I've mentioned certain rules here and there, but I have yet to dedicate a post to some of the most fundamental fashion rules that many feel are outdated. While researching for this post, I was surprised by how many rules there actually were.
In today's post, I'm going to discuss seven of the most relevant and potentially applicable to men's style. If you would like to read more about these old-school rules including those applying to women's fashion, check out this blog post on the activetimes.com.
This post might be a bit longer than they usually are, so without further ado, let's get into the rules:
1. No White After Labor Day
So this rule may seem strange and archaic at first, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. Why? Because white and other light, pastel colors just vibe better with the summer weather. In fact, my entire summer wardrobe consists of only one navy blue shirt. Everything else is much lighter.
Typically, after Labor Day the weather starts to transition into the cooler autumn temperatures - at least, it use to when the rule was established in the early 20th century, not so much anymore-- so it makes sense why you wouldn't want to wear really light colors in that kind of weather.
In the cooler weather, I like to start wearing more earthy tones, darker blues, and neutral colors such as gray, charcoal, and black. But does it mean I completely stop wearing white?
Absolutely not.
I just wear it less frequently and when I do it's probably going to be a single white piece like a shirt.
Conclusion about this rule: I think no white after Labor Day should be more of a suggestion than a rule. It makes sense to me that you wouldn't want to be wearing white or pastels every single day in the Autumn and Winter, but to completely reserve them for the summer months means that you'll be missing out on a lot of outfits and accessories in the cooler months.
2. Match Your Belt With Your Shoes
Now, this rule makes a lot more sense to me. Essentially, it says that you're suppose to wear the same color belt and shoes. For example, if you're wearing a pair of black leather Oxfords you should wear a black leather belt. Pretty simple, right?
Most of the time I adhere to this rule. The only exception is if I'm wearing a pair of shoes in a color I don't have in a belt. In that case, I wear the closest color I have. For example, when I wear my black and blue cotton sneakers, I'll wear my black belt or if I'm wearing my tan loafers, I'll wear my dark brown belt.
You'll never see me wearing a black belt with brown shoes though or vice-versa.
I think matching your belts and shoes just shows people that you pay attention to details, so when a person doesn't, I tend to think the opposite.
Conclusion: Matching your belt with your shoes is a rule that should stand. While, such as with most rules, there will be exceptions to it, but most of the time I think you should follow this one. It's the little things that really count and matching your belt with your shoes is a big one.
3. Only Wear Black Socks To Work
I actually didn't even know this was a rule, but I think it's because black is the epitome of formal colors. Black socks are definitely one of the most professional colored pairs you can wear, but I think what color socks you should wear largely depends on your outfit.
For example, if you're wearing a navy blue suit with a tan pair of dress shoes, it would make more sense to wear either a pair of navy blue or tan socks. I would always go for dress socks, but the actual color I would wear depends on my entire outfit.
Like noted above with matching your shoes and belt, matching your socks with your outfit is another small detail that makes a significant impact.
If you really don't feel like getting different colored socks, I would definitely stick with black dress socks, but if you want to get different colors, I would get dark brown, tan, navy blue, and paisley.
Definitely avoid no-show socks or novelty socks if you're going for a professional look. In addition, I would be cautious before wearing an abnormal color like yellow, pink, red, or green. When in doubt, stick with conservative colors.
The only time no-show or novelty socks are appropriate, is when you're at home or in a casual situation. I wouldn't try to make novelty socks your signature piece because you risk appearing tacky by wearing them too often.
Conclusion: While I would amend this rule slightly, I think wearing dress socks is an absolute must if you're going for a professional, classic look. If you're going for a casual look, you don't have to, and probably shouldn't, wear dress socks, but in every other case, I think a nice pair of conservative-colored dress socks looks best.
4. Avoid Mixing Patterns
You might remember from my how to properly wear patterns post that I think mixing two or even three patterns is ok as long as you know what you're doing. But there's a huge emphasis on the second part of that sentence.
In order to successfully match two patterns, you should go with something similar or that doesn't clash. For example, wearing microdots with a pinstripe suit would be fine because microdots are very subtle. It would still probably look pretty good if you wore a paisley tie because the swirling lines on the tie won't necessarily clash with the vertical stripes of the suit.
