Of course, that's one of the great things about being a guy. When it comes right down to it, our clothing selection is really pretty basic. Pants, shirt, socks, shoes, maybe a jacket. Plus, the styles of clothing have remained pretty constant over the years. Sure, the ties go from skinny to wide, just like the pantslegs and for a very forgettable twenty years in the 70's and 80's men's fashions more closely resembled an explosion at polyester factory right next to a clown college.
The old saying, "If you look good, you'll FEEL good, holds as true today as when it was first uttered by some random talking head on television 20 or 30 years ago. But what makes you feel good, clothing-wise? Like everything else, everyone has their own definition of what looks good and hence, what makes them feel good. But there are a couple of classic looks that work regardless of who you are or when you were born.
Style:
The thing about style is that if you have it naturally, you can pull of almost any kind of look. MC Hammer had style and he somehow managed to make parachute pants popular, if even for just an instant. The same holds true for Michael Jackson, Sean Connery, Brad Pitt, etc. Those guys could walk out of a Wal-Mart wearing suspenders and birkenstocks and somehow they'd manage to make it look good.
The point is, we all have a specific style. The problem is, most bachelors have no clue what their "style" is. They throw on the same old clothes every time they go out, trying to keep up with the latest fashions with no regard to what actually works for them.
I'm no fashion consultant, far from it. But I DO know a few things about what it takes for a bachelor to look good and make an impression. These are lessons hard learned through the years. But before I get to my tips for good bachelor fasion, I have to talk about the classics first.
Mad-Men:
Sure, it seems cliche right now, but men's fashions of the 30's, 40's, 50's and early 60's have stuck around for a reason. The pressed slacks, solid colors, matching jacket, loose fitting but not too big, shoulders accentuated, solid color tie, nice shoes...how can a guy go wrong with that look? These clothes make a man look dashing, daring, dare I say, manly.
I prefer solid colors to patterns and such. Frankly you wouldn't catch me dead in a cowboy shirt (you know, with stripes and stars and designs all over the place). But as bachelors, I have to say, there are two areas where we simply don't stack up against our counterparts from those decades; the head and feet.
No, they didn't have different shaped heads or six toes. They just happened to take more notice of their footwear and, of course, nearly all men sported a lid.
I was talking to some women last week during a show and somehow, the conversation turned towards shoes. As a bachelor, I rarely get into conversations regarding shoes. I have several pairs of shoes which I wear depending on the occasion or what I'm wearing. I never give much thought to the shoes I'm wearing. But I was shocked when each and every woman at the table (five in all) made it very clear that one of the first things they look at when sizing up a man is his shoes.
In the words of one of the women, "You can have the nicest shirt and a great suit on, but if your shoes are dull or sloppy, it doesn't matter." Basically, she said she can learn just about everything she needs to know about a man just by looking at their shoes.
When I asked her to tell me what she gleaned by looking at my shoes, she responded, "You have good taste, but you don't always take care of what you have." I had no response. It was true. My shoes were a nice, brown leather, rather expensive pair of loafers, but they haven't been polished and looked a little worn. Trust me, I will be polishing those shoes before my next outing.
So bachelors, your shoes matter. Yes, I know, we don't look at other mens' shoes, and we rarely pay much attention to our own footwear. We have more important things to worry about such as if our shirt has a stain on it or if we have any clean underwear. But next time you go out, take an extra moment to make sure your shoes send the message you want to send to the world.
If you're trying to say you're a rugged individualist who doesn't take crap from anyone, then throw on a pair of Doc's. If you want people to know you're suave, debonaire and classy, then make sure your shoes are polished and looking new. I'll have a few more tips regarding shoes at the end of this entry, so stay tuned.
The Lid:
My cool hat!
I like hats. I wear them all the time. But for years and years, my hats were mainly of the baseball cap variety. This is fine, but a baseball cap doesn't really add to your style. Everyone wears baseball caps. They're too easy, they don't say anything about you. For too long, this was the predominant headwear of American bachelors across the land.
Fortunately, over the past few years, hats have started to make a comeback. And while the fedora isn't as popular today as it once was, there is a whole new generation of men wearing hats that reflect their personality, add to their style and quite simply, look pretty snazzy.
I have two fedora's but I rarely wear them. But I like wearing hats. Recently I found one I like and I wear it all the time, as my friends will attest to. Just the other day, my friend Mere called it my "infamous" hat. I picked it up while I was in Austin a few months ago. I actually walked into a haberdashery and tried on different styles until I found just the right one. I bought it and was as giddy as a child at Christmas.
Now I wear my hat all the time. I love it. But it's not just for show. Yes, I think it looks great, but when I wear it, I feel stylish, I feel good. It's not just an affectation, like a monocle or a walking stick or spats. I'm not Mr. Peanut, after all. A good hat, one that fits and looks good is like a great overcoat or pair of pants that fit perfectly. It FEELS good, it becomes an extension of your overall style.
