A couple weeks ago, my school put on an Etiquette Dinner for the students. Basically, we got all dressed up, ate a 5-course meal, and learned proper etiquette. It was so much fun, and I loved dressing up. But there was a small snag: my roommate was going, and he didn’t have any idea how to dress formally. So before the event, me and one of the other guys in the dorm spent an hour finding him some nice clothes, showing him how to shave, and making sure his outfit was on-point. By the end of the makeover, he looked better than we did!
This really opened my eyes to the fact that most guys really don’t know how to dress nicely. Sure, a t-shirt and jeans works most days, but anything more than that and they’re completely lost. So I’m here to share just a few basic tips on how to dress well.
1. Long-sleeves only!
My roommate tried to convince me that a short-sleeve button-up or a polo was good enough, but trust me: it’s not. If you want to make a good impression, long-sleeve button-ups are the way to go. And don’t try rolling up the sleeves. I know, I think it looks great too, but it’s not professional. Besides, most guys don’t know how to properly roll up their sleeves (because yes, there is a RIGHT and WRONG way to roll sleeves), so just don’t risk it.
2. Match your shoes to your belt
It looks really weird to have two different colored leathers on you, and if the person you’re meeting with is old-fashioned (or even newer-fashioned), they’re going to notice. So brown shoes with a brown belt, or black shoes with a black belt. This is one of the few times you don’t get to mix and match.
3. Know when to wear suspenders or a belt
Many guys don’t realize there actually are rules about when each one is appropriate. Belts should NEVER be worn with a vest; the point of a vest is to be slimming, and a huge (or even moderately small) belt buckle completely defeats that purpose. You can wear suspenders with or without a vest, but never try to wear suspenders AND a belt. Some guys try to do this as a fashion statement, but it just looks silly. The point of both of these is to hold your pants up, so you don’t need to be redundant with it.
4. Long ties, not bow ties
Unless you are wearing a tuxedo, bow ties should NOT be worn to a formal event. (And even then, it should only be a solid black bowtie.) Pick a tie in a similar color scheme to the rest of your outfit, but don’t make it match perfectly with any of your outfit. Instead, try to coordinate one color on your tie to the rest of your outfit. For example, my roommate found a light blue shirt and a navy jacket and pants, so I lent him my blue plaid tie, which had small amounts of both colors. The tie matched both his shirt and jacket very well without being a carbon copy of either.
5. …And no clip-ons either
Clips-ons are for children, period. As a young (or old) adult, you need to learn how to tie a tie. Here is a short video on how to tie a Half-Windsor knot, my favorite kind of knot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5DOU0_w-Kw. Most guys only learn the Four-in-Hand knot, which is very basic. However, the Half-Windsor is more symmetrical and sophisticated, so I suggest going with this one instead. Besides, it’s not all that much harder than a Four-in-Hand. Also, after you tie your tie, the tip of it should be just barely touching your belt. Anything shorter or longer should be redone.
6. Match your jacket to your pants and your pants to your socks
Your jacket and pants should match for obvious reasons. For one, you probably bought them as a suit set. Also, it looks weird if you have a black jacket and navy blue pants (which by the way, chinos and slacks are the ONLY acceptable pants choices; no khakis, no jeans, no cargo pants). The pants and socks one might be a bit of a surprise though. You know when you sit down and your pants come up from your ankle a bit? Well, your socks are supposed to hide this effect, which is hard to do if your pants are black and your socks are white. If you tried matching your socks to your shoes instead though, that looks even weirder because it looks like your shoes just magically became boots. So match your socks to your pants to save you from either of these weird phenomena.
7. How many buttons do you secure? Which ones? And when?
On a vest, you can button as many as you want as long as the middle one is secure and the bottom one is not. If you secure the bottom button, every time you sit you’ll get a weird bulge on your crotch. That’s really awkward and unflattering. So leave that one open and at least secure the middle one or two so the vest is somewhat closed. As for jackets: for two buttons, secure the top one only (for the same reason as vests), and for three buttons, secure the top two only. Don’t ask why with this tip; it’s just how it’s been done for ages. Also, when you sit, unbutton all the buttons, and re-secure them when you stand back up. If you leave them buttoned when you sit, it gives you the same awkward bulge you get if you button the bottom of a vest. So just trust me and go through the minor inconvenience of buttoning and unbuttoning. (Note: you don’t have to unbutton vests when you sit, only jackets.)
8. Accessorize!
This is a bit of a bonus tip, but there are tons of ways to accessorize a suit. Clip your tie to your shirt with a tie bar placed where your pecs meet your stomach. Wear a pin in the little pin slot on the left lapel of your jacket. Fold a pocket square or handkerchief (because there is a difference) and place it in your jacket pocket. You can even try mixing contrasting colors or patterns, but I suggest saving that for after you’ve mastered the other tips above.
I know this all seems like a lot of work, and maybe it is. But if you follow these tips, your outfit will be on point! And trust me, women – and men (I’m not judging) – love a well-dressed man. So just try my tips out, and if you don’t get plenty of compliments...I suppose you can just ignore me and dress however you want. (Though I wouldn't advise it.)
