As the title said, I want to start dressing better but don’t know where to start, so any articles/links/books that you could provide about the basic is much appreciated.
Updated:
Thanks you everyone for the great advices so far! :meow-bounce:
Here some more info about me: Current everyday outfit is just the bare minimum of a t-shirt and a jean. Live in a hot climate, I also tends to sweat . In my early 20, asian, 5’8, 145 lbs, not exactly chubby but close to it, relatively wide shoulder. And like a commenter below say, my goal right now is just to:
get the basics down and look like Generic Well Dressed Guy #53, can start thinking about personalizing it with my flair later
2nd Update: Just want to express how thankful I am of everyone here, putting in so much effort in their replies :meow-hug: .
wear whatever you want it doesn’t really matter people will learn to deal with it
I hope it’s okay with you, but I wanted to leave another comment more tailored to your specific needs and leave my previous comment up for anyone who needs it. Judging from your “bare minimum of t-shirts and a jeans” note, I think an excellent place for you to start are some easy alternatives.
Let’s start with addressing you living in a warmer climate. Are you a fan of linen? I have a few linen shirts and they are super breathable and look great. Especially if you sweat a decent bit, I would recommend adding some linen trousers and wearing them much more often as opposed to jeans since they aren’t that good with absorbing sweat. If you’re in the market for some undergarments by any chance, you might be interested in Uniqlo AIRism boxers/boxer briefs. If you want a great type of shoe to look effortlessly cool in warm climates, then espradilles have you covered.
If you’re 5’8 and close to chubby, but have relatively wide shoulders, your best best is to use clothes to balance things out. It seems like you’ll fare best stretching your silhouette. Vertical stripes on tops are perfect for this, and here is a good fashionbeans article to discuss this, to aid with this, I would recommend v-neck tees to help create the illusion of a more stretched out silhouette. I mentioned linen trousers earlier but I will drop them again, they will be full-length and will help you look longer. Alternatively, you might want to make use of sunglasses in a way to point people’s attention to your head, creating an illusion of height. Conversely, you might be better off forgoing a belt for this very reason.
You might like Ashley Weston, she’s a menswear stylist from California so she knows a lot about dressing for warmer climates.
Again from my OG post: Fit is king, here are some fit guides
Hopefully these tips are a bit more specific to your goals. :cat-vibing:
Can’t thank you enough for this and your other comment, putting in so much effort, much appreciated :penguin-love:
I have checked out Ashley Weston website and a few of her videos/articles since another person has also mentioned her and it looks very useful, I’m sure I will make great use of it.
Your advice about dressing to lengthening my silhouette to balance my body is something I never think of for sure since I have above average height where I live (Asian country). Will keep it in mind when choosing my outfit from now on!
Boots, knee socks, basketball shorts, t-shirt, hoody :large-adult-son:
No but seriously, learn basic color theory look at the wheel, see what works together and what clashes, keep a healthy stable of neutral colors to build on as well
Make sure you go for a proper fit too. Don’t go for “athletic fit” if you don’t have the athletic fit :thicc-trump:, not because it looks bad (it’s usually not flattering) but because it can literally cause you discomfort and even pain if you’re twisted into the wrong position by your clothes for too long. Try on different fits from different companies, don’t trust size labels. I’ve noticed brands getting sloppier and sloppier in their measurements over the years.
A well-fitting button-down that can be worn tucked in or untucked makes most guys look good. Having multiple pairs of shoes to rotate through can make them last much longer. Having shoes specifically for exercising will ensure they wear in a manner consistent with the thing you do for exercise. A nice pair of black dress shoes goes well with black, blue, charcoal, or even khaki colored pants. If you’re wearing suit and tie, try to have a little bit of contrast. Wear a charcoal shirt with a black tie, red tie on black, that sort of thing. A matching pocket square helps make you look nice for the inevitable friend weddings that will populate your twenties.
As far as I can tell, it’s probably prudent to avoid all manner of weird hats in your twenties. As you get older you can start getting away with Kangols and stuff. It makes you look eccentric if you’re dressed down and don’t overdo it with the hat. When you’re young people might think you’re trying too hard. But depending on the rest of your wardrobe, you can try pulling it off. Ask for advice from your friends. Don’t be afraid to get some tips.
Also don’t feel obligated to dress up if you’re just going out to target and throwing things into a basket and showing them to a robot before scrambling out like a mischevous goblin, having spoken to no man or woman living. I’ve seen how the zoomers dress these days. Pajama pants aren’t a big deal. Pandemic made everyone stop giving a fuck I think. I don’t know. I’ve never been super good at hip cool kid fashion :grillman:
Last but not least do read the care labels, it makes a difference. I usually just wash everything in cold water to be safe, it usually does the job. Get a sports detergent to soak your sweat-stained clothes in before washing them as well, they’ll last longer and look and smell and feel a lot better.
military fatigues + beret or greek fisherman’s hat
cargo shorts and a triforce t gets me wet as fuck
