Welcome, Anon. If you are looking to step up your fashion game, you came to the right place.
Let's begin.
In my Fashion Primer for (Turbo Autist) Men thread (LINK), I break down what I consider to be the 4 "levels" of fashion game:
In this post, I will go over the characteristics of Level 1 (Clown), and tell you why you should move to the next level (Normie) and how.
Quick note: You may wonder why I don't give you the keys to DeGen-ness straight away.
Few understand this, but if you have been in the same fashion level for years, it will take time for your self-image to adjust to a new level.
And if the clothing and styles in the new level are too far from your current ones (say Level 4 / Full-on Degen when you're still Level 1 / Clown), you will likely feel uncomfortable wearing them.
This is because there will be a significant gap between your self-image and the style you try to pull off. When this happens, the temptation to default back to your old habits will be hard to resist, and all your new clothes will just gather dust.
So if you want to be stylish for the long term (as you should), I believe it's best to take it one level at a time.
To recap, I define Level 1 (Clown) as follows:
At this level, you stand out negatively in most contexts. First impressions matter, and yours will be one of:
Low status: bottom of the pack in terms of optics.
Low self-esteem: the way you dress reflects how you view yourself.
Weakness: appears to be a soft/easy target (HFBK).
In business settings, this could obscure any outstanding skills you might have.
And in the dating scene, for any high-value girl you would be the visual equivalent of a fat blue-haired Karen (yes, that bad).
Could you make up for being poorly dressed with your amazing personality?
Maybe. But it's an uphill battle. Much easier to start on the right foot.
Side note: this first step is the most important in your fashion journey, as going from Level 1 (Clown) to Level 2 (Normie) has the highest ROI.
So even if you have no interest in digging deeper into fashion, if nothing else just apply the guidelines of this post to at least get out of NGMI territory.
Now that you know why it's crucial to get out of this level, let's see how to get you there.
Going from level 1 (Clown) to level 2 (Normie) is mostly about avoiding 4 major mistakes:
1. Bad Fit
You may have heard that fit is everything.
It's true, you can get away with many mistakes if your clothes fit you well. Conversely, a bad fit will systematically make you look like a clown, no matter how well you nail the other factors (color etc).
Here are some simple pointers on what to look out for:
Clothes shouldn't be too tight: if it's sticking to your skin, it's too tight.
Clothes shouldn't be too loose: if you have too much fabric pooling somewhere (usually waist, wrists, ankles), it means it's too large.
You want a fit that follows your body line without much deviation (not too tight/loose).
One thing to keep in mind when you go shopping: expect to spend some time trying clothes until you find the right fit. Unless you're very lucky you most likely will have to try many brands and sizes. It sucks, but nailing the fit is crucial so it's time well spent.
Also, note that each brand has a different "standard" body type they cater to. So you may find that some brands naturally fit you well while others don't. So that time spent trying different brands will pay dividends: once you find the brands that work for you, you can just zoom in on their stores.
If you're not used to this, it's a good idea to have a girl tag along to help you with the fit. It's easy to start losing perspective after trying 5 different sizes of the same shirt, so an outside eye can help a lot.
A last note on fit for those who live in warm climates. If you wear shorts, make sure the length is above the knees (unless it's basketball shorts or similar sportswear, and you are actually going to play said sport). And forget about cargo shorts. Trust me on this, just don't.
2. Bad Color Choice And Pairing
Which colors you wear and how you match them is an essential part of dressing well, and one that many get wrong.
I will not go deep into color here as the subject can be confusing if you're getting started. In future posts for higher levels, I will explain how you can figure out and seek colors that complement your skin tone. But for now, I will just give you fool-proof colors you can use to avoid major mistakes.
Technically there are 4 neutral colors, meaning they can be paired with anything and be a good match: Black, White, Grey, Brown.
In my opinion, brown is trickier to match with other colors (except for shoes). Instead, I recommend sticking to Black, White, Grey, and Dark Blue.
These 4 colors can be matched with pretty much anything, and between themselves as well. So as long as you stick to those, even if you blindly pick things out of your closet it will be hard to go wrong (from a color perspective at least).
One thing that relates to color: stay away from logos and patterns for now and stick to "plain" clothes (plain t-shirts etc). A small logo is fine (for example a small Ralph Lauren "horse" logo on a Polo shirt), but anything beyond that should be avoided.
3. Bad Footwear
This would deserve a substack of its own, but footwear is usually a dead giveaway as to whether you "get it" or not (from a woman's perspective).
To avoid the major mistakes, you should make sure to first match your footwear to your activity:
Out and about in a casual setting: wear sneakers (NOT sports/exercise/outdoor shoes).
Out in a dressier (but not formal) setting: wear loafers.
Out in a formal setting: wear dress shoes (note: match your belt and shoe color).
Out playing sports, at the gym, or hiking outdoors: wear sports/exercise/outdoor shoes (it’s the only time you’re allowed to wear them).
Out at the beach: wear sandals/flip flops.
Again there should be no overlap: don't wear flip flops or sports shoes in casual/dressier settings, etc.
Once you matched the footwear to the activity, you also have to choose the right footwear (Yes, there is such a thing as good and bad footwear, even within the same category).
It would take an entire post to go through all the categories, so I recommend that you ask again for a (young) woman's opinion. Ugly footwear is like kryptonite to them, so they will point you in the right direction.
And please, puleeeeeeeze no crocs under any circumstances (these are banned in Degen island).
Last, this section on footwear would not be complete without mentioning socks.
As a general rule, match the color of your socks to the color of your pants. No white socks unless you are playing sports. And for @BowTiedJesus's sake don't wear socks with sandals!
4. Overall Congruence
Overall congruence is what makes your outfit come together. To keep things simple, let's break outfits into 4 categories:
Casual: you are just out and about, hanging out with friends or family, going to the grocery store, etc.
Dressy: you are on a date in an above-average venue, meeting, etc.
Formal: a job interview, business meeting, wedding, etc.
Outdoor: out in the forest, playing basketball, at the beach, etc.
When you choose an outfit to go out, you want all the items you pick to belong in the same category (all casual OR all dressy OR all formal… you get the drill).
For example, don't mix casual shoes with dressy trousers, or a leather belt with casual trousers and T-shirts.
There is a way to mix between categories, which I will cover in future substacks. But it’s more advanced, so for now just stick to items that all belong in the same category (Casual / Dressy / Formal / Outdoor).
That's all folks. I tried to distill the basic concepts to their essence to give you actionable steps for leveling up without spending hours researching the topic.
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And if you have questions or comments/suggestions, just add them in the comments and I will either answer or cover them in another post.
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It's very "Nancy Mitford", but legible clothing is usually avoided by the well dressed and the well heeled. A small "Polo" logo is fine of course.
thanks for reminding me to feel bad about my footwear (i mean it, it helps)