[cardguy]

With the internet - there is no reason why every item of clothing you wear shouldn't be unique and kick ass. That is the standard you have to aim for.

The high street is lagging way behind what they should be offering - when it comes to men's fashion. There is cool stuff out there - so it is still worth looking. And it is a great way to get ideas and randomly stumble across nice clothes.

But you should never settle.

If what you see in the shops is not amazing - then look on the internet instead. This is 2014 - the internet is your best friend. And there is no reason to settle ever again.

[cardguy]

I think my brother got his boots abroad. Again - one of the best things about going abroad is finding that unusual shit which you cannot get back home.

I was in Poland and got this cool as fuck red leather bag. Again - I had people stop me all over the place about it. And I told them all that you could only get them in Poland.

The company that made them eventually expanded into the UK - but by then they stopped making the particular style of bag I had.

Plus - abroad is much cheaper than the UK. I paid about 40 quid for my bag in Poland - and when the company expanded into the UK - they started charging 80 quid for bags which were not even as good as the one I bought.

My Zapatista T shirt. A chunky white sweater I had once. My leather bag. My ripped blue jeans (with the neon yellow fadings). My weird brown moleskin jacket I got in a charity shop. I got stopped multiple times by men and women when I was rocking that shit. And in each case - it was love at first sight. As soon as I saw the item of clothing I knew it would be fucking amazing. With everything else I ever wore - I never got stopped once. And I never expected to...

So - don't stop looking until you literally fall in love with the shit you have found. It used to be so hard to find cool shit. But I am guessing the shops have improved over the past 15 years. And you have the world wide web at your fingertips. It is so much easier now to find cool shit.

I just wish I wasn't so ugly. It pisses me off when I see decent looking guys rocking around in shit clothes. Or even worse - bland clothes...

If I had a week with them I could get them laid like porn stars.

[RexImperator]

Are crew neck T's really that bad? What if they are a color, like black?

[cardguy]

I always preferred V neck T Shirts - but it is just a bonus. It isn't a deal breaker as long as the T Shirt is rocking it in other ways.

I am not sure why V neck T shirts look better? Maybe it is because children tend to where crew neck T shirts? So - you rock more of an adult look by wearing V neck T shirts?

[WestIndianArchie]

These guys above me are really are advocating business gear @ a dance club?

Are you really trying to look like this?



It can work for you, you just have to commit. Cause you're going to stand out and fit it in at the same time.

Skinny is fine. So is muscular.
Fat or Pudgy are not.

*goes to gym*

If that's not your steez, the main thing missing in the pictures you have posted is COLOR. All your stuff looks drab and muted. If you want to look washed out because your environment is grey, spice up your everyday gear with one piece that's bright as fuck. Most guys go for the shirt, but pastel trousers are a good move in the summer.



Peruse this site, most of these guys fit your build.

http://richkidsofinstagram.tumblr.com/

WIA

[metalhaze]

If I can add my 2 cents. you tend to focus too much on jeans. try to get some dress pants and dress shoes.

I actually stopped wearing jeans at all...unless am doing a super casual activity.

[cardguy]

Try and pick a celebrity who has a similar body type to you - and use them as an inspiration.

It is important for guys to figure out which 'cool' archetype they can best fit.

Woody Allen made being a skinny short intellectual sexy.

Dustin Hoffman made being a neurotic short guy sexy.

For me - I'm a fat fuck. So if I wanna' look good - I would take inspiration from Jack Black and Zach Galifinakis. It is ironic - I can often look cooler than my younger brother (who works out a lot). Since I am rocking a look which is cool - and he is stuck in a no man's land with no celebrity to base his image or look on...

Chicks pick up on these associations.

[rudebwoy]

Some of the advice I totally disagree on.

You are young and you dress like most young guys in the western world.

How tall are you?
What is your budget?

