In the last installment, we looked at one of the most common dating mistakes, fixating on one girl, and discussed the advantages of playing the field. This week, we’re going to talk about another one of the key areas in dating: fashion.

Not stylish
I promise to provide you with a simple, practical and extremely effective guide to sorting out your wardrobe. No fluff, no filler, no ‘opinions’ – just solid, timeless principles that, if followed, will set you up with a great outfit regardless of your personal style preferences. This is a vitally important aspect of your dating life, so pay close attention.

Before we dive into the practical, why is what you wear so important?
The short answer: because it helps.


A longer answer: An old mentor of mine used to say that good fashion conveys social intelligence and ambition. That is to say the social intelligence to realise that the clothes on your back affect how you’re perceived and the ambition to care enough to act on it. Women like men with social intelligence and ambition.

Steve Jones’ Practical Fashion Guide
If you know your sense of style needs some work, you’re going to love this. If your threads are already dashed with dapper, then this exercise will be a fun fine-tuner for you.

First, create a folder on your computer desktop called: Fashion.
Second, Google some celebrities that you think have a great look. If you’re not sure, go for pretty much anyone really on the A-list. Check out their style; I looked specifically at movie stars, musicians and television personalities.

Search their names and click on the IMAGES option in google. Look through and save to your Fashion folder any photos of those people where you think they look cool, have good fashion, a great look etc… whatever it may be. Go by what you like and you’ll have a portfolio of people with a variety of great looks to choose from.

Third, choose an image with a look that you think you could replicate, something you could identify with. Maybe it’s a shot of Brad Pitt on a talk show or of some rockstar from a VH1 ‘Behind the Music’ episode. Next, go out with that picture and start shopping for that outfit. You don’t have to shop for the exact items in the picture, just use the image as a template and work around it. Ask sales assistants for advice, show them the look you’re after.


This process is called: imitate-assimilate-innovate. You imitate the professionally dressed and, by doing so, assimilate and absorb the subtleties of their style. After that you can, if you chose to, use the taste you have developed and innovate your own path.


Further Fashion Tips- Fit is King. It doesn’t matter how great the item looks on the hangar, or how good the discount is if it doesn’t fit you perfectly you must not buy it! I’m really serious about this one, you can wear the most expensive designer suit and look like a complete idiot if the fit is off. Equally, you can sport a relatively inexpensive jean and t-shirt combination and look like a million dollars if the fit is spot-on. Gentlemen, remember: FIT IS KING!

- Get it tailored. Here’s the loophole to the previous tip – if you must have that item, and the fit isn’t perfect, get it tailored to fit you before wearing it out.
- Start small, don’t buy too much at once. Getting your fashion together is a learning curve and even with a template you will occasionally buy something that, when you get it home, turns out to have been a terrible idea! That’s okay, mistakes are a part of your education and you can usually return clothes to the store anyway.
- Try on at least two items that are definitely not your style – two very ‘fashionable’ items that you could never see yourself wearing. When I have done this, I’ve occasionally found items that have worked very well. I’d have never considered some of them if I had been shopping strictly for ‘my thing’.
- Exercise. If you’re not in shape already, start taking some small steps in the right direction. Your clothes will just look better on you.
- Have a look around you. There’s a good chance you know some guys with a great fashion sense. Look at them and think, what is it about their style that works? Get specific. Notice the combination of top, trousers, shoes and accessories – anything around the neck, wrists? What are the colours? Copy them.
Conclusion

There you have it, gents, a practical fashion guide that you can put to use straight away. Your mission for the next fortnight is to organise at least two shopping trips to revamp your wardrobe. With with celebrity photos in hand I hereby commission you to brave your local high-street and purchase with panache!

See you next time!
Steve Jones, aka Keychain