Welcome back to the gentleman's Gazette!
In today's video, we talk about how to look and appear older than you are.
If you haven't already done so, please check out our video on how to dress your age because
this video is a continuation of that.
A lot of younger men ask us, how can we look older to be taken more seriously?
So here we go.
First of all, why do you want to look older than you are?
We live in a world that seems to appreciate youth, at the same time, people judge you
constantly.
Youth, while mostly considerably advantageous in most cultures, can also have a connotation
with impulsiveness or immaturity.
Some people will also assume that you're not as reliable and I mean all kinds of judgments,
simply based on the age and the way you look.
Maybe if a baby face, or just a young gent, wants to be taken more seriously and advance
his career, it can also help you to get better service because you look older and chances
are, you won't be carded as easily and as often.
Aside from the fact how old you actually are, the way you look, and the way you dress, are
the first indicators people will see when they judge how old you are and how they will
treat you.
So what can you do to look older?
First of all, avoid trendy styles and looks that exacerbate your young age.
That means, don't wear t-shirts or sweatshirts as your main form of outerwear.
Of course, if you wear an undershirt, that's a different thing and you can check out our
guide on that here.
Also, don’t wear trainers or gym clothes outside the gym, it just makes you look sloppy
and younger than you actually are.
The same goes for sweatpants and hoodies, those are typically things worn by younger
men of the demographic or adolescence, so it will not help you to look older.
In the same vein, wearing things with huge logos will quickly identify you as someone
who is of the younger generation.
Avoid wearing things with huge sports teams, may be a collegiate sport team, your NFL team,
or your favorite soccer jersey.
It simply makes you look younger and immature.
The same thing is true for backpacks; nothing makes you look like a schoolboy like wearing
a backpack.
Instead, upgrade to a briefcase, also avoid younger flashy accessories such as maybe an
Apple watch or six wrist bracelets in all kinds of colorful things because that certainly
makes you look young.
To get a classic haircut, what does that mean?
Take a look at our guide on gentlemen's haircuts and if you wear those, you will automatically
look more mature.
Stay clear of extreme cuts, extreme undercuts with lots of hair products that are just over
the top, because that's not something a mature gentlemen would wear.
Also, if you want to look older, a scruffy look, man buns, or long hair, are typically
things not associated with older men and therefore, I'd stay away from that.
Three, opt for glasses.
No matter what you do, you actually need them.
Having glasses will give you a more bookish mature look that is really unparalleled.
I suggest you stay away from bold colors and frames, rather go with classic styles in something
like a tortoiseshell, simply by adding glasses to your outfit, you'll easily add a few years
to your entire appearance.
The same goes for sunglasses, stay away from cheap ones, or maybe trendy things like bamboo
sunglasses and stick with classics such as an aviator, Wayfarer, or some persols.
You can learn all about that in our sunglass series here.
Four, grow facial hair.
If you have a baby face, if you look young, or if your jawline is not very pronounced,
having a beard can really help to look older.
Definitely, make sure it's properly and neatly trimmed and to get a better understanding
of what to look for and how to treat your beard, check out our in-depth beard guide
and make sure to get our free pdf.
Five, cover your tattoos and take out your piercing.
Yes, in this day and age, most people in younger generation have either piercings, or tattoos,
and it's something that’s very normal; but in our parents generation, or grandparents
generation, it wasn't normal so if you cover up your tattoos , you automatically look more
mature and older.
Six, wear a classic watch, whether it's a simple wristwatch with a round tile that is
slim, in gold or silver, or maybe something a little more ornate.
Make sure it's not too big and oversized like a g-shock, or maybe some Invicta Watches because
that's just screams young and garish.
If you want to add a few more years to your look, I really suggest you go with a pocket
watch because it has vintage feel to it.
Typically not something associated with young men.
To learn more about watches in different price ranges, please refer to our watch guides on
the website here.
Seven, try to work out and add some bulk to your body.
If you're young, chances are, you're still quite slim and it can make you look like a
boy.
Adding some meat and getting that nice v-shape can help you to look older and more mature.
Eight, put your phone away even though there are lots of men of all generations really
attached to their smart phone and constantly looking at it, typically, a more mature man
knows how to go about life without being entertained in all times.
Older men have lived without cell phones and they know what to do, maybe how to be charming,
and pay attention to others.
If you do that as a young man , you will automatically be perceived as being older and not someone
from the younger generation who all the people sometimes can't relate to or understand.
Nine, hone your speech and conversation skills.
Unecessary uhms, likes, ughh, can really help you to appear more mature.
The same is true about the speed you're talking.
If you're just speaking too quickly and not clearly and it's not thought through, people
may think of you as more of a younger generation rather than if you have a deeper voice which
is not something you can really affect, but the speed and the way you present things,
clearly have an impact on how you’re perceived.
Ten, learn how to write properly.
Writing and the way you express yourself in writing may not be something that’s immediately
visible, but if you are in a correspondence whether it be by email, if you have to write
a card, it becomes obvious of what generation you are.
No matter what you write, use full sentences, use proper grammar, and try to stay away from
Smileys.
If you go for handwritten notes, having a cursive handwriting immediately makes you
look older because younger generations are not learning that anymore in school.