I like seeing more and more hats on men as I wander the streets of downtown Denver. I hope the trend continues. As bachelors, I think we should pay more attention to what we wear on our heads and on our feet. I mean, it worked for the millions of bachelors who came before us, why can't it work for us today?
Basic Bachelor Fashion Tips:
Okay, so we've gone over the classic look of the American male in the middle part of the 20th Century, we've discussed wearing the right shoes and, seriously, if you don't own a hat, go get one...today...do it.
But what about everything in-between? What should the well-dressed bachelor be wearing when they go out for a night on the town? I'm not going to give you specific brand names or styles, I'll leave that up to GQ or Maxim to do. But I WILL give you some tips on looking, and feeling, good when you walk out the door on a Friday night.
My Ten Tips:
1. Wear Cotton blends - I know this sounds pretty basic, but you'd be amazed at how many men still wear polyester suits. It's amazing. Cotton breathes, it looks good and more importantly, it looks good.These are simple tips, and in the end, bachelor fashion isn't so much about wearing the most expensive suits, but wearing the clothes that really reflect your personality and fits you well. Some guys can pull off the lumberjack, plaid wool shirt and jeans look, others look better in a t-shirt rather than a button up. Either way, the important thing is that when you look in the mirror, you look good, your clothes reflect your personality and you feel good about yourself.
2. Wear an undershirt - Again, pretty basic, but for for many it's a concept that remains a mystery. An undershirt does one thing but it does it well..it keeps you from pitting out your shirts. If you're in a club, you're going to sweat. An undershirt keeps your sweat from making you look like you entered a wet-tshirt contest. It can be a wifebeater, a v-neck, it doesn't matter as long as you can't see it through your shirt.
3. Keep it loose - Listen, this isn't New Jersey where apparently the height of fashion is skintight t-shirts and gold chains. Women, by and large, don't care about our figures, just as long as we don't look like Jabba The Hut. Loose, but fitted clothing is comfortable and will allow you the freedom to dance or walk or fight or do all the things we bachelors do during a night out on the town.
4. Match your colors - This doesn't mean you have to wear an all black suit, you're not Johnny Cash. But it is important that your shoes and belt match. Black shoes, black belt. Brown shoes, brown belt. Try not to wear clashing colors. This is where your female friends come in handy. They'll tell you if your red jacket just doesn't go with your mint green shirt and brown pants.
5. Light colored pants, darker shirt - This is for all the other "heavyweights" out there. We all know that black is slimming, but if you're sporting a few extra pounds, you can minimize it a little bit by wearing lighter colored pants and a darker colored shirt. It's some kind of visual illusion. I don't know why it works, but it does, trust me.
6. Buy at least two fitted shirts - They aren't much more expensive than a nice quality shirt anywhere else. A solid color, cotton blend fitted shirt will run you about $60. Hey, it might sound like a lot, but you're not buying a ton of them, just a couple. They'll look absolutely fantastic. Hey, it could be worse, you could be a woman and have to pay through the nose for the simplest of dresses.
7. Tailor your suit - There's nothing, NOTHING worse than seeing a man in a suit that just doesn't fit him. It might be a Calvin Klein or Hugo Boss, or whatever is the latest brand name, but if it bunches up at the shoes, or is a little too tigh in the midriff, it won't matter. Go ahead and buy your suit off the rack, we all do. But then take the time to take your new suit to a tailor to have them adjust it so it fits you perfectly.
8. Have some flair - Not "T.G.I.F" kind of flair, this isn't Office Space and you're not Jennifer Aniston. No, I'm talking about something small that reflects your personality. maybe it's red socks, maybe it's a hat, maybe it's a cool belt buckle or fun cufflinks or kick ass watch. Whatever it is, find something that says something about you and wear it. It shouldnt' be too big or clash with everything else you're wearing, but you can make it fun or classy, just as long as it says something about you.
9. Stay solid - Sure this is my personal preference, but solid colors also have less chance of clashing. You don't have to stay with just basic black, white, brown, etc. Wear pastels, try different colors, but stay away from stripes and patterns if you really want to make an impression. It may seem boring, but it doesn't have to be. You can walk into any mens clothing store and have the salesman show you some great combinations of solid color shirts and jackets. Oh, and sure, pinstripes may be "thinning" but you're not the Yankees, and frankly, they're the only ones who can really pull of the pinstripes.
10. Research - This may seem like a girlie thing to do, but take some time and flip through some men's magazines or watch some old TV shows and start figuring out your "style". This means figuring out if you like pleats or solid pantfronts. Do you like vents on your jackets? How about the lapels? Do you prefer wide or thin? Do you like wool or cotton blend suits? If I were thin enough, I'd wear linen pants, but only skinny guys can wear that. I know this, so I avoid linen suits. Take the time and figure out what your style is and half your battle is over.
Confidence is an aphrodesiac and the right clothes can give a bachelor a ton of confidence. So don't shortchange yourself. Make sure your shoes are spiffy, your clothes are clean and, hey, while you're at it, get yourelf a hat. You'll thank me later.
