The Ten
Most Common
Men's Fashion Mistakes
Why be
concerned with your appearance?
Is it really that important to your career, romance, or influence
over others?
Absolutely!!!
It’s a scientific fact that
people who don’t know you make up their minds about you on a subliminal/prehistoric basis in 30 seconds or less. This evaluation
of you by others takes place so quickly and is so entrenched in the
human brain that it is not usually conscious thought.
Behavioral scientists tell us
that we notice the following about another human being and in this
order: Skin color, Sex, Age, Bearing (height, body language, etc.),
Appearance, Direct Eye Contact, and Speech.
The first three
we can do nothing about, but we can take advantage of this knowledge
to enhance and control how to present the best image of ourselves.
Since 80% of what others see is
our clothes, lets look at some basic faux pas:
1.
Never wear a short sleeve shirt with a tie. Short sleeve
shirts are perceived as lower class apparel. Fine as part of a
uniform or if you aspire to be a fast-food manager, not if you want
to project a professional image.
And the Button-Down collar
dress shirt is not
acceptable for dressy eveningwear (after 6 PM) nor with a
double-breasted suit. That's because even though it's now a daytime
business classic it was originally a sport shirt. The collar was
buttoned-down by polo players to keep it from flapping in their
faces.
2. Shoes
are one of the most evaluated elements of men's wardrobes. Your
shoes should be clean, shined, in good repair and appropriate for
the occasion. If you are wearing a suit, wear lace-up shoes.
Don’t
wear the same shoe on consecutive days and keep shoetrees in your
shoes when you’re not wearing them.
3. Trousers
should be long enough to cover your socks, and socks should cover
your shins even when you cross you legs. Pants are long enough if
they have a slight break in the front.
Pleats and cuffs are
traditional and functional. Pleats let you sit down comfortably and
cuffs add weight to the bottoms allowing for proper drape.
4. Never wear both a belt and braces
(suspenders). You'll appear insecure.
5. Socks should
match your trousers.
6. Belts
should match your shoes.
7.
Ties
should reach your belt line.
This is neither arbitrary nor negotiable. Too short of a tie makes
you look like a rube.
8. Properly knotted ties have a “dimple”
under the knot. Clips and tacks are out of date.
How to get a dimple under your knot?
Place your index finger in the
middle of the tie just under where the knot is forming, pinch that part of the
necktie between your thumb and
middle finger and squeeze together as you pull it down and tighten the knot.
The necktie knot should
hide the collar button.
