The importance of dressing well for men!

I commented on Omega’s site and quickly received a comment on my comment, so thought I might rework it a bit and publish it here, so here goes ….  

Presentation is SO important for MEN and women! For example, when women are checking out men re – relationships, they pick up on social clues, some of which come from grooming and presentation.

I keep trying to work out why Billy is girlfriendless – he’s well off, smart, caring and very creative. He’s a wonderful writer and heaps better than me. He’s also extremely cute and my hero!  I expect his clothes just don’t give the right messages.  

I’d advise any man to dress stylishly and suitably for his build and activities with consideration for the social cues so provided.  However, when it comes to men’s clothes, I know little ….

NEVERTHELESS … the aim of this blog is to provide insights and advice based on my experience! So I will try …  

I’ve improved my wardrobe and presentation from a low base and I will try and draw some lessons for men.

Firstly, I must say it’s a journey – due to the need to build skill and resources, it takes time to gain your goals and those goals tend to shift. In fact, you may become aware of grooming matters you never thought existed or mattered.

Secondly, you need to be always scanning for ideas and opportunities to buy good stuff cheap, e.g. if you know what you need and can appear on the first day, sales and closing down sales provide massive opportunities for buying classy stuff cheap. Recently a classy menswear chain liquidated – even dinner suits were going cheap! I am so peeved Billy would not take a look and also that he’s resisted the preparation step of going around checking what’s available, at what price and what suits him.

Thirdly, vintage and secondhand can represent a chance to do something good for the environment, charity and yourself. I am always scanning outlets and even e-bay. Check out items carefully for faults and evidence of local vermin. I always wash my stuff carefully before bringing it into my wardrobe.

Fourthly, tailored looks great especially if you are a large man or non standard shape. If I was able to afford it I’d go overseas with Billy and get us both some tailored suits, work gear, shirts etc. Once you are there, in the right country tailoring is a cheap and sensible alternative to buying off the rack.

I’d like to note how important it is to try things on – buying online can be a bit of a trap without being able to see how things look on. Also, you may miss opportunities because some things can look plain on the hanger and nice on you. It’s fine just to set aside some time and go try stuff on. Often you may end up buying something and indeed, it may be a good tactic to aim at buying say a shirt, but try on a range of stuff for the experience. That way the shop gets something from all the effort to serve you.

And —oh— one of my friends dresses a lot from those adventure and outdoor stores. Oh goodness he looks good. He’s tall and athletic and the clothing just tends to set that off! On the strength of that I bought a pair of microfibre trousers and a shirt – I must say I looked like a girl park ranger rather than a film star (as he did), but they are handy for bike riding and hiking …

ANYWAY…good luck with the grooming and presentation! I believe with a little effort and luck we can look better rather than worse as we age!   

Talking of presentation ... this pink dahlia is so fabulous!! Do you see the Australian native bee?