Fashion Faux Pas for Men

Today is Tuesday, so this post is on creating positive personal impact.

Your appearance has a lot to do with creating positive personal impact.  Recently I came across a Frobes.com list of the 10 worst fashion mistakes men make.

• Pants that are too long or too short.
• White socks with dress shoes.
• Mixing patterns.
• Ties that are too long or too short.
• Stained clothes.
• Pants waists that sit too high or too low.
• Scruffy shoes.
• Wearing handheld devices on your belt.
• Over-layering.
• Mismatched belt and shoes.

The last faux pas is one to which I pay particular attention – and add a component, watch bands.  Unlike a lot of people, I prefer jacket patches to metal bracelets.  I always match my watch band, belt and shoes.

While I’m on the subject of belts, I want to point out that a pair of pants with belt loops and worn without a belt looks unfinished – almost as if you forgot to look in the mirror on your way out the door.
The only time you should wear no belt with pants with belt loops is when you are wearing braces.  When you wear braces, do not wear a belt.  Rob Mueller a friend of mine once described a colleague as, “The most insecure guy in the world.  He wears a belt and suspenders.”  Rob was making a joke at this guy’s expense, but it was a valid point.

To get back to the original point, does anyone really notice that my watch band, belt and shoes match?  Probably not.  However, I always feel more put together when they do.  And, a feeling of being well put together enhances my self confidence.

I’ve learned this from Cathy, my wife, and other women.  They pay close attention to the accessories they wear, unless you’re using some kids pajamas of course.  Cathy will spend a lot of time matching her jewelry and shoes to her clothes.  Men should do the same with their accessories.  A watch band, belt and shoes are the most common, and noticeable accessories for men.

I make it simple for myself.  I have a Tag Heuer watch with a brown leather strap, and a Cartier watch with a black crocodile leather strap.  I have a pair of brown dress shoes and a brown leather belt that go well with the Tag watch.  I have several pair of black or dark cordovan shoes and a couple of black leather belts that go well with the Cartier watch.

Since I travel a lot, I tend to wear either my black or brown watch band, belt and shoes for an entire trip.  I am too lazy to pack and carry two pairs of shoes.  I have always thought that a little attention to detail can go a long way.  This holds true for my work, as well as my presentation of self.

I also pay attention to the clothes I am wearing.  I will wear a brown belt, watch and shoes with a blue or gray suit, but never a black suit.  I wear only a black belt, watch and shoes with a black suit.

The common sense point here is simple.  Men should follow the lead of women and pay attention to how they accessorize themselves when they get dressed for work.  Make sure your watch band, belt and shoes match.  If you do, you’ll feel well put together, and this will enhance your confidence.

Yesterday I mentioned that Dr. Joe Capista is running a special on his new book this week.   If you purchase What Can A Dentist Teach You About Business, Life & Success today (March 4), you will receive over $2500 in bonus gifts.  I am going to buy a couple of copies for people that I mentor.  You can take advantage of this offer by going to http://www.joecapista.com/amazon.htm.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense.  I am not posting regularly on my www.CommonSenseGuy.com blog right now, as I want to concentrate on this one.  It is still up though.  Please don’t cancel your RSS feed as there is a lot of good content there, and I will be posting there occasionally.

I’ll see you around the web and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Bud

PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand, my fundraising page is still open.  Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.