TOP 20 Menswear Faux Pas to Avoid in 2017

1. Sandals with sock? Please no! The ultimate male fashion trespass. Nothing says “dorky dad” like a pair of Tevas with white socks from Wal-Mart.
2. Wearing Uggs: Ugg, why? It’s one thing for women to step out in these, but for men, it’s a whole new level of fashion crime. The Ugg has no place in the outside world, it belongs in the comfort of your home with your terrycloth robe.
3. Tennis socks with dress shoes: Fashion is all about the details. You may think no one will notice if you throw tennis socks under dress shoes… until you cross your legs in an important business meeting.
4. Baggy or poorly fitted clothes: Unless you’re a 9-year-old boy who grows out of his pants in six months, there’s no reason to ever buy clothes that don’t fit right. And unless you’re a teenager from the 90s, there’s no reason to ever wear baggy pants.
5. Pointy toe dress shoes or square toe dress shoes: Strictly speaking, this is not necessarily a faux-pas, but pointy or square toe dress shoes are a bit old school. Maybe try a more updated look with a round-tipped shoe.
6. Wrinkled clothes: How you wear your clothes is just as important as what clothes you wear, so make sure to take an iron to your wrinkly clothes after they come out of the dryer. Remember, ladies love men who look like they know how to do their laundry!
7. Dirty dress shoes: Nothing ruins an outfit like an ugly shoe (see above: Uggs), but even worse is an unkempt shoe. Pros keep their fancy shoes at the office and walk to work in tennis shoes, slipping the nicer ones on as soon as they get in. No one is the wiser, and you never have to worry about scuffing the leather!
8. Too much fragrance: Isn’t it time we take a stand against the tyranny of over-scented men? How many times must we be suffocated by a cloud of Axe Body Spray before we yell to the heavens “enough is enough”!?
9. Wearing running shoes when not running or working out: One day someone will design a shoe as comfortable as a running shoe with the appearance of a dress shoe. But until that day, running shoes are for running. Unless you’re pulling a sly move like in #7.
10. Overly embellished jeans: This is an unfortunate trend that needs to stop. If 1980s hairstyles taught us anything, it’s that some looks do not age well. Do you really want to explain to your grandkids why you were wearing jeans with rhinestones and embroidered dragons on them?
11. Floral Prints: Floral prints aren’t necessarily bad, but they can spin out of control easily. A floral print tie with a white shirt? Fine. A floral print shirt and jacket? Please stop assaulting my eyes.
12. Unkempt facial hair: If you’re gonna rock the beard, you gotta make sure it’s trimmed and clean. Unless you’re going for a whole Tom Hanks in Castaway look. Then by all means, go for it.
13. Too much hair growing down the neck: “I love a shaggy neck beard” said no one ever.
14. Wearing sunglasses at night: The Blues Brothers pulled this off, but it doesn’t mean you can. Sunglasses at night are not only a great way to look like a frat boy, they’re also really impractical for obvious reasons.
15. Those toe showing shoes: Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Just no.
16. Canvas belts: There’s just no reason to make a belt out of canvas. These are an insult to the fine tradition of leather belts.
17. Overstuffed wallets: Not only does this make you look like a nerd when you whip out your wallet to pay for something, it’s also bad for your health. Doctors will tell you that sitting with a thick wallet in your back pocket can cause misalignment in the spine.
18. Sports sunglasses with casual or dressy clothes: Sports sunglasses are only acceptable when playing sports. They have no business on your face when you are wearing anything other than workout clothes.
19. Hooded sweaters: We can all blame Mark Zuckerberg for the prominence of this look. The fact that he’s a tech geek who wears the same grey t-shirt and jeans every day should have tipped us all off that he is not a born fashion icon.
20. Graphic print T-shirts or shirts with ironic writing on it: If Ed Hardy shirts are a staple of your wardrobe, you need to take a long hard look at the choices that have led you to this moment.

Avoid these 20, and 2017 will better for all of us! Is there one you think we missed? Then please leave a comment below…

Over the past months I have been working hard on a menswear infographic series focusing on different clothing pieces. I have featured visuals on shoes, dress shirts, suit jackets, and even briefcases and hats. Surprisingly, especially when considering my site is dedicated to tying a tie, it took me this long to feature on on ties.

A few weeks ago I featured a fun infographic on the 50 most iconic men’s watches. While this graphic is fun and interesting to look at, I thought it does lack some important information. I therefore decided to borrow the visual layout I used for my men’s jackets and briefcase infographics, and created this new visual all about the different watch styles found in menswear.

Since my past infographics on briefcases, men’s watches, as well as hats were so popular, I decided to follow the same layout to highlight another important menswear staple: the suit jacket. Below are the 8 common jacket styles found in men’s business, formal, and semi-formal attire. Besides showing what makes each style unique, I decided to highlight what type of neckwear to wear each jacket with, which style is best suited for business vs formal attire, as well as what common cliches are for certain jacket styles.

We’ve created an infographic for the men’s watch aficionado! The Art of Time showcases six different styles with 50 iconic models of past and present. See what sets each style apart below.

