When walking into a business meeting the first thing people notice is your image, what you look like and what you’re dressed like. Your image is your most valuable marketing tool and your wardrobe is one of the most important investments. For men that usually means a suit. However, if two men walk into the same business meeting wearing similar suits, how does one appear more powerful than the other? The answer to that is all in the manly yet elegant details. Here are a few tips to make you look more powerful for your next important business meeting.  Continue reading →

“Looking good isn’t self importance; it’s self respect.” – Charles Hix

For many young men, style and fashion don’t become important to them until after they have graduated college. Once they hit the “grown up” world they realize it’s a good idea to become familiar with style and fashion. Too many young men are starting their professional lives without a clue as to how to dress. Whether we like it or not, we live in an image-centric world where people quickly judge you by what they see. Is your hair neat? Are your clothes tailored? Is that a designer pair of shoes you’re wearing?

In terms of style and fashion, everyone can use a sensei from time to time to help guide them to look their best. For men, the art of dressing isn’t so simple. Though many women will say, “Men have it easy when it comes to clothes. They just have to throw on a T-shirt and jeans,” this isn’t the case. Whether it’s work clothes, play clothes or everything in between, it takes time, effort and a little inspiration to look put-together and effortless. Here are three tips to help you look like a man and not a boy.

1. Style Pyramid – If you’ve always had your mom or girlfriend help you pick out your work clothes because you’re not sure where to start, it’s a good idea to consider using the Style Pyramid. According to the Art of Manliness, it’s a simple three-step rubric: Fit, Fabric and Style. If a piece doesn’t meet all three criteria then you’re better off not wearing it. Here’s a quick rundown.

Fit is at the top of the pyramid. If a garment doesn’t fit well, don’t bother looking at the other two criteria.
Fabric is a crucial consideration. It’s the key in determining the quality of a piece of clothing. If you don’t like the raw material you’re not going to like the finished product, so don’t bother and move on.
Style is about you, your own personal taste and the image you want to present. If it fits and it’s well made, but it doesn’t have the look you want, then it’s not a good idea to buy it. It’s better to find something that not only fits the first two criteria, but that you will also enjoy wearing.

2. Shoes – Whether or not you realize it, your shoes are telling the world a variety of things about you. In a previous blog post, we discussed that a man’s shoes say a lot about him and some people even judge you by your shoes. So it’s a good idea to shell out some cash and get yourself a well-made, classic shoe. A good pair of men’s shoes will last for years and stay looking good without too much maintenance.

3. Ignore Fashion Trends – Mainstream fashion trends change quickly and most young men don’t have the budget to buy new work clothes every few months. It’s a good idea to stay away from pants, shirts and even colors that are trendy or “in” season. Stick to classic clothing staples for the core of your wardrobe and avoid anything that’s cutting edge.

A good tip to leave you with is to never underestimate the power of an iron. The iron is the ultimate tool for looking great in your work clothes. In fact, if you’re not ironing your work clothes, it’s likely you’re not dressing well.

What are your tips to dressing to impress? Let us know!

CLEVERFIT is the world’s first precision fit adjustable collar stay. It’s unique patent pending design provides an innovative solution to end decades of frustration. Click here to contact us and check out our video to more about CLEVERFIT.

Photo Credit: South Granville Live

Did you know men’s shoes could be the key to their soul? Believe it or not, a man’s shoes can be saying a dozen different things about him without him ever uttering a single word. No, we aren’t saying that men’s shoes can actually talk, but we are saying how a man maintains his shoes and which shoes he decides to wear could be a representation of who he is.

A study done by researchers at the University of Kansas and Wellesley College in Massachusetts, which was later published in the Journal of Research in Personality, found that shoes convey a thin but useful slice of information about the wearer. People in the study were shown pictures of men’s shoes and they could usually guess the wearers age, ballpark income and level of agreeability based on his shoes alone. The most surprising thing the study found was that participants were accurate at guessing attachment anxiety just by a man’s shoes! In case you are unfamiliar with attachment anxiety, it is a condition in which a person worries about being separated from a friend or loved one.  Continue reading →

In years past, the black suit was a standard choice for men when trying to figure out what to wear for the day. Today that is no longer the case. Modern men tend to avoid black suits, believing that they are too formal to wear for most occasions. Most men also want to be “comfortable,” which means they want clothes that are easy to wear. However, what’s easier to wear than a matching pair of pants and jacket that look exactly alike? The answer is nothing. A black suit is the easiest thing for men to wear on the job or for play.  Continue reading →

The holidays are here and many of you are scrambling to get your holiday gift ideas set in stone. Shopping for men can be challenging even though many men insist that they aren’t picky about their holiday gifts. But before you go out and buy Dad that new tie, take some time to think about the gift you are giving. No one wants to see that special man in their life open up a present, smile and nod their head as they put the gift aside. So here is a list of seven holiday gift ideas to stay away from.

1. Cologne – Unless you know exactly what brand and scent your man likes, stay away from this holiday gift idea. Scent is a very personal thing. You won’t wear just any kind of perfume and your man will not wear random cologne. It’s also been scientifically proven that when you smell a scent it can bring up memories of a time and place. The last thing you want is to remind them of an ex or a bad experience. So stay away from cologne because it will likely end up unused on their dresser.

2. Ties – Yes, this is a big one. I hate to tell you, but men don’t want ties for Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza. File this under, “boring,” and, “one of the most forgettable holiday gift ideas.” No man is going to get excited about something they have to wear for work. Yes, it’s useful but it’s not the type of gift they are looking forward too.

3. Clothes – Along with ties comes the next holiday gift idea to stay away from: clothes. Unlike most women who love being given clothes and get excited about receiving that new sweater, men usually don’t. It’s also likely you’ll pick something out they won’t wear or that doesn’t fit with their current wardrobe. Plus most men don’t get excited about clothes. If you want a, “WOW!” reaction, stay away from that cute V-neck sweater.

4. Tools – Have you been shopping at Home Depot and thought, “This is a great place for holiday gift ideas for Dad?” Think again! Though many men enjoy their power tools, giving them as a holiday gift is like saying, “Hey, I have a ton of home projects for you to complete and here’s a tool to get started.” Don’t give a gift that really has you in mind and not the person you’re giving it to.

5. Bath/Skin Care Products – Have you ever seen bath products or skin care products on a man’s holiday wish list? No, I haven’t either. So don’t spend any time thinking about giving him the gift of a stress relieving lavender bubble bath because let’s face it, men don’t go crazy for bubbles or facial lotions.

6. Mug – Another holiday gift idea to pass up on is the go-to coffee mug. It’s like saying, “Hey special man in my life, I couldn’t think of anything good to give you so I went with a classic mug to put your coffee in. Aren’t I thoughtful?” The truth is, no you are not. Don’t buy him a mug; instead think about buying him what goes in the mug, like maybe a supply of his favorite drink.

7. Gift Cards/Certificates – Last, but definitely not least on the holiday gift ideas to stay away from for men, is the holiday gift card or gift certificate. Though it is easy, simple and less of a hassle than buying a gift, it gives the impression that you didn’t care enough to buy something he might like.

So listen up this season, step up your holiday gift ideas game and really think about what he might like. Here’s a hint: the more fun it is, the better.

CLEVERFIT is the world’s first precision fit adjustable collar stay. It’s unique patent pending design provides an innovative solution to end decades of frustration. Click here to contact us and check out our video to more about CLEVERFIT.

Photo Credit: toritoons