Perception / Reaction From Other Men (Strangers) About How You Dress

[Brown]

I imagine, like me, the majority of you gents love getting dressed up for a night out.

I love it.. shirt/tie/waistcoat/blazer, button up/blazer/pocket square.. you get the idea. I normally go out with two or three friends, and we all dress very similar.

Whilst none of us are "attention whores" in the SLIGHTEST, we do attract attention from girls that like the effort, and at the VERY least, IMO it makes us more approachable. It's a good icebreaker when girls ask "why are you dressed smart, where have you been"? I'm sure you know what I mean.

Anyway, I've started to notice more and more the odd comments men feel obliged to give. Under no circumstances would I ever question what someone was wearing, but have you experienced this? "Try hard" comments, comments about why you've dressed "OTT"? I'm a pretty chilled out guy, but I love banter, so I can talk to anyone. So I'm not after any response like "just ignore them" - I'm genuinely interest in hearing if any of you guys experience this, and to what degree?

[Jay]

Sadly, in a society where style and elegance are strangers to the vast majority of folks as they stumble around in their Toms/Vans/Cons, ill-fitting hoodies adorned with crass sloganeering and jeans they may as well have just shat in, those who make the effort draw as much negative attention as positive. Adorn yourself with a brightly coloured pocket square and a good proportion of the slovenly dressed will want to burn you as a witch, fearing the unusual, the unknown, the different. Attire yourself in bright, block colouring and the Allsaints brigade (there are other colours than 'ink'? Really?) will assert your homosexuality to the world. 'He's wearing a salmon pink blazer. He's gotta be queer, right?'

But then you're stood in the queue at work and someone leans over to praise those beautiful tan brogues you meticulously polished the night before. And then at the supermarket, a stranger walks up to you and says you look great in that beautifully tailored navy suit, crisp white shirt, navy tie and white pocket square. And then on that night out in that new salmon pink blazer, someone sidles up to you at the bar and says, "I love that blazer. I really wish I could pull that off".

And those nice little comments, those appreciative glances carry you through the day past puzzled glances and sneers of derision from the eternally devoid of style and permanently lacking in good taste.

So, fuck the non-believers and wear those pocket squares, those tie bars, those bright green chinos with pride. Overdress at every opportunity and feel fucking fantastic about it.

Here endeth the sermon for today.

[_Ben_]

The sermon today was quite riveting, thank you.

I have yet to experience any of this, though, aside from people saying: 'I fucking hate you, where did you get _____ from?' However, I can't say I wear blazers (which aren't cotton) or ties or pocket squares during the day, and certainly by night I ensure I'm not going to stick out like a clown compared to my friends (which can either make me look amazing or, as Brown says, apparently a 'try hard'). Sometimes I think a balance is good to reach, but really just be yourself.

Jay is absolutely right: fuck the non believers. I'm a fucking unicorn. Fuck anyone who says I'm not. (As Tyler the Creator once said).

[Nath6644]

The other night I was chatting to this girl upstairs at Ramshackle in Bristol. It was going quite well until I mentioned a previous girlfriend. When she told me that she was sorry, but she assumed I was gay, I was taken aback and asked why. Her response was this:

"Because you have a good dress sense".

That sums it up. What has the world come to...

[William Colman]

In my tiny little home town, with its population of very few and where development and new things appear 8 years after they have arrived everywhere else, people don't actually look at me, I see them staring from afar but when you get up close they all look at the ground. I must admit I do have a bit of a swagger (unintentional of course) and my face usually looks rather stern but I never thought I was that intimidating.

I've never experienced any snide comments although I'm sure a few have been made. Even in a town such as Brighton the percentage of the population that can actually dress themselves or recognise good dress sense is catastrophically small. When I actually try people will stare and I know that most will be at least a bit confused by the way I dress and it will be even worse when they walk into any one of the aforementioned clothing establishments.

But as everyone has said; fuck everyone else, they shouldn't have crawled out from under their bridge in the first place.


And on the lady front, you've got to find the right ones, keep your standards ridiculously high, avoid any obviously sexually directing situations and try to make it clear that you like all a lady's lumps. Until your sexuality has been mistaken and you have been groped by men without so much as a by your leave, then you know something is up. It still haunts me to this day.

