This blog doesn't talk much about male fashion (and lets face it, not many men talk about fashion either).
But starting today I am going to be making a deliberate effort to write more male fashion posts.
The thing about fashion for men is that men want to look a very specific way: MANLY.
That means no frilly shirts, no pink and definitely nothing that makes them look wimpy or effeminate.
Lesson #1. Paul Galvin
Paul Galvin (if you're in North America you've probably never heard of him) is an athlete. One of the world's top soccer players. He is VERY manly. Tattoos et al.
But he is also a male fashion aficionado and has a very good grasp of how to dress manly. Men's fashion would be so much better if more men dressed like Paul Galvin.
What he does is:
A) Wear clothes that fits him. No too baggy shirts for him. Not too tight either. Just tight enough to show off his muscles.
B) Wears clothing that looks good regardless of whether he is hanging out at a bar with friends or planning to go all 007 on a speedboat with terrorists.
C) Wears clothes that is both clean and well made. Nobody will accuse him of dressing like a slob.
Once you grasp the simple ABC principles you are on the way to making your manly wardrobe look good.
Lesson #2. Kevin Smith
This is really more a lesson of what not to do.
Kevin Smith's problem is really an issue of self-confidence, binge eating and trying to cover up his fatty bits.
What happened was many years ago someone made fun of Kevin Smith's weight when he had his shirt off and it traumatized him so much he basically decided he was never going to take his shirt off in front of someone again. (According to Kevin Smith his wife has never even seen him with his shirt off.)
Its more than merely not taking his shirt off he also deliberately wears clothing that is too big for him because he wants to hide his bulk (but in reality I would argue it just makes him look bigger).
Another problem Kevin Smith has is that he dresses too casually. His choice of clothing is almost always slovenly. On rare occasions he does wear a black suit and tie, and that is when he looks his best.
So my advice for men who are overweight? Start thinking BLACK SUITS more often. Yes, it takes more effort for you to get dressed, but the suit does 2 things:
A) All men look better in uniform, regardless of your size.
B) Black is slimming.
If you start wearing black suits more often it will boost your confidence levels, which means less binge eating when you're depressed, which means you will either lose weight or maintain your weight.
Lesson #3. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Nobody will ever accuse Arnold Schwarzenegger of being unmanly. The guy could wear a pink tutu and people would still say his muscles more than make up for the pink.
So how do you achieve this?
A) Daily Exercise, a mixture of cardio and weightlifting. I recommend alternating between the two so the different muscle groups have time to repair. Remember you only achieve muscle bulk by RIPPING muscles. Hence the term "ripped".
B) Healthy Diet, again a matter of constant balance. You want to balance your intake of various foods and cut back on sugar, fat and carbs. Vegetables, meat and milk = good. Skip bread entirely and avoid anything where the 1st or 2nd most common ingredient is glucose/fructose.
After all, you don't think Arnold got so big by eating Twinkies did you? Sugar won't make you muscular, but it will make you fat.
The lesson you must learn from Arnold is that exercise is a lifelong commitment, no matter how old you get or what career you enter.
And having a fit body gives you a fashion advantage and more options.
