Basic Style Rules

There aren’t many things in life under your direct control, but the way you dress is one of them. Squeeze every ounce of juice out of it:

The Most Important Rule

• Fit is king. If it doesn’t fit, don’t wear it - return it. You’re investing your money in clothes, so they’d better fit in a flattering way - and they should be comfortable enough to wear a lot. See this guy? That’s how good you can look in a T-Shirt and jeans if you have this stuff nailed down.

Be As Handsome As Possible

• Be in-shape.
• Be fit.
• Don’t be unfit. Do these rules sound familiar? Well, at least these are under your direct control. Consider exercise killing two birds with one stone: you’re getting your health and your style game in check. This guy thinks he’s stylish but his clothes are baggy and even if they weren’t, they’d look bad snugly fitting around his round torso. If they were casting him in a movie, he’d still be the dweeb computer programmer who helps the leading man spy. Don’t be fat.
• If you can’t grow a full beard, shave it all. This is fully under your control. GetSuave is a no-neckbeards club. If I find out that you are a neckbeard, it will result in an immediate ban. Famous violators include Andrew Luck and this dirty-ass dude.
• If you’re balding, shave it all off. Maybe you won’t look like Jason Statham, but you won’t look like this guy either. Look how this guy goes from looking like his unhealthy hair is fighting a losing battle to looking bald-on-purpose. Even if you think you will look better with your sliver of hair, just know that you won’t. It’s far better to have an “intentional,” clean look.
• Get a haircut every two months. Even if you want to grow it out. Simply tell your barber “I’m growing it out, I just want it cleaned up.” Many places offer a discount for such a cut. The point is, even if you want to have long hair, you should never look sloppy. Your hair should always look “on purpose.”

Accessories

• Basics: sunglasses, wristwear (bracelet or watch), maybe something on your neck. Anything more is overdoing it.
• No rings except wedding rings.
• No hats, except maybe at sporting events.
• Unless you work for yourself and are already fit, keep tattoos to an absolute minimum. Tattoos look terrible on fat people.
• Don’t get fancy. Check out how good you can look in a T-shirt and jeans if your fit and choice in clothing is good.

Investing in Clothes

• Get a well-fitting navy blazer (/r/navyblazer for more) and the rest of your wardrobe will fall into place.
• Buy a good leather belt that will actually last: LL Bean, Orion Leather, etc.
• Don’t get fanciful. If you want to stand out, then layer effectively, don’t buy one-dimensional seasonal shirts. Go with mostly solid colors for ease of matching and versatility. You’re not Fashion Guru X; you’re simply a suave man.

Colors and Matching

• Shoes should match belt.
• Avoid pairing brown and black.
• Brown and black can each individually match with blue, however. Consider blue a wardrobe staple.
• Never wear white socks with black shoes.
• Narrow lapel, narrow tie. Thick lapel, thick tie.
• “Dark skies, dark clothes.” Darker clothes hide moisture better.
• Match your pocket square to your shirt, not your tie. There’s a reason this looks good.

Shoes

• No square toes.
• No socks and sandals.
• No socks and shorts; if you must wear socks, use no-shows.
• Brown is king. Brown is versatile and matches most belts.

Fit

• If your pants or shorts can’t stay up without a belt, they don’t fit.
• Tie should hit the middle of your belt buckle when you stand up straight.
• Shoulder seams should align with the edge of your shoulder when standing up straight, not droop down the arms.
• Unless it fits, don’t make it a part of your wardrobe. Go to the store to try it on. Take it to a tailor. Return it online. Just don’t put up with “good enough.”

Basic Style Standards

• Wear collars if you can, even if it’s just a polo shirt. Plenty of exceptions here, including cardigans, sweaters, and even T-shirts in the casualest of casual occasions. Of course, you can always put your sweatshirt over a collar to dress things up.
• No cargo pockets unless you’re camping or fishing.
• Don’t button the bottom button of your blazer. This will make it easy to switch from standing to sitting and back and forth.
• Hold your standard everywhere. The grocery store, mowing the lawn, etc. Except use your head, too: no navy blazers while on the basketball court. Before you go out, take five seconds to ask “do I look like the kind of man I want to be?”
• Take time to properly learn how to lace shoes, tie scarves, etc. A simple YouTube video will have you looking far better.