IT’S A LEFT-EAR Piercing or nada

THE ADAGE GOES THAT if you GET your RIGHT EAR PIERCED, THEN you’re GAY. not only is THIS Rule Homophobic, BUT IT’S Also Stupid. if THE STYLE Rule Book HAD A DELETE Button, WE’D BE using it. oh, WAIT, JUST did.

your shoes shall match your Belt

Sure, a tan belt worn with black shoes will look the business, but team a woven brown leather belt with a pair of jute espadrilles and you’ll be summer insouciance incarnate. Likewise, a chestnut leather belt worn with some sandy suede monk straps will look nothing but slick.

‘White socks are for sport’

Why? You do you.

no Brown in town

The idea that brown shoes shouldn’t be worn with blue suits in the city still pervades in some industries and is, generally speaking, a load of kak. OK, an electric-blue suit worn with fudge-hued loafers will make you look like a Helen Zille intern, but a midnight-blue suit worn with chocolate-hued Oxfords can look equally as elegant as any combination of greys and blacks.

With accessories, less is more

OK, too much can be, well, too much. But done correctly, abundant accessorising looks confident and chic. Rings? Necklaces? Ties? Pocket squares? Shades? Go full tilt: life’s too short to play it safe.

Black-tie requires a BOW tie

From the air ties of Rami Malek to the bolos of SS20, it’s swiftly becoming apparent: there’s never been a worse time to be a bow tie.

square-toed shoes are a no-go

Mud-brown square-toed loafers with unsightly top-stitched uppers? Yuck. Chisel-toed boots worn with black jeans and a biker jacket? Now you’re talking.

double denim is the devil

Wear single-shade double

(or triple) denim à la Justin and Britney, and you deserve to spend eternity in style purgatory. Wear dark denim jeans with a stone-wash denim shirt beneath a smartly cut tweed jacket, however, and you’ll look like a latter-day Robert Redford en route to style heaven.

ties and pocket squares must match

Sure, if you want to look like you bought a one-stop set from Tie Rack.

only Wear sandals With shorts

Whoever came up with this rule has, clearly, never been to an Hermès show. There’s only one rule with open-toed footwear: get a pedicure.

short-sleeve shirts are for school Kids

Wrong.

always Wear socks With trousers

We can only assume you haven’t even glanced at GQ’S fashion coverage for the past ten years.

have Belt loops, Wear a Belt

Do it or don’t – just be sure, however, not to let the waistband hang around the base of your hips.

no White Before memorial day or after labour day

Firstly, neither day is a thing outside the US. Secondly, the idea that you can’t wear white jeans in winter is just daft. Jeans are horrible to wear in hot weather, and there’s something eminently basic about white jeans in summer.

find a Barber and stick With them

Even top barbers get complacent. Keep them on their toes by trying others – if only to prove to yourself how great yours actually is.