[Brown]

The other night I was chatting to this girl upstairs at Ramshackle in Bristol

funnily enough I've just started working in Bristol.. the Tipees were a good spot for a drink the other night.. then I ended up in BSB (?), the blazer/brogue combo was perhaps a bad choice lol

Anyway, speaking of drinking/socialising, a bar guide thread in various cities would be useful. I'd definitely value the opinions from you guys on here. It can be hard to find a decent bar with a good crowd

[Mogli]

Few nights ago i was worried as some in this tread about standing out from others and actually contemplated in dressing on bad side. Opportunity arose where i was to go with friends in some bar that is in crappy part of town so i dressed up in some outdated shirt and jeans but still retaining blazer and then after few drinks we ended up in nice club - soon as i took of my blazer i looked shit compared to others. From then on said to myself ain't trying this again. Its just you can never know where you are going to end up or who you are going to meet.
All girls notice how guy dress, and lot of them will like it but won't say it. Those that dress bad in many cases is just because of money or other priorities that stop them from dressing nice. In talking with girls or guys mostly what they say is that.
Good dressing influence people around you to dress better, they start paying attention what they are wearing which is great thing, they start making effort.

[Nath6644]

funnily enough I've just started working in Bristol.. the Tipees were a good spot for a drink the other night.. then I ended up in BSB (?), the blazer/brogue combo was perhaps a bad choice lol

Anyway, speaking of drinking/socialising, a bar guide thread in various cities would be useful. I'd definitely value the opinions from you guys on here. It can be hard to find a decent bar with a good crowd

I haven't been anywhere in Bristol where the brogues and blazer haven't set me apart. But then again as a student, I tend to end up in scummy clubs. But even in some of the more upmarket bars on the waterfront, I still stand out.

Standing out isn't always a bad thing. If everyone else is wearing denim shirts and beige chinos and I'm wearing a blazer and pocketsquare, it's going to get girls attention, whether they like the look or not. When it comes to the fairer sex, I'm a strong advocate of the "no attention is bad attention" philosophy. They still notice you, and that's the first step.

[Nath6644]

Those that dress bad in many cases is just because of money or other priorities that stop them from dressing nice. In talking with girls or guys mostly what they say is that.
.

It really doesn't cost alot of money to look good at all, that's what gets to me. It takes a bit of effort, a basic knowledge of a good fit, and some really basic knowledge of colour theory.

Loads of my clothes are off eBay, but even if they weren't, I could easily build very respectable outfits from low-end highstreet stores like Primark or H and M.

It's about priorities. Looking good is very important to me. What I spend on clothes, I don't spend on X-box games, drugs and whatever else people my age are meant to spend their time doing.

[Pin Money]

Yes, Bristol Crew! Brown, BSB is a shocker, right? Ironically, it stands for Bristol Stylish Bar. Cool, huh?

The majority of bars in Bristol fall into two categories; scummy dubstep-dungeons, or chavvy hell-holes. I'd think the sort of attire you are sporting would be more commonly seen in the Clifton/Whiteladies Rd/Park St areas, although the people wearing it may actually be posh rah students and the like, rather than those trying to make a fashion statement. Clubs like Java and Vanity are the main stomping ground of the style-conscious, but for everyone in a Tweed blazer and brogues, there is one in a tight Ed Hardy T-shirt and boot cut jeans. Also, lots of fake tan and blindingly white teeth. Sexy girls there though.

The thing to realise with Bristol though, is that in most places pretty much anything goes, and as long as you stay out of the extremes of each category (think Black Swan for scummy, Oceana for chavvy) then you will most likely not stick out too much. I tend to go out wearing a jacket / cardigan, polo shirt / t-shirt, skinny jeans / chinos, and brogues / loafers and still manage to avoid the clichés through my choices and fit. I have worn blazers out too, and I've never been singled out because of it.

At the end of the day, courting the clichés does mean you fit in more, and opens you up to a greater cross-section of the female population. You can still manage to be individual and stand out without having to wear blazers and brogues every time you go out; indeed, that ensemble in itself is hardly devoid of the same stigma. Girls might think you own a yacht though?! lol