I’ve talked about a few of my winter recommendations (which aren’t going to change that much over the years) but now it’s time to put the emphasis on warmth.

When Paris sneezes, Europe catches cold.

Tip #1: winter hats to the rescue

Not many guys stick to wearing the three staples that can keep them warm. I’m not entirely sure but I think this is also because their mothers nagged them about this all the time when they were little. As a result, most guys will go defenseless against cold temperatures, then wonder why they still have that cold.

Wear a pair of gloves, a wool scarf and a winter hat.

Here’s the thing. Research showed that a lot of the body heat is lost through our head. Thus, a beanie or even a simple fedora hat can stop or slow down this process if you’ll just WEAR ONE.

Hats are cool, just stay away from anything sporty or with logos on them. Go for a beanie like David Becham’s:

And if you don’t like that it’s hanging on your neck – that’s okay. Just go for something simple. The trick is to wear something other than black. Go for grey, beige, light blue or even a bolder color such as red. Choose a pattern if you want, then match the beanie to the rest of your outfit.

You may be thinking that I’m making a big fuss about a simple fashion item, but think about this: how many choices do you have to stand out when it FREEZING outside? Not too many.

By wearing a (wool) beanie you can draw attention to your facial frame and thus, yourself. you can then use color to match the beanie with either your gloves or your wool scarf.

Red beanie, red wool scarf
or
Grey and white beanie, grey and white wool gloves

Tip #2: gloves are back… and they’re more stylish than ever

Which reminds me: gloves don’t come just in leather. You have a more stylish option (though it won’t do a better job at keeping you warm):

Wool fingerless gloves.

The thing about fingerless gloves is that they give you mobility when you want to answer your mobile phone or if you want to change the tune on your iPhone. While they won’t keep the tips of your fingers warm, they do open up new possibilities to stand out from the crowd and impress women.

Tip #3: Wool Scarves with an Attitude

You saw this coming, didn’t you? Keep you cotton scarves for warmer days and get something that really keeps you warm when it’s freezing. That one minute that it takes you to fold your scarf may very well save you from an ugly cold that can keep you homesick for days.

Unless you’re wearing a lot of camel-colored coats, you should opt-in for a wool scarf in a light or even a bold color. For instance, you can pair a black or a navy blue winter coat with a wool scarf that can be: red, yellow light green, olive green, light blue, medium blue and so on.

If, on the other hand you’re wearing a camel coat, go for a darker red or even a dark brown scarf. That’s going to create that contrast you should be having between your coat and your scarf.

And if you don’t want to make a contrast between the two – that’s cool too. But keep in mind you’ll need some skill to pull that one off. As my style student, though, I’m sure you can do it.

Tip #4: Keep your autumn coats for… Autumn

Seriously. if you have a leather jacket or a trench coat, don’t wear them when it’s freezing outside. No, I don’t care how many sweaters you’re wearing underneath. Choose the right coat for the right temperature and you’ll be fine.

Go for a classic overcoat, a pea coat, a duffle coat, a parka or an aviator jacket. The parka is not one of my favorites but it does have a hood that can protect you from wind.

The post Cold Outside? Try These Tips for A Warm Winter appeared first on Be Stylish!.

If this is you – I hear you. I was there too and I know that it’s hard to be creative with your clothes. So here’s what I’m proposing:

21 different ways to spice up a boring outfit. 21 surefire style tricks to get that girl to notice you when you pass her in the street. 21 ways to look good.

Let’s cut to the chase and start with the first one (note that the tips are in no particular order).

#1 Add a pocket square

A pocket square is probably the best way you can stand out by simply adding it to any outfit that incorporates a sports jacket, blazer or a vest with a front pocket.

No need to worry too much about the color: the easiest way is to match the pocket square with one of the colors on your shirt. Patterned pocket squares are okay too.

#2 Roll up your shirt’s cuffs over your sweater

This is something I’ve done a lot lately and not many guys are doing. It’s really easy to pull. You just roll over your shirt’s cuffs one length over the V-neck our roundneck that you’re wearing on top.

Make sure you first roll the sweater’s sleeves before you roll the shirt’s cuffs, though. The folding will become much easier. You’ll see how the sweater actually holds the cuff in place. The buttons can’t do that as they’re unbuttoned.

It’s easier than it sounds.

#3 Wear 1 or 2 rings

While the rising star called *preppy style* seems to ignore casual rings for the most part, this doesn’t mean you can’t wear them. Men’s rings always draw attention, especially if you move your hands when you talk.

I don’t recommend wearing more than 2 rings at a time unless you really know how to pull off that Johnny Depp look. If you want to go one step further after you’ve added the ring(s), try some other accessory, like a pendant.

#4 Roll up your pants

Rolling up pants may seem odd if you’re a new style student of mine but this is actually a hot trend. Best part: you can do this even in winter, and either show off either the top of your boots or your stylish winter socks if you’re wearing regular leather shoes.

Pant rolling is not complicated, different men roll them differently.

#5 Add a bright scarf

This should probably come very easy to you. I’m sure you already have scarves in your closet but do you have them in yellow or red?

I know it’s hard if you’re a beginner to try bold colors but a scarf is a great way to start. Remember, we assumed in the beginning that you have a boring outfit that you’d like to spice out. You’re probably wearing blacks, blues, browns or greens so why not go for a red or a yellow scarf?

