I have no idea how to dress myself. Help?

[swiego]

My advice will be a bit different: go slow.

Consider the following, should you change your "style" too abruptly:
- People will focus on the change itself, rather than on the well-put-together person
- If the change is too abrupt, you will look and feel uncomfortable and people will notice that as well
- Nicer clothing comes at a higher cost and invariably involves more upkeep. Switch from t-shirts to suits too quickly and you might end up with a bunch of shrunken, ripped or poorly-fitting suits.

My advice would be to:
- Following the advise here, start to diversify, but only one piece at a time, and slowly. Wash/launder/clean an item and re-use it at least once before you pick up the next item.
- While you should consider some magazine subscriptions, catalog requests, etc., for ideas, try to divorce yourself from brands and materials, and focus only on fit/color/cohesiveness to start. Worry about brands and quality later.
- Following the last point, don't spend too much to start. You'll make mistakes, so it never hurts to minimize the financial exposure for the first few purchases.

 

[joelmccrea]

I agree with much of the above. In addition, I'd emphasize:

- Fit. The best place to start is with buttoned/dress shirts, since you can easily introduce them into even a casual wardrobe to sharpen it up a bit. If they don't fit to a T off the rack (they rarely do), get them altered at a tailor. Or go custom: nothing fits me well off the rack, so the shirts at mytailor.com changed my life. This forum has plenty of thread on them and other online tailors.

- Shoes. Spend more on shoes than you have been; spend as much as you can afford, really. Good shoes can make even cheap Gap khakis look nice. Really.

- Basics. Men's magazines can be a source of inspiration but they tend to focus on eye-catching, trendy pieces rather than items that combine well with others. I'll second the recommendation above for Put This On's advice: http://putthison.com/post/712103418/the-essential-mans-wardrobe-perhaps-the-most.

 

[EFV]

I have never claimed to be an authority on this subject, but I think you should dress in a manor that you feel comfortable in. That's cliché I know, but start by getting inspired, find out what elements attracts your eye and then try the stuff out yourself, post pics in WAYWRN (you can do it from a shops dress room if you don't want to purchase anything you're not sure about), get some second opinions on fit etc (that's the hardest part to be objective about on yourself). Get basic tips from guys who know what they talk about. There are some great n00bs here, but I'd go with post count and longivity of the user account when considering the actual merit of advice. Also check out other fora on the web: AAAC (if you're a trad kinda guy), London Lounge (bespoke and such), FNB (unrelentless snark, but some great Ivy knowledge), Fedora Lounge (vintage bonanza) etc, just to get different opinions on what it is to be well dressed.

For inspiration, here's a list of some SF Tumblr that you can check out.

 

[mensimageconsultant]

I should literally just hire someone to make me look good.

You could. But don't hire an amateur. Sounding knowledgeable in a few posts is quite different from charging money (often overcharging) to work with an individual's unique situation and all its complexities. And it hurts the industry when alleged experts don't really know what they are doing.

Anyway, look at some magazines, read a few books (probably only worthwhile if borrowed from a library), use Internet sites of course (disregard the suit advice from the Newbie Fashion Tips link), and if that's not helping much.... By the way, don't just buy good dress shoes, buy good (probably fashion-forward) casual shoes. Calvin Klein shirts and sweaters might go well with the desired look, not that anyone knows the measurements, budget, etc.

 

[acridsheep]

I am an authority on matters like these. For whatever reason, people in this thread have neglected to give you the most sound advice of all, which is to copy pretty much everything I do.

My fees are modest.

 

[Gdot]

You'll know that you've arrived when you receive the world famous 'sheep stamp'. Until then you are strictly a 99%er.

 

[saiyar1]

I would hang out in the street wear section. No need for ties and stuff like that on an everyday basis, especially at 23.

 

[add911_11]

Lurk around here for a while, it takes time to learn

The true meaning of dressing well is to please yourself, no to please the opposite sex

If you want to get laid, better polish your communication skills, savings, social network

The mere Sf sartorial standard will prevail the ordinaries, I actually dress down to meet girls so they don't have the 'player' first impression, and most girls do not want their partner to be better dress than them.

Unless you are going for the 'high class' girls, then make sure you have enough money

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