The first thing I would recommend is getting a solid pair of shoes, a good brogue can be worn casual and dressy.

http://www.loake.co.uk/loake-1880/brogue.html - the shoe in the main pic. I own a similar pair and wear these all the time. This shoe would add a lot to the blue button down shirt outfit your wearing.
I realize they are expensive but you can get cheaper variations at Aldo or even Office shoes.
The blue button down shirt looks a lot better than the other outfits you are wearing, have you considered trying other colours. Pink might be alright on you and no it ain't gay. White and yellow will drown you out, as you seem to be pale.

Someone suggested wearing chino's instead of jeans, they also work well with denim shirts. I rock Levi's denim shirts from time to time.

[Kieran]

V necks are nice, but I don't have a problem with crew neck t shirts. I agree that typical basic crew necks are pretty shit, but the 50s style ones with cropped sleeves a la James Dean beat v necks for me with jeans and boots.

[Solus]

Lots of solid advice in this thread.

Your first priority should be building some mass, frankly. A strong physique with masculine body language will be more influential on the way women perceive you than any changes you can make to your wardrobe for now.

[JWLZG]

OP - I'm a number of years older than you and I think at your age you're still experimenting/developing your style. Well done for working on it.

I personally find T-shirts to be a pain in the arse insofar as their trends change all the time. Having said that, you have heaps of cheap options at Zara, Topman, Asos and the like.

Have at least a couple of plain T-shirts on hand, in visually-pleasing colours such as green or violet-blue. Look for Henley shirts in addition to simple crew- or V-necks. I haven't tried this yet but band T-shirts can actually work for you if it's not something that's a) done to death (i.e. Ramones, Johnny Cash) or b) hit-and-miss (Eminem, 1D). If it's something timeless (Pink Floyd) or indie (Sonic Youth) you'll get positive attention for it depending on the crowd you're trying to pull.

My T-shirt look these days is bit more minimalist but bold like cardguy's Zapatista design. My current favourite is a No Pasarán design:

I personally prefer button-down shirts over T-shirts for the above reason though unless I'm layering up. I like your denim shirt and again, aim for designs that set you apart and doesn't look like you got it from M&S.

Checks are all right if they're smaller and a bit more minimal -- I prefer the gingham check myself. Also look for shirts with a very subtle stripe. Think hairline or pin stripes without too much contrast:


Fit is as essential as the actual pattern but that applies to all clothing.

Something that has been much overlooked on this thread is jumpers.

When you've gained a bit of bulk, go for plain, form-fitting knits like these:

Jacked, well-off guys tend to rock this look -- especially as a shallow V-neck and over a T-shirt.

With your build I'd go for something a bit more chunky though. Look for cardigans.
I'm probably going to get eaten alive for saying this but I've had a soft spot for hipster-y jumpers for some time. I'm referring to patchwork, Fair Isle or Aztec patterns like this:


I've gotten a number of compliments on campus wearing something like that so girls dig it. I know some of you might its gay but the trick is to wears patterns that aren't too busy and obviously don't wear them going out.

If it's really not your thing, stick to a more conservative pattern like an Argyll with more of a contrast than the following:


With shoes, I'd look for something that grabs attention -- I have a pair of London Adidas shoes exactly like these:


And get a pair of solid boots for winter. Eventually you'll want a pair of slimmer, dressier ones and a pair that's chunkier, more casual. I especially like Chelsea boots because they're less busy. If you can happen a pair of R.M. Williams, get those. Depending on the colour, they're smart and you can wear them with quite literally anything.


You're on the right track with jeans. Echoing what the others have said about hard denim, I'd also consider different colours. Burgundy is something I've gotten into but not everyone can get away with them.
Experiment with chinos of different shades (my little brother has a pair in mustard) but only wear those in spring/summer.

[Deluge]

I'm willing to bet OP is no older than early 20's... Some of the guys giving advice in this thread are decades older and dishing advice based on that mindset, some of it just isn't appropriate to the OP based on what I can glean about his age and personality based off his pics.

OP your style is pretty standard for a young guy. There is however a lot to improve on ofc, too much to cover in one post so I'll just give a few basic suggestions for now. You're going to want to spend time on various style blogs and forums etc. to educate yourself and keep in mind it's best to take things slow when upgrading one's wardrobe. You don't want to be wearing a heap of new stuff you haven't grown accustom to yet or it'll feel like a costume.