#6 Add a watch

You might find wearing a watch to be superfluous since you have your cell phone with you at all times. But watches are still a style statement and wearing one will send subtle signals to everyone else that you value your time.

One thing, though. A watch can’t do much on it’s only to spice up an outfit unless it’s a colored watch. Unless you have money for a Breitling watch (which will probably kick-a$$), consider a colored watch.

Surprisingly, colored watches have made their way into men’s style so, if you think they look cool, I suggest you try them. Who knows, maybe this is just a fad that will disappear in a year or 2.

#7 Wear cufflinks

Any accessory will spice up an outfit but few can do it as well as cufflinks. You will of course need a french cuffed shirt but it’s a great investment.

Very few men are wearing cufflinks because they can’t be attached to a regular shirt and they take longer to put on and to take off. In a world where everyone is in a hurry, take a few extra seconds to relax and put on a pair of cufflinks. You’ll feel good.

#8 Get a new haircut

Don’t be surprised. Sometimes, a haircut is just what you need to stand out even if all you’re wearing are jeans and a t-shirt. You will, of course, need to go to a hair stylist so he or she can find you the right hair cut for you.

Us men are so scared of the idea of going to a hair salon that we’ll just use tons of gel to mold our hair into what we think looks cool. Most of the times, it ends up looking worse that if we had left it alone.

#9 Wear your scarf in your jacket’s pocket

If it’s too hot to wear your scarf around your neck, an alternative is to just stuff half of it into one of your jacket’s pockets. The other half will hang and, if the scarf is in a bold color, it will draw the eye in that direction.

You need to carefully fold it before you put it in your pocket so that it fits as much of the pocket’s space as possible (and to avoid creating a bump).

Careful so that it doesn’t hang too low, though.

#10 Wear a classic umbrella

I know we’re all used to seeing those compact umbrellas which are very practical. They’re easy to hold and they fit well into any bag. Who wouldn’t want one?

A stylish man, that’s who. A classic umbrella is something you’ll see very rarely on the streets these days. If you’re just going for a walk in the park try one and you won’t be disappointed.

#11 Try no-show socks

No show socks actually create the illusion that you’re not wearing any. This is the best way to get that sockless look that so many men have adopted over the past few years. The outfit might still look dull… up to the point the eyes fall down to your feet.

#12 Get an outstanding pair of shoes

photo: leffot.com

Here’s a revelation that I had a while back: shoes that are stylish and that stand out on their own cost just as much as those square-toed, thick-soled boring shoes.

I bought a pair of shoes that actually have 3 colors on them: green, camel and dark brown. You have no idea how much attention they get on the street.

Now, if you’re wearing a simple outfit, such shoes will stand out even more. I wrote a few times about some amazing shoes that you can find in stores (though it won’t be easy).

#13 Wear a hat

It’s amazing what a hat can do to even the most boring of outfits, in addition to instantly adding inches to your height. If you’re clueless about hats, go for a fedora as it will suit most head sizes and most outfits.

#14 Colored socks

While it’s easy to go overboard with these if your outfits stand out, a pair of colored socks will bring a breath of fresh air to your generic attire.

If you’re wearing blacks, blues and grays, I would advise you to a pair of striped red socks with grey or black stripes. This way the red will stand out but the grey or black will temper it.

#15 Wear a sports jacket with your shorts

This won’t work with any type of shorts, only with those stylish cotton ones. Don’t try this with the shorts you’re wearing at the gym.

All you have to do is wear a sports jacket or a blazer with an outfit that already has the aforementioned shorts. This will get you a lot of attention from the ladies but don’t worry – sports jackets are one of the manliest items of clothing out there so there’s no chance that you’ll be ridiculed by other guys. Have I ever given you wrong advice?

#16 Wear an ascot tie

Think of an ascot tie as something between a tie and a scarf. It has a little from both worlds and it’s really classy. As long as you’re wearing a dress shirt, you can just throw an ascot to the mix.

#17 Wear a circular scarf

I know that one of the tips was to wear a scarf but this one is a little different. A circular scarf is one that has the two ends sewed together so the only way to wear it is to put your head through the loop.

I usually make 2 loops and put my head through both of them. The end result is that it adds a little more volume to from the chest up, which is a very interesting effect.

#18 Wear an interesting pair of sunglasses

No, I’m not talking about those sunglasses that look like you’re going snowboarding. There are more stylish alternatives. Some have colored lens, other have colored frames.

If you just add such a pair to any dull outfit, it will instantly awaken it to life. Plus, it will bring a lot of attention to your face (which is where you want people to look anyway).

#19 Try an ascot cap

Throwing an ascot cap over an outfit is very easy but you should be a little careful on how you match it.

If your outfit is based primarily on black, a black or a grey ascot cap is ideal. If it’s based on brown, a brown, khaki, tan or beige cap is best.

#20 Wear a coat in a lighter color

If you have a generic winter outfit, there’s no better way to stand out than to wear a coat in a color such as camel, dark red or light gray. The contrast with the underlying clothes will be perfect. I know I’m asking you to wear a lot of color this time but it won’t hurt to just try a few on at the mall and see how you look like. Pretty please.

#21 How about a tie clip?

Well, this is my last of the 21 ways to spice up a boring outfit and I didn’t say anything about ties!

