9 Top Fashion Tips for Men

For many men, fashion isn't really something that they think about. They own a suit which they wear for job interviews and formal get-togethers, and the rest of the time they wear comfy jeans, baggy t-shirts, or their old-favorite "slightly-smart" shirt. The whole functional-casual thing might work while you're at university, but once you start going to conferences, dinner parties, and formal events, you'll need to figure out your sense of style. Here's a few tips to help you stay looking sharp without becoming a slave to fashion.

1. Buy Things that Fit This might sound really obvious, but most guys buy clothes that are too big for them. This ruins the point of carefully selecting different cuts and styles of unique menswear. Clothes should follow the line of your physique, not just hang there. Next time you go shopping, try on the next size down to what you normally buy - you might be surprised how well it fits.

2. You Need More Than One Suit Consider investing in a couple of suits - one black, one grey, and one pin-stripe. Get these properly fitted. You're wasting money if you buy a suit off the rack.

3. Pants Should Sit at Your Waist Your waist is about 2-3 inches below your belly button. Find pants that sit naturally there. You'll look smarter, and probably feel more comfortable too.

4. Quality Counts In the current economic climate, it can be tough to find the money to spend on something as "frivolous" as unique menswear. However, if you shop carefully, and head to the local Barbour outlet instead of a discount store, you'll spend less in the long term. Quality clothing fits well, is timeless, and is hardwearing too.

5. Shoes Finish the Outfit Cheap shoes won't do your feet, or your appearance, any favors. Avoid budget shoe stores and invest in a pair of shoes that fit your feet, and will look good with any outfit.

6. Match Your Belt and Your Shoes If you're wearing brown shoes, wear a brown belt. If you're wearing black shoes, wear a black belt. It's a simple concept, and it makes all the difference.

7. Don't Overdo Affectations You can wear one affectation - whether that's a fedora, a bracelet, a pocket watch, or something even more off-the-wall. Whatever you choose, it's making a statement, and that's fine. However, if you wear more than one big and bold thing, you're no longer making a statement, your clothes are having an argument with each other, and that's not good.

8. Clean Your Nails There's no point being smart and stylish in your Barbour outlet gear if your hands are scruffy. Dirty nails might suit a building site worker, but if you're not going for the rugged mechanic look then you should make a point of keeping your hands smooth and clean.

9. Disregard Trends, Acquire Style Trends are for teenagers. As a stylish adult, you should forget about what's in and what's out, and wear what looks good. If that happens to coincide with what's "in", then fine, but if what's in fashion now is something that makes you cringe, don't wear it. Find your own sense of style, and wear your favorite things with confidence.

Wayne Barker writes for Anna Davies, who stock lifestyle accessories, unique menswear and ladies clothes from a range of household names.