Men wear fewer accessories as compared to women, our fashion forward partners but the sad news is that they still make so many fashion errors in styling them. It may be a minor mistake requiring the adjustment of tie between the collar points or a major change demanding the instant replacement of the article. All those information has been taken care of.
Believing that all men will feel fully updated and sure at the end and start styling their accessories in a right way to save their social and professional image StyleShark presents a list of all fashion accessory mistakes in a clear format.
It is hoped that after precise assessment of a each mistake you will bring all the essential changes in your fashion operation you carry out each day.
Sunglasses Style Mistakes
Wrong frame
You are always advised to wear a right frame for your face shape. Men with square and round face will skip relatively square and round frame. It is strange in case of sunglasses but when you wear exact same frame as your face type it does not complement your face. So gents now you should be able to avoid this major blunder in styling shades.
Wearing large/small sunglasses for your head
It is important to understand that a frame size should correspond your head size. A small frame on large head or large frame on a small head will look out of place. Most men have average size head which accepts moderate size frame. Try different frames carefully and find one that is right for your head/face.
Tie Style Mistakes
Disproportional width of tie to physique
A common and obvious blunder among men is to wear slim ties (1.5”-2.5”) on broad chest or wider ties (3” and beyond) on a narrow chest. It looks like you don’t understand balance of outfit. You should choose a right tie width no matter if you like the colour or pattern. Try at least 3 ties in sequence to determine the right width for your chest. Whichever tie has a proportionate width set it as a measurement for future.
Wrong Colour tie
An orange or yellow tie is execrable unless you are a fashion model parading on the stage. For a decent fellow sobriety is key to look attractive. Choose out of pleasant colours like black navy, red, dark blue, brown, dark brown, maroon, magenta etc.
Always look for a universal colours for your wardrobe. A tie colour that only works with a particular shirt or jacket colour is not good; it should be versatile as much as possible, just like other articles. Red, brown, navy are some colours to choose for first few ties.
Wrong pattern tie
Pattern is as vital as tie colour. Some common patterns- foulard, dots, stripes, paisley. Dots and stripes are more formal and good for business professionals. Paisley and foulard tend to be more casual patterns unless are subdued.
It is a violation to match same pattern of the tie as shirt or suit jacket. If you are wearing a striped shirt avoid striped tie. Likewise for plaid pattern suit jacket match a plain or different pattern tie. Avoid plaid tie on a plaid shirt, however small diamond pattern tie against a windowpane check shirt is somewhat acceptable due to size difference.
Wrong length tie
Do you know how far should a tie reach after knotting? Guess?…You are taking long! Let me tell ya! Stand upright and now the tip of your tie should just reach the middle of your buckle; no more, no less. An average tie length is 56”-60” to knot a tie perfectly. It should not be shorter than this. Simply tie length is proportional to your torso length. Choose accordingly.
Poor quality tie
Silk is the fit fabric for ties for its smooth shiny surface. A high quality tie is always made of silk. Silk does not wrinkle or deform. If you are wearing a tie made out of false material it will not look sharp and sophisticated. It will wrinkle and curve and will not fall naturally. So for a tie to be good first requirement is the silk fabric. Inferior fabric tie also need ironing frequently.
Bad tie knot
There are several knots to tie for men but easier yet fashionable are four-in-hand and half-Windsor. All men should master these tie knots for them and others as well. Men who rarely wear suits may find it hard to achieve a right trim knot.
It is also important to tie the knot snug around the neck. A loose knot will lend an unsystematic appearance.
Pocket Square Style Mistakes
Wrong colour
Colour is the soul of any fashion article. Every colour sends a clear message and two or more colours combined determine the character of your outfit. Since pocket square is worn in a vest or a suit jacket it is interesting to note that you are already wearing few colours – a shirt, suit jacket or possibly a tie, then a square colour becomes of central importance. Minding the fact select a more decent colour square.
Wrong pattern
Square makes an outfit more exciting, imparts urbanity to a man’s style. It is an accessory designed to be visible less and appeal more. Although much part of a square remains inside the pocket its pattern is pivotal in finishing attire. A plain white square sets you in a formal lane, a subtle patterns like dots and circles shifts the balance to less formal and fancier side; busy design like paisley work instantly for a casual look. So don’t pick a pocket square haphazardly.
Wrong size
Since square has to go in the pocket its size matters. Silk being soft will not bulk when folded. A size of 12”x12” is appropriate for making various pocket folds of a square. Buy a pocket square approximately this size. Some folds are difficult to achieve with a smaller size.
