FOR THE MEN.

The Importance of Being a Sharp Dressed Man

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society ~Mark Twain

Perhaps you’ve heard the following:
“The days of wearing a suit are gone.”
“Casual Friday? It’s casual week around here. No one cares how you dress.”
“Appearances are irrelevant, only results matter.”

All of these statements ignore the fact that people have and will continue to judge you by your appearance. The harsh reality is that we make decisions about people within the first 3 seconds of meeting them; we then spend the next 90 seconds trying to confirm our first impressions. This means that before you even open your mouth you’ve been sized up and profiled. Knowing this, a person should always dress neatly, professionally, and appropriately.
This doesn’t exempt you because you are a Christian. It is even the more reason to be well dressed. Yes, we are to be mindful of heaven but we are also here on earth to represent the father and do His will.
The fact is you never know who you are going to meet; at anytime you may run into a potential client, a future employer, or for those singles out there, the love of your life. All these apply to a Christian brother because you are going to do business with people; you will need a job and want to get married. And like it or not, they are going to form their initial impression of you based off of how you look. We live in a society that overall tends to dress down; our national uniform is a pair of jeans and t-shirt. If you care about your appearance and take action to improve it, you will stand out from the crowd. But that is not a bad thing.

How Your Personal Appearance Affects You

The transformation effect
One of the powers of clothing is that it can transform an individual’s state of mind. Dress like a professional businessman and you are more likely to act like a professional businessman. Taking a test soon? Students report that they perform better when they dress-up for an exam. Feeling sick in the morning? Women have used the power of dressing-up to shrug off sickness for years. The transformative effect is powerful and instantly effective; what is most amazing is that so few people use it.

Dressing professionally improves self discipline.
Military dress inspections have persisted not because shiny boots win wars, but because the exercise teaches a military force to pay attention to the details. And it is in the details that battles are won. In the same way, a person who dresses professionally learns the value of self discipline. They learn that planning and allotting enough time are paramount for consistent results. They prepare for the day by thinking through it, anticipating their needs, and taking the proper steps to ensure they can meet the challenge. A disciplined dresser can arrange his outfit to meet his needs from 8AM to midnight, from office to presentation to drinks after work.

Appreciation and respect.
Properly clothing yourself takes very little of your time; shirts need to be ironed and shoes needs to be shined. Perhaps the greatest lesson this teaches is to respect the effort put forth by our fellow human beings. When you meet another well dressed man you give him an extra measure of respect because of his outfit; you notice the perfect dimple in his tie and appreciate it because it took you 5 minutes and 5 attempts to perfect your own. Mutual respect between gentlemen is garnered when they recognize the efforts each has put forth.
How Your Appearance Affects Others

The power of visuals.
Numerous communication studies have demonstrated the power of visuals in human interaction. Some studies have shown that visual cues are 3times to 5times as powerful as audio cues. With clothing covering 90% of your body, it cannot be stressed enough as to how important a role it plays in how you are perceived by others. Want faster & better service in a restaurant? Look like you have money and wear a navy blazer. Want to increase your chances for an A on a presentation? Wear a sports jacket and pair of slacks. Want instant credibility in a business environment? Wear a suit when making the pitch or meeting with management.

First impressions
Made within a few seconds, first impressions are powerful and should not be taken lightly. We often observe a person before we speak with them, and being human we look to make sense of what our eyes are showing us. Using our personal experiences, we categorize individuals; we pick-up on a key feature that has meaning to us and then associate that person with it. If what you are wearing is doing all the talking for you, make sure it is sending the message you want

The power of colors and pattern
Colors and patterns are very powerful; certain ones grab our attention, some accentuate our natural tones, and others affect our emotions. When choosing colors and patterns a man should first understand which ones work for him and which ones do not. Next, he needs to determine what message he wants to send. A man decked out in a pin-striped navy blue suit, blue shirt with white contrasting collar and cuffs, and a red tie screams power and authority. A man wearing a solid brown suit with an earth tone shirt and light colored tie signals trust and openness. Both men were wearing suits, but two very different messages were being conveyed.
Top 10: Signs of A Well-Dressed Man

He is the guy gracing the covers of magazines, the winner of one of those best-dressed competitions or, perhaps, your upwardly mobile colleague who consistently gets admired by the ladies. Point being, he isn’t you. But what’s his secret? Funny thing is, there are no secrets here — only signs. And they all point toward the well-dressed man.
No. 1 Confidence
Confidence — one word says it all. Without a little swagger in your step, nothing else matters.

No. 2 Pocket Protection
Somewhere along the line, men forgot about the little things in life — like the all-important pocket square. Use it with a tux or dress up a denim-sport coat combo. The key, as you have already learned, is to mix rather than match. Employ the flat fold (look it up), and you will soon realize that the hanky is a minor detail with major impact.

No. 3 Signature Scent
Having an army of aromas is not just a waste of money, it is downright offensive. Men need, at most, just two fragrances. One should be lighter for daytime and warmer weather; the other more robust for nights and scent-crushing colder temps. With proper application (a spritz behind the ears and on the wrists) both will become a part of you — not prematurely announce your arrival.

No.4 Grooming
A well dressed man is groomed head to toe. He pays attention to his hair cut and, shaving his armpit {don’t be deceived, there’s nothing manly about a bushy armpit} and beards, if he chooses to. He also takes the time to visit a grooming salon for a manicure and pedicure to scale off the dead skin on his toes. He even gets a facial from time to time to keep his skin smooth. It is ok to pamper yourself once in a while but this becomes vanity when it’s a daily/weekly thing.

No. 5 Vintage Finds
Few men are fortunate enough to have a heap of valuable hand-me-downs; that’s where second-hand shopping comes in. We’re not talking about Salvation Army-style dumpster diving for clothing by-the-pound. This is high-end haberdashery at its best: think vintage watches and old school designer duds. They’re not always easy to find, but once you do come across them, you’ll never want to let go.

No. 6 Understated Elegance
It should not take a rainbow of Robert Graham button-downs, Grosvenor shirts and a Mr. T’s-worth of jewellery to get you noticed. Then again, fading into background isn’t the answer either. The compromise? Wear one piece that says something (it can be anything from a coloured watch to a bracelet) and let the rest play a supporting role. In the end, your attire and accessories should make a statement, not put on a show.

No. 7 Colour Coordinated
Somewhere along the line — say, after primary school — you should have developed an eye for harmonizing hues. If you were left back a few grades in the dressing department, though, remember that colours should complement but never be matchy-matchy. In fact, feel free to experiment by contrasting colours in the most unexpected places — like a pair of pink socks with even the subtlest of suits.

No. 8 Tailor-made
No matter what your closet contains — luxury labels, fine fabrics, and the newest trends — it doesn’t mean much without a flawless fit. And that piece of advice isn’t reserved for a custom collection of suits and shirts. The same holds true for well tailored clothes of the south-south Nigeria and the ones in the picture, even for the casual clothes. And there is only way to know if the cut is right: always try it on with your tailor right there with you. Or try it before you buy it

No. 9 Cut and Coifed

Overgrown? Over-gelled? Waiting too long between cuts or, worse, plastering on the putty is the quickest way to go from dapper to douche bag. See your stylist every three to four weeks and go easy on the product — two rules that coif-conscious men follow religiously.

No. 10 Shoes
Dingy, dirty shoes can make even the finest suit look, well, not so fine. Plain and simple, a freshly shined pair can spruce up even the most mediocre digs. Polish shoes in regular rotation about once a week, because they are quite literally a reflection of you.