Diver Watch

Never miss out on an adventure when you are a proud Diver Watch owner. Originally designed to fill a need for military, explorers, and divers, the watch is now essential for experienced divers, any waterproof need, and good style. With models having the capacity to function in varying depths of 50m to 300m+ underwater, the diver is made to resist the toughest environments.The most defining characteristic is its waterproof quality. Many offer ultra-water resistant qualities including double-locked winding crowns, additional gaskets, and helium escape valves. Another iconic trait is the unidirectional rotating bezel, which usually moves counter-clockwise and allows divers to keep track of elapsed time from a specific point. Most models feature illuminated hands and markers for underwater reading.

Pilot Watch

Designed to meet the needs of those in aviation, the Pilot Watch often contains a busy designs and many features. Typical models include a chronograph (stop watch), slide rule bezel, and multiple-time zone function (GMT). These timepieces undergo tremendous testing to ensure the reliability in various temperatures and gravitational forces. They also tend to be antimagnetic and shock-resistant and will likely be found on a leather strap or steel bracelet. Aside from the technical details, the most important aspect for any pilot is easy readability.

Sport Watch

Sport Watches have the style and class of a dress watch with mechanical features of a military, a hybrid of sorts. Often watches deemed “sport” are durable, water-resistant with a screw-in crown, luminous markers, chronograph, and made from steel. Designed for the recreational man whether racing, kickboxing, or fishing, the sport watch was made to combine finesse with an active lifestyle.

Dress Watch

The Dress Watch speaks for itself with style and sophistication. A minimalist’s dream come true, these watches have a simple thin design with only the essential timekeeping features. Often found on a leather strap, it evokes elegance without the bells and whistles. Designed for the true gentleman who wears a watch for the class and not the accessory, it’s made to slip in perfectly with a suit, jacket, or dress shirt.

Military/Tactical Watch

Durability and rugged don’t begin to define the uses and capability of a Military or Tactical Watch. Designed with features to help inform one while out in the wild or on a secret mission, it stands alone among its other watch comrades.While style is always important, these watches lean more toward functionality than fashion. Some qualities are essential for such an occupation: waterproof, good design, accurate time, and good battery are standard. Other optional characteristics include sunrise/sunset times, barometer, altimeter, compass, thermometer, and GPS.

Pocket Watch

The original handheld timepiece, the Pocket Watch offered individuals the ability to know the time at any point. Made popular in the United States during the days of the railroad, accurate timing was essential for the safety of the conductors. The most notable and obvious trait to the pocket watch is that the watch-dial, often accompanied by a cover, is made to fit in a waistcoat, lapel, or belt loop. Generally these watches were attached to a chain for safe keeping and easy access. The design was simple and the precursor to dress wristwatches.

A couple of weeks ago we featured a fun infographic on Mens Bags & Briefcases. Since this one was so popular, we decided to use a use a similar style for another infographic dedicated to men’s hats. While there are hundreds of different hat styles found in all cultures around the world, we focused on the most popular styles:

If our basic pocket square folds are leaving you bored, then here is an extensive list of 50 folds. Click on the one(s) you like for detailed instructions:

To finish off my 50 Folds in 50 Days series, I decided to end with a more complicated fold. By now you should have plenty of practice and I am confident that you will master this unusual fold as well. Simply follow these 12 steps:

Double Rose Fold Step-by-Step:

Take 2 pocket squares and lay them down flat.

Fold both into a triangle.

The pocket square that will be the actual rose (blue one shown) is folded down with one leaf. For the outer pocket square (white one shown), fold up one of the tips so they extend past the edge of the triangle.

For the rose (blue pocket square), create a pleat fold. For the other pocket square fold in the opposite corner.

Continue to finish the rose. Next, we pleat both parts of the triangle.

And, lets do another pleat.

Turn the pocket square over and upside down.

Fold in one of the sides.

Now, fold in the other side. The rose is complete.

Neatly place the rose into the pocket of the other pocket square.

Adjust until just enough of the rose is visible.

At last, place the completed fold into your breast pocket. That’s all!

A close relative to the Sailing Ship Fold is the Sail fold shown here. Because the “sails” point towards your lapels, they look best when paired with jackets that have smaller to medium width lapels. Here is how you create this fold:

Sail Fold Step-by-Step:

Lay the pocket square down flat.

Fold in half to create a rectangle.

Fold in half again to create a smaller square.

Fold down one side to create a small triangle.

Fold up one of the leaves. Fold just below the long end of the triangle.

Fold up the second leave. Leave it about 1/2 inch below the previous fold.

Now do the same with the third leaf.

And one last time with the fourth leaf.

Fold in half at the center. The leaves or “sails” should be on the outside.

At last, tug the pocket square into your breast pocket.

If you like the Diamond Fold, then you will certainly like this so-called Christmas tree fold. Although I very much like this fold, I usually reserve it for the Holiday season. To fully embrace the season, I usually use a bright red (as shown) or hunter green pocket square. Here is how you create this fold:

Christmas Tree Fold Step-by-Step:

Lay the pocket square down flat.

Fold in half to create a rectangle.

Fold over again to create a square.

Take the corner with all the open tips and start folding up each leaf. With each fold, end about 1/4 inch below the previous fold.

Turn the pocket square over.

Fold one corner up.

Do the same with the opposite side.

Turn the pocket square 180 degrees. it should start looking a bit like a Christmas tree.

Starting from the top, fold back each of the leaves.

At last, neatly place the tree into your breast pocket.