Huge Beginners Guide to Men's Style

[heavy]

Most valuable style tip I've ever received:

Generally, short guys are better off with lower rises (at the hips)

Thanks Deluge. 5'9" here, and I had been transforming my wardrobe since going red pill. Jeans had been the toughest for me. Combining this tip with simply wearing tighter jeans (they often go hand-in-hand) looks so much better...taller, more stylish, etc.

As my friend said when we got to the bar, "I grabbed the tightest jeans I have...real ball huggers." He proceeded to get compliments on how they looked. (tighter is not always better I know, but for me I needed it)

Ray Donovan has a good "standard" style. He's always dressed the same, nothing fancy or flashy, but it always looks good.

 

[lycosidae]

Basic style tips for a guy in his 30s...

Trendy = Gay...

That includes chukkas, gingram shirts, skinny jeans, highwater pants/jeans, anything plaid (every beta I know owns at least 4 plaid shirts), pastel colored pants, boat shoes with rolled up pants to show off your ankles, thick glasses, "flash" like brightly colored pocket squares and fancy socks or button down shirts that aren't white, blue, grey, or black... all of those just scream "I'm a dandy homosexual" - or at the very least, that you're trying too hard.

Anything trendy is going to go out of style at some point -- so stick to the classics.

Unless you're actually in a band and can pull off an emo look, most of us really have two options that leverage good taste and the right conservative vibe:

Classic style....

Dressed up, Clooney or Pitt... Custom suits and shirting. Go to an actual tailor to have those made.

Dressed down, Hank Moody...

Can do brown or black leather shoes/jacket, that doesn't matter, pick based on your preferences.

With one or either of these looks, you can go pretty much anywhere...

The recommendation to find the "tightest jeans you can find"...
My boys need some room. There's nothing gayer than putting your balls in a vice for fashion's sake. Find some jeans that are comfortable and fit well and you'll stand out... Go with straight fit. They're called straight fit for a reason...

For boots, I go for these Timberland Earthkeepers -- they're comfortable and durable and mostly waterproof while at the same time, being lean enough in profile so they don't look too bulky (I'm a thin guy). I'm also a big fan of the Frye boots, but I think these are a better value. I'm not much for spending more than $200 on shoes...

When it's really hot out, I just go for a pair of simple black chuck taylors, but they don't last more than a few months so stock up when they're on sale.

 

[LouEvilSlugger]

I have been wearing German Army trainers for over a while now, you can find them on eBay pretty easily for as low as 45 euros shipped, looks defefinitely smarter and less childish than Chucks/Nike/Adidas

As far as jeans, I pretty much only wear A.P.C. and I'm on my third pair right now and I have been wearing them for nearly 2 years, best bang for your buck if you size properly and they look good with everything

 

[zurtac69]

thanks for this thread

I am a fan of this jacket
http://i.imgur.com/UCNqyHZ.jpg

Anybody got it and can help about the sizing? i can't find it anywhere here and will order it online but i have a hard time choosing between M/L/XL and can't find anything

 

[Carlos100]

Summertime outfit. For day or night. Total price, about $160:

Anyone know where those shoes are from?

EDIT: this was from a picture on the last page, a few posts down

Those are Polo brown leather sneakers.

 

[Ironbound]

I'm really trying to understand style and matching, here. Now, how should shoes relate to pants worn? Dark with light? or vice versa? I'm tired of dressing like complete shit, Its time to fix myself up a bit.

 

[The Reactionary Tree]

I'm really trying to understand style and matching, here. Now, how should shoes relate to pants worn? Dark with light? or vice versa? I'm tired of dressing like complete shit, Its time to fix myself up a bit.

Some rules.
1. When wearing black pants, always wear black shoes. no exceptions.
2. The most versatile color pants you can wear will be gray and navy. any color shoes will go with gray or navy* (*black shoes can go with navy pants but it gives off a military vibe)
3. as for light vs dark, you can pretty much get away with anything. though, as the gray becomes a more charcoal color, you should tone down the brightness of shoe color.
4, charcoal and black are more formal than medium/light gray, navy, and khaki. something to consider based on the setting you will be in.
5. black shoes are more formal than brown shoes.

with all that said, I nearly always wear either a medium gray or navy colored pant. and I almost always wear a non-black shoe (brown, walnut, merlot, oxblood, chocolate, etc). Brown shoes are infinitely more versatile and a lot of guys are afraid to wear brown shoes (the standard poorly dressed corporate drone is in black suit/pants with black shoes) As for socks, I always wear plain navy socks (its a safe bet- goes with everything - I am not a crazy sock guy).

 

[Deluge]

I'm really trying to understand style and matching, here. Now, how should shoes relate to pants worn? Dark with light? or vice versa? I'm tired of dressing like complete shit, Its time to fix myself up a bit.

I wear non-Black shoes with Black jeans often enough (grey desert boots and honey tan brogues), and I only ever wear cool/crazy socks. It all depends on the exact colour combination, and how formal your attire is. Rules are meant to be broken, once you know what you're doing.

Here's a tip to step up your pants game: Go a month without wearing blue denim jeans, it'll force you to expand your palette. I haven't worn a pair in maybe 2 years, and have never looked back.

 

[Carlos100]

I'm really trying to understand style and matching, here. Now, how should shoes relate to pants worn? Dark with light? or vice versa? I'm tired of dressing like complete shit, Its time to fix myself up a bit.

I wear non-Black shoes with Black jeans often enough (grey desert boots and honey tan brogues), and I only ever wear cool/crazy socks. It all depends on the exact colour combination, and how formal your attire is. Rules are meant to be broken, once you know what you're doing.

