How to dress smart

Or how to dress well in whatever you have

Humanity has evolved not only in intelligence and lifestyle, but in clothing and fashion also. We started from wearing animal skins and moved to fabrics to jeans and silks. Dressing has become an art. An identity of who we are.

Middlle ages saw men in different shades of colors to be distinguished by status and royalty. And even now, dressing serves as a primary means by which we determine someones status and identity.

Not all of us can offord classy clothing from expensive brands. But we forget that fashion is a form of self-expression. We can bloom and shine in whatever we wear. Yet having somewhat a least knowledge on dressing is essential for every man.

By no means I am a fashion guru or something like that. But below I am listing a few tips that I am following to dress well.

Fit your clothes.

This is the most basic rule and the most easily overlooked rule too.Each and every dress you own must be fitted to your body size. Neither too baggy nor too tight.

Every readymade dress comes in one of the following standard sizes Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, and Extra Extra Large(XXXL too). But that doesn’t mean each and every one of us would perfectly fit inside one of these predetermined sizes.

Every man is different, so does his body measurements. We may get closer to one of the these standard sizes but may not fit perfectly inside them.

So find a good tailor nearby and fit your clothes as soon as you try them on. You can look better in a fitted 500 ₹ t-shirt than in a unfitted 2500 ₹ branded t-shirt.

Dressing always means an expression of who you are. Not what the dress makes you. Dressing is personalization. So always remember to fit and personalize.

Ironing

Ironing is a lost art in the recent techno-industrial age.

It seems everyone is in hurry. To catch a bus, cab, a breakfast. And in that hurry, we forget to care for our clothes.

We must wear neat and wrinkle-free clothes. We must make sure that every time after we undress, we launder and iron our clothes according to the dress material. It will boost our self-esteem and make us look more sophisticated than average guys.

Always, always wear neat and wrinkle-free clothes.

Layering

Unless it is summer and the sun is trying to boil your blood, wear at least one extra layer over your dress.

A suit, a shawl, a jacket, anything that would be relevant to the situation that you are attending to. Chances are you might find yourself in a position to offer someone else that extra piece of clothing. Maybe, that someone is your cold wife, sleepy child or any stranger in need.

Plus it will add girth to your body and make you look more masculine if you are skinny. Of course there are situations where you are not expected to wear layers.
Use common sense. But almost always, an extra layer gives you extra boost.

Skin to fabric matching

There are hundreds of charts and infographics to show you which color matches with your skin-tone.
To keep it simple,

Avoid matching dresses that are exactly the same color of your skin.

Blacks and whites are always classy. But don’t add extra contrast by wearing contrasting colours with your skin.

Matching

Matching is an art. What works for me may not work for you.

There is no universal rule that applies to everyone. If such rule existed, everyone would have dressed better.

The best method to find out is trial and error. Yes, you might look foolish in some dresses and well-dressed in some other but we can learn a lot from mistakes.

Here are some basic rules for matching dresses and accessories. You can always build on these and create your unique style.

Shoes

Wear shoes according to the occasion demands. If it is suits or formals then wear formal shoes. Go for brown if the dresses are of earthly tones and black if they are classic solid colours.

Wear casual shoes with casual dresses. Know that they are categorized for a reason.

Belt

Always match your belt color with your shoes’ color. Also they must be of the same shine and material if possible.

They will guide the viewer’s eyes and differentiate our legs from upper body. They border our lower body i.e., legs and thighs and highlights them.

So make sure your bordering elements match in color and material and shine.

Topwear to Bottomwear Matching

Mostly men’s bottomwears can be worn with most of the common colors. A black formal pant can be worn with shirts of any color. Similarly a khaki with any earthly colors.

First choose your Bottomwear. Because they are almost always of minimal color combinations, they can be chosen easily. They work as themes for our whole costume. Black, brown and blues are the most common. You can choose from the different shades of these.

Accessories

Modern men have forgotten the importance of accessories. Because they are so few that you can count them on your one hand which in turn might be easily overlooked.

Let me mention a couple of accessories men should wear or have.

• Wallet

They are few of the rarest things a man owns for everyday use. We must own a clean, simple and elegant wallet. Wallets aren’t for stacking piles of business cards, photos and papers. You have a smartphone for that.

First, get yourself a nice looking simple wallet, preferably a leather one for they can be used for a lifetime. Don’t go for cheap and crazy wallets in which you can showcase your whole marriage album.
Get one in a classy color like black, brown or some shade of wood.

Always keep some cash in your wallet. Keep change because India still hasn’t reached to full digitalization of currency. Carry cash to avoid unnecessary delays in street shopping.

• Watch

In the modern instant gratfication and use and throw world, it is easy for people to be distracted by the thousands of designs of watches and wear one every year.

But buying our own watch and caring for it, keeping it for our life is something only a real man can do.

So go for a watch that will match your taste. There are many kinds of watches available in the ever changing market that is chasing the trends. From analogue watches, digital watches, sports, utility to smartwatches, there are multiple options available for us.

Still I recommend analogue watches becuase they are simply timeless. With countless designs and extras like chronographs, and various kinds of dials, and different kinds of straps like leather and metal, they will make you look more sophesticated.

So just decide, buy and wear a watch that matches you.

• Handcurchief

Get yourself a large curchief and always keep it in your pocket. They have multiple uses apart from their main use. You can use one to kidnap someone too. Just kidding.

Be sure to keep it clean, irones and folded neatly.

Conclusion

These are just some of the basic fashion tips that I follow. By learning these, you can build on these and create your own unique style. So don’t be hesitant to try new things. Take it easy as failures are just stepping stones to success.

I hope some of these tips helped you. Please do share it if you find this helpful.

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Thank you!