Avoid These Common Style Mistakes By Learning What Not To Wear

Many men make the mistake of wearing clothes that are too loose fitting. They think it makes them look thinner. It doesn’t, it makes them look frumpy, out of style, and shorter than they really are… not a good combination. Too tight is not right either. Opt to buy something that’s your size and fits well instead of trying to fit into a smaller size just because it’s smaller. A fit that is cut to your body is always the most flattering.

Pants flowing down over the tops of your shoes into waves of wrinkled fabric looks awful and makes the legs appear short, and no one wants that. The proper pants length is just long enough to touch the top of your shoes.

Wearing a wrinkled shirt or pants is not hip. It doesn’t make you look laid-back; it makes you look disheveled. Either buy wrinkle free fabrics or get yourself an iron. Want to know what not to wear? Wrinkled clothing.

Everyone likes a pop of color and a little fun with an outfit, but don’t go overboard. A wild shirt, bold tie, colorful vest, or fancy socks are all great, just don’t wear them all at the same time. Choose just one or maybe two… but no more than that.

The number of buttons on a suit coat may be a fashion trend, but how to button the coat is not. For two buttons suits, button the top button only. The three-button suit rule is; sometimes, always, never. Top button sometimes (up to you), middle button always, bottom button never. For shirts, leave one or two (including the collar) buttons open at the most.

Here are the rules: loafers or drivers with shorts – no socks. Drivers with long pants – no socks. Loafers with long pants – up to you. Any of the above – no show socks are ok. Etched in stone: sandals – no socks, ever. Sandals and socks should never be worn together. Finally, unless you are at the gym, no white socks. Always reach for a colored or patterned sock.

Fashion trends have been making more and more occasions casual, but there are levels. For your next event, if you’re not sure of the dress code, remember, between overdressing and underdressing, aim high. Overdressing is clearly better than underdressing. If you have an event, date, work function, or restaurant reservation, check out the dress code in advance and then dress accordingly.

Don’t over accessorize. A watch and wedding ring are givens, so they don’t count. But after that what? A bracelet, tie bar, pocket square, funky socks, cufflinks, colored shoe laces, earring(s). The answer is definitely not “All of the above.” Choose one or two. Your accessories should complement your look, not steal the show. Make sure they accentuate your already stylish attire.

As a general rule, wear a casual belt with casual shoes, a dress belt with dress shoes, brown with brown, and black with black. Simple, but guaranteed to outlive any fashion trends. And yes, there are exceptions, but when in doubt follow those rules and you can’t go wrong.

While it seems logical to wear a matching tie and pocket square or matching argyle socks and sweater, that isn’t always the best case. Making everything match too much shows lack individuality in your attire. Choose a printed tie and highlight one of the colors in it in a plain colored pocket square or vise versa. Or a bold printed sweater with a solid color sock. Allow your fashion pieces to complement each other instead of competing.

A lot of style guides hail the untucked shirt as freeing and we agree, but there are still times to tuck. Dress shirts have a longer tail because they are designed to be worn tucked into your pants, they don’t look good untucked. Don’t tuck in a long sleeve t-shirt, polo, a sweater, or a sweatshirt.

Another item at the top of the list of what not to wear is dirty and scuffed shoes. No matter how good the rest of your outfit looks, with dirty shoes the overall impression is still sloppy. It’s the first thing many people notice about you and it’s an easy fix. Invest in cleaning products and take the time to make sure your shoes are cleaned and polished.