Start off by phasing out your shoes. Nice shoes are extremely important, and the first thing girls look at and judge you on. The easiest way for a girl to judge how cool a guy is is to look at his shoes, it really is a pretty damn good indicator.

Hands down the best upgrade for a guy like you is a pair of desert boots. Any guy can pull them off, they're extremely versatile and a great way for newbies to dressing well to dip their toes into wearing nice shoes. Go out and buy a pair of Clarks in brown, grey or beige, with the exact same clothes in your pics a pair of those boots will take you from looking like an average young guy to someone who knows what he's doing with his style. I guarantee you will thank me later.





I don't agree with JWLZG's shoe advice, you're going to want to step up from trainers and I don't think Chelsea boots are congruent for you at this stage based off your pics.

I can tell your pants are cheap, not the best quality. Good quality denim is worth the price, even if it's just a pair of slim cut Levi's, after getting a couple pairs of nice shoes go upgrade your pants. Get rid of those light blue jeans you have. Blue jeans should only ever be worn in dark blue. The staples of men's street wear are shoes and pants, focus on getting them in order first before turning your attention to tee's and shirts.

I'd recommend you get a solid, relatively formally cut pea or duffle coat for those British winters. Also, google Masculine Style, he has a lot of good posts on style for young guys.

[nogamenick]

I think OP's style is ok.. His choice in clothing anyway. Some decent shoes would help lot for sure but the biggest part of it is how the clothes fit. Maybe you should start hitting the gym. Get some tighter fitting blazers, shirts and jackets. The one's in your pictures look like they might have been hand-me-downs. But seriously: start putting on mass. Pretty much everything will look better on you

[TheFinalEpic]

(06-02-2014 08:54 AM)Deluge Wrote:  

I'm willing to bet OP is no older than early 20's... Some of the guys giving advice in this thread are decades older and dishing advice based on that mindset, some of it just isn't appropriate to the OP based on what I can glean about his age and personality based off his pics.

OP your style is pretty standard for a young guy. There is however a lot to improve on ofc, too much to cover in one post so I'll just give a few basic suggestions for now. You're going to want to spend time on various style blogs and forums etc. to educate yourself and keep in mind it's best to take things slow when upgrading one's wardrobe. You don't want to be wearing a heap of new stuff you haven't grown accustom to yet or it'll feel like a costume.

Start off by phasing out your shoes. Nice shoes are extremely important, and the first thing girls look at and judge you on. The easiest way for a girl to judge how cool a guy is is to look at his shoes, it really is a pretty damn good indicator.

Hands down the best upgrade for a guy like you is a pair of desert boots. Any guy can pull them off, they're extremely versatile and a great way for newbies to dressing well to dip their toes into wearing nice shoes. Go out and buy a pair of Clarks in brown, grey or beige, with the exact same clothes in your pics a pair of those boots will take you from looking like an average young guy to someone who knows what he's doing with his style. I guarantee you will thank me later.





I don't agree with JWLZG's shoe advice, you're going to want to step up from trainers and I don't think Chelsea boots are congruent for you at this stage based off your pics.

I can tell your pants are cheap, not the best quality. Good quality denim is worth the price, even if it's just a pair of slim cut Levi's, after getting a couple pairs of nice shoes go upgrade your pants. Get rid of those light blue jeans you have. Blue jeans should only ever be worn in dark blue. The staples of men's street wear are shoes and pants, focus on getting them in order first before turning your attention to tee's and shirts.

I'd recommend you get a solid, relatively formally cut pea or duffle coat for those British winters. Also, google Masculine Style, he has a lot of good posts on style for young guys.

What brand are the shoes in the second picture? Cause those are definitely not Clarks; if they are, they've truly stepped their game up.

[LeightonBlackstock]

I'm 23 years old. I'm also skinny and am 6 foot 1 or 2.

My suggestions:

First of all: Throw away all your t-shirts. Skinny guys should never wear them. They only add something to your appearance if you've got muscles to match with them.

