Dress Like a Man: A Style Guide for Practical Men Wanting to Improve Their Professional Personal Appearance

223 Pages·2014·3.95 MB·English

by  Antonio Centeno

A MAN'S GUIDE TO STYLE
T U F B M
HE LTIMATE ASHION OOK FOR EN

The web's best guide for men looking to dress sharp & use clothing to their
advantage.

by
Antonio Centeno and Geoffrey Cubbage
illustrations by Anthony Tan and Ted Slampyak
Copyright 2013 Real Men Real Style

First Edition
Table of Contents
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: THE ONLY STYLE GUIDE YOU'LL EVER NEED
CHAPTER 2: THE CASE FOR STYLE (5 REASONS TO DRESS WELL)
CHAPTER 3: IS STYLE MANLY?
SECTION 2: BUILDING A WARDROBE
CHAPTER 4: THE STYLE PYRAMID
CHAPTER 5: THE INTERCHANGEABLE WARDROBE
CHAPTER 6: FIVE PIECES OF CLOTHING EVERY MAN SHOULD OWN
CHAPTER 7: HOW TO BUILD A WARDROBE ON A BUDGET
CHAPTER 8: SHOPPING FOR YOUR BODY TYPE AND POSTURE
SECTION 3: WHAT TO WEAR AND WHEN TO WEAR IT
CHAPTER 9: DRESS CODES, WRITTEN AND UNWRITTEN
CHAPTER 10: FORMAL DRESS (MORNING DRESS AND WHITE TIE)
CHAPTER 11: SEMIFORMAL DRESS (STROLLERS AND BLACK TIE/TUXEDO)
CHAPTER 12: BUSINESS DRESS
CHAPTER 13: BUSINESS CASUAL
CHAPTER 14: "SHARP CASUAL" FOR SOCIAL SITUATIONS
CHAPTER 15: WORK CLOTHES (DRESSING WELL FOR MANUAL LABOR)
CHAPTER 16: DRESSING YOUR AGE
CHAPTER 17: WORK VS. PLAY - WARDROBES ON AND OFF THE JOB
SECTION 4: PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF CLOTHING
CHAPTER 18: RAW MATERIALS - PROPERTIES AND PURPOSES
CHAPTER 19: FABRIC MEASUREMENTS AND WEIGHTS
CHAPTER 20: SPECIFIC CLOTHS AND WEAVES
CHAPTER 21: UNDERSTANDING COLOR
CHAPTER 22: UNDERSTANDING PATTERN
SECTION 5: MENSWEAR, PIECE BY PIECE
CHAPTER 23: MEN'S SUITS
CHAPTER 24: MEN'S JACKETS
CHAPTER 25: MEN'S SHIRTS
CHAPTER 26: MEN'S SWEATERS
CHAPTER 27: MEN'S TROUSERS
CHAPTER 28: MEN'S SHOES
CHAPTER 29: MEN'S ACCENTS
CHAPTER 30: MEN'S COATS AND OUTERWEAR
CHAPTER 31: MEN'S UNDERWEAR AND UNDERSHIRTS
CHAPTER 32: MEN'S BAGS AND LUGGAGE
CHAPTER 33: MEN'S COLOGNE AND SCENTS
SECTION 6: CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 34: WARDROBE MAINTENANCE
CHAPTER 35: GROOMING
THE FINAL WORD
Bonus Posters

Congratulations!

Your purchase of A Man's Guide to Style comes with free poster-sized
infographics from www.RealMenRealStyle.com.

We've included nine illustrated posters on everything from how to wear black tie
to how to fold a suit jacket and how to tie your necktie eighteen different ways.

They're our gift to you, free with the purchase of this book.

To access the bonus posters, go to http://www.realmenrealstyle.com/dresslike-a-
man-bonus/ and use the password "dresslikeaman" -- all one word and no capital
letters.

