[Impaler]

... learn to dress well?

I've been dressing rather predictably, lately. Basically, I've worn a black pocket tee, jeans and some chuck taylors every day, for the last four years. You know those silly jokes in movies and TV where you open a guy's closet and he just has the same outfit over and over again? That's me.

At first, I thought I was just sitting at the height of fashion, but it's now dawning on me that the black pocket tees and converse were just the easiest way out of admitting that I have the fashion sense of a prison uniform designer. Now, when I go shopping, I stand there staring blankly at the ranks, hundreds of shirts at my disposal and I can pick, maybe, three.

I don't have any overarching desires to look like I just got off Queer Eye from the Straight Guy, and I'm not looking to set myself up with tons of brand names. I just want to know a few good principles for putting clothes together well enough to look presentable. So far, I've been approaching it like it was 2D design, applying certain criteria to clothing (form, fit, proportion, color, texture), but I'm having trouble executing it.

SUGGESTIONS?
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QED, sort of.

[Giant Hamster]

Well, you already have Black pocket Tee-Shirts. That's good. Shit can go in the pocket. Black looks good. It all works out.

What you're lacking:

1. Shirts

Get a few grey pocket tees of different shades and an slightly muted green pocket tee.

Black button up shortsleeve shirts. Get atleast two plain ones with pockets, maybe another one in a different type of fabric. maybe one with a stripe on it.

Get two black longsleeve tight-fitting type shirts. they can go UNDER the tee-shirts on cold days and look good while doing so. Don't wear them by themselves you'll look like an art fag ballet dancer.

1 "Wow, Zach!" shirt: bright red. Silky sheen.

----

2. Pants

- 1 pair thick pocket-riddled couderoy Khaki pants. "Sideout" brand has some
- 1 pair not-so-thick pocket-riddled green pants. "union bay" brand has some.
- 3 pairs simple black pants. Loose fitting so you don't look like a complete dork. I bet "Dockers" or the aformentioned brands would have them.

- More Jeans. Get different types just so they look different. Two pockets, six pockets, one hundred pockets and detachable legs...doesn't matter. Different. Just grab one from each pile, don't worry too much about them.

----

3. Coats

Get 2 long sleeve black shirts or light coats. The difference being coats have side pockets and shirts don't. Can wear them over other clothing just for looks or by themselves if desired.

[Drunken Monkey]

imo.. best way to learn to dress well is to ask a classy girl you know (if you don't make friends with one) to go shopping with you. Don't ask for help like "Help me learn how to dress, i am a dork.", but rather - "I am going shopping for new shoes, could use some female perspective." (Girls love doing this by the way.)

Anyway... i am a programmer, i used to dress like a bum. Still do. But at least now i got a few nice clothes for a night out.

Or you could just read GQ.. or visit nordstrom.com

[balistic]

I'm finding that browns are pretty flexible. I used to stick mostly to grays, but browns warm things up without getting gaudy. Browns can go really well with grays and blacks, especially this time of year. Mix it with white instead and you're good for summer.

I've got three pairs of old-school New Balance suede sneakers, in blue, tan, and brown. They go pretty well with just about anything short of formal dress, they're super comfortable, and they're only like $45. I get compliments on them all the time. Highly recommended if you're looking for some sneakers that don't look like gym shoes. They're like Chucks except they look good

Pants-wise, I like either thick denim or corduroy. Jeans should ride low, slacks generally shouldn't. I think that black jeans are an affront to all things good and decent.

I made some horrible mistakes when I first started trying things other than Levi's and t-shirts, but I'm slowly figuring it out. Living someplace that isn't in the style stone age helps (lol Utah).

My only remaining dead wood is my pair of Oakleys from 1997. They don't go with anything I wear anymore, but I haven't found any other shades I like yet.
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brian.prince|light.comp.paint

[Awetopsy]

Ill just be totally honest, My wife dresses me.

Most of the clothes I wear I would never have picked out for myself.

I trust my wifes fashion sense completely. (keep that in mind if you are going to take a woman shopping with you, make sure you trust her.)

try buying clothes that you see on other guys and think "why does that look good on him?"

maybe change the hairstyle a bit too. see what happens.

[Gort]

lessee . . .

I'm big on navy, black and dark green pocket tees . . . deep indigo or black jeans . . . for work it's utility shop black sketchers or a brown pair (amke sure the belt matched in color) . . . navy or black vans for the uber casual setup. I do have a comfy pair of new balance runners I use from time to time.

As for yourself go pick up a copy of GQ, Maxum or other like mag. Look at what's hip. Throw the female factor in for feedback. Usually my wife tells me right off what's hot and what's not (euuw!).
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- Tom Carter

"You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf" - Jack Kornfield

[Bandados]

Buy a purple shell suit, they're coming back into style.
swoosh

[Lunatique]

[helltaxi]

gaygloat2k4
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http://www.whitehallstudios.com
http://www.whitehallstudios.blogspot.com

[balistic]

[matter]

trust me, my wardrobe consists of white t-shirts upon more white.. they go with anything. better,. i think after a while, people have gotten sued to it... becomes a 'lack of style'
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Sorry! for any digressive, pompous, or just plain off-topic rants.

[sweetums]

If you want to learn to dress better,
Step #1: Stop considering T-shirts to be acceptable outer wear. T-shirts are undergarments, pocket or no. If you want to upgrade your image from trailer-park to groomed, start off by learning to wear shirts with collars, preferably with some buttons, even if they are polo shirts.
Step #2: Invest in real pants. Jeans are fine for casual, free-spirit dress, but if you want to have any type of respect, get some real pants. Not tacky khaki, or beano-chino, but truly nice either all cotton, or cotton-poly slacks, preferably with front pleats, sized to fit your waist, with your inseam dropping the back bottom of the pants to 1/2 inch from the ground over the heel of your shoes.
You don't have to go "queer guy" to dress decently, but you have to get out of the trailer-trash mentality of baseball caps and t-shirts as standard attire.
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Life is short. Expect nothing, enjoy everything.
That which does not kill you should make you wiser...

