The blog Nexxt Level Up is developing a nice archive of style advice. I wanted to highlight the best five posts I’ve seen so far…
1. The most important thing is fit.
Even if you’re in jeans, a T-shirt, and a hoodie, the fit is what’s going to take you from being just another frat guy to being the interesting man who looks good.
2. Adopt the mentality of high-low.
…mix elements of a dressier wardrobe with those of a more casual one. The go-to staple for this is jeans with a button-up shirt and blazer.
3. Suit up!
The difference between rolling out in my usual outfit and dressing well was pretty amazing. Several of us rolled out to a college bar and were clearly the best dressed guys in the venue. Girls opened me several times asking why we were so dressed up. We made up a story that I’d just gotten out of a 10 year jail sentence for armed robbery and girls were eating it up. Guaranteed that I’d have been blown out by every girl that I talked to had I been using the same line dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.
4. Go for a more masculine look with a military jacket.
This year the jacket has quickly become my go to grab and dash jacket while running errands during the weekend or if I know that late afternoon trip will turn into meeting up with friends later for drinks. I’ve received a few compliments from the ladies as well so I know it’s on point. But what I didn’t expect was how easily I could work this into my office look. Sometimes I don’t feel like suiting all the way up and because of the fit and fashionable look of the Jacket I wear it into the office and it still goes with everything.
5. Look great even if you have big muscles.
Swap out crew necks for V’s and polos. The opening will give you a little extra room in the chest and help you keep everything else the right size. You don’t want man cleavage, but showing some more skin keeps your face better framed as well.
There are also good tips on wearing blazers, finding outerwear, and using collar stays.
Read More: 9 Things I Learned From Wearing A Suit
i had went quickly by nexxt level up when it first started but now that it has more content i’ve bookmarked it.
It’s fit and quality, not “fit is king.” A some shitty synthetic blend sport coat is going to look bad even if it fits perfectly, and it will also be disintegrating inside two years. You have to buy for both fit and quality. Buying cheap clothing, even if it fits well, is a total false economy. I get the $140 shirts from Thomas Pink. I’ve done the math and it’s cheaper. They LAST. That chinese garbage you get at the mall will only survive about 12 washes before looking worn out.
“Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion” goes into this quite well. Modern cheap crap does not last compared to how clothing used to be made. It is disposable crap that is money down the drain. I have two tweed sportcoats and a milspec peacoat, all inherited from various dead family members, that are each over 50 years old and have been worn heavily every year.
Furthermore, fit issues can often be repaired by a tailor, making quality the more important determining factor in the purchase, depending on what the fit issue is.
What do you suggest for deodorant stains that seem to eventually develop on clothing trs? I can’t stop using anti-perspirant deodorant or I will always develop sweat stains in my armpits. As a result I always buy basic t-shirts instead of something expensive, since I always know it eventually develop the deodorant stain.
Nothing wrong with a basic tee shirt if you’re just wearing a tee shirt.
If you’re wearing something other than a tee shirt, go buy a five pack of Hanes undershirts for $20. You should already be wearing an undershirt with your polo and dress shirts to protect them from the aforementioned deodorant and sweat. Not only will you protect your better shirts against stains, you’ll need to launder them less frequently, which will reduce wear and tear.
If/when you develop pit stains on a $4 undershirt, you can simply throw away the $4 undershirt.
TRS – you know your stuff and what you are talking about. I was in the UK recently and saw this amazing sport coat from Gant, but the price tag was just under 500 pounds. Do you think there stuff is good quality? I use to buy that uniglo stuff but it does not last.
BTW the top pic looks awful, a mish mash.
Yeah, if they think that first picture is flattering, I’d be very wary about taking their advice.
A blend of high and low can work very well, but the gap in formality between pin striped suit pants with what I assume are patent leather shoes and the rest of the clothes being worn is so wide, it isn’t a blend. It’s a jarring mess.
It’s too bad Nice Try, Bro closed shop as that picture will now never make its way home.
There are so many good menswear sites, it’s a shame you couldn’t have picked one of them.
Great post and feedback comments, this gets me motivated to step up my game style-wise. The only problem is, where do I start?
There are so many options.. the mall, online, designer stores, custom tailors. The mall has a lot of crap and it’s hard to find anything that fits well. And most of the clothes that are trendy now don’t seem to be very masculine.
I know the purpose of this blog is not to promote particular brands and I respect that, but would it be possible to suggest a few stores, websites or brands that might be good entry points for a guy getting started out in this.
It’s hard to buy clothes off the rack that fit properly because the odds that your body has the same proportions as whatever fit model was used for whatever item you’re buying are quite slim. You’ll need to find a tailor in your area to have alterations made. Aside from tipping, which isn’t necessary, think of your tailor like you would whomever cuts your hair. You want to find someone you can keep coming back to that gets to know you and what you’re looking for.
One of the better menswear sites is Put This On. Here is their quick run down of what can easily be altered on what you buy off the rack.
Pinstripe pants belong with a pinstripe Jacket imo.
You really can’t overemphasize the importance of finding clothes that fit. I’m a pretty skinny guy, but I noticed I looked a billion times better when I began wearing clothes that actually fit me. Makes me confident too. Fit is key.
damn all this advice seems so obvious now that I think about it. I’m definitely going to frequent this site more often if it keeps doling out advice like this.
The most important clothing advice is to always be the best-dressed man there, if only slightly.
The most important advice to spot a troll is when they post on very old threads. Since most posters are long gone and will probably not respond, it’s a way to build a history for their sock puppet. Sauron666 is a sock puppet of a troll that started off as “Ted2”.