No matter your age or income, there’s nothing quite like knowing you’re dressed smartly for any occasion and location. The confidence you can draw from this and the excellent first impressions and connections that being well dressed can give you are worth making an effort for.
However, if you don’t have a stylist on speed dial or feel like you know how to turn heads for all the right reasons in the fashion stakes, it’s worth learning about some of the ways fashionable guys set themselves apart. To help you amp up your wardrobe success, here are some of the key habits of well-dressed men that you can take on board.
They Keep It Simple
Well-dressed men don’t try to reinvent the wheel all the time or go too busy with their fashion choices. Instead, they focus on stylish basics that work for numerous situations and seasons. To follow suit, pay attention to the staples in your wardrobe. You want a capsule collection that can take you from day to night when you make a few accessory changes, such as your shoes, tie, jacket, and even cologne. Ensure you have a closet filled with quality plain tees, shirts, jeans, and trousers, so you’re ready for any occasion.
A white t-shirt, in particular, is a must and can go with a variety of shorts, jeans, trousers, chinos, and the like. This garment works no matter what is on-trend for men’s summer fashion or beyond. You also need a set of shirts that fit you well and wash and wear easily, as these will be a cornerstone of your wardrobe. Another workhorse item is a black or tan coat for winter and a pair of leather or well-made vegan dress shoes.
Your basics are best kept in neutral colors and with not too much in the way of patterns. Avoid getting too trendy, too, as trends come and go. You want these must-haves in your closet to be pieces you can keep wearing until they fall apart or lose their shape rather than get outdated.
They Pay Attention to Care Labels
To get the most longevity out of your clothing, take care of your pieces. Well-dressed men know that a factor in always looking smart and wasting less time and money on sourcing new clothes regularly is reading and following the care labels attached to garments. Instructions about how to wash or dry-clean and otherwise take care of clothes are there for a reason and shouldn’t be ignored in favor of lumping all your pieces together in a standard wash.
Extend the life of your goods and look like a stylish gentleman by carefully washing and pressing your items. Don’t ignore instructions such that pieces need to be hand-washed, dry-cleaned, or washed on cold or warm cycles only. If ironing isn’t your forte, keep in mind that it often ends up being worth it to outsource this task, especially for dress shirts and trousers. There’s no point in carefully washing items if you burn them or otherwise harm them with an iron.
Plus, it’s essential to take pride in your footwear. Treat your shoes to a shoeshine at the cobblers or a related service every few months and give them a weekly clean and polish yourself to maintain the leather or other materials and increase the life of the footwear. Read the information that comes with shoes, and you may also discover that the manufacturer suggests you store them using shoe trees to retain shape and stop excess moisture from building up in them.
They Know the Benefit of Tailoring
Well-dressed men also aren’t afraid of having a tailor on speed dial. If you want your clothes to look as good as possible on you and feel as confident as you can, it’s worth investing in getting pieces tailored so they fit correctly. Get to know a tailor you can trust to alter your clothes after buying them if the fit isn’t quite right.
Most pieces can be improved with a little nip or tuck here and there (especially jackets), and many changes don’t take too much time or cost a lot but will make a big difference to your overall look and style. If you haven’t used a tailor or alteration service before, review reviews or ask some of your friends, colleagues, or family members for recommendations.
Other habits of well-dressed men you can emulate include having your own sense of style, valuing quality over trends, and keeping wardrobes organized. Plus, it helps to eat well and exercise to stay in shape so clothes hang more nicely and you feel more confident and comfortable no matter what you wear. Start getting into some of these habits yourself, and you’ll soon start turning even more heads.
