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The 21^st century offers more style choices for men than ever before, but the latest trends may not suit your lifestyle or personality. No matter what your individual tastes, there are several simple style tips that will elevate your fashion game from ordinary to exceptional.

Learn how the proper fit in everything from sportswear to business suits makes a real difference to your public persona. Stock your wardrobe with essentials and accessories that give you the perfect option for every situation. Most importantly, polish your look with the type of confidence you need to look and feel your best no matter what.

Step up your style game with these simple tips that make a huge difference. Whether you are aiming for a promotion, want to impress at a special event, or simply want to look good and feel confident every day, these style tips for the 21^st century man will help.

The Importance Of Proper Fit

Every clothing decision you make affects how you feel and how others perceive you. Above color choice, fabric options, or accessories, a proper fit matters more than anything. While casual clothes can work off the rack if you shop intelligently, suits, jackets, and other professional clothing need the attention of an expert tailor or seamstress. Alterations are more affordable than you think and make a huge difference in how you look and feel in your favorite outfits.

First, understand some common signs of improperly fitted clothes.

Jackets and Shirts

• You cannot cross your arms in the front or raise them up without pulling at the shoulders.
• The buttonholes pull or do not fasten securely.
• Shoulder seams do not sit at your natural shoulders.
• The chest gapes away from your body.
• The collar does not fit smoothly against your neck.
• A shirt will not stay tucked in or rides up too far when you sit down.
• Your jacket gapes at the back or stretches across your hips.

Pants and Shorts

• The button and fly pull or do not fasten correctly.
• The seat is baggy, droopy, or too tight.
• The waistband sags in the back and does not provide proper coverage.
• Pockets do not lay smoothly and stay tucked inside.
• The pant legs are too short or too long and bag around your ankles.
• Creases, wrinkles, or fabric bulges form around the fly.

Why Proper Fit Matters

When it comes to looking your best in any type of outfit, proper fit tops the list of importance. Ill-fitting clothes not only give a poor impression of you to other people but also make you feel uncomfortable and unconfident.

This two-sided problem has a simple solution that many men do not even consider when they go to a store to pick out a new pair of pants or button-down shirt. Many department stores and small shops have tailors or alteration experts available. Finding an independent one is not a challenge in most areas either. For a very small amount of money, you can have almost any piece of clothing altered to fit you well.

Problems With Off-the-Rack Clothing

Off the rack clothing is designed primarily for one specific body type. Casual clothes may range from extra-small to extra-large with extended sizes available for some pieces. Professional clothes have more precise measurements, but few men know exactly what theirs are.

The first step to buying properly fitted clothes is to know your main body measurements. You can do these yourself, get a trusted friend or family member to help, or let your tailor do it. Most tailors and seamstresses would insist on taking proper measurements to make sure they do their job correctly from the start.

What a Proper Fit Does For You

The correct size and professional alterations help you make the best impression for everyone you meet. The clothes look neat without rumples, sagging fabric, or tightness that accentuates your body in unattractive ways. When you present yourself properly, you feel more confident.

Proper fit also improves physical comfort, which allows you to focus on how you interact with others and the world instead of on your clothing. The last thing you want is to constantly hitch up your pants or pull on an ill-fitting shirt when you head out to an interview or date. Not only does this feel awkward, but it will distract the people you are with from your personality and communication.

Well-tailored clothing eliminates concern about your appearance so you can focus on more important things. Ideally, you should not even feel the material pulling, rubbing, or stretching across your body when you move. It should just be there looking its best.

Proper Fit is Your Responsibility

Clothing manufacturers cannot create the perfect size for every man. They create pieces that the majority of people can buy to improve company profits. In order to get a proper fit for your height, weight, and physique, you must make it your responsibility to choose the right size and hire an expert tailor to tweak the structure for your specific needs.

Of course, you cannot get everything tailored. When you buy a t-shirt or a casual button down to wear on a casual weekend, you expect it to fit well the moment you put it on. No one wants to spend extra money or time getting minute alterations done. It is your responsibility to pick the best-fitting size off the rack.

Choose the Right Size at the Store

Whenever you buy a new T-shirt or pair of jeans, take a few sizes to the dressing room and try them on. In order to choose the best size, however, you need to understand how the piece is supposed to look. Also consider how it feels.

Too many men buy larger sizes than they really need. Some do this because they find baggy clothing comfortable. Others chase trends for oversized sportswear. Still others feel threatened by the idea that they are really a size small or medium. There is nothing ‘unmanly’ about dressing well for your body type. Remove any negative connotations with smaller sizes you may hold.

Baggy and saggy clothing leave you looking as if you dressed up in someone else’s clothes. It can contribute to a slovenly appearance that other people will judge you negatively for. Too-tight clothing carries its own stigmas. It can either make people think that you have recently gained weight or give them the impression that you are trying too hard to look sexy.

Look up a clothing brand’s size chart and learn how to take your own measurements so you can choose the best options. These exist online for everything from dress pants to T-shirts.

Store-Bought Sizes Do Not Suit All Body Types

One size never fits all, and the same size in different brands or styles may not fit you the same way. Also, manufacturer’s sizes may not represent the right specific measurements for your body type. For example, many jeans and casual pants only exist in even-number inches for waist and length. If you have a 33-inch waist instead, which do you choose?

A large in one shirt may be taller than it is wide, while another large focuses on width instead of length. This is especially true for Big & Tall sizes. Larger men come in a wide variety of heights and dimensions that are not served well by how many X’s exists on a label.

How to Find the Best Tailor or Seamstress

Three characteristics matter most when hiring a tailor or seamstress to make alterations on your clothes. First, choose someone convenient. They must work in your area, offer quick turnaround times, and make appointments for measurements and other discussions. Second, choose someone with experience and expertise in men’s fashion. Match the professional with the types of clothing you want altered. Some specialize in suits or formalwear. Others accept everything.

Finally, find a tailor or seamstress you can trust. Ask for recommendations from your well-dressed male friends. Seek independent online reviews. Ask to see before and after pictures of alteration jobs they have done in the past. All the qualifications, convenience, or special offers mean little if they do not actually deliver results.

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Style Consultant, Visual Stylist and Buyer for The Suit Depot in Oak Park MI, one of the largest Men’s Clothier in the Midwest. Published Wardrobe Stylist. Published Author of the new Ebook on Amazon Prime and Amazon Kindle, “Simple Style Tips For The 21^st Century Man, How To Step Up Your Style Game”. Contributing Columnist on Men’s Style Tips and Techniques for Beautiful Machine Magazine. Host a weekly IGTV Interview Show on Instagram, “Fashion and Style Talk Men’s Edition LIVE!”, featuring International Fashion Designers, Stylists, Models discussing all things related to Men’s Fashion, Style Influences and Lifestyle.