• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Most common style mistakes

GatorStyle

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2002
Messages
104
Reaction score
1
Inspired by the success of our recent topic on the five essential elements of style that every man should have, I give you the flip-side:  what, in your opinion, are the three most common style blunders that you see other guys stumble into?

You might choose either the most frequently-observed mistakes (i.e. ones that too many guys make, over and over again) or, instead, the ones that just bother you the most (your own personal pet peeves).  This might include a particularly heinous garment/item; the way that something is worn; bad combinations; or something else altogether.

I'd be curious to hear what you guys think, and how that matches up with my own observations.
 

j

(stands for Jerk)
Admin
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Feb 17, 2002
Messages
14,663
Reaction score
105
#1. Items with logos on blatant display. Did I mention my new line of clothing? It's called "Corporate Shill." Tommy Hilfiger is bad with this, and D&G and CK are horrible too. Whoopee, you can afford a $60 (or whatever) black cotton t-shirt that says D&G on it. You must have good fashion sense. #2. Ill-fitting pants. Pants are supposed to come to your waist, which is a bit below your navel. Does it make you feel better about yourself to buy the ones with a smaller number inside and then hang your gut over the top? Pants also are supposed to hang to the bottom of your shoe, more or less. No sock showing, no extra piles of fabric. It's really very simple. #3. Generally, underdressing for an occasion. One simply does not go to the opera in a polo shirt, but many men do. It is extremely insulting to performers to have their audience appear not to care at all about the event. One also does not go out to do anything of any import, whether it is dinner, business, or just out and about, while wearing basketball shoes. If they are Chuck Taylors, worn for the purpose of looking like Chuck Taylors, they can work in some situations. But how can you expect anyone to take you seriously in those beat up (or even brand new) Nikes? I could rattle off dozens of these, but these are the ones that first came to mind as bugging me the most. These are not faux pas, they are poor taste, and there is a difference. Faux pas are excusable, while poor taste is very difficult for me to excuse. I'd like to hear what everyone else has to say on this.
 

Steve B.

Go Spurs Go
Joined
Mar 2, 2002
Messages
10,286
Reaction score
134
Being a big fan of the double-breasted look here's two that apply:

1. Wearing a button down shirt witth a bouble breasted suit.
2. Leaving the jacket of same unbuttoned. A gentleman always buttons a double breatsed jacket.

3. Suspenders with metal clips. Not seen often, but horrendous.
 

NavyStyles

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2002
Messages
505
Reaction score
1
I'll count down: 3) A jacket that's too small. (when the guy reaches to shake your hand, and you can see half a foot of his shirt sleeve. Time to go shopping, bud.) 2) When people are underdressed. If you attend a nice event and you took time to look the part, you did so to make yourself presentable. I hate it when other guys don't even spend the time to look nice for something like a concert. 1) Finally, when someone wears a black belt with brown shoes. That really bugs me, and I notice it a lot. I don't say anything, but I notice it so much, it's started to become a pet peeve. Well, that's it.
 

clarinetplayer

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2002
Messages
4,612
Reaction score
7,677
1. A tie that hangs too low--way past the belt buckle.
2. Shirt sleeves that are too long.
3. The Regis look.
 

GQgeek

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Mar 4, 2002
Messages
16,568
Reaction score
84
1. the huge tommy logos or whatever. There are guys with winter jackets and the whole jacket is a TOMMY HILFIGER. I call them walking billboards. tons of indians did this in toronto when i was at school there. it was my #1 pet peeve and why i won't even enter the hilfiger section of a store.

2. Most guys i know (I'm in college) have horrible shoes. Same pair for past 2 years, every day of the year, without ever once shining sorta thing.

3. Wear white tube socks much? you wouldnt believe how many people don't know this basic rule, even in a relatively well dressed city like montreal (although i admit it's mostly the math geeks and engineers and stuff breaking it around school).

4. cargo pants. sry but these were a fad which i never much liked in the first place, stop wearing them already. And those stupid pants gap has with the little loop.. oh yeah carpenter pants is what they call them. those suck too.

I'm sure there's stuff worse than wearing cargo and carpenter pants from gap but i have serious issues with them cause at my old school, every guy i knew had a pair of both and it wasnt uncommon to see several guys show up at school on any given day wearing the same pants.
 

Michael

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2002
Messages
107
Reaction score
0
J, as a short guy, I must defend myself for wearing jeans that lightly bunch up at the shoes. I can't help it. Ever. Jeans just don't come in 29 length. So there.
tounge.gif
 

j

(stands for Jerk)
Admin
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Feb 17, 2002
Messages
14,663
Reaction score
105
I think it is excusable in jeans to have a somewhat bunchy look at the bottoms. The main whine I have is with ill-fitted dress trousers. There simply is no excuse for that.
 

Mike C.

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2002
Messages
1,518
Reaction score
7
Brown jacket, black shoes.
White guys wearing FuBu.
Ill fitting suits
Unshined shoes.
Great clothes with a bad haircut (ruins any chance at being stylish ex: Bill Gates, Donald Trump)
The "Abercrombie look"
 

Europe's Finest

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2002
Messages
57
Reaction score
0
1. Fake and cheap-looking clothes

2. Too much jewelry

3. Winter boots in sommer

4. Sneakers + Oakley sunglasses with suits

5. Trying too much to be in fashion
 

GQ Lawyer

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2002
Messages
347
Reaction score
1
1. Sleeve button unbuttoned
2. White socks with loafers
3. Small jacket
4. Bulky sweater tucked into jeans
5. Too much jewlery
6. Tie tied either too long/too short
7. Tie knot up, but shirt collar unbuttoned (what the f*ck?)
8. Black shoes/brown belt (or vice-versa)
 

Mike

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2002
Messages
423
Reaction score
1
I have one that ties in with some of the other replies-

Sport Coats and suit jackets who's sleeves are too long. I've ALWAYS been told from my father, grandfather, even my grandmother that you let about a half inch or so of shirt cuff show. You don't know how many people I see break this rule. The only people I see who regularly follow this are extremly professional guys, older gentlemen, and people who's jacket is too small overall, which bothers me as well (but which I've been guilty of before. I'll admit it. I'm kinda tall and fall in between sizes.)

There's my 2 cents worth
 

FRATERNITYSTUD

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2002
Messages
54
Reaction score
2
Pet Peeves:
Short Ties
White socks with dressy shoes
Too short pants

I am also not a fan of tight fitting blue jeans.
 

NavyStyles

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2002
Messages
505
Reaction score
1
GQgeek, GQLawyer, and Fraternitystud,

I could not agree with you more on the athletic white socks. These should be worn during ATHLETICS. Another thing I just recalled-- dress socks with shorts. I think that people look like such goobers when they do this. One of my friends did it recently and all I could do was laugh. When I wear shorts, I only wear ankle socks or none at all. Does anyone else thinks this is crazy? It just doesn't look right- and most of the time, when people do it, they're wearing tennis shoes.
 

AmericanDevil

Active Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2002
Messages
28
Reaction score
0
1)Anything not used on clothes ex., shirt tucked in and no belt. Button holes not used. If its a button down collar, button down. otherwise get non button down collars. You get the point.
2)socks and shorts. I personally dont like the look of socks being seen constantly. Socks should not be seen any more than boxers should or wife beater t's. Its underwear. Go without socks, get odor eaters.
3)Digital Watches. C'mon people, it was fun not to have to think to hard in the eighties, but i think we're ok now, huh?
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,173
Messages
10,579,194
Members
223,887
Latest member
collywily
Top