When you look good, you feel good. And when you’re feeling good, great things happen. From meeting your special someone to scoring that promotion, striding through the VIP entrance, weddings or just generally kicking goals in life, it’s no coincidence that your winning occasions are often your sharpest men’s fashion moments too.
With a couple of style tips, you can step up your men’s fashion to make
1. Check it Out
The check pattern has been used in men’s clothing for at least 3,000 years! So it’s a proven winner. If you want to make a bold statement with your wardrobe but aren’t sure where to start, try checks.
A windowpane checked suit makes for a confident look with its slick modern lines and large scale print. Yes this look is bold but dark grey or navy will make your windowpane check tailoring 9-to-5 appropriate. If the occasion calls it, or if you want to make more of a statement, opt for a windowpane check in burgundy or light grey shades.
With tailoring this bold you don’t need to stick to your typical collared shirt either. Change it up with a roll neck sweater for that effortless European polish or kick back and play it casual with a crew neck tee and sneaker.
2. Hem Your Pants
Getting your pants tailored to fit just
right might seem be an afterthought for most but it shouldn’t be. Men’s
clothing that’s tailored to you, but pant hemming is surprisingly affordable,
easy, and the results are game-changing. A hemmed pair of pants that’s perfect
to your height, will not only elevate any look but also make the fabric sit
better and therefore feel more comfortable to wear. Don’t have live with bunchy
pant ankles, any pair of pants can be hemmed including your jeans, chinos and
tailored pants.
It’s simple: take your pants, walk into an alteration or tailoring shop, and
ask for your pants to be hemmed. The tailor will have a changing room for you
to put your pants and shoes on and fold up the hem to where you want them to
be, or the tailor can suggest something that’ll suit you.
For jeans, you can ask your tailor to “keep the original hem” so you can maintain the distressed look of the denim hem.
3. Suit it Separately
Sure, wear a matching suit is nothing new in men’s fashion. But switch out the pant or jacket to something different and suddenly you have a hero style statement on your hands. Rock your suit pants with a tee and short sleeve shirt combo for an upscale casual outfit. Take your pinstripe suit jacket from business time to poolside cocktail hour by pairing it with a pair of chinos. Even your formal tux jacket can be taken for a spin by styling it with denim and sneakers. You can breathe new life into your formal wardrobe by mixing it up with something unexpected.
4. Fresh Prints
If you’re going to buy one new item of men’s clothing this season, make it a floral shirt. Nothing says fresh more than a floral print shirt. They can be amped up with a silk tie for formalwear, they can be a Friday night hero with a blazer, or roll up the sleeves and go casual for the al fresco weekends. There are so many options and colours for floral shirts, so show off your unique style signature by choosing your favourite shades. Bright colours, cool blues or classic monochromatic, go with your gut instincts on a floral shirt and you’ll never step a foot wrong.
5. Get Stretchy
Stiff fabrics and creasy materials are now a thing of the past. Fabric technology has come leaps and bounds in the past decade, so make the most of their benefits.
Well-designed men’s clothing are constructed from fabrics with added stretch. Look on the care labels for fabrications such as Elastane. Added stretch makes naturally non-stretch fabrics like cotton, wool and linen, well, stretchy. This allows shirts to be slim tapered yet flexible enough for plenty of high fives without the worry about bursting the seams. Added stretch is also the magic ingredient that keeps chinos and jeans striding sharp yet leg-day-squats-compatible at the same time. Added stretch is even appearing in spectacular ways in suiting to create sharp silhouettes that’ll feel move effortlessly from desk to dance floor.
6. Stop Ironing
If you’re loving the benefits of added stretch fabrics, then stop ironing. Anyway, who’s even got time to iron?
The reason is that a hot iron directly pressed onto fabrics with added stretch will quickly damage the stretch fibres. The result is that your men’s clothing will end up looking and feeling crunchy rather than comfortably stretchy. Instead, use the steamer setting on your iron, or get yourself a clothes steamer, or simply hang your clothes in the bathroom while you’re having a hot shower. Indirect steam is enough to lightly press your added stretch clothing and voila, you’ve spent less time ironing and more time enjoying your stylish day.
7. Pay Attention to Men’s Accessories
Men’s accessories are seriously underrated. They’re the tiny details that’ll make any outfit a memorable one, but are often forgotten in the rush to get dressed. Men’s accessories can inject your sartorial personality with something as simple as a pocket square. A shiny lapel pin on your blazer buttonhole can turn heads and strike up conversations with strangers.
To save you walking out the door without your winning accessories, try storing your blazers and tailored jackets with lapel pins already attached to its lapel buttonhole and pocket square tucked into the chest pocket.
Author Bio:
Michelle La is a Melbourne-based writer who loves coffee and a well-fitted suit. She’s been styling men’s fashion for over 7 years and is the Fashion and Editorial writer for Politix Menswear.
