
Ask HN: How do I dress better? - randomJoe69
I have been a hoodie and jeans kind of guy for a long time.<p>But now that I graduated and started working as a developer, I feel that my attire might be getting in the way of being taken seriously.<p>Do you have advice (or service) that would help me up &quot;my game&quot; without seeming that I try too hard?
======
Rotten194
I would recommend keeping your current style if you don't want to try to hard,
and simply tweaking it with new items.

For example -- keep wearing jeans, but buy a couple pairs of nice, dark/black
well-cut jeans.

Instead of wearing a sweatshirt hoodie, wear a nice pullover sweater (H&M
sells a nice waffle-texture sweater for fairly cheap, I got mine on clearance
for $5 and I've worn it for years now).

Button-ups can easily look too formal, but flannel is a good middle ground.

Some nice-fabric solid-tone tshirts are a good basic, as well.

Now that you have a few pieces, you can mix-and-match as well. Sweater +
flannel underneath, unbuttoned flannel with tshirt underneath, etc.

For shoes, instead of wearing cheap running shoes, find some nicer-looking
neutral-color sneakers (might be worth looking thru
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Sneakers/comments/2e9b1o/we_should_...](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sneakers/comments/2e9b1o/we_should_create_a_guide_to_buying_casual/),
but I can't vouch too hard for it). Depending on your style, you might also
want some boots -- I have some big black Doc-esque boots that I love, but
brown is a less-punk choice that's a classic.

FWIW: I'm not a guy, but this advice is pretty gender-neutral.

Good luck!

~~~
stuaxo
Same thing, I'm a TShirt + Jeans type person and didn't understand this at
first.

Make sure the jeans you have don't have holes / rips in them. Get some new
TShirts - don't wear older / faded ones.

Make sure what you wear is in good condition, and you should be good.

If you're not happy in boring shirts, then there are some that have prints
that are a bit more interesting. Similarly for shoes; I tend to really not be
keen on average brown / black - but blue suede was OK.

Obv not saying to wear those exact things, but if you have a look around you
can find stuff you like a little even in styles you might not like over all.

------
crgwbr
\- Start with the philosophy of having a few clothes of high quality rather
than a lot of clothes of low quality.

\- Fit is the most important thing. Get a few shirts and a basic suit made to
measure. You can do this fairly inexpensively via sites like
[https://www.indochino.com/](https://www.indochino.com/). I charcoal grey
suit, a white shirt, and a light blue shirt are a great way to start.

\- Understand the differences between style and fashion. Fashion is a never
ending treadmill of mindless consumerism, constantly prompting you to buy new
clothes. Style is about dressing timelessly.

\- It's hard or go wrong with a nice pair of brown, leather soles shoes. I
like Allen Edmunds:
[http://www.allenedmonds.com/](http://www.allenedmonds.com/).

\- Read PutThisOn:
[http://putthison.com/tagged/Best_Of](http://putthison.com/tagged/Best_Of)

~~~
maus42
>You can do this fairly inexpensively via sites like
[https://www.indochino.com/](https://www.indochino.com/).

Are there similar shops but EU-based?

------
hoodoof
Girls have always said to me that the key thing is to get clothes that fit
properly - this means asking help from fitters at the clothes shops and trying
on LOTS of stuff till it looks and feels right. Take alot friends who are
girls who are interested in fashion.

Find "your colors" \- i.e. general color directions that look good on you. Ask
people (typically women because they tend to be interested in such topics)
what colors they think would suit you.

I made a decision a long while back to never wear tshirts again. After a
certain age they look sloppy, not cool. I always wear a collared shirt.
Equally I never wear short sleeved shirts - I roll up the sleeves of long
sleeved shirts on hot days.

Get some nice brown leather shoes and some nice black leather shoes.

If you live in a cold climate buy several smart jackets including some leather
jackets.

Other people here have suggest flicking through mens fashion magazines like GQ
for ideas.

Start noticing what smart looking men are wearing.