I think ties are starting to get too common so, instead, I’m going to suggest that you take things one step further: wear a tie clip with your tie.

Initially designed to keep ties from moving around when you walk (or because of the wind), tie bars and tie clips make a great fashion statement.

Just make sure you place the tie a little higher from the middle of the tie (at about the same level of the 3rd shirt button). The second thing to keep in mind is that the clip should never be wider than the tie width at the point of attachment. Easy.

The post 21 Ways to Style Up A Boring Outfit appeared first on Be Stylish!.

I’ve had several guys ask me: “What should I wear this winter?”, my typical aanswer being, in fact, a series of questions where I ask them details about themselves:

“How old are you? What’s your body type? What other stylish clothes do you have? What clothes do you like? What clothes don’t you like?”

And on and on.

So here’s my thought. I’ll simply enumerate a few suggestions for this winter… clothes that are ESSENTIAL in any man’s wardrobe… and you can just pick the ones you like the most. Ideally you don’t want to blindly purchase my recommendations – think about what you already have in your closet and which clothes will best work with those.

OK, let’s get moving. This winter, I recommend that you wear…

Brown Brogue Boots

The best footwear for winter are boots, no doubt about it. And, because of brogue shoes’ success, designers thought of men who wanted to wear them in the cold season by “borrowing” the texture and the design to make a cool-looking pair of boots.

This type of boot is not different from it’s sibling, the classic brogue shoe, when it comes to outfit matching. It works with jeans, it works with warm wool pants and I guarantee I will draw a lot attention if you go for brown.

How you match brogue boots is entirely up to you. The first option is to choose a brown leather belt, about the same hue as those magnificent boots. You can complete the outfit with a pair of jeans, a dark-brown turtleneck and a camel coat on top. The blue and brown color combination is amazing every time.

You can choose other boots as well, just make sure the shape resembles the one in the photo above. It’s the most stylish I could find and you can’t go wrong with it.

Ankle Boots

foto: about.com

The pair above works great with casual AND formal outfits – your money will be well spent if you choose it.

Now that you have some great footwear suggestions, let’s talk a little about socks.

Winter calls for thick, wool socks but that’s not all. Bring your outfits to light by wearing patterns such as…

Fair Isle Socks

They’re made either from wool or from the more expensive cashmere. This pattern will look awesome if you could match it with a Fair Isle sweater.

Wool Pants

I know you’re used to wearing thinner jeans on summers and thicker ones on winters. Nothing wrong with that, except there are more stylish alternatives. One of them are wool pants, just like the ones in the picture above.

If you’re thinking that wool might irritate your skin, you shouldn’t worry that much. Stick to soft quality wool and you’ll be just fine.

Herringbone Wool Suits

Whether you like wearing suits or you’re forced to do so by your job, be careful during winters. A wool suit is your best ally against colder temperatures so make sure you get a quality one that will last you for years. herringbone is a great pattern to wear and, though it might make you look older, you can always bring it to like with a red scarf.

Camel Hair Coats

A suit like the one above needs an overcoat. One that’s really in the trend right now (and contrasts great with grey) is the camel haired coat. This business overcoat can also be dressed down to be worn on casual encounters as well.

If you can’t find one that’s (partially) made of camel coat, one made of cotton is fine as well.

Pea Coats

I bought one last winter and I intend to wear it every other day with my other pea coat, which is camel colored. This way I’ll bring some variety to my winter outfits which, you must agree, can get pretty boring. Don’t let that happen!

The pea coat is more casual than the camel-haired coat, so if you’re not the business-man type you’re probably going to enjoy this overcoat more.

If you can, go for a lighter color, don’t just stick to navy. Camel is great and a read recently told me he saw green pea coats.

Aviator Jackets

Even if you didn’t like the movie Top Gun, you should still steal Tom’s aviator jacket because it looks really cool. This is by far the manliest overcoat you can wear during winters, even though it furthers you away from that gentleman look.

Wool Scarves

Scarves are an excellent excuse to inject some color into your winter outfits. You can go for anything, from bright red to yellow or light green.

Let me give you a starting point. Before buying a wool scarf, ask yourself: what kind of overcoat am I wearing?

If you have a navy blue pea-coat, for instance, a lighter colored scarf will work wonders. But, if for instance, you have a camel-haired coat, then, to make good contrast, you should go for a darker-colored scarf.

Classic Leather Gloves

Although a classic, most men don’t even wear gloves. They’ll give you an air of elegance and make you look really classy.try them.

Fingerless Gloves

If you want mobility when you’re dialing with your fingers on your cell-phone or when you’re taking pictures, a pair of fingerless wool gloves is just the thing you need. They’ll allow you to use your fingers while still keeping your hands warm.

Plus, the wool fabric allows you to find such gloves in a variety of colors and patterns. This means you have yet another way of standing out from the crowd.

Alright, these are my suggestions. Let me show you 3 more winter photos. Those were made by Tommy Ton for GQ are they are GREAT.

photo: gq.com

In the first photo you can see how the herringbone suit jacket matches the black leather gloves and a silver business watch.

