Men want to look good, even great, as long as no one mentions the vile “F-word” – fashion. The standard is usually a matter of who your lady notices. Guys rarely think about it, but you probably notice who your lady keeps swooning over. But he may or may not be, or even make sense as, your role model for style.
Jamie Foxx
When you see actors, artists, or entrepreneurs, or others who command women’s attention – where you just know that “that guy’s got ‘it’” – take their cues. It could be something as simple as noticing their attitude or swagger; ah, but their clothes surely and deftly have a role in that. Half of this can be a matter of shoulders-back posture and of wearing clothes that fit your physique, as they should.
You’re not consciously watching these men; you just notice them, like you do a house’s trim or a car’s lines. When you see something, a jacket, trousers, or something that clicks with your idea of you, then that’s a piece that you want to consider putting into your closet.
One vital, surprise hint: off-the-rack clothes rarely fit your body as they need to, or as your lady will tell you that she wishes they did.
I mean really, if you doubt that women care about how good you look, about how well you’re dressed, just ask. Does a woman cut your hair; does she scan your groceries; does she give you the towels at the gym? Ask her! She may wonder if you’re serious. From her experience, few men care about this.
George Clooney
Who’s your role model: Jamie Foxx, George Clooney, Will Smith, Jeffrey Donovan, or Sam Jackson? (Yes; there are examples outside of acting – too many – I just can’t name them.) Do you want to look cool and contemporary, distinct, and non-corporate? Taking heed of how these men walk around town or on-screen will only help.
Maybe a movie or TV character is cool; I’m “addicted” to watching “Burn Notice;” Michael Weston, the central character, portrayed by Jeffrey Donovan, is just cool. He kills people, often coldly and with extreme prejudice, but he and his clients are sympathetic, like those of “The Equalizer,” the 1980s CBS series. Mr. Weston is like Jason Bourne come to TV, but with style sense.
If your role model is Curtis “50-Cent” Jackson, or Jay-Z, or Jack Black this journal is not for you. I advocate for styles that work in “polite company,” …whatever that is!
Since warmer weather is teasing some of us, this is a great time to start thinking about or reconsider the question of how good you want to look for your lady, or for yourself, or to consider which man’s clothing cues seem right just for you. You might even take this hint from “The Wall Street Journal” about “power jeans.”
Women repeatedly tell me how important it is that their men consider their own clothes; many of them have just stopped bringing i up out of blunt disgust. They’ve also gotten sick of being ignored, as though they’re crazy. Men are anxious about being connected with “F- words,” like fashion, or another one that’s ugly enough for you to guess; if you chuckled, I think you’ve missed the point.
