Fenton’s dirty dozen gaffes men make in dress, grooming
Q. You wrote recently about replacing shirt cuffs and I was wondering whether that really is an issue. I dress well (others have said as much, not just me) and a number of my best shirts have worn cuffs, which I just fold up or wear a sweater over, or I have them turned into short sleeve shirts so they stay a part of my best looks. These save me money and don’t detract from my appearance.
A. I did mention the option of rolling up the frayed shirt sleeves a turn or two; but realistically that’s a weekend fix, not a professional well-dressed man’s look. There are a few varieties of well-dressed men:
Those who are overly well dressed (or foppish),
Those who are perfectly well dressed,
Those who dress well given something (their income, age, and/or their being quite thin or overweight)
Those who dress well but should know better (that they really should not wear certain items that detract from their looks, or because of a few bad habits, or ignoring some subtleties).
I’m afraid it sounds as if you’re in the third category verging on the fourth. You are far from alone; I’ve seen some of my best clients drop into this group. I have warned them as I’ll warn you of what to look out for/ adjust to in order to move up into Category 2. This is a dozen of the most common (and most noticed) mistakes men make in dress and grooming, I am concerned you may be making the first.
Short-sleeve shirts worn with a suit or blazer. If, when you shorten your sleeves, you wear them with suits as before, that is a mistake, a finished look requires a bit of shirt to show beyond the jacket’s sleeve (about a half inch).
Combinations chosen with no thought to color coordination. Suit, shirt, and tie and shoes and socks should not clash.
Shirt too tight (pulling at the neck — or unbuttoned — under the tie). People change; try the next size!
Shirt collar points too long — over 3 inches — announcing to the world that the shirt is several years old. (Friends may start to wonder whether your business is bad.)
Too-long, too-short, or poorly-knotted tie. A tie should come down to the belt buckle — not below it or above it. A four-inhand knot is preferable to the Windsor knot. (If you strongly prefer the Windsor knot, try the half-Windsor instead of the bulky, and dated, Windsor.) The best knot is small, close to the neck, and has a dimple.
Trousers that are too short. They look best with a slight “break” and with cuffs. (I expect a lot of letters of complaint about that last point.)
Short socks. Wearing to-the-calf or over-the-calf socks ensures that no skin shows when a man sits down.
Not wearing quality clothes. Buy one expensive suit rather than two mediocre ones, one quality shirt (all cotton, not two synthetic blends). A good rule: buy fewer, buy better.
Uncombed hair, or hair in need of a haircut. Outof-date hair styling, such as long or bushy sideburns, is not only unflattering, but suggests that a man is trying too hard to look young.
Dirty and/or untrimmed fingernails — the surest sign of poor grooming — or nibbled nails.
Too much fragrance and/ or no deodorant.
Run-down and unpolished shoes. A man’s shoes tell a great deal about him.
And the one that women most often complain about: Dressing inappropriately for the occasion and/or wearing clothes that do not correspond in dressiness to their partner’s.
Notice that all of these points, except the one about quality clothes, are free. Correcting them costs nothing but attention. Even correcting that one point may cost only a few more dollars, but with more effective — and impressive — results.