What women like men to wear

A male friend asked me “what do women like men to wear?” last night and I admit I gibbered a bit then spluttered something about cologne. It’s a tricky question for lots of reasons:

1.       Obviously I can’t generalise about all women

2.       If I liked a guy, I expect I’d cope with whatever he wore (within reason!)

3.       If I didn’t like him, no amount of snappy dressing would help

4.       I’ve only been in England for about a year and don’t entirely understand the cultural subtleties

However, I thought I’d see what I could come up with. My context is a 30ish bloke trying to attract a girlfriend. 

Firstly, fit is important. I think it’s particularly important for attracting a mate because in some way you’re trying to entice someone into making the sex with you. That means you want to highlight your attractive bits, whether it’s a firm bottom, clear skin, muscled forearms, your eye colour or whatever. 

A well fitting pair of jeans can make you look like over 20% better than usual (that’s science!). Take time to try on 15 pairs in different styles. Take advice from the shop assistants. Take a knowledgeable friend with you for advice. HEM THEM if needed. Then apply what you learn to other pairs of trousers. 

With t shirts and shirts – I’d generally think a touch snugger than usual. Show off what that lucky lady will be getting. 

If you’ve got a bit of a tum, a well cut shirt is your best friend. A structured jacket or coat is also good. Don’t succumb to a thin, clingy t shirt or a bomber style jacket (it’ll make you look the same shape as a tomato). 

If you’re slender – don’t think that buying clothes a bit loose will make you look bigger. It’ll just make you look like asparagus wrapped in bacon (are you liking my vegetable metaphors?). Buy clothes that skim your body but don’t cling. Again, well cut shirts and structured jackets are all good. You can enjoy thick scarves and chunky knit jumpers in winter.

If you’re not as tall as you’d like – again, pay attention to fit. Also, streamline your look to lean the viewer’s eye up and down for example, black biker boots, a well cut (hemmed!) pair of dark jeans, a fresh white t shirt and a dark coloured blazer. Mmm... sounds good to me.

Learn what colours suit you – try this Colour analysis site to give you some ideas. I know that site is aimed at women, but just ignore the gender-specific bits and pick up the main ideas. Those who are confident can break the rules as needed, but it’s helpful to have some ideas to start with if you’re choosing from a rainbow of t shirts. Hint: navy looks good on almost everyone, yellow looks good on almost no-one.

Dress like a grown-up. If you’re 30ish and wearing the same outfits as the local 16 year olds, it may be time for a re-think. Also, don’t dress like your Dad. It’s a fine balance. 

If you haven’t changed hair style in 10 years, you should! Men’s fashion doesn’t dramatically change, but it does shift. Keep up. You probably should be spending a bit more money on a good hairstylist. Think about it this way; you wear your hair every day so cost-per-wear is pretty low for a good haircut.

There’s a load more to say on the topic of style of course and these are just my opinions. What would you suggest? Anything you particularly hate a guy to wear? If you’re a guy, what do you think of these suggestions?