[The Big Harf]

Become a nudist.
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Blimey, I'm a Limey

[jinnseng]

The most important thing is to wear what you feel comfortable in. Not just size/style wise, but whether you actually throughly like what you're wearing. An Armani suit is going to look bad on someone that is pulling on their collar like it's going to chew their neck off. And you mentioned you would like to be more presentable. That can have different meanings. Business presentable is different from casual presentable. Business wise, of course you have to dress what your workplace or potential workplace requires. That all depends on dress code. Casual "streetclothes" can be way different. You can go so many ways with this. My view is, if it's clean, and you like it, wear it. That sums up my fashion sense in a nutshell. Whether that goes for anyone else, who knows? Experiement a little at the store, they have fitting rooms right? Don't ask the clerks if something looks good on you though, they just want to sell it no matter what. Take a friend, a girl if possible to help you pick clothes. Just my opinion here.

[Yarik]

Since I do not have a good job to move out of my parents home I still live with them. And as far as dressing goes, I put on anything my
Mom suggests I put on. I, at this age of 18, don�t give a rats ass as to how I look. I am picking up girls just fine with my current wardrobe.
I am not about to change that.

But sometimes when I go to church, I like to look like one of the stars at a Hollywood premier. I have some very nice black dress pants. And
Put on a dark red shirt, with black dress shoes.

[[666]Flat]

get jiggay.

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[rec|use]

I was thinking the same thing of myself however I just got bored of my look and apearance as I generally wear a pear of jeans and a t-shirt day in day out.

Alhough when going out I do look a bit of a flounce, especially when I wear my pink shirt with black trousers and black shoes. I do like my image when I decide to go out though.

My suggestion to you would be to listen to what sweetums had to say
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You've got to be the best, you've got to change the world, and use this chance to be heard, your time is now.

[The Big Harf]

[J.Der]

I consider myself rather fashionable, for a straight guy. I like to buy clothes, and it strains my wallet. I think this stems from my friendships with two of my best friends through high school, both of which were gay. Now it's them following my example alot of the time, which is pretty damn funny to most people I know.

Here's what I can tell you. Keep in mind this is how I buy.

Don't stinge on pants. If you need to spend the cash on a nice pair of jeans, fork it over. This goes especially if you have a specific body type (I'm fairly lanky myself, this is why I mention it) that is hard to shop for. I would say it's more important to buy an expensive pair of jeans than an expensive shirt or pair of shoes. Diesel is a great brand for pants, but the price can be pretty (Check ebay, you can get a nice pair for a lot less than in stores). Check out Levis Skinners, half the price of a more expensive brand but the same, nice cut.

I love black and grey, classiest choice you can make. Black or grey long sleeve shirts and sweaters are the shit, period. Usually I'll wear one of those with a colorful t-shirt underneath, just to 'mix it up'.

Classic ribbed zip-up sweaters are the way to go when you don't want to make an overzealous statement, but you'd also like to be fashionable. They make the torso look good regardless of body type. You can never go wrong with long sleeved shirts as well. Stray away from ugly frills or stupid wrinkles, or stupid painted on prints. Nice, clean lines are where it's at. Look for nice, subtle patterns, not bright contrasting designs. If you feel like mixing it up, go for it. The trick is to build off of classic and timeless fashions, rather than making everything flashy.

As for shoes, there are many routes you can go. Chucks, frankly, are great shoes. But I've also got a pair of black slip on pumas which are great for lounging in. You can't go wrong with Diesel shoes, either. I nice pair of leather ones won't run you that much more than any other shoe (at least when compared to their other clothes), and they have nice looking models. Granted, these might be your cup of tea simply on the basis of them possibly being to 'geno' (IE: Italian prep).

The trick, really, is to be fashionable, not trendy. Trendy will get you a wardrobe you'll be replacing in 6 months. Trendy makes your sexuality questionable. Guys don't need that. Classics are where it's at. Alot of the time, with guys, the trick to clothing is not to be overly fashionable, but not look like a bum, either. It's about balance.

If ever you're in Quebec, find a Simons. It's my favorite store of all time. A huge clothing store for men and women. In terms of what clothes they carry, it runs the entire gamut. They cater to any style and they have prices ranged from very reasonable to very expensive. Their in-house brand is absolutely great and well priced. Nothing even compares to the selection they have there.

[Frode]

Try buying second-hand clothes, they cost a lot less.
Go for dark colours or black. Buy some t-shirt, longsleves and sweaters with zippers and possibly a hood.
Combine them.

For trousers, go for black.
For socks... NO WHITE

[Misc]

get a gym card. A good looking body fits in anything.. and nothing

[stacy]

Dress like this now.

When the fuels have run out,
not long from now,
and the damned World Federalists
have shut down all hydroelectric
and seized and Federalized
all forest land you will be dressing
like this again.

If you don't dress like this now,
then you will eventually.



Prost!

[ExonGep]

Wearing different stuff is always welcome. The other day i bought a pink shirt because it was the only color i didn't have. Now i look preety with a cherry on the top
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Keep Walking

[Nilwort]

And what is the true meaning of this story? Remember kids, it's not the magical clothes that granted you amazing super powers to thwart evil and impress the ladies...

The power was in you all along!


*floats off muttering something about candy and leprechauns*