Three men's fashion myths

 #1.  Never wear double denim. Double denim can be done! Many a style conscious type may tell you that you should never wear a denim shirt or jacket with jeans as it makes you look like you're about to go rodeo riding up Broke Back Mountain. Well that quite simply isn't true. It is a look that can go horribly wrong very easily, but if you get it right the double denim look can actually make you look like a confident style king who really knows his stuff. Sometimes the best way of showing you understand the 'rules' is by breaking them! The importance here is achieving contrast between the shirt or jacket and the jeans, both in terms of colour and texture. Having both your top and bottom half in the same or very similar shades is a big no no as a certain Justin Timberlake kindly demonstrates here (thankfully he has completely overhauled his style game from his boy band fronting days!). David Beckham often carries the double denim look off with aplomb! Notice how he always achieves the kind of contrast I am referring to with different shades, textures and finishes of denim between garments to achieve a subtle, style-forward balance to the point that you don't pay attention to the amount of one material he is wearing. Double denim isn't one for the fashion novice, but once you start to feel confident and to trust your eye, it can really work!

 

#2. Always wear a belt. Wrong! David Gandy, arguably the most recognisable male model in the World right now, very often opts to wear no belt with his jeans, even when pairing them with a smart blazer and more formal shoes. For me David Gandy above any other contemporary style icon emphasizes the importance of good fit. Admittedly he has the weight of Dolce & Gabbana behind him, among others, so it is far easier for him to have everything perfectly tailored than for the common you and I. However, there are still important lessons we can learn about fit from David and adapt to our own budget and means, such as buying jeans that fit properly in the waist whereby wearing a belt becomes a style option rather than a necessity. Many claim that not wearing a belt, especially with a tucked in shirt makes your outfit look unfinished and lazy. Actually sometimes a belt can be a detail too far and detract attention from the rest of your outfit by centralizing and dividing up your torso and legs too aggressively. I think these images of David show how going beltless can provide an unexpected and really interesting and stylish touch. A belt should always be worn with suit and tie office wear, but for after work drinks why not try a light-mid grey suit, replace your light coloured office shirt for a black one and ditch the tie and belt – an instantaneous and easy surefire way of transforming your office outfit into something more appropriately relaxed yet sharp for a night on the town.

#3. Don't mix patterns. Some people might preach the need to stick to one heavily patterned item within your outfit at a time whether it be striped, pinstriped, checked, paisley, gingham, dotted or plaid. This really is an unfounded myth and mixing patterns can really add depth and a sense of individualism to your look. Again there is a thin line between getting this look right and catastrophically wrong and hitting the dreaded 'my mum still buys my clothes' look. Some helpful tips towards achieving the former are to pick out a matching or complimentary colours between items and to go for a mixture of detailing and sizing of pattern between items. As you can see from the Tom Ford advert here, If you shirt has a small intricate gingham check design for example, make sure the tie has a larger more spaced out plaid check or vice versa for example. Pair a thinly striped shirt with a tie with much more spaced out pinstripes or thick block stripes. 

So to conclude and repeat myself to drive the point home; sometimes you show you best understand the so called 'rules' by breaking them! Ultimately style is about confidently looking like you know what you are doing. What better way to do that than by confounding expectation and deliberately going against the grain?

Drew Sykes

The Men's Dress Code Bible

The key to true style is confidence. If you feel good and true to yourself then everything will naturally progress and fall into place. In the spirit of being true to yourself, these tips aren’t strict doctrine, but a simple educative guideline that scratches the surface. They are designed to give a starting point to build on and a rough guideline to keep within, while making clothes shopping seem like less of a confusing chore. So take your time with them. Once you embrace the fundamentals at your own pace you should feel empowered and knowledgeable enough to experiment and start deviating in developing a sense of personal style that best reflects what you are about!

1.Plain white cotton v or scoop neck t-shirts are incredibly versatile and should be a staple of any man’s wardrobe. Have at least five at any one time. They can be dressed down with jeans or shorts, worn with a cardigan, leather jacket, blazer, even a suit for relaxed yet formal evening wear. Plain v or scoop neck t shirts in shades of grey (being another very neutral colour that goes with everything) also work well.

2.Avoid stonewash denim unless you want to look like Joey from friends circa 1993!

3.Levi’s jeans are a timeless classic. Aim for a straight or slim fit (501, 506 and 511 models depending on your personal style). 

4.Match your belt to your shoes, black with black, brown with brown.

5.There are three types of shoes every self respecting man should own:

· A quality pair of brown leather brogues. They look just as good with a suit as with a pair of jeans.

· A pair of black Chelsea boots.

· A pair of black oxford toecaps for the office.

Good shoes are the staple of any look, so Invest in the best quality leather shoes you can afford and take care of them. Polish them periodically and store those you don’t wear day to day in a shoe bag or box. Women tend to pay a lot of attention to men’s shoes, as would a discerning potential 
employer.

6.Diamond earrings, rosemary beads, oversized watches, oversized belt buckles and too much hair product make you look like a second division footballer, a bad one. While subtle accessorizing should be embraced, for men especially over accessorizing takes away rather than adds style factor! 

7.Buy a brown or black leather travel bag for short trips away. You will look infinitely more stylish turning up at the airport with one of these bad boys than wheeling a plastic samsonite or hauling a hiking rucksack like a scruffy student on a gap year.

8.       Every self respecting man should own a leather jacket and a peacoat for casual wear, and a trench coat and/or a classic three quarter length wool coat for formal wear.

 

9.Leave white socks for the gym! 

10.   Chinos are a great alternative to jeans, especially during the warmer months, and should be just as prominent in a contemporary wardrobe. Try shades of camel, navy and grey. 

11.   A large, dark coloured knitted scarf gives an instant style hit to any winter outfit, as do leather gloves.

12.   Stick to pure wool and pure cotton for suits, winter-summer respectively. Avoid polyester all together.

13.   Always have at least suit sleeves and trousers altered by a tailor even when buying a suit from the high street. Alter the sleeves so that a quarter to a half an inch of shirt cuff is exposed when standing straight with your arms by your sides.

14.   Casual button down shirts are not supposed to be worn formally with a suit and/or tie.

Written by Drew Sykes.

Necklines 2012