Dress Right, Look Tight: The Ultimate Guy's Guide to Style

Why Style Matters

Style can be a painfully annoying topic to grasp. Most guys and girls neglect it altogether and look terrible as a result, sporting combinations like running shoes and jeans that are sure to turn off anyone who has an eye fro style. The ones who get it know that it’s important, if for no other reason than because people pay attention to your clothes.

Buying new clothes usually sucks too. We forget our sizes, we don’t know how things are supposed to fit, and we can never figure out what matches or looks good.

When our resident stylist, Maria, mentions the concept of body shape and color analysis to students, the majority instantly assume that these are the types of things that only women have to worry about. Women have a ton of body shapes and different styles of clothes but guys don’t, so why does it matter?

How do I dress well without going broke?

It’s not only the latest trends and styles that you should be thinking about. In fact, you’ll be safe if you don’t pay any attention to fashion. When men’s fashion magazines cover fashion trends (even the more mainstream outlets like GQ or Details), they’re showing you clothing designed by gay males that’s supposed to appeal to other gay males.

Ignore trends and focus on the classic elements of style. It’s true that this level of detail doesn’t matter as much for men as it does for women. But like women, men can dress to suit their shape, skin tone, hair and even to highlight eye color. There are a ton of subtle tricks you can use to design a great wardrobe one time and never worry about it again can be a great addition to your wardrobe. For example, if you have blue eyes, get a baby blue shirt, and you’ll keep getting compliments on your eyes.

The entire process should be personally tailored to your body, shape and personal style. What if there as an easy way to get the details right?

My favorite tool for selecting clothes that look good is the Style Pyramid.

It’s a simple three-step rubric: Fit, Fabric, and Style. A piece of clothing that doesn’t meet all three criteria is a piece of clothing you’re better off not wearing.

#1 Fit:

Fit sits at the top of the pyramid. Everything else comes from it. If a garment doesn’t fit well, none of its other characteristics matter — it’s not going to look good on you. Fit should always be your first stopping point when you consider a purchase whether you're buying cheap clothes at thrift stores or quality items.

#2 Fabric:

Fabric is key in determining the quality of a piece of clothing. If you’re not satisfied with the raw material, you’re not going to be all that satisfied with the finished product. It’s less of an absolute barrier than fit — you can have many degrees of quality, whereas fit mostly breaks down into “good” and “bad.” That said, fabric is still a crucial consideration

#3 Style: 

Style is about your own personal taste and the image you want to present. If something fits and is well made, but doesn’t give you the look you want, it’s still not a good purchase.

Work your way through the pyramid in this order when you’re thinking about buying clothes. If something doesn’t fit, stop there. If it fits, but it seems cheaply made, skip it. And if it fits and is of good quality, but doesn’t feel right for your style, wait for something more suited to your tastes.

When all three intersect — then it’s time to buy.

From here, you can add your spin on things. I’m constantly traveling, so like Robbie, I prefer a minimalist wardrobes of all greys and blacks. My approach is even more minimalist than Robbie. I just have 4 shirts I rotate through, and one pair of classic black jeans. Everything I own is high quality according to the style pyramid, and I only need to buy new clothes to replace something when it wears out.

The result is that my fashion is solved, and I never have to think about it again. After buying each piece the first time, I don’t spend any more money on it. By ensuring that everything I own fits me perfectly and will last at least a year, I can have a killer wardrobe without going broke.