Get several high quality white collared shirts and several high quality black
collared shirts, these will go with a nice pair of slacks.

Buy a suit and not a cheap one - get it properly fitted and try on at least
six suits before you buy one - wear it without a tie when you are going out
with one of the white or black shorts mentioned above.

Accessorize - get a nice watch and belt.

Keep your hair regularly cut.

Don't buy cheap clothes - this is important. Having said that, do buy quality
clothes that are on sale, or find factory outlets that sell the high quality
brands at lower cost.

~~~
SAI_Peregrinus
WRT short sleeved shirts: The Apollo-era NASA engineers pretty much all wore
short-sleeved white shirts, black slacks, and a black tie. The image has stuck
in many people's heads as what a professional engineer should look like, even
younger people who've seen movies about the era like Apollo 13. It's also
still a popular style at NASA for looking professional (photo ops and such).

Of course the reasoning for short sleeves is that graphite dust would stain
long sleeves. Likewise for a black tie. Since drafting using pencils is pretty
much nonexistent these days the need for the style is gone. Now it's just used
to project an image of competent professional engineering.

It's also much more common among engineers in disciplines where they could get
a PE than among programmers. Code monkeys don't match, sparkies and gearheads
do.

------
faitswulff
This worked like a charm for a friend of mine in college: Go to a clothing
store and buy exact sets of clothing off of the mannequins that you see.

He knew literally nothing about fashion, but was consistently complimented on
his clothing.

~~~
danieltillett
This is a surprisingly good approach especially at stores where the person
dressing the mannequins has some sort of clue.

The only downside is you will often end up with sets of clothes that can't be
mixed and matched well.

~~~
soneca
Another downside is that you will mostly buy the most expensive clothes in the
shop.

Yet another one is that you will often buy clothes very specific to that
year's collection and will look outdated soon.

Mannequins rarely are with the cheaper and/or classic clothes.

~~~
danieltillett
Yes this is true, but neither of these are a huge problem if you just want to
look fashionable and have the money.

My actual advice is buy the clothes with the best quality fabric.

------
hueving
It really depends on your office environment. In most companies in the bay, a
hoodie and jeans are completely fine and it will likely be distracting if you
dress 'too nice'.

Take cues from how most people dress in the office and target that level of
formality. If most people are t-shirt and jeans, just stick with what you're
comfortable in. If most are jeans and a button-up shirt, do that.

Yeah, it's conformity, but if you're concerned your attire is affecting your
perception, the easiest way to fix it is to match everyone else.

~~~
randomJoe69
I work in the south of France and not in the bay. Here everyone looks like
they work part-time model.

------
toomuchtodo
[https://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/](https://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/)

------
pedrodelfino
"Nerds don't just happen to dress informally. They do it too consistently.
Consciously or not, they dress informally as a prophylactic measure against
stupidity." \- Paul Graham

~~~
olavk
That quote may make sense in context, but dressing informally will certainly
not prevent stupidity.

~~~
kingmanaz
Indeed, and it could be seen as a form of conformity.

"Look at me. I'm not conforming. Just like everyone else."

------
isomorph
This is hacker news so take it all with a grain of salt but I found that
buying clothes that fit, and just buying and trying a lot of stuff to see what
worked over a few years led to a massive improvement. I think if you just
follow a guide that tells you specific things you will feel weird and get
stuck. I'm not saying you should ignore the "rules". I just mean you have to
put in some effort and try a lot of stuff. Imitating people you think look
cool is an easy way to start and will get you half way there

