So a few weeks ago I was in line at Kroger buying lunch meat. You know, just your typical ‘weekday sandwich supplies for Jessica to make me lunches with’ trip to the grocery store. I’ m in line at the deli counter waiting to pay for my half pound of turkey when who do I see but….another guy wearing ALMOST THE SAME THING AS ME.
Dark rinse jeans, grey henley, navy jacket, white trainers. Mirror images. There was some next levelcoordinate energy happening when we made eye contact simultaneously.
He immediately started adjusting his jacket sleeve cuffs like he needed to introduce himself in proper business man fashion, I quickly starting tapping away at my phone pretending to cheque my teacher email like I was expecting some drastic student illness to pop up. But you know what?
His outfit looked 10x better than mine did.
Same ingredients. But he executed them better. <img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-10026″ src=”http: //joewears.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/im1979_Beyond_Boring_Making_Basic_Mens_Workwear_Actually_Inte.jpg” alt=”im1979_Beyond_Boring Making Basic Mens Workwear Actually Inte” width=”640″ height=”853″ /> We’ve all done it. The Whole-Blake-Anderson-basic-utilitarian outfit.
Jeans, tee/ henley, jacket, boots/ trainers. Maybe a jumper or knit cap in the winter. Problem is, EVERYONE does it.
And guys wanna know how to stop dressing like every other guy out there? Been thinking about answering this question for awhile now. Ever since I cared about what I wore anyways.
You can’t spend hundreds like ASAP rocks wardrobe and you DEFINITELY don’t want to look like you trying to spend hundreds like ASAP rocks wardrobe. But there has to be some kind of middle ground between looking like you slept in your clothes AND woke up in them and looking like a photoshopped Men’s Journal spread. Over the years I’ve learned that it’s not about what you wear, it’s HOW you wear it.
Little things here and there most people won’t even realise they notice but it all adds up to looking WAY more put together. <img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-10027″ src=”http: //joewears.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/im1979_Beyond_Boring_Making_Basic_Mens_Workwear_Actually_Inte.jpg” alt=”im1979_Beyond_Boring Making Basic Mens Workwear Actually Inte” width=”640″ height=”640″ /> About 3 years ago Jessica and I were roaming the Target aisles. For whatever reason I grabbed one of those big packs of Hanes t-shirts. I’m talking WHITE shirts PEOPLE.
The ones that come in a three pack, cost you $15, and have been my go-to shirt since college. So she grabs one, feels it, and tells me “Wayne these feel like tissue paper.” Are you crazy?! Nope.
Then she marches me over to Target’ s Goodfellow brand and makes me feel one of their shirts. Literally spent 2 seconds running my fingers over the material and was like yep. She’s right.
The Hanes shirt felt bulky, heavy. The material didn’t even drape nicely. It’s collar popped up at you halfway.
But when I put the Goodfellow shirt on … IT FIT LIKE A SHIRT. It wasn’t pulling at my body or trying to hug every inch of me. It was cut SO MUCH BETTER.
Cost?? Yeah it was $20 more. But do those cheap-ass Hanes shirts stay white?
Look good after you wash them three times? No freakin way. They fade.
The neck stretches out. and start to look grey when you know they’ re WHITE. But that Goodfellows shirt I bought? Looks brand new, wash after wash even though I’ve had it for two years.
So let me ask you, which shirt do you think costs more in the long run? <img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-10028″ src=”http: //joewears.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/im1979_Beyond_Boring_Making_Basic_Mens_Workwear_actually_interested_eager.jpg” alt=”im1979_Beyond_Boring Making Basic Mens Workwear actually interested eager” width=”640″ height=”640″ /> Got me thinking what other staples could I upgrade without breaking the bank or completely overhauling my wardrobe. Turns out you’d be surprised at how much you can upgrade what you’re probably wearing every day. Jeans are sort of the foundation of most guys casual wardrobe.
Me? I wore whichever Levis were on sale at Kohl’ s because “they’re all basically the same.” Ummm. friend. So. not. true.
Let me explain.. Other than feeling amazing while wearing them (AMAZING DIFFERENCE btw), the better jeans you get stay LOOK AMAZING all day. Long as you have them on they look like you just bought them yesterday.
Buy that $40 joni-bangs-brand jean and by lunch they’ll be faded in the knees and falling off your butt (PSA: mum jeans are real dudes). Best feel for your money. Another GAME CHANGER?
Fit. Screw baggy clothes that feel comfortable. Once I realised how badly my jeans were fitting me (bags at the ankle, big around my waist) I never went back to ill fitting jeans.
Got your ass measured at the jean store? World will open up for you. <img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-10029″ src=”http: //joewears.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/im1979_Beyond_Boring_Making_Basic_Mens_Workwear_actually_interested_eager.jpg” alt=”im1979_Beyond_Boring Making Basic Mens Workwear actually interested eager” width=”640″ height=”640″ /> Could NOT believe how many t-shirts I owned that were too big in the shoulders, too oversized through the torso, and too long in the sleeves. To the point where I would roll up my sleeves and just deal.
But once I started buying fitted shirtsmens that FIT ME instead of some model whose proportions are judged for years by fashion majors.. Holy crap. Got your chest measured at the store for a shirt that fits your actual chest?
Go buy yourself a nice dinner. Helps when you can also find shirts with actual texture to them as well. STOP REACHING FOR THOSE SMOOTH AS SANDPAPER (I mean plastic sounding) Oxford shirts.
