Ever wondered why some men's outfits look so damn good while others simply look plain? Lucky for you I can break it down for you. Read on to find out how to become the best-dressed guy in the room from now on!
As Brussels-based Stylist and Personal Shopper, the sort of questions I get most at dinner parties during the initial “What do you do?”- moment is: “Who is your typical client?” and “Do you do men as well?”.
The phrasing of doing men always makes me smile a little, but the answer is yes, I do men too:) In fact, I do about as many men as women by now, and I love swinging both ways. Man-styling is one of the most fun, satisfying, and rewarding experiences on the job.
And to answer that first question, I don’t have a typical client. Everyone can benefit from a little styling inspo, shopping support, and self-image boost. In fact, YOU are probably my typical client:)
So, to celebrate all the lovely men who’ve had the audacity to call me in, I’m sharing 3 outfit hacks today that have really made the difference for some of my male clients. Or to use Marco’s words (fictitious name to protect his privacy): “Truus, for the first time in my life I feel like I know WHY I’m wearing what I’m wearing. And you know what? I think it shows. I get all these amazing comments from people around me, and I could swear women look at me differently:) GRAZIE!”
In the end, like with all other aspects of life (work, relationships, love, parenting, …) mastery is empowering and ownership is irresistible. So, let’s get you started off with some truly solid basics, shall we?
But before we hit my list, just one important disclaimer: none of these outfit rules are written in stone. What looks great on one guy, might not have the same effect on the next. And what was once considered ugly, is now considered beautiful. That is exactly what makes styling a never-ending discovery process. In other words: look at my tips as an invitation to experiment, play around a bit, and see what works for you. That’s my definition of success right there!
Let’s dive in.
1. Be tempting to touch!
Let’s see if this story sounds familiar to you. In my experience, a lot of men (and women for that matter) – at some point in their lives – get this nagging sense that there is something missing in their wardrobe, but they can’t quite put their finger on it. They open their wardrobe in the morning and everything looks so plain, boring, and unimaginative.
So, what do they do? They head to the stores looking for garments that will spice things up, and they come home with salmon-coloured trousers, a canary-yellow body-warmer, a mint-green shirt, rainbow-coloured socks (which of course I do appreciate as a concept), and bright red sneakers.
Darlings, if you feel an urge to add a little punch to the mix, a lavender waistcoat is not the way to do it. I mean, I’ll give you a 10 for effort, but it's just not the most sure-fire way to lift your style to the next level.
Let me put my finger on it, ok? What your wardrobe is missing is not colour, it’s TEXTURE!
Yes, it’s nice to surprise people a little, but it’s even nicer if you do it in an effortless, modern-day, classy way.
Add garments to your wardrobe that beg to be touched, and throw them together in surprising contrasts: combine smooth, jersey sweatpants with a thick, knit jumper, a rough, fish-grate coat with a soft cashmere turtleneck, a linen t-shirt with cargo trousers.
That, believe me, is irresistible!
2. Splurge on shoes and coats!
Does the name Pareto and the 80/20 Principle mean anything to you? If it doesn’t, let me briefly fill you in. Pareto was a controversial economist in the 19th century who defined a 80/20 input-output ratio in economics. As it turned out, that same mathematical ratio could be applied to many other areas of life. For instance, you could argue that 80% of your happiness is the result of 20% of your efforts, or that 80% of your social satisfaction is provided by 20% of your friends, and so on.
In the same lines, one could say that 80% of the success of an outfit depends on 20% of your garments. Now – and I’m getting to my point here - that 20%, my friends, that’s your shoes and coats!
What you need to understand is this: shoes and coats literally make or break an outfit. Either your shoes are EXACTLY right for your outfit, or else they are DEAD wrong. There is no grey area here. Look how the right shoe can lift your entire outfit:
Same for the coat. It just has to be spot-on right for your outfit:
Yet, most of my clients treat shoes and coats like an afterthought. They spend 30’ of their morning routine figuring out which tie goes with which blazer, and then they just grab the first pair of shoes and whatever coat on their way out the door.
This, my friends, needs to stop. You need to start giving shoes and coats 80% of your styling attention, because they make up 80% of your styling success.
Logically, this also means that shoes and coats can eat up 80% of your styling budget. Youhooo! So, don’t be afraid to go for a little shoe-and-coat oriented shopping-spree, and indulge in a high-end, tailored tweed coat, a quality-leather ankle boot, a hipster-chic parka, and a good range of fabulous sneakers. Trust me, it makes economic sense. Pareto says so:)
3. All-tight is out!
I’m sure you’ve all seen them: those modern-day male outfits with a bit of flare in the legs, that urban-cool bagginess, or a slightly loose, breezy upper-body feel. Does it ring a bell? Let me show you some pictures:
Yeah, you’ve seen these trends, right? SO WHY ARE YOU STILL WEARING EVERYTHING TIGHT???
Darlings, it’s high time to move away from the all-tight-everywhere-slim-fit-outfits. This, we have seen more than enough of for now:
Silhouette-wise, that trend was an absolute disaster for anyone who wasn’t quite the image of bodily perfection. But even to those lucky few who could actually pull it off, I want to say: feel free to loosen up a little! Don’t worry, I can still imagine your six-pack underneath that blousy-relaxed jumper:)
Point is, in this post-Covid era, we like male outfits with a bit of casual-coolness, nonchalance, and effortless allure. Modern-day aesthetics crave contrast, and when everything is tight, there’s no contrast at all. Try to balance something tight with something a bit more relaxed, and see how that instantly lifts your outfit out of its 2010-style rut.
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Voilà my friends, those where my 3 outfit tips for today. I’ve clearly got plenty more where that’s coming from, but this is more than enough food for thought for one day.
If you feel inspired to test new grounds, but you’re not quite sure how, I can help! I can be your Stylist and Personal Shopper in Brussels. I offer a whole range of hands-on styling and shopping sessions to help you explore and surprise yourself. Check my reel on men styling to see how fun an outfit session with me can be.
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All pictures taken from Pinterest.