Boys can get away with making these inevitable style mistakes when they’re young. Nobody expects much from teens who are still trying to figure things out. They’re learning about style, fit, and fabric.
As men age into their 20s – 40s, it’s critical that they stop making these young-man-style mistakes. I want to discuss teen-style mistakes that adult men should avoid.
Adult men should avoid these immature style choices
- Teen dress up. Every young man wears chinos or slacks with a button-up shirt and a tie. They need to do better by adding that third piece. Whether or not it’s a v-neck sweater, cardigan, or coat, that third piece finishes the look.
- Not investing in outerwear. Check out my examples in the video. The teen would choose a casual jacket that doesn’t match or finish the look. The choice should be an elevated driving jacket or a pea coat. Another option would be a dress jacket to be stylish. Invest in your outerwear.
- What you’re carrying—whether a wallet, backpack, or bag—needs to be elevated because it’s an accessory and part of your style. You don’t want to carry a backpack built for a little boy, and you also don’t want some worn-out bag that doesn’t finish the look. You need to upgrade your aesthetic.
- Baseball hat overkill. It’s okay to wear a baseball hat occasionally, but you don’t want to wear it all the time.
- Wrong denim. Ripped and torn jeans should not be worn. Jeans that are too tight need to be stopped. You also should not be wearing big and baggy, hanging off of your butt.
- Beat up belts. Your belt should not have a bunch of nicked and gnarled holes.
- Big belt buckles. Big belt buckles are not stylish.
- Not matching leathers. Your dress shoes and belt should match in finish and texture. If you’re wearing shiny black dress shoes, your belt should match. Black is easy, but brown can be challenging because of the different shades. I love Anson Belts because they have a massive selection of brown leathers. Build your belt with various straps and buckles that are interchangeable. They work on a track system, so you don’t have many holes.
- Black dress shoes. I see you guys wearing black dress shoes all the time. Yes, I love monochromatic looks, but brown dress shoes are superior to black. Black is playing it safe. Brown looks better with gray and navy blue. It works better with Earth tones and green. Plus, your buddies aren’t wearing brown. They’re playing it safe, stuck looking like a teen.
- Dressing the same. Dressing the same as your friends is an epidemic. Look at all the young dudes. They all look identical, little clones of each other. If you go into the office setting, the same thing happens with men. It’s called business casual boring because everybody looks the same. You need to step out of the box. Don’t let women pick your clothing, either.
- Visible undershirts. Undershirts throw off the aesthetic of your outfit and bind with your shirt, causing your outerwear to not drape properly and make you look fatter. Make sure if you do wear one, it’s a super deep V-neck, so you don’t see it. You should have three buttons unbuttoned: one button makes you look like a math teacher, two buttons make you look like your dad, but three buttons make you look sexy.
- Overlaundering clothes. Young dudes are not the best at doing their laundry. They think it’s dirty whenever they wear something and throw it into the hamper. This ends up causing the over-laundering of clothing. It will break down faster and look older quicker. It will also shrink and not look as good. It doesn’t need to be washed if it doesn’t smell or look dirty.
- Fake leather. Don’t even think about it. It looks cheap. If you want to wear leather, don’t wear fake leather.
- Low quality. Young dudes think they need to buy a lot of stuff cheap. It won’t last. Make sure you invest in a few higher-quality pieces, whether or not a watch, shoes, jeans, sweaters, or outerwear. As you age, buy things that will last you a long time. Look at your purchases as a per-wear cost, an investment instead of something you’re buying that will only be used for 3 or 6 months. Items will wear out quickly from H&M or Zara. The price (per wear) isn’t that low at that point. You could buy a higher quality item and have it for longer. This will separate you from young dudes.