Eleven, dress in a classic way and to dress up.
It's one of the easiest way to appear older and there are lots of things to consider.
First of all, slight over dressing will always be better than slight under dressing because
it makes you look more mature.
At the same time, when in doubt, always upgrade from casual to something more classic and
maybe formal.
In my opinion, best way to appear older is to wear a suit.
Young men typically don’t wear suits today so if you do, it automatically puts you into
an older category.
If young men wear suits today, oftentimes they have slim fit suits with very skinny
lapels and you should stay away from that and go with a more classic lapel width and
shape.
To learn more about suits, how to find a quality suit, and how to find something that fits
you, please check out our video series here.
By the way, all the videos and guides I mention here are linked below the video.
The other way to look older in a suit is to one, go with a three-piece suit with a matching
vest; or two, to opt for a double-breasted suit with peak lapels because it gives you
that nice V shape and just makes it look more formal and mature.
If a suit is too much for you or if it's inappropriate, think about wearing a jacket.
Rather than a harrington jacket, or maybe a field jacket that's rather casual, go with
a blazer or a sport coat.
I find that tweed sport coats with elbow patches definitely make you look older than you are.
On top of that, you can add a vest especially during the fall winter season, it will keep
you warm because an additional layer, but it's also a way to add some color and to add
some maturity to your outfit.
To learn all about waistcoats, please check out our video guide here.
One thing that will definitely make you look older and more mature is to wear a hat.
Whether it's a Panama hat in the summer, a fedora hat in the winter, or maybe just a
flat cap, it will all make you look more mature.
To learn more about panama hats, the fedora, or the flat cap, please check out our guides
here.
During the cold months of the year, rather than wearing a performance jacket that you
may be where skiing, go with a proper overcoat.
It will immediately make you look older and more mature.
Also, instead of going with polo shirts or t-shirts, upgrade to dress shirts.
Ideally, you want to keep them in subtle patterns and subtle colors such as pastels.
Stay away from bold stripes and loud colors because older men typically don't wear that.
A great way to add a few more years to your overall appearance is to invest in quality
products.
Most young men today don't have the funds to buy quality goods and so they go with cheap
stuff from the likes of H&M.
If you, on the other hand, invest in more quality products, it will show and make you
look more mature.
I hear you, good stuff has its price and it's expensive and you may not be able to afford
that and that's okay, however, you can go to a vintage store, find secondhand items
that are of superb quality at a price that is lower than which would pay for cheap stuff
at the retail.
To learn more about that, please check out our video on 15 tips on how to dress like
a gentleman on a budget.
Overall, younger men wear fewer ties than older men, so an easy way to look older is
to go with ties.
Problem I often see with ties and young men is they don't know how to tie them properly
so they get loose tie knots that hang down and it just makes you look younger or like
an amateur who doesn't know what he does.
So if you wear a tie, tie it properly and check out our in-depth series on how to tie
a tie here.
An easy way to make your outfit look more mature is to add cuff links to your outfit.
Most young guys wear barrel cuffs with buttons so a dress shirt with French cuffs and a pair
of cufflinks will just make you look more mature, and more well dressed.
No matter what you said to wear it’s important to always wear them with confidence and always
to be comfortable in what you wear . Maybe you can find an older man that you look up
to that you still consider to be stylish but more mature and try to analyze his outfits,
what colors is he choosing, what items, what patterns, and then try to model your outfits
after that.
In general, I found older men prefer colors that are not as bold so that's something to
always keep in mind.
So for example, rather than going with that chartreuse green knit tie maybe go with a
bottle green one because it will help you to add a few years back to your outward appearance.
Today’s outfit, I intentionally try to wear things that make me look older.
First of all, I'm wearing a tweed jacket typically something worn maybe by a professor or an
older gentleman.
Don’t get me wrong, you can wear it as a young man but it definitely will help you
to look more mature.
Color is cream oatmeal and there's a classic herringbone pattern and I've found it secondhand
for just a few bucks.
on top of that I added a Prince of Wales knit vest in brown and caramel which is from Polo
Ralph Lauren I'd say it easily adds a few years to my appearance wouldn’t you agree?
my dress shirt is a pastel tone of purple more like violet and very unassuming it has
a fine herringbone weave with a classic color and I combined it with a vintage tie which
is wide because slim ties make you look younger.
The green of my tie is picked up in my pocket square as well as in my corduroy pants if
you want to look older corduroy is one of the best ways to do that in terms of clothing
on top of that it's super warm and comfortable so if you want to look older corduroys are
the way to go this pair is dark olive green and in line with the not so flashy color scheme
it's from Polo Ralph Lauren my socks are over the calf which is what classic gentleman will
always wear they are from Fort Belvedere and in purple and teal that pick up the green
tone in my pants and go well with my purple pockets were both accessories are from Fort
Belvedere and you can find them in our shop here my shoes are classic suede chukka boots
which is something you can wear all age groups but it's definitely a classic style and not
a pair of trainers or sneakers if I add a brown Fedora to this outfit it looks immediately
older if you enjoyed this video please make sure to check out our own guide on how to
dress your age and stay tuned for a video on how to look younger than you actually are