If you thought that women’s fashion is complicated, just think about how hard it is to pinpoint what attire makes a gentleman. A mere century ago, you could have easily spotted a wee-dressed gentleman but nowadays it is hard to define how one should dress like a gentleman.
Luckily, dressing to impress is easier than it might seem at first. A gentleman owns an outfit or a combo for every situation. It is not all about smart suits, tuxedos, and ties, as a real gentleman can be masculine wearing a T-shirt and shorts. It is all in the way you wear, hoe you pair up clothes, and last but not the least, the attention to detail.
Are You Wearing The Shirt In The Correct Fashion?
Donning a shirt might not look like much, just button it and you’re ready to go, right? Well, wrong! A true gentleman knows that the shirt is his staple wear so there are a few details to take care of. Firstly, the tips of the collar should touch the body of the shirt.
Secondly, the cuff on the sleeve should be long enough to cover your wrist-ankle entirely. When you wear the shirt under a jacket, the shirt cuff should protrude enough to be noticeable bellow the sleeve of the jacket. Finally, you shouldn’t fill your wardrobe with shirts of poor quality, as a solid shirt can and should be washed many times over and worn on various occasions.
Undoing The Right Buttons On The Jacket
In colder climates, the jacket is the first thing that people (ladies especially) notice on a gentleman. That’s why it’s useful to know which buttons should be left undone. The general rule, regardless of how many buttons your jacket might have, is to start buttoning from the middle.
For instance, if you own a jacket with three buttons, the bottom and preferable the top button should be done, while the lowest button should be left undone. There is a practical side to this advice because you want your coat or jacket to naturally come in two when you sit for comfort.
Getting The Measurements Of The Suit Right
When it comes to choosing the perfect suit, there is one factor more important than the material, color or texture. Namely, the suit must fit you perfectly, i.e. the measurements should be spot on! The jacket shouldn’t be too big or too small, mainly in the sleeves section. The usual test is to raise the arms above the head and see if the sleeves fall behind the wrists.
If the jacket and the suit, in general, do not fit you perfectly, you will notice this by tension around the seams. The same tactic can be used for trying our shirts, which will be too tight around the chest area and on the joints, like shoulders and elbows. Also, keep track of the length of the jacket, as it often fits you in the shoulder area but be below the waste too much for comfort.
Sneakers, Shoes, and Socks
A far as the footwear of a gentleman is concerned, gentlemen don’t only wear leather shoes, as one might assume. In fact, the range of fashionable footwear goes from thigh-height boots to sneakers, depending on the occasion. However, the footwear of a gentleman is foremost characterized by cleanliness.
Shoes must be polished with proper shoe polish that you should not save on. The goal is to make the shoes as shiny as possible, much like military men polish their boots with a zealot. Shoe care includes cleaning and polishing the shoe and sneakers every second day.
When it comes to socks, their color shouldn’t b tacky. Avoid brightly-colored socks bit do choose the ones that have a modest print on them. In general, the socks ought to match the color of the trousers; not the color of the shoes! This is because they are considered as part of the clothes you wear, and not the footwear. In the end, make sure the socks are long enough so you don’t expose any naked skin.
A Gentleman Exhibits Genuine Care For His Apparel
Although men have the reputation of not caring much for their appearance, a gentleman does give great care about the way he looks. Apart from choosing the right pieces of the garment, gentlemen should ensure that each clothing item is well looked after. This means that a creased shirt is unacceptable or a sweater that has lost its color due to improper washing belongs in the dumpster.
It might seem odd but real men actually pay attention to the clothing symbols their clothes come with. This helps them take better care of clothing items, ensuring they last longer. For instance, if there is a “dry clean only” sign on a tuxedo, a true gentleman will not be tempted to throw it into the washing machine with the rest of the laundry. Washing and ironing your clothes is a must if you wish to be considered a gentleman based on the apparel you wear.
The Perfect Length Of The Trousers
Just like your jacket needs to be of the right length, so do the trousers have to cover half of the shoe at the back. This is the surest way to know that the length of the hoses is just right. If the hoses can swing around the ankles, then there is something wrong with your trousers and you might consider ordering a new pair. An even worst scenario is when your trousers are too short so they resemble a pair of spielhosen or when they are so long you are dragging them across the floor.
Paying Attention To Details
The secret to looking your best lies in the details. Choosing the right-sized suit and ironing your shirt are all insignificant unless you complete your outfit. Adding details to your look is not expensive but has the power to revamp your outfit. A simple pocket square will make you look suaver. Also, a silver or gold tie pin is just what your tie needs to truly shine.
Its Majesty The Tie
Speaking of the tie, it is the sole most masculine detail of every gentleman’s outfit. Because they are easy to take on and off, you can own tens of them for different occasions. On average, a tie costs around 10 dollars so stock up on ties of different shapes, patterns, and colors; they won’t take up any space in your closer.
Of course, all the ties you buy should be top quality. The main reason because of this is the ability to tie a knot. Ties of poorer quality will feel rough to tough and they will be harder to tie into a knot. Top-quality ties, on the other hand (pun intended), will feel softer to touch because the material they are made from will flex easily.
Once you tie a tie, its tip should ideally sit in the middle of the belt. Furthermore, the tie should be tight so there is no gap between it and the collar it goes around. Of course, you should learn to tie a tie on your own but letting a lady do it for you comes with benefits of its own.
As you have seen, dressing like a gentleman is not overly complicated. First and foremost, you need to care about the way you look by wearing clean clothes that are well paired up and tightened up; the rest is in the details.
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