Here’s a pair of brown brogue boots like the ones recommended at the beginning of this article:

photo: gq.com

And one final picture, which happens to be my favorite because it demos how you can accessorize during winter.

photo: gq.com

The guy is wearing:

• a wool tie
• sunglasses
• a pocket square
• a wool scarf
• a beanie
• and even a bracelet

You didn’t expect you could incorporate that many accessories into a winter outfit, did you?

What I really want you to look at in this last photo is the discrete colors the accessories have and they way they are matched. Very important.

The post Ready for Winter? Let’s See Some Suggestions… appeared first on Be Stylish!.

This time I decided to look around the Size.co.uk website and see if they have anything interesting. The fact is they have lots of interesting stuff (which I’m about to share).

I’m actually going to assemble a complete head-to-toe outfit with clothes found on their website. They have everything I need for this and I’m really curious to see what I can find. Let’s do it.

Boots

I’m going to start this outfit from the bottom because I saw some amazing desert boots from Clarks on the website. Desert boots are great for spring and autumn (its too warm for them in the summer and too cold in the winter) and Clarks is probably the best brand that makes them.

You can try these sand suede khan boots…

The sand color is timeless… Or you can go for some brown desert boots…

That brown will make you stand out a lot because most guys always go for black when they pick their shoes.

Or, you can go for a desert trek, which is something I haven’t seen too many guys try, but it looks great!

The three pairs of shoes I showed you above work great in casual as well as business-casual situations so think of them as an investment. Just make sur eyou take extra-care of them if you go for suede leather.

Cardigans

Cardigans are great because they allow you to do state-of-the-art layering. The reason is that you can unbutton as many buttons as you want to show off what you’re wearing underneath. But that’s not all. Cardigans such as the one below are double breasted which will make you stand out even more:

That grey color will really make you stand out. Most guys are (again) wearing too much dark tops.

Remember how, at the beginning of this article, I told you I want to assemble a complete head-to-toe outfit? Well, this cardigan goes great with the first pair of shoes I showed you. The color matching is great – now let’s find ways to add some colour into this outfit.

T-shirts

I promised you you’re going to see some layering. Since we have a light-grey cardigan, we can match that with pretty much any color (black, white, grey and dark colors are neutral). How about a rose-pink t-shirt?

You may think: oh, no, pink!?! But let me tell you: pink is cool.

I’ve worn pink on more than one occasion and it’s not just that it’s become an “ok color” for guys, but this particular t-shirt has an edge.

It has those wide stripes. Horizontal stripes are a sign of masculinity and, the thicker they are, the more masculine they will make you appear.

My second argument for wearing them is the layering part. Since you’ll be wearing a cardigan on top of this t-shirt, most of the pink won’t even show. People will see just enough pink to see that you’re style-conscious.

(Remember that, in order to make this t-shirt work, you’ll have to choose the sand-colored shoes, not the brown ones. Brown doesn’t go that well with pink but keep in mind that the brown ones are just as stylish.)

Socks

If you thought I’m going to skip socks just because there’s nothing to talk about it here, don’t be so sure. Instead of wearing your old dark-blue or grey socks, how about a pair of stripped socks? When you’ll take off your desert boots, you’ll have yet another stylish surprise for the people around you:

Note that you can also find colored socks in the Size.co.uk store that you can easily match with other outfits.

Pants

No, I’m not going to recommend you jeans because I know you have enough pairs already. This pair will go much better with the khan boots from the first picture, the grey cardigan and the pink t-shirt. My idea is to let the t-shirt stand out through its color and leave the rest of the outfit neutral.

The chinos above are Trainerspotter from size.co.uk and are 100% cotton.

Well, I think we assembled quite a nice outfit using only what size.co.uk has in their online store right now. Let’s take another look and see the clothes all in one place:

The post A Few Cool Clothes For This Fall appeared first on Be Stylish!.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of looking stylish during class, I have a small disclaimer: the outfits I’m about to suggest are not meant to replace any school uniform. If your school imposes you to wear one, you shouldn’t try to surprise everyone by wearing something completely different.

Every school who has it’s own uniform DOES allow a certain degree of individuality – it’s just a matter of you making the best of it (in fact, if you’ll tell me your school uniform and what you can and can’t wear, I’d be happy to give you some tips. Just write me a comment at the end of this article).

But, if your school DOESN”T have a uniform, it’s time to take out a pen and paper because… you’re going to get some phone numbers! (Well, I’m just giving you clothing advice – talking to girls is up to you.)

Let’s get started with….

The best clothes to wear at school

Class is somewhat of a formal event but this doesn’t mean you should be wearing a suit. You’re young so you should be allowed to express your individuality. This is why a mixture of formal and casual (or semi-formal as I like to call it) is best.

Here are some of the things you can put on your shopping list for the start of the new year:

• 2 or 3 dress shirts
• 1-2 slim ties
• 1 pair of non-pleated khakis and 2-3 pairs of jeans
• 2 pairs of leather shoes
• 1-2 cardigans
• 1-2 vests
• 1-2 scarves
• a stylish backpack or men’s bag

The proportions may vary depending on what you like to wear most. You don’t have to buy everything that’s on that A-list, just enough to rotate your clothes every 2-3 days.

Here’s another list with things that you can wear in school but which have a slightly smaller impact as far as your personal image is concerned. The reason I’ve included them is because you might like them more and because they might fit your style better. Let’s call this the B-list.

