7 Style Mistakes That Will Age You

Most of us take great consideration of what we wear, but why? Probably because we want to be able to show other people that we know how to put ourselves together or follow trends. However, some men fall down the trap of wearing clothes that make them look much older. So, here are the top seven style mistakes that will age you.

Style Mistakes That Age You

A lot of men make the mistake of following style rules that instead of making them look cool, just makes them look old. No man should be making these fashion mistakes as there is no excuse to have a bad dress sense, especially one that piles on the years. Knowing how to look younger for men is a whole new art, but simply dressing your own age should be a piece of cake. No matter how old you are, style at any age is made easy with The Idle Man, so read on for our top tips on how to dress better by avoiding these criminal fashion mistakes for men.

Not Dressing For Your Shape

The first rule to avoid being a badly dressed man is to dress for the size you are, not the size you want to be. This means not wearing anything too tight or body-hugging and equally not wearing overly baggy clothing. As men get older, a few rolls tend to appear on the body, and wearing tight clothes will only accentuate these even more. This rule applies to T-shirts, shirts, blazers and trousers. If you try to button up your blazer or shirt and the buttons are protruding, take it off. Instead of doing this, you should opt for a slim-fit T-shirt that sits on your body comfortably without pulling in any unwanted areas. It should be big enough so that it falls below your waistline and doesn’t show any skin when you lift your arms up, but equally not be too long that it can be mistaken for a longline T-shirt. If you can’t find trousers that fit you properly, size up and get them tailored. This may cost you a little bit of money but the results of having perfectly fitted clothes will pay off. The same applies to blazers, which should always be well fitted.

How To Wear Clothes That Fit You Properly
PHOTO CREDIT: The Idle Man

Blazer and Jeans

Continuing on from the above, let’s talk about blazers. It’s one thing to wear a blazer that doesn’t fit properly, but it’s a whole new board game to wear one with a pair of blue washed-out jeans and some brown brogues (you can all picture the exact outfit we’re talking about). If you’re wondering how to look stylish, this is a look which should be avoided at all costs.

Grey blazer with dark jeans to create that contrast look PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest

Wearing a blazer and jeans is such a typical ‘dad style‘, and even though this is a trend which is actually making its way back into fashion, this isn’t something that should be replicated in a hurry. Instead of wearing a mismatched blazer, jeans and brogues, opt for something that will make you look less middle-aged-corporate. Go for a crisp white Oxford shirt, a pair of black slim-fit jeans and some black loafers instead. Where you might look to wear a blazer, go for a smart jacket instead. A black overcoat is a wardrobe classic that every man should own. Failing this, a smart black coach jacket will also work.

Dark Blue Jeans and Brown Brogues

When wearing the blazer, jeans and brown brogues look, it’s not just the blazer that’s the problem; the brogues are 1/3 responsible for the terrible outfit. Dark blue jeans and brown brogues are always going to cause a problem if the fit of the jeans is wrong and the style of the shoe is off. Most often, you see men wearing ill-fitted, slightly too big jeans that end in a bootcut style flare at the bottom rippled over a pointy brown brogue. If you want to dress younger then please, please don’t make this style mistake.

How to correct it? A slim-fit pair of jeans is always the best cut to go for. No bootcuts, no baggy knees, no excess material hanging over your toes. Slim-fit jeans should complement the shape of your leg without being too big or equally far too small that they cut off circulation. If you want to wear blue jeans, try to stick to a continuous shade rather than those blue jeans which have a fade at the knee – are two-tone jeans even in the shops anymore? The best pair of jeans will be cut so that they finish at the exact right point of your ankles. If they are too long, take them to a tailor! When it comes to the shoes, look for a pair (or similar) on our website. This is a good guide to knowing what silhouette of brogue is in style. If you’re still in doubt, a brown or black loafer will never do you wrong, and you can wear these with or without socks depending on your style.

