Back to Basics: A Starting Guide on Men’s Style

I was reading a post on reddit the other day from a guy that wanted a good guide on the basics of mens style. There were a lot of replies that followed giving him some tips and ideas on how to get started, what to look out for in the shops and how he should go about shopping. This gave me the idea for this particular post because the world of style can be confusing and with so much information out there it can be heard to find a good starting point. So this post is mainly aimed at style novices, but those that have been honing their style for years may also want to revisit a few things.

Style vs Fashion

“fashions fade, style is eternal” – Yves Saint Laurent

If you’re taking your first steps into men’s style then you need not worry too much about what is ‘fashionable’ or on trend. The best option is to focus on learning what makes someone ‘stylish’ and learning how to develop your own style. A good place to start is to make you’re own look book. You can start adding ‘fashionable’ pieces once you’re more comfortable and you’ve started to get your own style down.

It’s best to start getting the basics right as these are a solid foundation to build your style and wardrobe on. They’re timeless, so you know they’ll last you a good number of years and you’ll save money rather than investing in trends that come and go.

I’ve put together a list which is a good starting point, if you fill your wardrobe with these staples and pair them together, you’ll instantly feel more stylish. Couple that with building your own look book and you’ll start to branch out and flex your own style muscles.

Basics

• White Dress Shirt

• Trench Coat

• Black Suit

• Zip up hoody for layering

• Polo Shirt

• Slim Tie

• White T Shirt

• Coloured Cardigan

• Grey Cashmere Sweater

• Good Quality Jeans Dark Denim

• Black Socks

• Blue Socks

• Black & Brown Belt

• 1 x Good Quality Pair of Black Dress Shoes ie: Oxfords or Brogues

• 1 x Good Quality Pair of Brown Dress Shoes ie: Oxfords or Brogues

• Pair of Fresh White Canvas Trainers.

I’ve tried to keep the list to pieces that work well together and are timeless, for example every man needs a good suit so that is an essential investment. But you can break that suit down, wear the trousers with the white dress shirt and coloured cardigan or team the blazer from the suit with a pair of jeans, t shirt and canvas trainers for a more casual look. If you want to add a few cool additional pieces to really make your outfits pop then here’s the place to look.

Keep the above list and take it with you when you next go shopping, you don’t have to rush out and fill you’re wardrobe with these things right away. If you can afford to great, if you can’t then start buy adding one piece at a time until you’ve ticked them all off. Make sure when you do invest in the pieces above buy the best quality you can afford, remember these pieces are timeless so the better the quality the longer they’ll last!

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