Our appearance speaks louder than our words…..

Every day we pass by hundreds of people on the streets, never saying a word.  Yet despite the lack of verbal communication, unconsciously decisions are being made as to the trustworthiness and intentions of those around you. It may not sound fair and yeah right it’s not. But, you know what? Life is not fair.

We want to be given time to state our stand, who we are and show our integrity but we often do not get that, rather its first our physical appearance.

There are many things that we can’t control — the weather, the economy, our birth, our siblings or parents, but we sure can control some. Like our choice of food, the grade we finish with from school, the choice of clothes we wear and how we choose to present ourselves to strangers and new acquaintances. 

Dress like a thug and people treat you like one; dress like a professional and you’ll have doors opened for you.

First impressions are powerful because until we begin to speak, they are the only bits of information we have to make a snap decision as to whether we like or trust someone.

Ignore your wardrobe at your own risk.

Men and Their Wardrobe Need

Most men always take a sober time to reflect on life and plans but they fail to turn around and look back at their wardrobe. The wardrobe needs of men are often neglected, especially when they assume

they are no longer boys.

 

We've rounded up a few of the most important wardrobe needs of men...

A 3 Piece suit that is well tailored and perfect fits: There are no more excuses anymore. You're an adult now. You need at least one tailored suit or two with perfect fit, preferably black and navy or black and gray.

Really, you should have both by now. What have you been doing all this time?

A nice blazer: A nice blazer will make sure that you don't overwhelm the room with a full suit when the occasion doesn't call for it. But it can also separate you from the crowd a bit.

Wristwatch: Even if you're not a watch guy, you should realize the importance of wearing a watch on some occasions. Drop a few thousands to get a timepiece that you can call your own.

A durable leather belt: Instead of going through belts every year like usual, invest in an expensive one that you can wear for years.

The perfect T-shirt: The perfect T-shirt is not a myth. You just have to find it. Probably get a good tailor, a Nigerian tailor or fashion designer if you are Nigerian base to sew to your measurement.

There is no better feeling than to wear a perfect fit shirt or best fit for any type of clothing. 

Becoming A Fashion Trend Setter

Trends are powerful demonstration of how social influence motivates people. People follow trends out of a desire to fit in. Trends are typically started by celebrities and superstars because on some level people think looking more like them will give them some of that prestige.

If you have a penchant for looking great and want to be ahead of the curve, you may want to become a trendsetter. Just how easy it is to be a fashion trend setter as a fashion designer!

Make a lot of friends. It will be easier to set trends if you have many friends who are popular and well-liked in their own right. This gives you more social capital and influence on the rest of your peer group.

Don't make friends with popular people just to be a trendsetter. Make sure your friendships are genuine.

Be charismatic. If you are confident and fun to be around, people will want to be more like you.

When people want to be more like you, it becomes easy for people to want to copy your every move, including your clothing.

Avoid being overly serious. This doesn't mean you have to the society clown. 

Be genuinely interested in People. Being kind and compassionate will go a long way. Express genuine interest in others. Doing this will make others feel good about themselves and they will attribute these good feelings to your presence.

Once you're known as a likeable person, others will want to be more like you. Without even noticing it, they may adopt some of your style.  In other words, they will follow the trends that you set.

Get noticed. You won't be able to set a trend if other people don't see and follow it. Start by trying to be more "seen." Make people notice you and cultivate a presence. Learn how to be the center of attention

If you want to start fashion trends, try to dress well in general. While positive attention is great, don't be too loud or obnoxious. Make your outgoing personality seem effortless.

Fashion Sketch Book

Fashion Journal is one a great way of sharing your style and thoughts on fashion.  It is always a great idea to have a journal of your own which can act as a means to show your creativity and your interest in fashion.

In my thought, I would advise every fashion designer to have and keep fashion sketch book where they can make sketches quickly when ideas comes to mind. Fashion journal can be regarded as part of your fashion portfolio.  

Fashion journal is a documentation of thinking process of the fashion designer.  It demonstrates quick

drawing skills, color, fabrics sensitivity etc.

If you aspire to become a great fashion designer in future, you will need to start now to keep a fashion sketch book or fashion journal, because any great fashion designer is expected to be a fashion trend setter. 

Fashion trendsetters are people who can spot new trends early on and spread these fads to new locations and social groups. Sometimes they even create their own fashion trends for others to adopt. 

Fashion trends are the most common type people follow. And, a simple act of keeping a fashion sketch book or fashion journal can go a long way to setting you up as a fashion trendsetter. If you have a penchant for looking great and want to be ahead of the curve in fashion, you need your own fashion journal because inspiration comes anywhere and at any time.  

Nigerian Tailored Suit for Perfect Fit

As far as I’m concerned, there are far too many guys walking around in suits that don’t fit them and there’s no excuse for it.  I attend wedding occasions and I see men-on-suit, men-in-suit, men-by-suit, men-at-suit and so on. Hahahahaha! It’s funny though, but these names were coined according the fit of the suit on the men.

Ill fit can make a very expensive suit look tardy and trashy. I have also observed that

suit made in Nigeria are relatively less expensive to foreign suit or off-the-rack suit collection, the only different is that you will have to have a little patience to have your suit specifically sewn to your measurement.

Tailoring can make a relatively inexpensive suit look expensive, so for the guys out there who think that looking good in a suit is out of their price range – you’re wrong.

Off the track suit is already made with a client in mind, necessarily not you but when you meet Nigerian tailor or Nigerian fashion designer, they measure and sew to your specific, at the end of it, the jacket will fit you in the shoulder, it will hug your shoulders and encourage you to hold yourself upright.

Furthermore, the trousers fit you in the thigh rather than at the waist.

To help demonstrate what tailoring can do for a suit, my fashion designer at Dr.Legendclothing on 25, Fadunsi Street, Ogba Ikeja Lagos, Nigeria offered us to come and try on a few suits, and then get one tailored to our needs.

Nigerian Tailored Suit for Men

Personally, I think a man will look better than he does when he wears a suit. It can be worn at a variety of occasions and locations without ever looking out of place, all the while enabling the individual to look and feel truly stylish.

Hence, off-the-track suit that we call foreign suit or ready-made suit in Nigeria, will never be best fit even when it’s altered by a tailor to your specification. . Be it high street or a fashion designer, suits are all cut from a precise block in order to fit the specific sort of clientèle the brand is after and unless you are that client, which is very slim that you are, then forget about fit or perfect fit.

Of course, you don’t need me to reiterate the perfect fit factor to you. You already know that the most expensive and best quality clothing will mean nothing without a perfect a fit.  A good fit should always be your first priority when purchasing new clothing.

One way you can guarantee that a suit will fit you is if its tailored to your specification. And you can only get that when you have a good Nigerian tailor or Nigerian fashion designer sew to your measurement. That is if you are a resident of Nigeria. To be continued…

Men Style Rules

1.  Care about your appearance.

2.  Have understanding of the menswear that came before you.

3.  Know that sometimes you’ll be the best-dressed man in the room.

4.  Realize that “rules” are there for a reason, even if they can sometimes be broken. And be sure of your own reason for breaking any of the rules.

5.  A good fit should always be your first priority when purchasing new clothing.

6.  Avoid temporary fashion trends and fluctuations of fashion

7.  Treat your clothing like an investment, and shop slowly but smart.

8.  Make excuses to wear the good stuff, instead of letting it get dusty in the closet.

9. Dress appropriately, whether that means dressing up or dressing down.

10. Expand your wardrobe with clothes that work together, not standalone pieces.