Wrong match
Pocket Square like everything else should coordinate well with the suit and tie. For matching a square pick a contrasting colour than you suit jacket. If your pocket square is exactly or nearly the same colour it will blend with the jacket and be lost.
Abstain from wearing exactly matching colour of tie and pocket square, e.g. red tie with a red square. This fact remains valid for the pattern as well. Choose different patterns between a tie and a pocket square.
Matching with tie
A square is not a compulsion but a compliment to your appearance. It can play as a stand-alone style accessory or as a complementary piece to your outfit. Both ways it is a powerful element to accessorize. It is a waste of pocket square if you are matching its colour strictly with the tie. In this case you can find a different colour square or tie.
Wrong fold
In a formal setting pocket square is best worn in a square fold with a small rectangular part showing outside the pocket. One point and two point folds are less formal. If you are wearing an exclusively black suit wear a square fold for a dressy look. To look exuberant and lively fold a paisley pattern square into a puff fold.
Wrong position
Most men wear their squares flying out of pockets. A big length of square jutting out of pocket is a style error. Only 1-2” part of a square should be visible on your jacket.
Contrariwise a scanty part of square sticking out of pocket looks inelegant and incomplete.
Belt Fashion Mistakes
Long belt
Extra length of belt is an extra burden to carry plus it creates bulk around waist and visual imbalance. Whenever choosing for a belt length, ensure 3-4 extra inches than your waist size for an iconic look.
Styling wrong belt
Wear formal belt with formal clothing and similarly casual belt with casual attire. Belt width, buckle type, colour, and details (stitching, texture) make it formal or casual. Since formal belt is worn with dress pants and formal trousers an ideal width for it would be between 1”-1.25” inches. I” is slim and 1.3” is max. On the other hand casual belt width varies beyond 1.3”-1.5”. Don’t wear too wide belt.
Wrong colour belt
Some men wear mismatched belt colours to their trousers and shoes. Most common formal colours are black and brown, less formal tan or brown. Match black belt with black, navy and grey trousers. Match dark brown to any other colour pants. It is good to match belt with shoes at least black and brown since they are standard colours.
Poor quality belt
Substandard leather belt will expose quality faults soon. First it is hard to feel, next it cracks and wrinkles very soon. It also offers trouble going through the buckle, especially prong buckle.
Too large buckle/garish buckle
A big buckle on a thin frame is a direct ‘No’. Wear buckle proportional to your body(waist). Medium size buckle is appropriate for a slim and average fit guy. Again, a large buckle looks more casual. Choose a buckle width equal to your belt width, no more no less.
Watch Style Mistakes
Unskilled watches
These watches are copies of the brand prototypes and come at a very low price, feature poor construction, unreliable mechanism that can betray you anytime, don’t look as elegant. A costly watch does not bleed you dry since it works for decades except with a minor fault in decades. So buying a branded watch is worth your time and effort.
Wrong watch type
A dress watch matches a dressier occasion. In fact wearing a dress watch with suit, business casual, shirt and trousers is always a safe bet. Dress watch can play the best role in almost all events without looking odd but a casual watch or sports watch can’t be paired in a business or corporate setting. Wear an analog watch for a sophisticated look. digital watches best suit in casual context.
Dial size
A small dial for a slim wrist and a relatively bigger diameter for a broad wrist is what you need to pay attention to while deciding on a watch. Always check right size dial for your hand especially when you are buying an upmarket timepiece.
Strap colour width
Prefer wearing a black, brown, grey, dark green or tan strap to look sophisticated. A watch strap need not to emphasize its colour but match or complement to the outfit. Also notice strap width proportional to the dial of a watch. A wide strap with a small dial will consume it and spoil the appearance; contrariwise a narrow band with a large dial will look disproportional on a wrist.
Handkerchief Mistakes
Hankies are a hygiene accessory, very useful. They are like an implement to keep your overall impression alive come handy when you need them he most. Whether having a breakfast at home or moving out a nice hanky is the first accessory you must carry. So gentlemen let us explore the usefulness of this simple and serviceable accessory.
Oversized kerchief
Carry a proper size hanky, not smaller not larger. A good clean hanky can save your situation smartly. Therefore be generous in picking a nice size between 14”-17” in cotton for it is thin and absorbs fast. Bigger hanky becomes a mini towel hard to push into pockets.