~~~
isomorph
Don't overdo the Reddit male fashion advice

~~~
seattle_spring
Take this advice over anything. I'd rather work with a hoodie and jeans kid
than someone who buys into 80% of the trends they get into over there.

------
PaulRobinson
Caveat: I'm currently in the process of losing a lot of weight and really
looking forward to hitting target weight and then getting a new wardrobe of
good fitting stuff. It should be an adventure, and you don't need to do
anything that other people tell you, but do take advice. That said, I dress
like a sack of potatoes right now, so take this with a pinch of salt:

Lots of good advice here, and basically buying more expensive jeans and
hoodies that fit you better is going to be a start. Dark/black jeans and a
really good hoodie that fits you well is not a terrible idea. Pair it with
great sneakers. Then, start to expand into other clothes _if you want to_.

I'd also suggest taking a look at
[https://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice](https://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice)
\- particularly the advice linked in the sidebar starting with the "Step by
step intro".

They will suggest: really think about your style and realise dressing well !=
dressing formally and vice versa; wear stuff that fits properly; buy one
really, really good foundational item (like a really good pair of jeans), and
build from there; colo[u]r matters; learn what clashes and what doesn't; try
things and see if you like it or not.

To get to the next step from where you are, there is nothing wrong with
sticking with hoodies and jeans, but you could consider chinos, semi-casual
shirts, polo shirts, jumpers or sweatshirts. Try new things, figure out what
you like and don't like.

~~~
joshka
Typo should be
[https://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/](https://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/)
;)

------
kowdermeister
A friend of mine is running this:
[https://lookastic.com](https://lookastic.com) play around a little with it.

You can also get inspired by celeb's styles:
[https://lookastic.com/men/celebrities](https://lookastic.com/men/celebrities)

And don't get shy to ask some fashion lover girl to escort you on a shopping
spree. But why stop here, you can hire a stylist and figure out what fits your
personality.

------
soneca
Emulate the style of someone on your work environment you consider is taken
seriously _and_ with a style that you personally like.

Fashion changes a lot from one group of people to another. That's why it is
important to emulate someone from the same group.

Emulate is important, as you don't want to copy and look exactly the same.

That you like is important, because it shows when you are not comfortable on
some clothes. Wearing something you don't personally like would be "trying too
hard".

------
tomfitz
Thread (YC12): "Let one of our stylists help you find clothes you'll love. All
online and completely free. ".
[https://www.thread.com/](https://www.thread.com/)

------
threepipeproblm
What I found helpful was watching videos by Antonio Centano
[https://www.youtube.com/user/RealMenRealStyle](https://www.youtube.com/user/RealMenRealStyle)

I'm going to presume you are male... not trying to be sexist, it's just a
guess. If you are female I don't think this advice will be helpful (women seem
to have it a lot harder when it comes to these choices, esp. with what is
suggested by Antonio, which is largely ignoring current fashion).

He teaches the difference between classic style and fashion, and focuses on
the former. While many of his community are probably interested in dressing
way more formally than you are (and frankly seem to long for time when it was
more socially acceptable for men to wear suits everywhere), he teaches
principles, which can be applied to many different styles of dress.

The older videos are more fundamental and tend to be better IMO.

------
randomerJoe1987
It sounds like you don't have a particular style in mind, so based on that
assumption:

(1) If you go to a nice department store like Nordstrom, I believe you can
still make an appointment with a personal shopper. That might be the best way
for you to try new styles while also getting to feel the fabric in advance and
get clothes that fit you well.

(2) If there are people you think dress nicely in a way you'd like to emulate,
compliment them! They'll appreciate it. They might tell you where they got the
outfit. And if not, you can ask.

(3) If you go to a clothing company's website like JCrew.com, they'll have a
lot of pictures of people wearing full, stylish outfits, that might start to
give you ideas about how to put your own outfits together. On JCrew I believe
they even have a page called "What to wear" with links to all the items in
each picture.

Good luck out there!

------
danieltillett
Unless you want to put a lot of effort into this then just buy clothes with
the best quality fabric you can find (you can tell quality fabric just by
feel).

Not only will your clothes feel great, as a side effect you will be stylish
without being fashionable. Quality never goes out of style.

Edit. I should add that top quality fabric is never wasted on "fast fashion"
so the clothes will always be a bit more conservative and so will remain
stylish for longer.

This is one area where men have a massive advantage over women. As a man you
can buy well made clothes with quality fabric for less than women pay for
wear-once garbage.

~~~
orliesaurus
How do you define best quality fabric?

~~~
danieltillett
Feel. Really all you have to do is go around and feel the fabric from a range
of stores (from cheap to outrageously expensive) and you will quickly learn to
be able to tell good from bad fabric. Once you know this go back through the
stores and find the high- to mid-priced clothes with high quality fabric.

Edit. A lot of designers will make a limited number of items with fabric that
is much better than the pricing point would suggest. My guess is they have
dreams of being in Paris or Milan and so sneak in more quality than the
collection calls for on a few items - the "yes most of my designs are
compromised by commercial concerns, but look at this one shirt" effect.

~~~
orliesaurus
Gotcha, but I believe from personal experience that there are tons of fabric
blends that are cheap yet feel fantastic, how not to get tricked?

~~~
danieltillett
Well with experience you can tell the difference, but you can always look at
the label if in doubt.

------
partycoder
I think it largely depends on context.

Then, clothing is a form of expression. It expresses an intention on how you
want to be perceived (at a superficial level at least).

Regardless of style:

\- Pick clothes that fit your size well.

\- Some clothes may require some extensive ironing, especially shirts. If
ironing is not for you, our you want to minimize your time ironing, have this
in mind.

\- Some clothes may not be able to be washed using home appliances and may
require dry cleaning, etc.

\- Colors and patterns matter can affect your perceived weight.

------
Contraband
I’m a Fashion Stylist who works in Silicon Valley and help a lot of guys in
tech up their fashion game. Love some of the advice I’m seeing on this thread!
Since I don’t want to be repetitive, here are some other pointers to help give
you some direction:

1\. Create a Pinterest board and pin some looks you like. This will help you
get a general sense of what style you are into (here are some boards that I
made for reference, first 9 are all menswear related:
[https://www.pinterest.com/SupreetChahal/](https://www.pinterest.com/SupreetChahal/))

2\. Make a list of what you need based off the looks you pinned. For the
modern guy look, your list will most likely consist of: jeans, button ups,
chinos, t-shirts, polos, shorts, street shoes, dressier shoes; Fall/Winter or
SF year round: sweaters, sweatshirts, jackets, boots

3\. Pick a color palette so you can mix and match your clothes. Your jeans and
jackets will be neutral colors (navy, green, black etc.), but your shirts can
have more color

4\. Make sure things fit you nicely (nothing worse than a guy wearing
something too tight or too loose). Some stores offer free hemming for pants,
take advantage!

5\. Find a good tailor (especially important for guys on the shorter side)

If this all seems like it’s not worth your time, check Yelp for a Fashion
Stylist/Image Consultant. We’ll build you a wardrobe in a couple of hours and
make sure you spend wisely. Most of my clients hate wasting time shopping, so
I set up a change room full of outfits for them and all they do is try them on
and buy what they love. Shameless plug, but if you want to read more about the
process, check it out: www.stylebysupreet.com

Hope this was helpful!

------
tomhoward
If you have any friends who routinely dress well, ask them to take you
shopping. In my experience, they really enjoy it (that's why they dress well
themselves), and would appreciate the challenge of helping you to look and
feel your best.

Another approach is to go to a store that sells the kinds of attire you'd
generally be comfortable in (i.e., the kind of store that sells attire for
_people like you_ , and ask a shop attendant to dress you. Obviously there's a
risk there that they'll just try and sell you overpriced stuff that doesn't
suit you, so you have to be confident enough in your own judgement about what
you'll feel good in, and be assertive enough to not let yourself spend more
than you're comfortable with.

You could also just try browsing fashion sites online to find outfits that you
like. But don't feel like you need to get fancy and complicated (and
expensive). Just go for simple outfits made of good fabric and that fit your
body shape well.

------
jdorfman
I've been a Trunk Club customer for ~3 years. Expensive but worth it.

------
stephenr
If someone won't hire you to _write code_ based on how you _dress_ (assuming
you aren't breaking any obscenity laws or wearing hate speech shirts etc) I
would look elsewhere for work.

If you want to change your "look" that's up to you, but doing it just for a
job is among the most depressing things I can imagine.

------
dorian-graph
\- Get the basics/staples.

\- Don't get any fad/trend items—i.e. ripped jeans are in (again) right now,
but don't bother, just get a good pair.

\- Fit means everything.

\- Go for the 'uniforms' in the style you like (prep, street, or whatever).

\- Quality over quantity (this is often related to fit).

\- Dress to your body (not too tight or too loose).

\- Honestly, just go to
[https://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/](https://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/)
and go through the sidebar.

\- You can be incremental. Jeans are fine, just get ones that fit well, and
get a pair in black. Swap the hoodie for bomber jacket or denim jacket. Get
rid of your graphic t's and t's with slogans and 'funny' things.

\- It doesn't have to be expensive at all. You can go to H&M or J.Crew for
your basics (white/black/grey t's), maybe a button-down (oxford) or two, and a
pair of navy chinos. Don't ever get jeans from brands that do lots of things
(like H&M, Zara, etc.). Even if you do this, jeans don't have to be super
expensive—Levi's have good fits, then there's other ones like Nudie's, Cheap
Mondays, etc.

\- Have some fun and experiment a little, but often you need to know the
basics first to do this well (same for everything whether it be fashion,
programming, art, or writing).

\- You can completely skip getting someone who dresses well to help you out if
you just aim to build a solid, basic wardrobe, and can shop by yourself.

\- Always wear a belt. Get a simple tan leather one—you can wear it with navy
chinos and shorts, black and dark blue jeans, etc. Get a simple watch. Go
digital with a cheap Casio or analog.

\- Don't overthink it. Just go for solid basics.

~~~
_asummers
\- Dress to your body (not too tight or too loose).

This also goes to things like stripes. If you're chubby, don't wear horizontal
stripes. If you're short, wear vertical stripes to elongate you. If you're
short wear waist or butt length jackets not long trenches. If you're tall,
don't wear things that would elongate your lines, like wearing the exact same
color through your shoes and pants. Silhouette is the term you're going to
want to looking for in discussions.

\- Honestly, just go to
[https://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/](https://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/)
and go through the sidebar.

+1 at MFA, but take it as a getting started guide on fits, and then once you
get fits down, explore your own style. Check their WAYWT threads for lots of
pictures of fits. You want to have a versatile wardrobe, not one with a ton of
clothes that you can only wear with one or two things. I'm a huge fan of
/r/streetwear personally with a touch of the flavoring of MFA (like collared
shirts, polos, non perfecto leather jackets) and a bit of Americana like
flannels and boots.

Also SHOES! Shoes are super important. I'm a sneakerhead, but if you're into
more officey/professional vibe, Allen Edmonds makes some terrific shoes.
Broguing on a shoe is more informal than not, a good cap toe in black and
brown will serve you for a very long time. For boots, the MFA recommended
Wolverine 1000 Mile and Redwing Beckmans are fantastic and can be dressed up
or down.

------
arcanus
Man or woman, I'd ask a female friend for help. In my experience women have
much better eyes for dress than men, for either men or women actually. See if
you can't convince someone to come along shopping with you, the second opinion
is very valuable.

~~~
danieltillett
Looking at most husbands I would disagree with this statement :p

~~~
bragh
One of the usual complaints women have about their husbands is that men don't
take their fashion advice into account. Sometimes this gets to the level of
women dragging their husbands into clothing stores to buy new clothes that are
presentable.

------
nunez
This sub helped me loads:
[https://reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice](https://reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice).
Thrift shops and eBay will get you quite far too.

Above all else, fit is the #1 thing that can make or break your look. Know
your measurements. You can take them yourself with a measuring band from
Michael's: [http://m.wikihow.com/Measure-for-a-
Suit](http://m.wikihow.com/Measure-for-a-Suit). Proper fit can make off the
rack clothes from Target look amazing and bespoke clothes from top clothiers
look like shit.

Tailoring clothes is much less expensive than people think.

------
dev360
This is an awesome question :)

Maybe I can offer some tips.

\- If you get leather shoes, I can recommend Cole Haan Zero Grand -
[http://bit.ly/2sQPdMe](http://bit.ly/2sQPdMe) .. they are really comfortable.

\- For collared shirts, get the no iron ones and save yourself some trouble in
the morning.

\- Stretch jeans can be a nice compromise between slacks and jeans and look
something in between.

\- The last one may be seen as shallow.. but invest in a nice, timeless but
not blingy dress watch (and a matching belt).. It pays over time and shows
discernment

\- especially if its a corp job. You can buy vintage watches for pretty cheap.

\- Last tip.. (edit): go shopping with somebody else to challenge your own
preferences and conventions.

------
xwvvvvwx
Much the same as any creative activity, thoughtful study and deliberate
practice will take you a long way.

\- Look at what people wear when you walk around the street. Who dresses well?
What do you like about their style?

\- Try on lots of different clothes, including stuff that you wouldn't
normally wear. What works? What doesn't? Why?

\- Get a full length mirror. Look at yourself before you leave the house
everyday. Take some time to try on outfits, how can you combine clothes you
already have into new outfits.

\- Most important -> Have fun, and dress for your taste not what you think
others want to see.

------
bn-usd-mistake
It was the same for me when I started my internship and now transitioned to
full time. I found [Ashley
Weston]([https://ashleyweston.com/](https://ashleyweston.com/)), who is
according to herself a celebrity mens' wear stylist. She has a good set of
essentials which I basically all bought (except for the suits due to monetary
reasons) and I think this has really helped me.

I am not affiliated with her or whatever, just follow her advice myself and
enjoy her content.

------
ThomaszKrueger
Here's what have been working well for me. I wear dress pants (not jeans, not
chino - Izod for example), colorful shirts (Nautica are my favorite) - always
tucked in, good looking but comfortable shoes (not sneakers). I make sure they
are always reasonably ironed. And silly socks - Happy Socks are the best.
During the summer I use short sleeves, long sleeves in the winter if I feel
like. I never use a tie, but you may if you feel like.

------
frogstomp19
I wouldn't worry too much about not being taken seriously in a hoodie and
jeans as a software developer unless you're working at an extremely
traditional company that doesn't have much of a focus on the dev org. Hoodie
and jeans is pretty much standard.

If you'd still like to dress "better" in general, the /r/malefashionadvice
subreddit has some solid resources on the sidebar that you should check out.

------
tyingq
Aside from what you wear, consider a tailor. It's a reasonably low cost, and a
shirt tailored to fit you makes a huge difference in appearance.

------
theshadowmonkey
If youre getting a nice suit or a jacket, splurge and get a good one. I good
fitted Ted Baker jacket and a custom tailored suit from JHilburn and they made
a big difference in the looks vs say loose fitting clothes or off the rack
one. I'd recommend JHilburn even for shirts if you can spend a little.

Also Nordstrom has a free stylist service if you want some advice.

------
vn0m
I sense an opportunity to build an AI generating clothing lines. At least for
the buzz.

~~~
kingmanaz
Try a clothing store with _exact_ color hex codes on the tags of all garments,
and, software in which someone's skin tone and eye color are matched with
one's appropriate seasonal color. Such a store would diagnose/prescribe a
shopper's acceptable colors and said shopper would choose items using the
color hex code on the tags.

This could be an entirely online operation, too, given a smartphone app and a
web store which provided access to the color codes for each of the garments.

See the book "Color for Men" by Carol Jackson for more details on seasonal
color theory.

Send me a couple hundred if it ever gets off the ground.

------
rbrcurtis
My SVP wears ratty t-shirts from high school and cargo shorts. 5000 person
organization. Your wardrobe is not necessarily a limiting factor. Attitude and
confidence goes a lot farther.