Enjoy!
Section 1: Introduction
C 1: T O S G Y ' E N
HAPTER HE NLY TYLE UIDE OU LL VER EED
Every generation produces one or two style manuals that become true classics.
Men of the early 21st century -- this is one of yours.
We've taken full advantage of the e-book format to cram as much information
into this work as possible. Bound and published, it would rival some textbooks
for weight. You could do some serious damage swinging it around.
But instead of straining your wrists, you can swipe through effortlessly on your
tablet or your phone. Ain't technology something?
This isn't some Amazon quick read, or a preview to get you to buy a real book.
It's everything you need to know about menswear, condensed into one e-book
and sold for the lowest price possible. We made it good and we made it
affordable because we want to impress you.
So read on. And be impressed.
How to Use this E-Book
This isn't a book you sit down and read in one go. It's much too big for that.
Believe us when we tell you up front -- this thing's too big to tackle all at once.
So relax. Take it slow. Browse around a bit. Make full use of the ebook format.
Sections are interlinked so that you can skip easily from one to the next. We
recommend it.
Some of this stuff gets pretty technical. Don't overwhelm yourself. If you're
getting bored reading about the difference between vented and unvented jackets,
or worsted versus flannel wool, stop reading. There's not going to be a quiz at
the end.
This is your book. Enjoy it.
C 2: T C S (5 R D
HAPTER HE ASE FOR TYLE EASONS TO RESS
W )
ELL
Men's style: why bother?
It's a natural question, especially if your idea of "style" comes from runway
shows.
But there's more to menswear than experimental fashions on unhealthily slender
models.
Upgrading your look can lead to big rewards, even for casually-dressed men
who don't face a professional dress code. Here are just a few of the reasons style
matters for all men:
1. Dressing Well Opens Doors for You
A good outfit opens doors, literally and figuratively.
From getting past the bouncer and skipping the line at a nightclub to being
invited up to the boss's office for a private chat about pay, you're going to go
further in a nice jacket and slacks than you are in blue jeans and a flannel.
People assume that a man who's dressing better than the men around him is
doing it for a reason. You might not actually have a reason, beyond wanting to
look good -- but that won't stop people from assuming that you're a person of
consequence.
Turns out, a little bit of favorable assumption goes a long way.
2. Well-Dressed Men Get the Benefit of the Doubt
Perceptions of wealth, status, and influence are deeply ingrained in our society.
You can like it or not, but it's how the world works.
When you look "respectable," people assume as a default that you're an okay
guy. You can always prove them wrong (being a well-dressed jerk won't hide the
fact that you're a jerk for long) but you start with a favorable baseline
impression.
Guys who don't dress well, on the other hand, don't get any benefit of the doubt,
and they may even face negative attention. If you're looking sloppy in an upscale
setting, or dressing like someone's idea of a student or a child, you can expect to
be treated with dismissal or outright hostility at least some of the time.
It'd be nice if we lived in a world where every man was judged solely by his
actions, regardless of his appearance. But we don't -- so go ahead and make life
easier on yourself by dressing nicely as a habit.
3. Dressing Well Makes You More Successful
Other people's perceptions matter -- but so do your own!
Personal appearance has a well-established "talisman effect." If you believe that
you're dressing like someone successful, it has an actual, positive effect on your
own performance.
One of the more interesting studies on the subject, done at Northwestern
University, showed that participants scored higher on math/science tests when
they were given a doctor's white lab coat to wear -- but scored lower when given
the same coat and told that it was an artist's smock.
The same principles apply to business and social clothing. When you take the
time to put yourself together in a way that you know looks attractive and
impressive, you actually start acting more like an attractive, impressive kind of
guy.
4. Good Grooming Habits Are Good Habits in General
Dressing well is not all that challenging.
But it does require a little attention to detail. And when you're buying nice
clothes you're more inclined to take good care of them than when you're wearing
any old thing, so along the way you start to pick up some good habits.
Organizing your closet, thinking about patterns and colors, cleaning and
maintaining items with different requirements -- it all helps make you a more
careful, thoughtful person overall.
It's why the military places such a heavy emphasis on appearance. Soldiers who
get in the habit of doing things 100% perfect the first time, even when it's as
unimportant a task as shining their shoes, are soldiers who are less likely to
screw things up when important things (like their lives) are on the line.
5. You Never Know Who You're Going to Meet
Realtors use the concept of "curbside appeal" to talk about whether or not a
house stands out to casual passers-by.
Your appearance works the same way. If you're dressed sharp, you have
"curbside appeal." You stand out. People notice you, and like what you see.
Most of the time, you're only going to be impressing strangers. But you never
know who you're going to meet, or where, and if you're well-dressed as a general
habit, you never have to worry about that one chance meeting with a boss, a
respected peer, a potential romantic interest, or even a rival that you don't want
to embarrass yourself in front of.
You'll also be reaping the usual benefits of dressing well, of course -- additional
respect, the assumption that you're a fine, upstanding citizen, and all that good
stuff. But equally importantly, you'll be prepared to impress anyone you need to,
at all times, without advance warning.