Colour of handkerchief
The best colour should be white and white. Why white? Hanky serves to wipe the mouth, face and hands. A hanky best serves when you need to blow. In that case it gets stained and manky soon, consequently requires frequent washing. Keep a backup handkerchief to replace a dirty one, especially when leaving home for long.
Dirty kerchief
Never use grubby hanky in your pocket. Of course nobody sees it when it is inside because it is not in use but once you take it out, your cover is blown.
Always have a foresight of your decisions and save yourself from such uneasy situations.
Place of handkerchief
I recommend placing a hanky in trousers front pocket seeing as it is the easiest place to fetch a hanky. Moreover, when dining keep it in your shirt pocket for easy access. Why in general you should not keep a hanky in a shirt’s patch pocket because it hangs there spoiling your crisp look.
Wallet Fashion Mistakes
Pseudo leather wallet
Real leather is a superior material for wallets both in terms of durability and appearance. Seeing that a wallet sometimes bears pressure inside pocket, especially denim, chinos buy high-quality leather wallet for you. False leather cracks soon, costs much more in long term because you need to buy wallets within few months.
Oversized wallet
Wallet frequently goes into or out of a pocket so the size matters; there is a particular size of wallet which will fit the pocket smoothly. A moderate size looks good and serves the purpose well. Conversely your pocket will bulge with a big wallet and look odd.
Shabby wallet
A worn out wallet may be a cause of serious embarrassment. Immediately replace an old crumpled wallet.
Stuffed wallet
Even a top businessman would not carry a heavily filled wallet with unnecessary things. Keep content to minimum. Use an extra card holder if you have more plastic cards. Avoid keeping coins or keys in wallet as it may force the stitching to come undone and also cause cuts.
Colour
Black, dark brown/grey, tan are common decent colours for men. Control your colour choice. If you are a sharp dresser your accessories should also look sharp and colour is a key factor. If you can; buy black brown and dark grey wallet for a sober look. Yet if you want to try new colours pick beige, tan, navy shades. Abstain from yellow, red, pink or white colours.
Shoes Styling Mistakes
Bad quality shoes
Quality shoe exhibits sublime leather, strong systematic stitching, perfectly cut leather pieces, leather sole which neither cracks nor wears out soon. Perfect eyes can easily distinguish between genuine and inferior leather and expert fingers can feel the softness and texture of it.
Quality shoes represent a man’s inner self. The way a man chooses his shoes defines his class. Substandard quality poor impression and cause of neglect, on the other hand high grade shoes means a sophisticated man, besides other factors.
Decide whether you want to leave a mark on their heart or mar your impression forever.
Wrong style for right occasion
Are you wearing formal shoes with casual clothing, say oxfords with crewneck and denim where you should be wearing sneakers or running shoes. Often casual clothing can be dressed up with the help of dress shoes or a sports jacket or blazer can be dresses down with sneakers or loafers but that should be played carefully and smartly.
If you don’t know how to match shoes with the outfit learn it through knowledge and latest trends.
Unpolished shoes
Shoes are worn at the bottom but handle the upper affairs. Wearing unpolished shoes is next to not washing your face. Imagine how bad it looks, in fact stale. It only takes about 10 minutes to fully polish a pair of shoes, but alas! A man is always in hurry! Furthermore, one polish gives you about four-five wear if you protect shoes from dirt and brushing.
Wrinkled Shoes
Wrinkling in leather is a natural occurrence and appears on the vamp where foot bends and stress is the highest but quality leather shoes walk hundreds of miles before showing signs of wrinkling. Reversely, inferior quality shoes break soon and wrinkle all over.
Only authentic solution to this is to buy better quality shoes and take care of them.
Mismatch shoes with trousers
For instance you are wearing black trousers and brown shoes, whereas you should be wearing black shoes. This a is a common mistake when men do not focus on matching the trousers with shoes. You need to learn by trial and ensure the right matching or complementing pair of trousers and shoes. Do this in advance for your complete wardrobe to avoid real time error.
Match black shoes exclusively with black trousers. Black shoes also look harmonious with navy, charcoal, grey, dark grey, olive colour pants. Although sometimes you may like to try dark brown shoes with navy, that is totally fine.
For brown trousers match brown shoes.
Bad design
Some local brands copy the design of popular brands and cast their shoes to look slightly or more different than the original piece. This way they alter the absolute design and either remove the essential detailing or add the unwanted parts. Any such designs still remain unappealing and boring. Avoid wearing such shoes in lieu of that, prepare your budget for quality shoes.
