The Idiot's Guide to Fashion

  There are many fashion tips given to men every day but it’s what you don’t know that can really hurt you. There are certain fashion rules that are set in stone. All the proper rules must be followed or those little details may destroy your fashion sense, right down to your socks and belt. Fashion wrongs are wrong, so follow these rules or you might go to fashion prison!

  The first rule concerns socks. You should never wear white socks with dark shoes or darks socks with white shoes. Make sure to match the socks with the shoes and thus keep your whole outfit matching. White sports socks, whether they are high or low, are meant for sports shoes like sneakers or trendy trainers so keep them paired up. With your casual or dress shoes there are a wide range of brands you can buy, just remember to match the sock color with the shoe. Beige, brown, and black socks should work with all dress shoes so these should be included as your three main colors along with your white socks. You can even embellish your sock look by pairing the colors of your pants and shoes with a subtle pattern in the sock. Be adventurous and experiment!

  The second rule in fashion concerns belts. You should always match your belt with your shoes, so if you have brown shoes on, you should grab your brown belt and so forth with other colors. This rule is a solid rule for making your outfit look complete. Even if you are wearing a tee shirt, jeans and trendy trainers you should match your belt with the trendy trainers, but keep it simple to the main color in the shoe. Off-white and fabric beige belts that are simple are great for trendy trainers. Brown, black, off-white and beige should be the key color of belts that are in your closet so that you can follow this rule and stay in fashion full time.

  The third fashion rule is all about stripes. There are so many rules that go along with stripes. First, do not wear thick horizontal stripes because they will make you look fatter than you are and no one wants that feeling. The next rule in stripes is the most important rule, so listen: Never, never, never wear horizontal stripes with vertical stripes. Whether it is a shirt and pants or a shirt that has both stripes, it is a fashion no-no. You will just look horrible and again no one wants to look horrible. Finally, never wear plaid with stripes. Mixing and matching patterns can be fun if you are a woman and that’s about it! Men should completely stay away from this, so be a man and remember the rules for stripes!

  Fourth is the rule of colors. Remember this rhyme as long as you live: “blue and green should never be seen.” Blue and green are two colors that should never be worn together. It doesn’t matter how good you think these colors look together, do not wear them together. The next rule of colors is no neon colors. Unless you are stuck in the 1980s, neon colors should never be seen again. Clothes, hats, jackets… Unless it’s a life jacket, save a life and take it off!

  The last rule is the rule of tailoring. People always go for style and sometimes forget about the most important detail, fit. Tee shirts, button-up shirts, pants and suits all require a tailored look, meaning they should all fit properly. One of the most important things that men seem to forget when they buy a suit is when they tailor the length of the pants but forget about the jacket. Therefore, the jacket looks too big and yes, it does looks bad. So don’t forget to buy clothes that fit and if they don’t, have a tailor make them fit, because it looks plain old bad if they don’t!

  These are the rules of fashion that any idiot can remember. Follow the rules of socks, belts, patterns, colors, and tailoring and you will keep it looking real and good! Each one of these rules is important, so don’t ignore any of them. Post them on your wall or write them down because if these are violated then you might go downhill fast.

About the author:

  Rochel Friedlander has spent her last five years working in men's fashion in New York City. Now living in Los Angeles, she continues to move forward in the fashion industry. During her sales experience, she has guided such retailers as Macys, Urban Outfitters, Atrium, E street denim, and National Jean Company to hit the right trends in the marketplace. Her knowledge of men's fashion comes from her experience and extensive travel of the world. She has spent years living in London, England and toured through France, Australia, Greece, Italy, and many more countries. This has helped her understanding of European trends and how they are transposed into the North American market.