Men’s formalwear is plagued by what seems to be arbitrary and foolish rules formulated in a bygone era. The advent of the internet changed things. Men from every social class had ready access to a world of collected sartorial knowledge. Suddenly men could tie a Windsor knot, ditch the socks with chinos in the summer, and stop completely buttoning their suit jackets. Unfortunately, unfettered access to this information had an unintended effect, and well-dressed men began to resemble photocopies of each other.
The GQ style guru Glenn O’Brien once wrote, “Style doesn’t have rules the way that golf has rules. It has principles based on aesthetics.” The journey to develop these principles can take time and introspection. This blog’s goal is to assist you in finding your personal style.
Find A North Star
We love to dress well, and it’s no secret. We chose to pursue image consulting because we wanted to empower people to be confident in expressing their authentic selves. Yet nothing is created in a vacuum. The first question many men should ask themselves when developing a personal style should be, “Who do I want to look like?” Determining an aesthetic goal is not simply copying a person’s wardrobe verbatim. Instead, one should look to identify critical components and themes that resonate with them.
Many men use the Daniel Craig era of James Bond to be the aesthetic they are trying to achieve. It can be easy to find ready-to-wear versions of his suits, but the result will make every day look like a costume party. Instead, consider a classic Daniel Craig Bond suit: slim fit, conservative, neutral colors, and medium lapel widths. A gentleman after Bond’s heart would do well to focus their wardrobe on suits with classic construction, earth-toned color palettes, and modern fits. Once you have broadly determined what you want to achieve, it is time to consider your unique characteristics and lifestyle needs. Here is a blog entry on selecting the correct color pallet for your features.
Learn The Rules, Then Break Them
Shoes and belts should be the same shade, socks must match your trousers, and never wear black and navy blue. These rules refer to how to dress in a way that will not be embarrassing. Essentially they are teaching you how to not stand out for the wrong reason. Our image speaks for us, and we must be deliberate about our message. Hard and fast rules are suitable for men who are either new to dressing professionally and those who don’t want to think about their appearance. But the truth is style rules can be broken if you do it intentionally.
A prevalent tuxedo trend has been midnight blue jacket fabric with black velvet used for the shall lapel fabric. This clash of colors requires the viewer to take an extra second to recognize the dissonance. Much like a blues or jazz musician who might hang on the “wrong notes.” If there is any time in a man’s life when he might want more attention, it’s when he is wearing a tuxedo. Use style conventions to your advantage.
Context Is King
When getting dressed in the morning, take a moment to think about your day. Keep in mind what others maybe be wearing and dress intentionally. In more relaxed settings like some offices and social events, we have much more liberty to break conventions and stretch our style. You can wear more sentimental, comfortable, and personal articles of clothing to denote how you wish to be perceived.
Black tie events limit some of our choices, but there are still places to shine. The president often wears an American flag pin. A professor of paleontology just purchased a pair of dinosaur skull cufflinks the other day. We made a tuxedo with wine barrels in the lining for the owner of a vineyard. Dressing to the nines doesn’t mean you have to look exactly like the other nine guys in the room.
Conclusion
Finding your style can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. That’s where having a certified image consultant comes in handy. If you have any further questions or would like to get the custom clothing process started, Contact Us, call 215-310-0219 or email us at info@henrydavidsen.com.