Styling Black Jeans and Loafers PHOTO CREDIT: Global Garçon

V Necks

Who ever told the man that a V-neck T-shirt looked good? It wasn’t us, that’s for sure. A V-neck cut T-shirt, in our opinion, is the worst cut, especially when the man wearing it insists on showing his 30-years worth of chest hair at the same time. Honestly? No one wants to see that. A prime example of how wearing a V-neck T-shirt can age you is Mr Simon Cowell. Don’t get us wrong, we’re big fans of him; his chest, however, not so much.

The best alternative to a V-neck T-shirt is a crew neck. Crew neck T-shirts are the most common cut of T-shirt that when worn gives the right amount of neck to fabric ratio (if that’s even a thing?). Other T-shirt variations include a scoop neck, a roll neck or a turtleneck, although the latter two will be long-sleeved T-shirt which should fit the same as a short-sleeved one.

 How To Style A White T-shirt For A Formal Event PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest

Commuting Trainers

The tragedy of the commuting trainer continues. Sometimes it seems that men purposely look for a trainer that mismatches the suit as much as possible. Chunky neon yellow trainers and black suit is a terrible look which should be avoided at all costs. We also really can’t understand the need to swap shoes going to and from the office – can your work shoes really be that uncomfortable? Unless you cycle or genuinely walk miles to your office door, there is no excuse for this.

If you really have to swap your office brogues or Oxfords for some trainers, at least make them good ones. When it comes to pairing trainers with a suit, going for a minimal style is a must. This means picking a pair that has a simple silhouette in one or two colours maximum of white, grey or black. If you go for a monochrome, minimal pair of trainers, you can be assured that they will go with every – or most – of the suits you already own.

Suit and Trainers Style For Men PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest

Slogan T-shirts With Jeans

Slogan T-shirts are one of the most dad things ever. Remember the phase of the ‘Sex Drugs and Sausage Rolls’ T-shirt? (Facepalm). These overly happy slogan T-shirts should really be banned from the shelves unless you’re purposely looking to dress up as a dad who is trying to stay ‘hip’. Pair a T-shirt like this with some jeans, and you’ve officially added 10 years to your age.

So, instead of these hideous tees, what can you wear? Push the heavy slogan tees aside and opt for some subtle T-shirts. When it comes to buying T-shirts for men, we always recommend going for some high-quality staples in the colours of black, white and grey. If you make sure the quality is good (100% cotton), it will last you much longer than a cheap one, even if it does cost you that little bit more. If these are too plain for you, you can opt for T-shirts that have minimal detailing on them instead.

Men’s Slogan Shirt PHOTO CREDIT: The Idle Man

Socks and Sandals

Are you Jesus? No? In that case, don’t wear socks and sandals. This look will do absolutely nothing for you… at all. No matter how old you are, the socks and sandals combination will make you look so much older and so uncool. If this is a look you’re guilty of, it’s better we help you late than never. Instead of wearing socks and sandals you can either buy a proper pair of shoes (and trust us, we have enough to choose from) or go for something a little less 500 BC. The best alternative to wearing sandals in 2018 is a pair of Birkenstocks, however, you are still not allowed to wear socks with them. You need to decide whether you have cold feet or warm feet. If cold – real shoes; if warm – socks. You simply can’t have both.

How To Style Sandals PHOTO CREDIT: The Kentucky Gent

On That Note

Some men can become easily confused with all of the trends that are circulating that they can often pick one up that piles on the years. Equally, some men stick to what they know and by doing so, dress head to toe in outdated styles. No man, we don’t think, is wondering how to look older than he actually is, so we hope that we have clearly identified the styles that will prevent this happening whilst giving you some alternatives to try for yourself. By changing simple things like switching up your dirty brown brogues to a pair of neat, smart loafers and chucking out your cringe slogan T-shirt from 2002, you can look like a whole new, better and younger version of yourself. All of these looks are easy to recreate, and knowing how to dress well without trying too hard is a skill worth.