4 Style Mistakes You Should've Outgrown
Is your timesaving detail cool—or is it weakening your look?
by John Duda
By now, we hope you’ve perfected how to tie a tie, and how to get your suit tailored perfectly. These are details that make or break your outfit—and separate truly stylish men from the beginners. But if you think cutting a few style corners (like the ones we outlined below) improves your look—think again. Opting for the easy details makes a good outfit cheesy. Here’s what not to do.
Pre-tied Bow Tie
Let’s be clear: There’s nothing inherently wrong with wearing a bow tie. But a pre-tied one? They’re just plain lazy. Tying a bow tie isn’t difficult—in fact, you’re actually using the same knot you use to tie your shoes. If you’re getting dressed up enough to wear it, you should also be qualified to tie your own.
Here are some more tips on the coolest ways to pull it off.
Here are some more tips on the coolest ways to pull it off.
Vest With No Suit
Skipping the suit jacket and keeping the vest is not a quick way to look put together; it’s a quick way to tell the world NSYNC is your fashion inspiration. Layering a vest over your dress shirt might feel less constricting than a suit jacket (and therefore a fast way to look stylish) but it’s an amateur approach.
Here’s the rule on vests: If it’s not a three-piece suit, don’t wear one. Wearing just the vest looks sloppy, not stylish. If you don’t want to commit to an entire suit, wear dark blue jeans, a solid T-shirt, and a sport coat. It will create you that undone look you’re trying to convey—without making you look like you’re going to a job interview.
Here’s the rule on vests: If it’s not a three-piece suit, don’t wear one. Wearing just the vest looks sloppy, not stylish. If you don’t want to commit to an entire suit, wear dark blue jeans, a solid T-shirt, and a sport coat. It will create you that undone look you’re trying to convey—without making you look like you’re going to a job interview.
Built-In Pocket Square
Like a pre-tied bow tie, a built-in pocket square is lazy. If you know the right way to fold one, adding one to your outfit should take less than 20 seconds. A built-in one is like elastic waistband jeans—easier, sure. But stylish? Not a chance.
It actually limits you to the specific shirts you can wear with it, too. Either the square is a neutral color, which means your standout accessory is forever bland—or it’s a bold pattern, which means it won’t go with all of your dress shirts. A better bet: Keep a few squares on hand, and learn how to fold it yourself.
It actually limits you to the specific shirts you can wear with it, too. Either the square is a neutral color, which means your standout accessory is forever bland—or it’s a bold pattern, which means it won’t go with all of your dress shirts. A better bet: Keep a few squares on hand, and learn how to fold it yourself.
Overly Distressed Denim
A purposeful amount of rips or distressed areas on your denim are fine. But when it looks like you dragged your pants behind a car, it doesn’t look authentic. So keep the whiskered holes and fringing to a minimum.
Distressed denim works best when you keep the rest of the outfit clean cut. Elevate the laidback pants with a crisp white T-shirt and a bomber jacket.
Distressed denim works best when you keep the rest of the outfit clean cut. Elevate the laidback pants with a crisp white T-shirt and a bomber jacket.
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