Something else I’ve had to look up: how to convincingly dress like a grownup. (By which I mean less casual than t-shirts and jeans, work-appropriate, flattering, not looking like I just stepped out of a sci-fi movie or an art school.) There are some sites for female style advice I’ve found interesting and helpful (and edited to remove one I used to like that has gone off the rails).
I’ve found that for men, the style articles at http://artofmanliness.com/category/dress-grooming/ are an excellent resource, the authors of them often go out of the way to explain why particular choices are appropriate for particular situations.
Related to this, I have immense difficulty dressing well and casually. I’m quite adept at dressing smartly, but there’s a nebulous area between “jeans & t-shirt” and “shirt, no tie” where I just can’t seem to figure out how to look stylish.
The secret to that is clothes that are simple and fit well.
So well-fitted dark jeans with shirt, no tie or a nice sweater/cardigan is a good look. Even ‘jeans and a t shirt’ can be a really nice look if the jeans fit you well and the t shirt is something classic like plain white (this also works well with a shirt partly or wholly unbuttoned over the top). There’s also chinos which can work (just don’t get them in too light or bright a colour if you’re not confident about pulling off that look). If you live somewhere cold, peacoats and longer, slightly fitted coats are everywhere right now and they look good.
Advanced level—pick colours that complement your complexion. This is easier to gauge in person, but generally redheads rock green and jewel tones, blonds look good in cold colours and brown-haired guys are more likely to rock warm colours (though there are few people who don’t rock blue). Brown-haired and darker-skinned guys are also a lot better at wearing white without having a tan.
Oh and practically nobody looks good in orange or yellow.
Something else I’ve had to look up: how to convincingly dress like a grownup. (By which I mean less casual than t-shirts and jeans, work-appropriate, flattering, not looking like I just stepped out of a sci-fi movie or an art school.) There are some sites for female style advice I’ve found interesting and helpful (and edited to remove one I used to like that has gone off the rails).
I’ve found that for men, the style articles at http://artofmanliness.com/category/dress-grooming/ are an excellent resource, the authors of them often go out of the way to explain why particular choices are appropriate for particular situations.
Related to this, I have immense difficulty dressing well and casually. I’m quite adept at dressing smartly, but there’s a nebulous area between “jeans & t-shirt” and “shirt, no tie” where I just can’t seem to figure out how to look stylish.
The secret to that is clothes that are simple and fit well.
So well-fitted dark jeans with shirt, no tie or a nice sweater/cardigan is a good look. Even ‘jeans and a t shirt’ can be a really nice look if the jeans fit you well and the t shirt is something classic like plain white (this also works well with a shirt partly or wholly unbuttoned over the top). There’s also chinos which can work (just don’t get them in too light or bright a colour if you’re not confident about pulling off that look). If you live somewhere cold, peacoats and longer, slightly fitted coats are everywhere right now and they look good.
Advanced level—pick colours that complement your complexion. This is easier to gauge in person, but generally redheads rock green and jewel tones, blonds look good in cold colours and brown-haired guys are more likely to rock warm colours (though there are few people who don’t rock blue). Brown-haired and darker-skinned guys are also a lot better at wearing white without having a tan.
Oh and practically nobody looks good in orange or yellow.
There is a decent subreddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/
Thank you so much for this! Dressing well is one of the factors that can increase opportunities of all sorts, and an area I need to work on.