As you're in a cold country. I'd say a blue pea coat blasted open is pretty cool. I used to have one in Korea and swore buy it. (Red/Light blue if you really wanna show off. Just make sure it FITS and has a good collar to blast open)

Add a shirt to it. A checkered shirt with 'small check's usually looks good on a skinny dude. My recommendation is to do the top button up. Keeps things tighter at the abdomen. Opening it up merely exposes your xylophone ribs.

Open your top button if your big. Do it up if your not.



As for shirts. I maintain the actual shirt pattern/colour isn't THAT important. It's the FIT that really matters.

Here's a quick trick I use to see if a shirt fits. Clasp as much of the shirt as you can behind your back with flat, prayer-like hands. If it comes out further than the hand, it's too big. Ideally it should be around the 2nd or 3rd finger.

My shirts vary from mega-hipster to seemingly boring. But when they're on they usually look good because they FIT.



Skinny Jeans. Now before everyone recoils. There are three things to consider: The crotch, the ripple and the 'taper' around the feet.

The crotch should be LOW (let your balls breathe). There should be significant ripple at the knee, and there should be NO flare-age at the foot. You don't want to look like John Travolta, or have horrible bunching.

The aim is to form an upside-down triangle and accentuate the width of your abdomen. (Or trick people into thinking you have a wide one)

You continue that triangle from your chest, and you gently stuff it into the top of your shoes. Baggy jeans make skinny guys look tiny (and dorky, mind).

In terms of colour: Black, grey, beige or brown. Just as long as they fit. Or white. White looks boss.



Now. If you're wearing more than one layer at the abdomen. You have the green light to wear boots/high-tops or something. As you won't make yourself 'bottom-heavy'.

High-top Converse are my recommendation. It's so hard to go wrong with them. If you're worried about choosing the right stuff. Just grab a pair of white or red converse. They go with fucking everything. Plus they're a piss cheap way of practically having boots.

If it's a hot day (of course it won't be as Britain), you'll have one layer at the abdomen (a fitted shirt). Hence boots/high-tops will make you very 'bottom-heavy' and 'oblong' in shape.

In which case, make yourself light on your feet to bring back that 'upside-down triangle which accentuates your abdomen width.

Low-top converse or boat shoes are my recommendation. You can take away the socks. And you can also roll up your pants. Makes you lighter on your feet and gets the triangle back.

[Cattle Rustler]

I LOL'd at the image about the jeans being gay or not.

That's some good stuff right there.

[OMYG]

I just say start getting fitted clothing, your tops like shirts and jacket look way too big for your frame you want to give the illusion that you fill up your shirts at least. That or hit the gym. I really like the mossimo supply clothing I find it at target and the price is reasonable.

I don't see whats the big deal with crew necks. I get that vnecks accentuate your chest and give a more relaxed vibe I feel as if crew necks are also a worthwhile investment, I rock them myself and im starting to prefer them over vencks.

What im trying to say is just decide what you feel most comfortable in, if you try vnecks and you arent feeling it, crew necks arent going to shut and dry up a vagina.

[Ray Carlton]

First of all, I don't think the style of the OP is that bad. There are a lot of guys out there who don't dress that nice. However, there is always space for improvement. Therefore I don't see the point in suggestion a total different style for the OP, at the end the style has to fit the OP and his personal style. The pictures gave us an impression of his personal style.

In my opinion, I would change the following items (in order of the pictures:

1. I don't like the T-Shirt. I am not that fond of T-Shirts in general and would exchange it for a Polo Shirt. A Polo Shirt is still casual, however it has much more style in my opinion than a plain T-Shirt.

Furthermore, I don't really get the shoes, they look kind of dirty to me. If you want to go for a casual style, some sneakers will do.

2. I get the feeling that your shirt is too long, the same is true for the first shirt as well. Are you sure that the shirt has the right size or could you wear a smaller size as well?

Again, I don't like the shoes. Maybe something more colorful, an eye catcher would could work here.

