E-Paper
Men’s Style and Grooming by Yatan Ahluwalia: Get noticed
Decoding the lead lookHair: Medium length, with a few long strands on one side and over the forehead
Decoding the lead look
Hair: Medium length, with a few long strands on one side and over the forehead.
Brows: Thick, bushy, and shaped.
Face: Clean shaved and well groomed.
Lips: Defined and Thin.
Others: Relaxed fit sports vest and comfort fit jeans.
Look after your appearance: Start right at the top: ensure the hair looks (and feels) good. Choose a new hairstyle that suits your personality, lifestyle, hair texture, face cut and body type. While it’s nice to consider trends, not every new fad works on everyone. Ensure your skin looks fresh and that your face is always well groomed. Clean shaved is ideal and always looks good, but if facial hair is your thing ensure to keep it looking sharp, defined and in shape. Finish off with a smile, this will always make you the centre of attention in a crowded room.
Wear colour: The simplest and most effective way is to add a splash of colour in your day to day wardrobe. Try a new colour, print or an unusual colour palette that you haven’t worn or been seen in before. Ensure the colour you choose enhances your natural skin tone and matches your personality. This always works effectively and will make people, especially those who see you often, notice you and your new look.
Dress well: Style is always in the details, and these will make you blend in or stand out. Ensure the clothes you wear look crisp, clean, well ironed, and always look sharp. For instance, if you are wearing a suit, ensure it looks crease free and that it fits well. Droopy shoulders, creases, lines or the jacket or trousers looking crumpled and not steamed or ironed will kill the impact of your suit, however expensive or nice it may be.
Tailor your clothing: There’s nothing more stylish than wearing something that fits you well. Repair and alter all the ill-fitting items that you love, bringing new life to items you would otherwise put or throw away. The right length is just as important; short sleeves or pants that end over the shoes or finish above your ankles are completely unacceptable to wear.
Become loyal to a brand: Though a bit challenging and at times daunting, but never impossible to do; you should find a brand or designer which makes clothes that complement and enhance your build or look best on your particular body type and then stick with it for as long as you can. Having said that, avoid getting typecast into a particular style.
Match everything: Match your belt with your shoes. Yes, this is simple, and you may think it does not matter but it certainly does and can make or break your look. I normally suggest wearing black with grey, navy, or black itself and brown with beige, white, pastels and everything else in-between.
Keep your accessories few and simple: You only need two or three belts that will go well with both your jeans and suits. Be sure to rotate them around so they last and look different with the clothes you wear them with. Invest in two bags: one formal and one casual. Ditto for your eyewear, watches, shoes, and wallets. This will also reduce the impact your personal wardrobe has on the environment and the fragile planet we live on.
Always wear a good watch: As we now depend more on our phones for everything, watches may be becoming more redundant. However, watches continue to be a small, but important and very stylish accessory. Besides a good smart watch for regular wear, choose a clean, classic watch for formal or more dressy occasions.
Wear socks: I am not sure who or what started the trend of wearing shoes without socks! Neither is it comfortable nor is it hygienic. Plus it kills your look completely. As a matter of fact, you should match your socks to one of the colours of your ensemble. Choose a single element of your look – the tie, the shirt, the blazer – and match your footwear with that.
Good shoes: They may be the last to be put on but are surprisingly, always the first to be noticed. Shine your formal shoes and clean your casual or sporty ones regularly. They will make you and your entire outfit look nicer and also make the shoes last a lot longer.
Lifestyle must haves:
Personal clothing to make a statement
A striking shirt
Shirts have the inherent quality to get noticed and should therefore always make a statement. Ensure the shirt you wear reflects who you are or how you want to be perceived. I suggest block colours over prints and a fit that’s well-structured and sharp. Check the collars, cuffs, and buttons to ensure they don’t look old, worn out or frayed.
Chic casuals
Dressing down or laid back should never equal to looking shabby. Make sure your casual wardrobe looks smart and are both functional and comfortable at the same time. You may choose to wear soft fabrics in a relaxed fit, but this should not be confused with wearing oversized or out of shape clothing. If your look isn’t sporty, you will be safer in a matt or dull colour palette.
A piece of jewellery
Less is always more when it comes to accessories. I suggest wearing one eye catching piece than too many. This could be a pendant, bracelet, pair of cufflinks or a ring. Always silver or gold, as its more neutral and looks less flashy. Unless going over the top is your personal style, small and discreet jewellery pieces always look and work better on men.
A pair of leather boots
High and low ankle footwear is strong this year. Be the stud around town by wearing boots inspired by the wild west. I suggest leather over cloth or canvas for this look. Try and wear black instead of brown and avoid bright colours, unless your footwear is sport specific or has a sporty look and feel.
Bright slippers
From being discreet, slippers have evolved to being noticed and making their own statement. Plain block colours have now turned to loud and at time garish prints with contrasting colours, multi-coloured and digitally printed straps. Elements to look out for: strength, durability, comfort, being all terrain friendly, weather, and waterproof.
Personal Lifestyle Accessories
A stylish smoke
If you are a man around town and cigars are your thing, pull them out of a stylish carry case. Your priceless cigars would do well in a case that retains their shape, form, and moisture level. Pick a colour that matches or contrasts the dominant colour palette in your wardrobe.
Dress your bed
Getting in and out of bed, either on your own or with your partner (or hook up) shouldn’t just feel, but also look good. Your bedding should ideally compliment the colour scheme or décor story of your bedroom. Choose sheets in a fabric that feels good against the skin and looks crisp. The idea is to make your bed look just as inviting as you do!
My pick of design based super tech
A personal oxygen device
Given the toxic environment we live in and the lifestyle habits some of us have, it’s important to ensure our oxygen levels are at optimum levels. More so if you are into sports or strength training and spend long hours at the gym. Taking personalized training to a new level, this device which connects to your phone, not only factors in age, size, gender, and preference, but also considers the baseline vital lung capacity and breathing muscle strength of an individual.
Ultra-sleek headsets
If you like being connected on the go and use your headsets for much more than taking a call (especially for music or watching an OTT flick) then ensure the sound quality is excellent and the headpiece looks just as good, if not better than it sounds. Trends favour devices going smaller and more discreet than ever before.
Pet hair utility
If you are a pet parent like me, you would understand the need of a solution to pet hair and dead skin issues, not just on our fur babies but also on our clothes, sheets, sofas and around the house. While until recent they were no solutions in sight, I came across this very useful tool which gets attached to your vacuum and ensures your pets stay just as well-groomed as you do.
The author is an image, style, grooming and etiquette consultant and trainer.
From HT Brunch, January 14, 2023
Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch
Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch
