One of the advantages of being a guy is not having to care that much about your style choices… right? You can just throw on any old T-shirt and pair of jeans at the start of each day, leave your several days’ worth of stubble just like it is and generally rock out with your… OK, we won’t finish that sentence.
Fine, so the above isn’t quite true. Men are definitely as capable of style faux pas as women are, and if you require any further evidence of that, you only need to cast your eye over the following all-too-frequent blunders by the not-quite-as-fair sex.
- Overdoing it with the colour
Sure, we’re coming up to the warmer time of year, but that doesn’t mean you suddenly have permission to dress like a Teletubby. A tasteful splash of more vibrant colour is fine, but donning the fashion choices of Timmy Mallet at the height of his fame isn’t quite so excusable.
- More outlandish hats
There’s nothing wrong with the kind of understated, classy, purposeful hats offered by the more respected brands like Dickies Life, but certain dressier hats, like fedoras, can be difficult to get right. If you worry that it’ll make you look like a bit of a wally, leave it at home.
- Inadequate grooming
Some guys don’t do it enough, while others don’t bother at all. In the old days, maybe the unkempt man could still get laid, but today, they’re more likely to stand out for the wrong reasons.
- Wearing sunglasses indoors
There’s a time and a place for sunglasses – namely outside, when the sun is out. But continuing to wear them when it’s overcast, or even worse, as you enter the office is just a no-no.
- Overly tight chinos
While many men like to wear trousers in paler fabrics in the summer for comfort reasons, if you are normally one for the skinnier fit, you could be showing the world a bit more of yourself than is advisable. So, whatever you do, make sure your summer trousers have that little bit more room.
- Tucking in a shirt that you shouldn’t tuck in
This annoys many an admirer of male fashion. The point is, if you’re wearing a shirt with no tails, you’ll look daft if you try to tuck it in. Shirts that do have long tails are meant to be tucked in, while if your shirt has no tails, you can go either way. This sounds like an easy-to-understand formula to us.
- Fake glasses
So profoundly has ‘nerd chic’ permeated into the mainstream, that some guys wear glasses for style reasons, not because they actually need them. It’s a fashion offence of the absolute highest order, and rest assured that it’s more a obvious one than you realise.
- Dirty shoes
Many men wrongly think they only need to pay much attention to the condition of their footwear while on a first date or at a job interview. Yep, people definitely notice those scuffed, scratched slip-on numbers, so make sure you keep yours clean and polished.
- Exposing your undershirt
If you are going to wear a undershirt underneath your button-up shirt, at least make sure it’s one with a sufficiently low neckline to prevent its being visible while you are wearing your shirt on top. Alternatively, of course, just button your shirt up!
- Telling everyone how much you paid for it all
Yeah, yeah, you may have been able to pay hundreds of pounds for a shirt… but no one’s going to be impressed. Quite the opposite, in fact. So, yeah… just don’t go there.
So, we’ve introduced you to a few of this season’s style must-avoids… but what should you do with your look in the coming months? Read GQ magazine’s rundown of the spring/summer 2016 male fashion trends to find out.