• a plaid shirt
• a pair of sneakers
• a polo shirt (you can wear a slim tie with it)
• a simple t-shirt (like the rest of your friends) but make sure you wear a vest on it to stand out

The B-list has somewhat more casual clothing, but you can mix-and match the two lists. It all depends on how you see yourself.

Which shirt to get?

The shirts that work for school are the same that I recommend to everyone else who wants to be stylish. Long-sleeved dress shirts with thin stripes or small checks are best, while larger patters are second.

You may also go for short-sleeved shirts but these are considered to be more casual than their long-sleeved “cousins” (and you miss out on the opportunity to roll up your sleeves).

After you buy the shirt, pay a visit to your tailor to have them adjusted so they sit on you perfectly. After that, just add an accessory (a slim tie, a vest or a scarf) and you’re ready for your first day!

What colors work best for school?

While you may take the opportunity to look stylish during class, keep in mind that school is a place where you learn. You should keep a balance between looking sharp and serious at the same time. You wouldn’t want girls to be passing too many notes to you during biology class, would you?

Wear mostly black, blue, white, medium or dark brown and medium or dark green. Don’t wear flashy colors. At most, wear just a tint of color (for instance a red slim tie). Keep yellow, pink and light green for when you’re going out.

The post So It’s Back to School… appeared first on Be Stylish!.

First of all, let’s define a skinny body. In anatomical terms, these bodies are named ectomorphic. Slim waist, lean muscle, small wrists, long limbs and small shoulders. Many of these guy find it almost impossible to put on muscular mass, no matter what and how much they eat, or how hard they work in the gym. This is because of the metabolism, which is very fast.

Skinny guys, though, are in a great advantage in respect to other body type people, because most designers prefer slender models to more muscular ones. If a skinny guy is into high end apparel, he doesn’t have to search far, because it is what designers prefer to dress.

The biggest drawback is that if you get it wrong, you will look like a little boy playing grown up. This is where this article comes in handy, and hopefully spares you from making such mistakes.

So, let’s see:

Check your padding…

Shoulder one, of course. Because this is available mostly in blazers, buy blazers with some added shoulder padding. I should warn you that you shouldn’t overdo it, because big padding makes you look like the 10 year old kid who has found his dad’s blazer stashed in the closet.

Light padding is the right one, because it will give your chest and back a visual boost, and if your posture is correct (not hunched back and shoulders), it will widen your shoulders.

photo:www.instablogsimages.com

Check this guy out. He is in the middle between skinny and well built, and his blazers suits him perfectly.

Don’t mistake the jacket for the trench coat

The proper length for jackets is just under the buttocks. A shorter jacket will highlight your skinny features : waist, arms and legs.

A longer jacket can make you look like a sheet of paper in a trench coat. Just look at the guy below (he isn’t that skinny, but imagine him skinnier, it’s not that difficult)

photo:www.comparestoreprices.co.uk

Avoid skinny shirts and T-shirts

Fitted is OK, skinny is a no-no. Skinny will only make your small ribcage stand out. Instead, you should opt for fabric that allows some movement in your midsection. On the other hand, shirts that are too large will make you look like you’re swimming in your own suit.

Wear flat front pants
Straight leg and slightly boot cut work very well on skinny men.

photo:www.getfrank.co.nz

Just make sure that you stay as far away from drainpipe and skinny jeans. Another practical advice is to buy jeans with pockets and cuffs, because those add volume to the jeans.

Tailor your blazers

Wear single or double breasted blazers. Avoid any loose fabric under the arms or in the shoulder area (see what I have stressed in avoiding skinny shirts  chapter).

Also, a key fashion tip for skinny men is to keep continuity in your tops and bottoms, so don’t wear oversize blazers or sweaters with fitted pants (or vice versa) or your thin frame will stand out like a black cat on a snowy day.

Heavier fabrics are always a good choice

During colder days wear chunky clothes, like knitted cardigans. Just look at the guy below, just one item of apparel (the cardigan) is making him bulkier, simply because of the fabric:

Also, another great tip is to use layering (put on more clothes, and make sure that each one is visible). Doing so, it will appear that you have more mass.

So, to all skinny guys, don’t feel sorry for yourself, go and put these advices into practice. I guarantee that you will feel better with your new apparel, and your confidence will rocket sky high.

The post What to Wear if You Are Skinny appeared first on Be Stylish!.

Should you just give up on your quest to being stylish? Absolutely not!

Style is for everyone and has the ability to hide many body flows.

Let’s set some goals for you. Obviously I can’t guess them so I’ll just write all that I can think of here. You only have to read the ones you identify with, then apply my advice.

That’s all you have to do to look sharp!

So… I’m guessing that you…

1. … want to look smaller
2. … want to hide some extra pounds
3. … on the contrary, you want to look even more intimidating and show people what you’re made of!

But before we begin, let me give you the absolute unbreakable rule of style that applies to ALL of the above goals: fit is king.

In your quest for looking thinner (or even larger if that’s what you want), you should never ever wear clothes that don’t fit you perfectly.

I’ve seen many guys who wear clothes one size too small and end up looking like Pinocchio.

Here’s some real advice that you can instantly apply to your large body type and get real results.

1. How to look smaller

If you’re well proportioned, if you don’t have a belly but you just want to look less intimidating, you’ll definitely want to read this (If fact I recommend reading my entire book, “Be Stylish!”, to really look amazing).

The best piece of advice I can give you (and, please note, it is the absolute best thing you can do) is to wear darker colors.

By darker colors I don’t necessarily mean black. Sure, black is good but there are other alternatives. Remember, your goal is to look stylish as well as to look thinner.

So try on these colors too: charcoal gray, navy blue, medium gray. In fact, look at the colors you’re wearing right now and go for darker shades of those same colors!

2. How to Hide Those Extra Pounds

If you’re not genetically blessed to gain weight proportionally, you’re probably the proud owner of a belly… That’s OK, I have some sneaky trick for you to camouflage it.

First of all, the rule above still applies: wear darker colors. If you want to wear lighter ones, here’s a trick I used many times to hide my belly (yes, I have one too):

I would wear… a pink shirt (you can wear any light color you want) with a black vest. The vest would “hide” my belly but my chest would and arms would be dressed in pink.

Get it?

You can hide ONLY the part you don’t want to be seen – you don’t have to dress “all black”.

Here’s a checklist with the items you need if you want to look smaller or thinner:

• V-neck sweaters
• single breasted sport jackets and suit jackets
• striped shirts (the vertical lines will make you look thinner)

3. Look even larger

If you’re large and you want to look larger, here’s some tips of what not to do.

Don’t wear clothes that are one size too large. You’ll look like you’re drowning in them. Please don’t do it.

If you want to look larger, the easiest thing to do is wear a plaid shirt. A plaid shirt has both vertical and horizontal lines which will trick the human eye into thinking you’re even bigger.

The post How To Dress For Your Body Type: XXL appeared first on Be Stylish!.

If you read on the internet about this or that technique that makes you look taller, you’ll only be disappointed by the results. My approach is different: I’m going to give you ALL the techniques available and what I ask from you is simply to apply as many of them as you can.

Before we get into the juicy details, I’m going to give you a basic concept that is at the foundation for any short man’s style. You need to understand that, unless you apply these basic principles, all the other techniques simply won’t work to their full potential.

This principle is based on the most common mistake short men make to make themselves look taller. You know what they say: if you want to get out of the hole you need to first stop digging. So let’s see where you’re still digging.

Rule: don’t wear clothes that are either too big or too small

Here’s what happens when a short person that is not style-savvy thinks he’s clever and wants to solve the problem on his own. He thinks that if he’ll wear bigger clothes, they will make them look bigger.

While the reasoning seems good, this is not the case in reality. Dress someone in clothes that are too large and he’ll look like he’s drowning in them. I can’t even remember all the times I saw a “clever” guy who looked awful in his over-sized dress shirt. He looked like he could swim in it. Of course, he could barely do anything with his hands because the sleeves were too long, not to mention all the wrinkles that formed on the shirt because the fabric didn’t cover his body neatly.

The fact of the matter is clothes need to fit you perfectly, no matter the height or the number of pounds. Clothes should seem that they are actually a part of the body, an expressive continuation, if you want. If you saw a guy of normal proportion but with over-sized arms, would you not find it weird? Look at clothes as a body part that needs to be in proportion with the rest of your body. Short or tall, this is the most important rule and I urge you not to break it.

OK, now that we got that out of the way, let’s see some specific things you can do to make yourself look taller.

#1 Wear vertical stripes and avoid horizontal stripes and patterns

If you’ve been doing even the smallest amount of research on how to look taller, this is the number one advice you’ll find. But it’s more than just vertical stripes here. Any vertical elongation is your friend. A stripped shirt is the first thing to consider but, since everyone knows this trick, you might not make that good of an impression. In fact, some people will instantly spot that you’re short and wearing a stripped shirt to compensate. Women, especially, are very good with clothes.

My recommendation is to wear stripped shirts if you’re medium height. If you’re shorter than average, I’ll give you better tips that will make you look taller.

So, let’s get back to the premise: any vertical elongation in your outfit can make you look taller. What am I talking about?

• Wear ties (especially slim ones)
• Wear suspenders
• Wear casual shirts whose buttons stand out. For instance, if you have a gray shirt and red buttons, they will create a vertical line from your neck all the way down to your pants. Much sneakier than wearing plain-old stripped shirts, right?
• Wear a vest and a shirt of roughly the same color. We will discuss why you should opt for monochromatic outfits later but the important thing is that the sleeveless vest will “create” those two vertical lines near the shoulders.
• Wear pinstripe suits
• Wear shirts and other clothing outfits that have subtle vertical stripes. The length of the stripe doesn’t matter as long as it’s vertical.

#2 Wear the same color (or shades) from top to bottom

Monochromatic outfits can give you a big hand in your quest for looking taller. Wonder why? Because, when someone looks at you, their gaze tends to move from top to bottom. It’s those few seconds that they subconsciously decide how short or tall you really are, and it’s that precise time you want to “trick” their mind into thinking you have a few extra inches.

If you wear the same color (or close nuances) from top to bottom, the gaze will go smoothly. There will be no “break” from, say, a white shirt to a pair of black pants. You will bee seen as a whole and will appear taller.

#3 Wear brighter colors

I’ve heard some people say it’s better to wear darker colors if you don’t want to look short. I’ve heard others saying the opposite. I will go with the second crowd and here’s why.

