How to be formal without looking ridiculous
In the following lines, we will give you some easy-to-follow, but at the same time effective guidelines, so that you can judge for yourself what is missing or not perfected in your men's wardrobe.
Rule No. 1. Find a good tailor. No matter what or where you buy it, everything needs a personal touch to make your clothes look like they were made just for you.
Rule No. 2. When buying a new suit, there is one rule that you must not miss - first check how it fits on your shoulders.
Rule No. 3. The jacket should fit your hand like a glove. When buttoning it, you should be able to fit your palm between the chest and the jacket itself. If the distance is much more than that, see rule number 1.
Rule No. 4. The tie is in the top 3 of the most important items. A great tie can cover up imperfections in your shirt, suit or accessories. It should fall on the navel and almost touch the belt. Neither below nor above. The color must be darker than the shirt you are wearing. The width should be the same as the lapel of your jacket.
Rule No. 5. Thin lapels are in fashion. Wide ones are considered part of the "old school" and somehow they look nicer.
Rule No. 6. Suit cloths are a great finishing touch for any self-respecting gentleman, but all too often we see the wrong choice for an outfit. The main rule you need to know about them is that they should NOT match the color and the chosen fabric of your tie.
Rule No. 7. Do not exaggerate the area of the sleeves showing under the jacket. About 13 to 15 mm is accepted as an acceptable length. Try to make it match the size of the shirt collar that protrudes from the jacket behind the neck.
Rule #8: Don't wear thick belts with a fancy suit! You'll look more like a cowboy with a cartridge who forgot his holster and gun. The generally accepted way is a thin, simple belt that is in the same color range as the shoes.
Rule No. 9. The shoes. They are a magnet for the attention of a large number of people and it is no coincidence that they are a symbol of high class (when they are selected correctly and maintained). It is precisely for this reason that you will need to invest in a value pair here. Safest, with less chance of screwing up, is to bet on black. Browns can be worn with a suit of the same color, blue, or light gray.
Rule No. 10: Make sure your socks are stretched enough that you don't show leg skin when sitting in a chair and look like an over-the-top nerd or a teenager forced into a costume by your parents for your grandma's birthday.
The white color of the socks is for the gym and for the days when the most official thing that awaits you is watching James Bond on the small screen.
Rule No. 11. When the situation allows you to choose something more comfortable, it would be appropriate to stop at a sports jacket with one button. For formal occasions, two buttons. Leave the third in the 90s.
Rule No. 12. Unbutton your jacket before sitting down. Just don't do it with the button on your pants, no matter how much it will increase your comfort.
Rule No. 13. The top button of the jacket should be at the navel or slightly above. (If a three-button jacket is your choice, then the rule applies to the middle button.)
Rule No. 14. As with jackets and waistcoats, it is recommended that the bottom button remain unbuttoned.
Rule No. 15. Pants should not "spill" over the shoes you have chosen. A more refined and conservative style dictates that the bottom of the jacket covers the top of the shoe and a little of the laces.
Rule No. 16. The tie, or rather the manner in which it is tied. He can distinguish a true gentleman from a not-so-sophisticated copy. Recommended knots are the so-called Windsor or Dimple.
Rule No. 17. Clocks. Variety is a great thing, but when it comes to formal settings and stylish clothing, less is more. Recently, large dials, which sometimes resemble water meters, are very fashionable.
Rule No. 18. Choose a wallet that fits your daily life and preferences. Invest some time in research because wallets are the most overlooked accessories for men, and in fact we use them every day and rarely change them. Remember that if you are wearing a suit, it is unacceptable to take out a sports purse from it.
Rule #19 One really major factor that can affect your self-esteem is how you smell. Even if everything else is perfectly manicured, but you haven't bothered to make sure that the olfactory senses of the people you come into contact with are not assaulted by an unpleasant aroma, then rest assured - you have left a bad impression for a long time... a very long time time!
Rule #20 This is the most important rule. Some of the above rules are indeed binding, but individuality is almost always achieved by, if not breaking, then modifying one of the unwritten laws. Be innovative!
Follow your intuition and trust your taste and to some extent that of your friends. Don't be shy to ask anyone for advice. Fashion is far from the most important thing to go gray for. Many of the great and successful men are more than unforgiving when it comes to their choice of clothing.
Remember, after all, life is too short to always be neat and not have at least one story about how we went to an important event and totally broke the conventional dress code. Make mistakes, sometimes fashion is born from them.