but I never look at guys shoes at all.

12

My brother’s a pretty stylish guy, and he likes to get tips from GQ magazine. Sometimes the stuff they recommend is way out of his pricerange but when I’ve flipped through it, I’ve seen that they have “fashion for less” type articles too. It also gives him a good idea on what to splurge on as a “keystone” to his wardrobe, like a good watch and good shoes.

13

Well, I’ve got four days left at my job, there’s a woman I want to ask out, and I’ve got the coolest pair of shoes in existence. I’ll give it a shot.

14

Auto, I’m not sure of your milieu but you appreciate that what’s appropriate to one group won’t be to another- Texas oil business casual is very different from the equivalent in IT.
Knowing how colours harmonise, complement or clash and some basics about prints/plaids/stripes (invariably one at a time ) will have you in good standing whatever the grouping.
JMO, but feeling comfortable in your clothing is important, so good fit and not violating your own standards is important. I have never, nor will ever, wear polyester.
Personal assessment is in order too. Some people set the trends that others follow.

15

It can take a really long time to decide on what image you want to cultivate and to actually do it. For one thing, it’s expensive to buy new clothes but even if you went on a big shopping spree it’d take time to get used to your new look and wear it with confidence. For example, I’m 24 too, and unlike the vast majority of people our age who wear sandals all summer when they’re dressing down, I wear casual loafers around town. I often get compliments on them, but usually followed by “I don’t think I could pull that look off”. They’re probably right though, because it took me years to gradually become totally comfortable with my relaxed preppy look. If I went out and bought the clothes and shoes I wear now when I was 19, I’d never have looked totally comfortable and probably would look like a huge dork.

I’m not suggesting you should dress like me, but that however you try to change your look it’ll take some time.

You should also read GQ or Men’s Vogue and look at the pictures. About 1/3 of the pages are ads, but that’s ok, because it’s what you want to be looking at. Most of the pants they advertise will cost $600, but you can find affordable versions if you can identify looks you like.

16

This is an excellent book, as his Flusser’s Style and the Man.

For something a touch lighter, I definitely recommend The Suit: A Machiavellian Approach to Men’s Style.

17

Do I need to take you shopping to show you in person? I won’t pay for new clothes, but at the least you’d get an idea of what looks good and what doesn’t by trying on a ton of clothes.

Style is hard to explain, but a good portion of being stylish is finding clothes that are cut in a way where they not only fit well, but are flattering to your body type in colors that are also flattering. T-shirts and jeans are useful parts of a person’s wardrobe, but they’re definitely not the anchor of a stylish person’s wardrobe. Guy’s clothing is more limited than ladies’ clothing, so there are fewer options, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Trendy isn’t really useful unless you’re the shape that fits the trend, and a “personal style” is cultivated by careful use of stuff you like that bends some of the basic style rules.

What are you looking to do with your wardrobe? Are you looking to have clothes that’d work for a business casual environment? What do you want to say about your personality?

18

My daughter seems to have a pretty good sense of style - both as to what is popular, and what looks good on her.

She watches shows like What Not to Wear - and others I don’t even know the names of. And she enjoys reading fashion magazines - tho she usually borrows a friends’ copies after the friend is done with them. She’ll flip through catalogs we receive in the mail. And she enjoys shopping, just to see what is in the stores at what prices.

I - OTOH - have absolutely no interest in such shows or magazines. And I only shop if I need something specific, in which cases I go to one store, buy what I need, and leave. Of course she has commented that I don’t need to dress “like a hobo!”

But what I’m trying to say is, you don’t get a good fashion sense just by wanting one. You have to work at it. I’ve never cared to put forth the effort.

Another alternative is to have a friend/GF/spouse with good fashion sense whom you trust “dress you.” Just wear what they tell you to. I’ll pretty much wear whatever my wife buys me. O figure she has to look at me a heck of a lot more than I have to look at myself! :cool:

19

I agree that the first place to start is browsing men’s fashion magazines, taking note of jackets, dress shirts, casual shirts, T-shirts, shoes and belts. Note how things GO WITH but not necessarily MATCH each other. Your style will reveal itself to you as you find yourself thinking ‘that looks good’ or ‘nah, lame’. **Style is about finding and wearing what looks good on you and what makes you feel confident and sexy. **

As budget permits:

Find a sport coat/blazer that has an all over neutral tone from 10 feet away but on closer inspection has 2 or 3 subtle accent colors woven into it, like tweed but in a fabric more suitable to your climate.

Take the jacket to the collared dress shirt area. Look for a couple of striped or subtly patterned shirts with one of the woven accent colors in it, either exactly the same shade, or lighter, or darker. If you prefer a solid colored jacket, then your shirts can be more lively.

Aim to build up your wardrobe with 2 kinds of collared shirts in long and short sleeves: dress shirts with scooped hems at the hips are worn tucked in; casual shirts with straight hems are not to be tucked in.

About your T-shirts. Save the anime, etc. for related events. You are old enough and intelligent enough to communicate who you are and what you like by your own words and actions, not by turning your chest into a billboard. Get some plain white T-shirts, plus a couple others in neutral colors related to your collared shirts. A T-shirt underneath a straight hem shirt turns the shirt into a jacket (visually), a casual but chic look. Go blazer, dress shirt and dress shoes with dark wash jeans, and you’re ready for a dinner date.

Get new blue jeans, dark wash only, maybe one blue and one black. Faded, ripped jeans should be classified 3C – for camping, construction, or cleaning. Aim to get some non-denim pants in your closet.

Nice shoes will never knock off hotness points; cheap, scruffy ones always do. They are the easiest way to show personal style. Get thee some cool Skechers or something like them. Aim to get a pair of leather dress shoes for appropriate dates and interviews.

By the way, what shape are your eyeglasses? Round faces look sharper, more angular in rectangular frames. Curved frames accentuate the roundness.

And I agree with the other comments about proper fit, and garment quality, and colors suited to your skin tone.

20

Yep, that’s shopping. It’s a pastime many women enjoy. There are men that enjoy it too, but it’s more typically at a hardware store than at a clothing store.

That’s not shopping - that’s buying! :wink: