- There are so many style rules out there,
it can be really confusing to try and figure out
which ones you should be following.
And I know that the last thing you want to do
is to do something wrong.
But the thing with style rules
is that many of them can be broken.
And in this video, I'm going over
seven outdated men's style rules you can completely ignore
as well as one that you should always follow.
(upbeat music)
I'm Brian Sacawa, and you're watching He Spoke Style
where we give you the information and inspiration
you need to dress well, have more confidence
and unlock your potential.
The first outdated men's style rule
you do not have to follow is honestly so outdated
you may not even ever have heard of it.
It's one that personally makes no sense to me,
and that is no brown in town.
So back in the day when men went to work in the city,
they either were blue, gray or black.
Brown was the color that you wore when you were at home
or out in the country.
Obviously, obviously, as you know,
I think brown is a perfectly acceptable color for a suit
and can work in a professional setting.
It's a really great alternative to navy
in that it's very easy to pair with a variety
of different colors.
So no brown in town, that's a rule you can break.
The second outdated men's style rule
you do not have to follow
is one that I know so many people get seriously hung up on.
And that is that your shoes need to match your belt.
In theory, this is a good rule to follow,
because having your shoes and belt match
creates a lot of harmony and it looks pleasing to the eye.
In reality though, this is a rule
that is almost impossible to follow.
I mean, think of all the shoes you have,
maybe all the different shades of brown, black, oxblood.
Finding a belt to match each one exactly
not only near impossible, but also very expensive.
And you know, should you have a white belt
for your white sneakers?
In general, you just kind of want to get in the ballpark.
My recommendation is to have a black belt
for your black shoes
and a medium brown belt for everything else.
If you'd like to throw in something
like a fabric D-ring belt for casual looks,
that's another good option as well.
But always matching your belt to your shoes,
that's a rule you can break.
The third outdated men's style rule
you do not have to follow
is one that I get questions about all the time
in the comments here,
and that is the rule that says you don't mix navy and black.
Now, I don't know where this rule came from,
but it happens to be out there.
You know, if you're wearing a dark suit
for a dressier occasion, a pair of black shoes
with a dark navy suit is completely fine.
It matches the level of formality.
And, you know, what if you're wearing a midnight blue tux?
Are you not supposed to wear black shoes with that?
You are. And it's what looks right.
And pairing black with navy within and outfit
is also totally acceptable.
You know, the only instance I can think of
where black and navy doesn't really work
is wearing black dress shoes with dark jeans.
That just looks wrong.
So not mixing navy and black,
that's a rule you can break.
The fourth outdated men's style rule
you do not have to follow it as similar to the last one
in that it deals with pairing two colors together.
And that is don't mix brown and black.
Again, I'm not sure where that came from,
but it's another rule that I personally do not endorse.
I really like the contrast of browns and blacks together,
but you have to be careful about the color of brown
that you are pairing with black.
It can't be too dark
because you want to bring out that contrast.
So let's take a pair of black jeans, for example.
Put it on pair of chestnut Chelsea boots.
That looks good.
Throw on a tan sweater.
That looks good too.
Finish it off with a light brown trucker jacket.
Also looks good.
So don't mix brown and black, that's a rule you can break.
The fifth outdated men's style rule
you do not have to follow is another one of those
that can kind of tie you in knots,
and that is don't mix metals.
Now, the thinking behind and this rule is similar
to the shoes matching your belt rule,
which is that it just looks better
and more harmonious and more uniform
if all your metals are the same.
You know, but what if I want to wear a steel watch?
Should I have an extra steel wedding band
instead of a gold one?
Does having a gold wedding band mean I can't wear
a steel watch?
And what about two-tone watches?
I mean, I understand that like cilantro or licorice,
this is generally something people love or hate,
but there's really nothing wrong with it.
The only time I really ever think about adhering
to this rule is when I'm wearing black tie.
But day-to-day it doesn't really matter.
So don't mix your metals, that's a rule you can break.
The sixth outdated men's style rule
you do not have to follow is kind of like
the sartorial equivalent of typecasting.
And that is that double breasted suits
are for slim men only.
The reason this myth exists is
because of the way a double-breasted jacket creates width.
Now, there is more fabric,
but the main thing is the horizontal lines
that are produced.
The lapels, rather than going straight down,
go across the body.
Also, the peaks point out so that creates width.
And the buttons create a horizontal line.
These things can be managed in a couple of ways.
You could have the buttons closer together.
You could also have the lapels slope farther down.
So as far as double-breasted suits being for slim men only,
that's a rule you can break.
The seventh outdated men's style rule
you do not have to follow is, I will admit,
a little on the advanced side.
However, if you're at that point
or you're just getting there,
this is one that you'll want to pay attention to.
The rule is to always button
an entire double-breasted jacket.
And we're actually talking about
two different scenarios here.
The first scenario has to deal with having
all of the buttons done on the jacket.
It's a more formal jacket,
and that's the way it should look.
So people say.
But tailoring does not have to be formal,
even a double-breasted jacket.
Unbuttoning the bottom button is way you can give
a double-breasted jacket a more casual feel.
And another way is to leave the inside button undone,
which doesn't force the lapel to be super straight.
The second scenario we're talking about is, again,
a bit of a cilantro-licorice scenario,
and that's leaving the entire jacket unbuttoned.
The reason people say not to do this is
because of all the extra fabric
that would be flapping around.
However, if you engage in some menswear mannerisms
and put your hands in your pockets,
I know, not for everyone,
it could look okay.
But always buttoning an entire double breasted jacket,
that's a rule you can break.
There is one rule, however,
that I suggest you always follow.
It's one that I use to guide pretty much
every single style related decision I make.
There's no formula, it's not written in a book anywhere
that I know of, but it's something I truly believe in.
And that rule is,
if it looks right, it is right.
Intuition is a big part of developing your style.
And it's also what this channel is all about.
So if you're at that point where you're ready to commit
to that process and make your style your own,
click on that playlist right over there,
which I put together to help you get there faster.