------
coleifer
Buy nicer jeans and designer hoodies.

------
gigatexal
There's an echo for that

------
laurenproctor
Added an up-vote for previous comments about quality and fit. Both points are
absolutely critical. To expand on those points:

1\. Dress for who you want to be (and what you stand for) - I've found it
helps to approach fashion the way you do your career. It's all about investing
in where you're headed next. Your clothes are the first layer of who you are
and if you think about it, it's awesome that you get to invent that every day.
Pick a few things that feel like they reflect your identity (both current and
aspiring) and go all out. Even if you don't dress like anyone else, you'll
dress like you and more likely than not, that level of comfort will evoke a
sexy kind of confidence.

2\. Gather top-notch basics first - Grab yourself a nice pair of jeans and a
white t-shirt that fits just right. Do a good job on this and already, you'll
look better than most people.

3\. Those basics will take you a long way - Stepping up your style game isn't
about volume, it's about quality. Unless you're going for a dandy look or
something to that effect, your approach to fashion should be aligned with the
owner of a minimalist Tiny House. Everything you buy, from basics to
accessories, should be beautiful, functional, comfortable and long-lasting
(e.g. quality).

4\. A versatile blazer or good looking jacket will take you everywhere - Find
one or two that look sharp and feel comfortable. You want something that's as
easy to turn to as your favorite hoodie. Speaking of hoodies, grab a nice
sweater or two.

5\. Eliminate barriers - Everything you buy should be as easy as possible. For
example, buy non-iron dress shirts. That way you don't have the "I don't have
time to iron" excuse for not dressing up.

6\. Shoes maketh the man - Someone once told me every good man needs two
things. An excellent bed and an excellent pair of shoes. If you're not in one
you're in the other. Get some good comfortable oxfords and a pair of nice
leather low-top sneakers (think Common Projects) for the weekends. Keep them
clean, unless you're specifically going for a worn look.

7\. Nice workout clothes make a difference - Odds are, you'll go somewhere
before or after the gym. Invest in nice workout clothes. I spent years wearing
my college athletic gear to the gym and thought it made me an "authentic
athlete." Really it just made me messy, and the second I started investing in
good-looking athletic clothes I realized it makes a difference. My new gear
made me realize I should invest thoughtfully and opt for quality in everything
I do.

If you're interested in learning more and want to talk menswear, message me.
I'm obsessed with men's fashion and have done some makeovers for friends. Not
selling anything here, just happy to help a fellow person who wants to be
better.

------
kingmanaz
Try this recipe:

6 Brooks Brothers 100%-cotton oxford cloth button down (OCBD) traditional fit
shirts in blue (always tucked in). 2 pair Wested Indiana Jones calvary twill
wool trousers hemmed to your length at the local dry cleaner. 1 pair Alden 405
boots in the standard brickish red. 7 pair Merino wool socks. 1 Brown canvas
web belt. 1 AO Optics original pilot sunglasses. 1 JPress, Southwick, or
Samuelsohn tweed "sack coat" in brown for cooler weather (should be natural
"soft" shouldered, understated pattern, and without aggressive, sleazy Italian
styling in the midsection).

Replace shirts as needed (~every two years). Dry clean trousers _only_ when
needed (each pair can last ~5 years). Boots should last >10 years with heel
savers and ~1 resoling per decade by Alden. Good brand of merino socks can
last upwards of three years, possibly five. Sport coats will last indefinitely
(leather patch on the elbows if they get thin).

Wear the above (or your own variation) until it becomes a second skin, and,
learn to enjoy the patina that comes with better made clothing which ages
gracefully.

------
ebbv
Just replacing your hoodie with a tahirt would do a lot. The next steps are
replace sneakers with more adult shoes (Eccos for example, or another brown
shoe) and replace the t-shirts with button shirts and undershirts.

Honestly though I'm 40 and I wear jeans and a t-shirt. I've been working as a
developer for 20 years. When I started the jeans and a t-shirt thing was not
accepted like it is now.

