Top Men's Style Mistakes

The Business world is full of competition. For those competing with other agencies or companies for clients, how about co-workers competing with their colleagues for that promotion or for those competing with other job seekers. We spend hours tweaking our LinkedIn profile or crafting e-mails to try and make ourselves look desirable or credible to whomever we are trying to impress. This helps us get their attention but then we get to the interview or a meeting with the prospective client and they see someone who's physical image doesn't match up to the image they perceived online.

Just like that your first impression has you underwhelming those you are trying to impress. You've just wasted all of your hard work on your resume, LinkedIn profile/online presence and all those hours searching for a job by showing up and giving a poor first impression.
Our goal is to help our clients give a great impression, one that says you are professional, respectable, confident and competent. You can start saying that with what you are wearing, however, there are style mistakes Men commonly make that you can fix very quickly.

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1.) Ill Fitting Clothing

Of course as a Men's Fine Fashion company that works with made-to-measure clothing we have to put this one first. But this is why we started our business. I was having coffee with a friend back when the idea for Cardero Clothing was being born and a man in his mid 20's came out of the coffee shop wearing a suit that was hanging off of him. My immediate reaction was he was an intern or an assistant at an office somewhere. The impression he was making at his job is more than likely killing him in his career.

Most people think of having a suit made from scratch to their measurements and customization's is expensive. I assure you it's not anymore. Our two piece suits start at $499 and only takes three-four weeks to get to you. What you wear is so important, I encourage you to contact us to at least talk about the process. I hate seeing ambitious Men making mistakes that are easy to fix. So now that the self-promotion is over, read on and let's fix these mistakes.

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2.) Shirt Showing Below Your Dress Shirt

Wearing a crew neck shirt or any shirt other than an undershirt or compression shirt underneath your dress shirt is common to soak up the sweat. What we suggest is to go with a v-neck to hide the shirt itself. You may still see the lines underneath which is why we suggest a compression shirt, but it's better than having the sweat stain soaking through and wearing down the shirt. 

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​3.) Not Matching Patterns or Colors Properly

Adding patterns and colours to your wardrobe should be done carefully. You want them to pop and not clash. Take the picture above, he has four patterns in one look...four! The glen check jacket & pants, houndstooth vest, striped shirt and polka dot tie. The colours work well, but the patterns are too much. As for the following look...

...he is wearing a black and white glen check suit jacket where he has brought out the black from the jacket into his vest and the white from the jacket is complimented in the shirt and pocket square. He has also added the subtle herringbone pattern in the tie. Two patterns that are different sizes and the colours are complimenting each other.

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​4.) Missing the Pocket Square

The outfit itself is very well put together but by adding a pocket square it can bring the whole outfit together. A white pocket square would bring out the white in the tie or a subtle coloured pocket square on this monochromatic look can bring a pop into the outfit that adds personality. There are many different pocket square folds to choose from to also add a little personality, I prefer the puff but you can have the classic square fold that goes in any environment.

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​5.) Thinking Baggy Clothing is a "Power Suit"

A power suit is wide peak lapels, with a matching traditional tie, pin stripes and tailored! Having the pants sag over the shoes or the jacket reach past your hands doesn't mean you are powerful. A tailored suit with the right customization's will portray the message you want to get across, like the picture above.

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We are five points in and you are realizing you tick many boxes. That's OK, we are here to help! Click the button to book an appointment with us today. We'll fix you up!

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6.) Buttoning Up

The bottom button of the jacket and vest should always be left undone. The jacket was created to have the bottom button left undone, doing it up ruins the way the jacket drapes.

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​7.) Tie Too High or Too Low

The end of the tie should just touch the top of your belt buckle, no more and no less.

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8.) Wearing A Tie Bar with a Vest (Waistcoat)

Wearing a tie bar with a vest is redundant. I admit to making this mistake early on but the point of a tie bar is to keep the tie in place, when it is tucked underneath the vest it is doing just that. Save the accessorizing to a lapel pin in this instance.

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9.) Bulky Pockets

This is a hard one for me, I have my cell phone, normal wallet, business wallet and bulky car keys. If you don't have a briefcase or bag to carry things in your best bet is to leave a few keys or cards at home you don't use on the regular. For me, my wallet goes in my back pocket, phone in the front left inside breast pocket and the front right jacket pocket gets my keys. They hide them well enough and they aren't too heavy to ruin the shape of the jacket.

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10.) Suspenders with Belt Loops

If you love to wear suspenders we can have your pants created without belt loops and only suspender buttons like our friend on Instagram @DogsLoveTrucks does with his pants. It is a clean, classy and professional look that lets others know you pay attention to the details.

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11.) Wearing a Lighter Coloured Tie Than Your Dress Shirt

The tie should always be darker than the dress shirt. If you are willing to venture into really dark dress shirts make sure you plan ahead to find a tie that goes well with it. The ultimate goal is to know your wardrobe well so every time you buy an article of clothing you have a picture in your head of what you are going to pair it with.

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12.) Always Taking GQ's Advice

You're a professional, and if you are trying to find your style or learn some style tips stay away from GQ the majority of the time. A lot of these fashion magazines are not for you, you need to look professional and timeless, it's not the time to be fashion forward. Wearing shorter pants that show your socks while standing or having a one button suit can work in the right environment but not at the office.

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Conclusion

You may not like or even agree with what we have said here and your office may be a little more flexible, but when you are starting out especially you don't want to try and make fashion statements. Your first outfit choice should be timeless and classy while sneaking in personality where you see fit, make that first great impression with your outfit. But please also remember, once you have that job or client nothing speaks louder than hard work and building relationships.

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We want to be a part of your success story so contact us if it is time to recreate yourself through your wardrobe!

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​Please do not hesitate to let us know what you think! Whether you agree or disagree or if there is anything you want to add please comment below, let us know on Social Media or e-mail us!