What Not to Wear – Top Advice, Men's Lifestyle

Tips on the Worst Fashion and Style Trends for Men

Mar 18, 2009

Camouflage Pattern, Fabric, juuichimei, sxc

In an increasingly liberal fashion world, a plethora of choices are now laid out on the table for men who have a keen sense of style and fashion. Buyer beware!

One of the potential downsides of an increasingly liberal fashion world is the bevy of bad choices that are offered to men who may make the mistake of taking the retailer up on their seemingly good offer. Every decade has a great deal of fashion faux pas, but what trends should men avoid for 2009 and onwards?

Skinny Jeans, Four Button Suits, and More!

While certainly not a comprehensive list, there are a few notorious pieces of fashion that should never grace the closet of any discerning gentleman. These garments may be popular amongst a certain subset of society but should never be considered professional wear or even stylish casual wear.

Skinny jeans, or jeans that cling to the leg tightly from waist to ankle, should be avoided at all costs. Not only is this an extremely feminine styling, both in the vintage catalogue as well as in the more modern consumer style realm – it is extremely unprofessional, bordering on ridiculous.
Bolo ties and cowboy hats are most definitely out. While popular in some areas of Canada and the United States, these items are best kept for nostalgic value or as museum showpieces. Unless you are a country-western musician on photo shoot, the western paraphenalia is best left at home.
The popped collar polo shirt is also something that one should avoid. Not only does it bear multiple shades of “frat boy”, the popped collar polo was a one-season wonder and was dubiously stylish for even that single season. Even more foolish would be to layer popped collars, such as a polo and a leather jacket, or even two polo shirts with both collars popped!
The four button suit has been making a comeback in many retail locations, particularly those who primarily deal with polyester garments exclusively – International Clothiers and others of that mould being most notorious for marketing these particular suits. The four button suit typically cuts extremely boxy as well as being highly constraining for any man without standard measurements. It is debatable whether the four-button suit was ever truly at the height of style, and so it should be left on the rack.
Denim jackets for men can be problematic. When worn with other denim, they constitute what is jokingly referred to as the “Canadian Tuxedo”. If the style in the jacket is contemporary, the wash is just right, and they are worn with casual pants that work with the ensemble instead of against it – it could work. The great majority of the time, it looks terrible and does not co-ordinate with anything.

Some Dishonourable Mentions

While these dying trends may constitute the best of the worst, there are a few other classics that bear a quick mention.

Urban wear, essentially a code word for the descriptors : baggy, loose, ill-made, and gaudy – is most definitely seeing a downturn in popularity, coinciding with the strengthening market in high and business fashion for men.

Camouflage of all description and make is also faltering as a popular consumer print in fabrics, having diminished in popularity from it's height in the late 1990's to being relatively rare in both shirts and cargo pants today.

While most articles on Suite101.com pertain to the upcoming labels and classic fashions available to men, surely these are some of the worst of the lot and one should keep this in mind when shopping for the latest addition to the wardrobe!