Vivid colors make you stand out more. This will make you seem bigger (i.e. taller + wider) and we’re taller that we’re interested about. As long as you wear the same nuances top to bottom (see previous tip) you’ll do great.

Of course, the range of vivid colors you can wear is limited if you’re planning on doing so top to bottom. Who would be crazy enough to be all dressed up in pink?

Let me give you the vivid colors I think would be best suited for such an attempt. Some of them may not see that vivid but, for us men, any color that has a slightly higher level of luminosity is vivid. Choose the ones you like and make sure they contrast nicely with your skin tone.

Oops! i forgot to include light gray in the picture above, it’s great and very stylish. Ok, on to the next tip.

#4 Only wear short hair

If you’re wearing long hair and you’re short, you should definitely consider a short hair style for men. When you’re not that tall you want that smooth slick look to be on your side. Don’t be fooled by the fact that long hair will elongate your face. In most cases, it will only make it look wider.

Instead, go for a shorter hair style and raise it up with some gel. You will gain 1-2 inches only by doing this.
Take a look at the guy on the left and see just how much height he gained from his haircut alone.

#5 Wear shoes with thicker soles

You probably didn’t think about this one but it makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? Gain a little height from here as well.

#6 Only wear 1 or 2 button blazers

Blazers with 3 buttons and more usually have less elongated lapels. Like we discussed before, vertical lines are your friend. Go for one or two button blazers. They are more stylish anyway and are the preferred choice of most men anyway.

#7 Wear V-necks

The V-neck will elongate you in pretty much the same way those lapels did from the previous tip. The deeper the V, the better the effect. This goes both for v-neck sweaters and for vests.

#8 Wear cuff-less pants

Cuffs are in the end a matter of preference but if you’re short, they will only subtract from your height. Stay cuff-less to have your feet appear longer.

#9 Avoid pocket squares and bow-ties

As stylish as they may be, bow ties and pocket squares don’t help you at all in your quest for looking taller. Go for ties (slim if possible). They are just horizontal obstacles in your outfit. You need a smooth outfit top to bottom.

#10 Avoid double breasted suits

Double breasted suits have two rows of buttons and give a general appearance that you’re bulky. Stay with single breasted and you’ll be just fine.

#11 Stay slim
Though this is not a clothing advice, I will include it because I think it’s important. Extra fat on your belly and hips will only widen you, something you can’t afford. Exercise regularly and you’ll not only look taller but live a healthier life as well.
#12 Avoid pockets in general

Unless you happen to have vertical pockets, avoid them. Horizontal pockets only add horizontal lines to your outfit.

#13 Don’t wear belts that contrast too much with your clothes

While belts are very stylish if you know how to match them with your outfit, you should avoid using them to make contrast. having, for instance, white pants, a white shirt and a black belt will literally break the outfit in half. This will make you look shorter.

#14 Wear hats

Though you can only wear them outside, hats can instantly add a few inches to how tall you are. Fedora hats are extremely stylish so make sure you try a few of them on.

There you go: all my best secrets (which aren’t secrets at all) about how to look taller revealed! Like I said in he beginning of the article: the key is to apply as many of them as you can. One or two won’t make that much of a difference.

Until next time,
George

The post The Definitive Style Guide For Short Men appeared first on Be Stylish!.

First of all, let’s get something straight: there is no proof (so far) that tanning with a sunbed is riskier than tanning under the sun. If you have any, please post it below in a comment to let everyone know. The fact of the matter is both types of tanning can cause skin cancer if you’re not careful

To avoid this (and other) terrible medical problems we need to know how to protect ourselves from those damaging UV rays and without depriving us from the pleasure of laying in the sun for as long as we want.

What is tanning, anyway?

Tanning is the process through which we expose our skin to ultraviolet rays. The purpose is to darken it’s tone for a nice, sexy look. The moment ultraviolet (UV) rays reach the skin’s surface, it reacts by secreting a substance called melanin. This is actually a pigment that has a protector role. It is produced by melanin-producing cells called melanocytes.

The radiations that stimulate melanin production are UVA and and UVB. UVAs are partially protected by the clothes we wear but this is not the case for UVB.

What dangers do we expose ourselves when we stay unprotected in the sun?

There are more than you probably though. besides skin cancer, we can add skin burning and wrinkles. UV radiation can also affect the eyes, producing inflammations.

Types of skin

When it comes to how sensitive human skin is to sun rays, we can classify it in 6 classes. It’s important to know what type of skin you have to know how long you can stay in the sun and what protection factor you should use for your sun cream.

Type I skin is extremely white. The person who has it usually has green or blue eyes and he should avoid suntanning altogether. That’s right: no sun exposure!

Type II skin is a little darker than type I. If your skin is in this category, I recommend to limit your sun exposure because you’ll get burn very easily. Use a sun cream or gel with a very high protection factor.

Type III skin gets a good and safe tan but it CAN get sunburns if you leave it too much. If you have this type, you’re one of the lucky ones.

Type IV skin is darker, eyes are usually brown or dark brown and hair is dark. It can get a sun tan pretty easy and doesn’t have too much sunburn problems.

Type V is darker than the previous four types and almost never gets burn. Generally, populations from Latin America are the ones known to have this skin type. They have a very low risk of getting skin cancer.

Type VI is the darkest one, you see it predominantly in people of African origin. Skin cancer is extremely rare.

What are solar creams?

Let’s talk a little about ways to protect ourselves when we stay in the sun or use sunbeds.Solar creams are substances that block harmful radiations.

What few people know is what the protection factor is and what solar cream to use depending on the skin type.

The solar protection factor (SPF) is an indicator present on every solar cream gel or spray. It tells us how well that product can protect us from UVB radiations. Yes, we’re only talking about UVBs – UVAs are a different story. If you want both UVA + UVB protection (recommended) then you have to carefully look on the tube to check. Good solar creams specify that they protect against both.

Basically, the SPF shows times how many more minutes you can stay in the sun than you can without any protection. Did you know that, in normal conditions, a type II skin can stay in the sun for only 10 minutes before it starts to burn? This is why you need protection.

So, if you can stay 10 minutes without the solar cream, a solar cream with a SPF of 30 allows you to stay 300 minutes (10 minutes X 30 SPF).

So, the solar protection factor doesn’t protect you BETTER – it protects you LONGER!

if you don’t know how long you can stay in the sun without burning, consider the time interval to be 10 minutes. If you have really white skin then subtract a few minutes. If your skin is darker than average, add a few minutes. Then multiply that number of minutes with the SPF.

How do I apply the solar cream and how often?

Research shows the best method to apply sun cream is to do it 15-30 minutes before you start tanning and, a second time, 15-30 minutes AFTER that moment.

From this point forward, reapplying the cream, gel or spray are necessary if:

• you sweat a lot
• you went into the pool or the sea
• you rubbed too much with the towel
• the safety time (which we discussed above) expired.

How do I protect my head when tanning in the sun?

When you’re laying in the sun you MUST have something to cover you head. it’s not enough to wear sunglasses – they can only protect your eyes. Though it may not be as stylish, wear a cap for maximum protection.

Besides this, it is recommended that you take breaks from suntanning. Take a few minutes to rest in the shade so that your body will have time to recover for the next tanning session.

Can I use olive oil instead of sun cream?

A lot of people noticed that they get a much nicer tan when using olive oil. While this may be true, olive oil does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to protect you from UV rays. If you want, find a solar cream that has olive oil on its ingredients list.

What should I do if I didn’t follow the advice give in this article?

OK, you’ve done it. You stayed too much in the sun and/or you weren’t protected. While you have to suffer the consequences, there are things you can do to alleviate some of the pain you probably have.

make sure you get plenty of water. Hydration is crucial. Sunburns can last up to two weeks so make sure you get plenty of fluids, especially in the first 2-3 days.

Avoid the sun at all cost until you’re absolutely sure you’re fine.

Now that you know how to get a great suntan, all you have to do is put the advice given here into practice. A little knowledge before going out there cans ave you a lot of pain.

Note: Neither the author nor www.BeStylish.org assume any responsibility for the advice given in this article. The text of this article are only opinions of the author and should not be mistaken with doctor’s advice. If you have problems due to overexposure to the sun, contact your family doctor immediately.

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I’ve tried many times to explain my friends what these steps are but they usually don’t listen. On the other hand I have people who pay me to hear these precious info. Strange, huh?

What most men do is the go in to one or two stores and then buy something quickly just get it over with. In some cases they end up getting something that’s identical to what they’re already wearing. HAAH. I’ve stopped making fun of them.

I remember I once read something VERY interesting about Albert Einstein (I don’t know if it’s a myth or not). They say he used to wear the exact same outfits each time. He had the same shirts (in the exact same color), same trousers, same shoes, same socks.

Obviously I have nothing but respect for the man, I used to love maths when I was a kid. But I can’t say I’m a fan of his attitude towards style. The lack of interest towards style and your social life go hand in hand don’t they?

What I’m trying to say is this: each time you buy a piece of clothing, I want to make sure you’re making a great investment.
Instead of choosing clothes that don’t fit you, I want you to choose clothes that flatter you and your body type.
Instead of buying clothes that are expensive I want you to buy clothes that match each other to form outstanding outfits.

So what are the actual steps?

1. First of all you need to look into your closet and see what you already have. Since your goal is to have as many great combinations of clothes as possible, you need to check what items you already have.

2. Choose one or two of your BEST clothes. You will wear them on your next shopping trip because you will have to find new clothes that match the ones you already have. Pick an almost complete outfit. In fact, you can choose your best combination you can make with what you already have MINUS one item. This missing item is the one you will eventually buy.

For instance, you may have a great pair of jeans, some nice shoes, a great shirt and you’re missing a vest. To make sure you get the right vest that would go with this outfit, you have to wear the outfit when you’re going through the store to try different vests. Easy, right?

3. When you go shopping, try on as many clothes as possible. I’m talking about the “missing item type” of course (could be the vest or something else). Resist the temptation to purchase something quickly.

4. If you don’t find anything good you don’t have to buy something that you’re not 100% convinced it’s what you want. Go back to the mall next week or go to other malls or stores. If you do find what you’re looking for, get it.

5. In the meantime, make mental notes of other clothes you notice and like but don’t waste time trying them on. You’re busy finding your “missing item” which takes a lot of time as it is. This way you’ll make mental notes of where to find clothes that you like, which can save you time in the future.

SImple, no? I hope you put my method to use and come back with some good results.

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