Countless men don’t put enough time or effort into their style, often because they “don’t like dressing up.” However, that can put these men at risk of looking careless and immature. If you’re one of these men, remember that you don’t have to dress up to dress with style, and that people will judge you even if you’re dressing casually. Here are some simple tips to help you elevate your casual styles.
Wear the Right Fit
No matter how trendy an outfit may be, it won’t look good on you if you aren’t wearing the right fit. Often, people will buy shirts and jackets that hang loosely on them to try to hide a little extra fat here and there. However, poorly-fitting shirts or coats actually tend to make you look shorter and fatter than you are, which will ruin your look.
This rule doesn’t just apply to shirts, either. A very common style mistake is wearing jeans that are too tight or too baggy. Find pants that fit snugly, but not too tight. Fit is just as important for your bottom half as it is for your top half.
No More Graphic Tees
Unless you’re wearing a t-shirt from your favorite band’s concert, graphic tees tend to make men look lazy or immature. Wear simple, solid t-shirts when you’re out in public for a more stylish, mature look. Also, if you’re always wearing short sleeves tees, try adding more button-down shirts to your ensemble to boost your look.
Don’t trash or donate all your graphic tees, of course. They’re great for wearing at home or in especially relaxed settings. In fact, some graphic tees, like the t-shirt you got at your favorite band’s concert, can actually boost your personal style, once you know what your personal style is. However, when you’re first exploring and trying to look more mature, a good rule of thumb is to leave the graphic tees at home.
Start Neutral
Neutral colors, such as black, white, grey, brown and navy, are called ‘neutral’ because they aren’t overpowering and are all easily matched with other neutrals. The upside of basing your wardrobe around neutral colors is that the work of matching an outfit is essentially done for you. Neutral colors are so common that you’ve likely been wearing mostly neutrals without even realizing it, but relying on neutrals intentionally is an easy way to look stylish and professional.
Shoes Matter
Many men stick with beat-up, comfortable sneakers even if they put effort into the rest of their outfit. What these men don’t realize is that the wrong shoes can ruin the whole ensemble. If you’ve been wearing your old running shoes everywhere, try switching it up and wearing casual shoes that aren’t sneakers—desert boots, for example, look refined without being as ‘fancy’ as other leather shoes. If you live an active lifestyle and do need to wear sneakers regularly, be sure to replace them once they’re full of holes, and stick to solid, neutral colors like black or grey.
Addy Reeds is a freelance writer from Eugene, Oregon. She discovered her passion for journalism while attending the University of Oregon. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook: @addyreeds1; https://www.facebook.com/addy.reeds