Menswear DeCoded: 10 Regeln, um sich als Mann gut zu kleiden
2. September 2019Customer Journey: Die Eckpfeiler einer detaillierten Kundenanalyse
17. September 2019Menswear DeCoded: 10 rules to make a man dress well
There are certainly millions of times more guides for Outifts for women than for men. So this time I’ll be more concerned with the rules of how to put together a safe outfit for men. Every day thousands of outfits are created with our technology and millions of combinations are displayed.
Companies like Esprit, Hirmer or Sportscheck successfully use our Complete the Look solution. However, these companies have an extremely high level of expertise, which they then scale additionally with our AI.
But what do the stylists pay attention to when creating top-performing outfits? We took a closer look at the statistics and data of the outfits and identified the following correlations. Some of them certainly sound natural:
Rule #1: Stick to the basics
If you want it to be fast, then basics are the right thing for you. With basics you will usually be right, but you won’t be noticed either. Jeans, T-shirt, sneaker – these are great basics that will get you through the day. In order not to be completely run-of-the-milll, you can focus on the T-shirt by making a statement there, for example with a fancy color or a striking print.
If you want to stand out a bit more, but orientate yourself on basics, rolled up trousers with crazy socks are a great alternative. If you change your mind during the course of the day, just roll your trousers down and you have a full basic outfit ready to dive into the crowd.
Rule #2: Simple is better
As with the basics, you should feel safe with your chosen option. If you are not quite sure, you should make it easy for yourself and stay on the safe side. White shirt, chino trousers, belt and a casual jacket are a simple but safe choice. It’s unlikely to do anything wrong.
While basics are almost always casual outfits, a simple outfit can be casual, business or elegant at the same time.
Rule #3: It's the fit that matters
One of the biggest challenges is finding the right size. For women’s and men’s clothing, there are different requirements for a well-fitting garment. So it is no easy task for men to find the right shirt, the perfect trousers or the ideal shoes.
If you don’t comply 100% with the norm (who does?), you should go to a tailor’s near you. Shorten the sleeve or leg length or have everything sewn a little tighter or further. You not only look better when everything fits, you also feel a lot better.
The following should be kept in mind: Fit comes first!
Rule #4: Conscious coating
Be careful: Use your creativity, but don’t let it go with you, not everything can be combined stylishly.
Especially in autumn and winter, a mega onion look is the order of the day. Shirt, sweater and jacket don’t just keep us warm. With several layers, you can combine several pieces to create much more interesting outfits.
Rule #5: Make it look natural
An outfit shouldn’t look like work. By that I don’t mean a business look, but an outfit is ideal if it looks as if it would be totally easy to combine everything so perfectly. Especially if you want to try something new.
Rule #6: Try something new
Far too often men’s outfits consist of the same parts and the same patterns. You should try something new every now and then. Go to a shop and choose clothes you wouldn’t have tried on otherwise. Try them on and maybe you’ll discover a whole new side to yourself.
The same goes for creating outfits in our look solution. New things don’t have to be bad and can give you a whole new perspective.
Rule #7: Colours as an accent
Combining colours is practically a science in itself. Those who do not want to deal with colour theories simply stick to the tried and tested. But one or two colour accents help to enhance the outfit.
Use colors to your advantage but combining several colors is only for outfit experts.
Rule #8: Choose situation-based
When to wear what? If you can answer this question with complete certainty, then you have already reached 50%. Sometimes jeans, shirt and jacket are perfect for a client appointment, sometimes you are over- or underdressed. Some pitfalls are lurking here. Therefore, you should first be sure what would suit the situation best. Once you have answered the initial question, you can start by selecting the items of your outfit.
If you can’t answer the question, go back to rules #1 and #2.
Rule #9: Accept failures
There’s no such thing as the perfect outfit. Get inspiration from everywhere. Whether social media, magazines, TV, friends or a stranger in the train. Everywhere you find other people who can inspire you in terms of style. But there’s one thing you shouldn’t do: stress. Remember rule #5, so just accept in advance that things can go wrong. Sometimes a colour can’t fit well or you’re the only one wearing a shirt.
Take it with a smile and do it better next time.
Rule #10: Accept compliments.
Something that occurs much less often for men than for women are compliments to the outfit. If you have just bought or tried on a tailor-made suit, compliments are the order of the day. But in everyday life they are rather rare in terms of the look. Therefore, if you ever praise your style, accept it!
With such a confirmation one becomes more self-confident and at the same time also safer with his outfit choice.
But…
There were only 10 very simple rules that resulted from thousands of curated looks. They help with creating looks in the system as well as with the selection in front of your own wardrobe.
We are also planning an analysis of the data for ladies outfits in the near future. But I doubt that 10 rules will do it here… 🙂