Here's a tip to step up your pants game: Go a month without wearing blue denim jeans, it'll force you to expand your palette. I haven't worn a pair in maybe 2 years, and have never looked back.

This is a good chart, but in my experience I think black shoes go better with light grey pants and light brown or chestnut shoes go better with dark charcoal pants than dark brown shoes because of the contrast. Notice that it's hard to get burgundy shoes wrong when matching. Burgundy/oxblood shoes are underrated colors, IMO.

I'd like to hear Deluge's opinion on this, but when I wear crazy socks that don't match the color of my pants, I still try to match at least one color in the socks with something else I'm wearing, whether it be my pocket square, tie, shirt, sweater, or scarf.

 

[speakeasy]

I know Pinterest is seen as a woman's site, but there's really good men's style boards to follow if you dig around.

 

[The Reactionary Tree]

I know Pinterest is seen as a woman's site, but there's really good men's style boards to follow if you dig around.

Same goes for Tumblr. Even though it is a cesspool for SJW degeneracy, there are some good style Tubmlrs you can follow.

 

[Deluge]

I'd like to hear Deluge's opinion on this, but when I wear crazy socks that don't match the color of my pants, I still try to match at least one color in the socks with something else I'm wearing, whether it be my pocket square, tie, shirt, sweater, or scarf.

I don't think about it too much. I don't wear certain socks with certain colour pants because I know they wouldn't look right, It depends a lot on the individual colours. There's no hard and fast rules about this, just follow what looks right in the mirror. 99% of people won't even notice you matching your socks to your outfit perfectly.

 

[Carlos100]

I'd like to hear Deluge's opinion on this, but when I wear crazy socks that don't match the color of my pants, I still try to match at least one color in the socks with something else I'm wearing, whether it be my pocket square, tie, shirt, sweater, or scarf.

I don't think about it too much. I don't wear certain socks with certain colour pants because I know they wouldn't look right, It depends a lot on the individual colours. There's no hard and fast rules about this, just follow what looks right in the mirror. 99% of people won't even notice you matching your socks to your outfit perfectly.

Perhaps I'm more conscious about it here in Japan because of taking shoes off around other people more often.

 

[rottenapple]

I know these type or articles are frowned upon, but this one is actually quite helpfull, pretty in depth, it covers shoes,colours, suits, buttons, ties and more:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/juliegerstein/clothes-make-the-man?bffb&utm_term=4ldqpgp#.ue5ljNgXv

(25 style charts for men)

 

[Sourcecode]

I don't think this is frowned on. I've seen some of these before.
They are great baselines for style.
I would even save the ones that I would use the most.
I have had the shoe color to pants chart saved on my phone.
I have a lot of different color pants and shoes.. Its a great reference for when I'm out shopping.

You can't really expect to have all of it memorized on short notice if you don't deal with it every day

 

[Carlos100]

I buy most of my jackets and coats off the rack, of course, and usually have to get them tailored so they fit correctly because, as we know, proper fit is crucial. However, one thing I discovered recently is that upgrading the buttons on jackets and coats really makes them look better at very little cost.

Most off-the-rack coats, jackets, and cardigan sweaters from companies like J.Crew, BananaRepublic, Uniqlo, H&M, and other retailers of similar quality come with cheap-looking plastic buttons. Replacing the buttons with bone or horn buttons helps make the jacket look much more expensive. I've even gotten compliments on my buttons. Also, I buy buttons that are a mix of black and brown, so that they will match either black or brown shoes, making the clothing item more versatile. Below are pictures of buttons I've put on my clothes recently. They usually cost between $.50 to $.90 each and I ordered them online.

You can sew the buttons on yourself or get your tailor to do it for you. Most tailors don't charge much for it. My local tailor often does it for me for free because I'm a loyal customer.

 

[Suits]

I'm really trying to understand style and matching, here. Now, how should shoes relate to pants worn? Dark with light? or vice versa? I'm tired of dressing like complete shit, Its time to fix myself up a bit.

I wear non-Black shoes with Black jeans often enough (grey desert boots and honey tan brogues), and I only ever wear cool/crazy socks. It all depends on the exact colour combination, and how formal your attire is. Rules are meant to be broken, once you know what you're doing.

Here's a tip to step up your pants game: Go a month without wearing blue denim jeans, it'll force you to expand your palette. I haven't worn a pair in maybe 2 years, and have never looked back.

This is a good chart, but in my experience I think black shoes go better with light grey pants and light brown or chestnut shoes go better with dark charcoal pants than dark brown shoes because of the contrast. Notice that it's hard to get burgundy shoes wrong when matching. Burgundy/oxblood shoes are underrated colors, IMO.

I'd like to hear Deluge's opinion on this, but when I wear crazy socks that don't match the color of my pants, I still try to match at least one color in the socks with something else I'm wearing, whether it be my pocket square, tie, shirt, sweater, or scarf.

Black shoes with blue pants? I think not.

 

[Sourcecode]

seems legit

 

[Meadowlark]

I have been wearing German Army trainers for over a while now, you can find them on eBay pretty easily for as low as 45 euros shipped, looks defefinitely smarter and less childish than Chucks/Nike/Adidas

As far as jeans, I pretty much only wear A.P.C. and I'm on my third pair right now and I have been wearing them for nearly 2 years, best bang for your buck if you size properly and they look good with everything

I want a pair of these, how can you get them in the US ?

 

[Carlos100]

seems legit

I think it helps balance out the stark contrast when you wear black shoes with blue pants if you wear something black up top so as to match the top to the bottom. For example, the guy on the right is wearing a black tie and the guy on the left black sunglasses. You could also wear a black pocket square, black hat, or black scarf although you have to be careful, I think, not to get too matchy-matchy. When I wear black shoes with Navy pants I often wear a black sweater.