Overdressing

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Or, in today's context; "When at a frat party, dress as a frat boy would."

Have you ever seen somebody dressed in a suit on a day out to the mall? Or have you been that somebody?

Dressing well is also about dressing to suit the occasion. In tropical climates, venturing the jungles of Borneo in dark jeans and a dress shirt will make you look like as much of a douchebag as you would if you ventured into the doors of the most expensive nightclub in the world donning a logo tee and a pair of Havaianas.

The rule of subtlety always applies. Standing out in a crowd (in a good way) doesn't come by wearing something so extravagant to make you look out of place. Rather, standing out comes by wearing something of exceptional quality, something with an extra detail, something that quietly states that you are a man of taste.

For the sake of illustration, an example would be a formal party, where the dress code for men would presumably consist of a standard suit and dress shoes. A bad dresser would come in mismatched jacket and pantsuit (or worse, in white athletic socks with dress shoes). An average dresser would don an ensemble of a predictably ill-fitting black/navy blue suit coupled with black dress shoes.

But you,... now you're different. You're the exceptional dresser.

You would subtly make a statement by showing up in a tailor-fitted slim cut gray suit, for example. You would show up in a understated combination of brown leather shoes, watch and belt. You would snazz things up just a little bit by ditching the black tie for a velvet, maroon bow tie.

Without looking like a clown, you've set yourself apart with very subtle details, the most important of which is good fit. I'm not talking about good "I'm too sexy for my shirt my nipples are showing" fit. Rather, good fit entails an outfit which looks like a tailor made it for you. If when you were a kid your dad told you to always buy clothes one size bigger so you would "grow" into them, tell your dad to start reading this blog.

In the same vein, when it comes to adding detail to your outfit, always think "understated". Think brown leather shoes, not brown leather cowboy hat. We're emphasizing taste here, not sense of humour. The latter will come later once you've lured your prey in via your fantastic sense of style.

Believe me, my friends... the opposite sex are very, very good at noticing details. Thus, at the party, while most of your male buddies will still look past your outfit and stare at you straight in the eye while trying to draw your attention to how large that lady in the blue dress's boobs are, women across the room will be noticing.