3. I like the shirt. However when i take a look at the shoulders I get the feeling that it could be a little bit too big. Try another size or another brand that fits you better. There are several brands which offer casual fit, or slim fit sizes which fit skinnier guys better.

In addition, the white T-Shirt is a no-go. Get rid of the white T-Shirt under your shirt and open an additional button.

4. I think it looks cool for a young guy. Sure, it wouldn't recommend it for guys over 20, over under 20, it looks cool.

5. Again, it's the fitting. The shoulders are definitely to low. The jeans are nice. I think they look much better than the first pair.


So when I go through my list I realize the following:

• You have to work on the fitting. Most of your items look to big to me, especially in the shoulders. However the jeans could also fit better. Try another size or another brand which fits you better.
• I am not a fan of T-Shirts, how about Polo Shirts?
• Shoes should be clean. Dress shoes are not an alternative for you, however you should take a look at the Loake Leamington or boat shoes.
• You could bring some colors into your style with chinos. Jeans are a good choice as a staple. However chinos are a staple as well.
  

[Cyr]

Deluge, I'm looking forward to your style for young guys data sheet.

[rudebwoy]

Deluge advice is solid and pretty much what I said,the desert boots in brown and blue are a good look. The tan Clark's look cheap but is still a decent brand.
Get yourself a pair of brogues, trust me. The better the quality the longer they will last.
The pea coat is a basic staple.
Try and stick to classic pieces instead of fashionable trendy items.
Anybody that says colour doesn't matter does not know what they are talking about.
Yes I am probably "decades" older than you but that gives me experience.

[cardguy]

Man - I still feel you need a unique flourish when it comes to clothes.

You gotta' stand out just a little.

It is mostly good looking people and celebrities who get away with wearing classic clothes that are smart but not that individualistic.

That is my take anyway.

Skinny dudes get a bad rep from chicks since women picture them as dorks who still get asked for ID. As such - you wanna' try and brand yourself in a way which makes you seem interesting.

My brother's social circle consists of guys like the OP. And they are all very smart when they go out - and I always feel they should try and mix it up a bit. But that is just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

[Deluge]

(06-02-2014 10:48 AM)TheFinalEpic Wrote:  

What brand are the shoes in the second picture? Cause those are definitely not Clarks; if they are, they've truly stepped their game up.

The first pic are Clarks. The second are Harwood Chukka boots.

(06-02-2014 04:55 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  

Yes I am probably "decades" older than you but that gives me experience.

I was actually thinking about cardguy when I said that I got nothing but love and respect for older members and I hear you're a pretty cool guy rudebwoy but when a 20 something is asking for style advice he deserves to know if some of the advice is coming from dudes in their 50's or older.

(06-02-2014 11:19 AM)LeightonBlackstock Wrote:  

Add a shirt to it. A checkered shirt with 'small check's usually looks good on a skinny dude. My recommendation is to do the top button up. Keeps things tighter at the abdomen. Opening it up merely exposes your xylophone ribs.

Open your top button if your big. Do it up if your not.

I'm literally wearing that same exact shirt right now under my peacoat (it's winter here) as I type this

As for buttoning shirts, never leave only the top button undone, it doesn't frame the face properly and draws the eye to the neck rather then the face. Leaving only one button undone is one of the most common style mistakes I see everyday. Either go full hipster and button them all the way to the top, or leave two buttons undone.

(06-02-2014 11:19 AM)LeightonBlackstock Wrote:  

Low-top converse or boat shoes are my recommendation. You can take away the socks. And you can also roll up your pants. Makes you lighter on your feet and gets the triangle back.

No no don't tell him to buy converse, everybody has a pair. They're just generic. If you must get Converse, buy some Supra or Vans Sk8's instead, but really you should be going more formal then that.

Boat shoes are great but the ones you pictured are ugly. OP if you're interested in boat shoes definitely get a pair of Sperry Topsiders. Brown or navy are best but by all means feel free to experiment. When it comes to boat shoes, always buy them in leather and always wear them sockless. I have the pair on the left.

[DVY]

listen to leighton. Cat knows what hes talking about for a 20yr old dude. Another thing is to add color ala WIA