What you wouldn't want to do is wear a pinstripe suite with a floral-print shirt and a leopard-print tie. That would look incredibly tacky because the bold prints would clash against the vertical stripes.
An easier one to visualize would be wearing a shirt with horizontal stripes and pants with vertical stripes. This is just going to look off.
Conclusion: While I think patterns can be mixed and matched to a certain degree, it can be really easy to misuse patterns. Therefore, if you're not quite sure what you're doing, I would stick with one pattern at a time.
5. Don't Wear The Same Outfit Twice
I never heard of this one prior to researching for this post, and honestly, I'm having a hard time believing this was ever a rule. Or more like I can't believe it was ever a rule! I guess, people didn't want to be seen wearing the same outfit twice.
While there is something awesome about wearing an outfit for the very first time, never wearing it again seems a bit farfetched. These days, people often have interchangeable wardrobes meaning that they're going to be able to wear one shirt with several different outfits.
It's probably possible to never actually wear the same exact outfit twice especially if you're working with pocket squares, ties, tie clips, and cufflinks.
Conclusion: I think this rule was more geared toward women last century, but regardless, it is one that I don't think anyone should adhere to.
6. Tattoos and Piercings Shouldn't Be Visible
This one is mostly disregarded by businesses and most professionals. There are certain professions that require you to keep your tattoos and piercings covered, but the majority of places have no problem with showing them off.
This is the one rule I fervently support though. I don't think it looks professional at all when someone wears a nose ring or has an arm filled with tattoos.
I mean, it really depends on what kind of external style you're going for; if you have Inner-Style, no one's going to think less of you for showing off your tattoos.
Just personally, I don't like the look. My rule-of-thumb is to always limit tattoos to areas that aren't typically seen when fully dressed. I have two on my bicep, but no one would ever know that unless I was at the beach or somewhere that was appropriate to wear a tank-top.
As far as piercings go, I think the only acceptable place to have pierced for both men and women is the ear lobe. Perhaps even an eyebrow piercing won't look too over-the-top, but when people start wearing nose rings or ear gages-- especially ear gages-- I just think it's going too far.
Also, this kind of relates: I feel the same way about people who have abnormal hair color like blue, purple, yellow, or pink. It just looks incredibly tacky and inappropriate for a professional setting. I do feel this applies more to women, but if you're going to dye your hair either keep it simple or a natural color.
Conclusion: I definitely agree with this one. While getting tattoos and piercings is fine, I just think they should be covered-up while in public. Period.
7. Take Your Hat Off Inside
A lot of guys wear hats these days. Actually, men have always had a proclivity towards wearing hats. In fact, last century it was an intregal part of a man's wardrobe to have at least a couple of hats. Hats aren't an essential part of a guy's outfit anymore, but there are still a lot of men who wear hats as a signature piece.
Honestly, I've never been a big hat guy. In fact, I almost never wear hats. That's because I would rather style my hair than cover it. But if I where someone who wore hats often, I would make sure to take it off whenever I went inside. I just think it's a sign of maturity and respect.
Respect towards whom?
Respect towards customs. I really don't think anyone would be bothered by you wearing a hat inside, but to me, it shows that a guy has an understanding and appreciation of the past.
I think wearing a hat in doors is akin to wearing your shoes inside over in India. It's a matter of respect. Although, I admit taking your shoes off before entering a house is a bit more practical than taking off your hat.
Conclusion: TAKE YOUR HAT OFF INDOORS
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There are many more "rules" but these ones, I think, are the most applicable to men's style. While I definitely don't think rules are meant to be followed exactly-- at least when it comes to style-- I think they serve as a kind of guideline to help us figure out what is and isn't acceptable to wear.
So what do you think? Which classic rules do you follow and which do you disregard? Out of these seven, which seem the most reasonable to follow these days? Do you disagree with any of my conclusions? Let me know what you think!
If you have any additional questions or concerns about any of the rules, either mentioned here or found elsewhere, feel free to send me a message on one of my social media pages or, better yet, leave a comment so we can all benefit from your question!
-Ryan S.
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