The Fashionable Gentlemen’s Ten Basic Fashion Rules

1.  Everything should fit

This might be the most important thing in this list and cannot be stressed highly enough. Everything you should buy or even consider in buying must first fit you properly. It is more probable that what you are wearing now is about a size too large. This is understandable before when we were kids, since our parents usually buy us clothes two sizes bigger than our size so that we may not easily outgrow them. If you will believe that you will not gain a considerable amount of weight anytime soon, it is best to buy clothes that fit you well.

I am not endorsing that we should all wear skinny jeans. You should only wear skinny jeans if you are indeed skinny. Your clothes should only be hugging your body. The goal here is and not tight.

Bad fit vs. Good fit

2.  Your shoes and belt should match

Most of you probably know this but it is still worth noting. Never wear your black belt with your brown shoes and vice versa. Also, avoid wearing your dress belts with your sneakers and tennis shoes and your casual belts with your dress shoes.

3. The color of the pants and socks should match

Though there are exceptions to this rule, the most basic thing about this rule is that you shouldn’t wear white socks especially when wearing black or charcoal gray dress pants.

4. Dress for the occasion

A simple rule that is often misinterpreted. I will just point out the essentials of this rule. Esquire’s Law in casual style indicated that the 50’s and 60’s were the high periods of casual fashion. With today’s current trend of “casual or dress-down Friday”, people are now throwing away their suits and wearing the t-shirt and jeans in the work setting. If you are a mechanic, plumber or have a dirty job, then you should wear jeans. In reality, casual Fridays should be deemed as Fashionable Fridays.

5. Do not wear company t-shirts

If you are getting a good amount of money for wearing them then it is totally fine if not, then consider donating them to the nearest homeless shelter. You should do the same with shirts with sports logos and t-shirts with stupid and ironic messages.

Your t-shirt is not a billboard

6. Stick to classics, Less is More

The general rule is that you should wear striking pieces minimally. The rest of the pieces of clothing you are wearing should only be supporting the striking piece. It shouldn’t grab or battle for the attention of your most striking showpiece. For instance, a detailed leather jacket works best with plain dark jeans and a simple white shirt.

Too much showpiece and his total outfit clearly lacks coordination

7. Undershirts

You can ignore this rule and don’t wear undershirts but if you sweat a lot and want your shirts to last longer then you should wear an undershirt. Crew neck undershirts are still the safest choice to wear, though V-neck undershirts are much applicable if you decide to not wear a tie. If you decide to wear a sheer dress shirt (or see through shirts), don’t wear an undershirt unless you want it showing underneath your shirt.

8. Your shoes can ruin your entire outfit

The Ladies do notice our shoes. Don’t wear crocs. Flip flops can only be worn if you intend to go to the beach. Stop wearing tennis and basketball shoes when you go to the mall, park or at any casual event. Classic sneakers like Converse’s Jack Purcells, Adidas’s Stan Smiths and Sambas are a good start.

For dress leather shoes, look for the traditional round toe as compared to the modern square toe. Lace ups and monk straps look more formal than penny loafers. Never doubt the presence of a newly polished dress shoe.

9. Wearing designer labels

Being fashionable isn’t about wearing the current trend from the hottest designer. Don’t buy clothes just because of its brand name. Not all designer labels produce better merchandise from the average priced retailers. Always check for fit, quality, detail and price before buying. It is always a good idea to buy different items from different labels. Stylish gentlemen usually go to clothing stores but rarely buy. They are known to wait for discounts, sales and even shopping at thrift stores. Fashion can be cheap.

10. Stop being a fashion victim. Wear what you like and what looks good on you

We are all for personal style and sometimes it is a good start to copy someone else’s style. However, like training wheels we should remove them once we already know hot to balance. Don’t become the bro who wears what your friends wear. Have your own personal style and experiment.