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Find a nice flannel with some weight to it. Get a chambray that actually has visible weave. Or an oxford that feels like cotton, not it’ s sad step child. <img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-10030″ src=”http: //joewears.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/im1979_Beyond_Boring Making-Basic-Mens_Workwear_actually_interested_eager_learner.jpg” alt=”im1979_Beyond_Boring Making Basic Mens Workwear actually interested eager learner” width=”640″ height=”640″ /> And footwear is where I feel you get the most bang for your upgrade buck.
See I wore the same skateboard style canvas trainers for years. They were like $40 but man did they LOOK like $40. After a couple months they just start to autumn apart.
But then I tried on a plain white leather trainer. Same brand, same EXACT model. Except the “upper” was made with leather instead of canvas.
Cant even describe to you how much better that one small material swap did for the overall look of the shoe. Not only did they look 10x better DAY 1, but they still look WAY better months down the road. Whereas that canvas trainer starts to JUST look worn out with general wear.
But leather shoes get BETTER with wear. They develop a CHARACTER. It’s still obvious you’ ve taken care of them, they don’t just look beat up.
Same goes for when I swapped out Nordstrom’ s no-name “it comes with belt loops” desert boot for an actual leather pair from Clark’ s. Then later for a similarly styled pair of RED WINGS I found on clearance. Same.
Story. Each time I stepped up my shoe game I found that they lasted WAY longer than my cheapies AND looked better the entire life of the shoe. Jackets/Layers are sort of a different ball game since alot of that is based on your personal body type pref.
But for the most part, opt for heavier fabrics. All those thin, crappy ABOVE-ZERO synthetic bomber jackets you see every store selling? They LOOK like they’ll look good when you instagram yourself wearing them.
But put them on and THEY FEEL LIKE CRAP. Find a wool bomber jacket or something made from REAL cotton and THAT heaviness instantly makes your outfit look more expensive. <img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-10031″ src=”http: //joewears.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/im1979_Beyond_Boring Making-Basic-Mens_Workwear_actually_interested_eager_learner.jpg” alt=”im1979_Beyond_Boring Making Basic Mens Workwear actually interested eager learner” width=”640″ height=”640″ /> Ok this is kinda TMI but pay attention to how you wash and dry your clothes. I used to be like most guys and throw everything in the washer on HOT, then dump it in the dryer on HIGH just to make sure everything DRIES.
No surprise my clothes ALWAYS looked kinda worn out after a few months of doing that! Now I actually READ the damn tags (sorry mum for judging you. ), hang dry knit shirts instead of throwing them in the dryer, and wash my jeans once every month or two instead of after every wear. It doesn’t take that much more effort and your clothes WILL look 10x better longer.
Students have even told me I “look fresh all the time.” NEWS FLASH KID. It’ s because my clothes don’t shrink three sizes and fade after 5 washes. Try moving your colours OFF of THE PRIMARY COLOURS.
Instead of blue and white, go blue and cream. Grey and black? Try charcoal and olive green.
Bright red? Dark red. Or Maroon.
Bright green? Olive. Sounds simple enough right?
Don’t shy away from bright saturated colours, but TONDOWN them just a tad. <img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-10032″ src=”http: //joewears.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/im1979_Beyond_Boring_Making_Basic_Mens_Workwear_ Actually_ Interested_eager.jpg” alt=”im1979_Beyond_Boring Making Basic Mens Workwear Actually Interested eager” width=”640″ height=”853″ /> Proportion everything out as well. Wearing slim jeans? Maybe ditch the huge hoodie to throw under your jacket – keep the layers from fighting each other. boyfriend jeans?
Wear a fitted shirt instead of another boxy silhouette. It’ s all about complimenting your outfits silhouette. Dave and me starting point pics.
Same jeans/henley/boot formula but Dave had slowly been upgrading pieces as he came across them. Small differences here and there, nothing crazy fancy. But enough that his girlfriend commented to Jessica how Dave always “looks put together.” Jessica almost fell over laughing because guys are basically wearing the exact same outfit Dave and I wore 3 years ago.
We’ve just upgraded the pieces we were wearing. Nobody’s gonna notice how nice of boots you have but they’ ll notice your shirt looks stained and ripped. It’ s going to take time.
You obviously aren’t gonna go out and replace your entire wardrobe overnight. And honestly even if you could, you shouldn’t. I’ ve been doing this for about 4 years now and still find things to replace regularly as they break down or I find crazy deals on amazing brands.
Started with t-shirts (I live in t-shirts I swear), then jeans, then button ups. Worked my way through my entire wardrobe piece by piece.
Will you spend more money?
Sorta, yeah. But spread that cost over years of wearable clothing that LOOK good the entire time you own them? That $80 shirt doesn’t seem so bad now does it?
Trust me I learned the hard way by buying “quality” clothes that ended up suck down other ways. Got ripped off by some guy selling me used Whitestuff jeans online thinking they’ d be “just like Northstroms’ expensive ones.” Went through a heck of a denim shorts phase where I would just wear onesteroids shorts because ‘they looked cool.’ Tried to ‘spice up my wardrobe’ with polo shirts that actually ruined every plain outfit I owned. If there’ s one thing I learned from upgrading my wardrobe little by little, its that basic garments beat trendy every.single.day.
People aren’t going to be able to pinpoint why your shirt looks better than theirs. But they WILL notice that your clothes don’t have faded knees, stretched out necklines, or missing buttons. It’ s the little things most guys don’t think about that make YOUR outfit look better than theirs.
Same boring formula we’ re all wearing. Just dressed a little better than everyone else.
