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Ask HN: How do I dress better?

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Ask HN: How do I dress better?

#1
I have been a hoodie and jeans kind of guy for a long time.

But now that I graduated and started working as a developer, I feel that my attire might be getting in the way of being taken seriously.

Do you have advice (or service) that would help me up "my game" without seeming that I try too hard?

Re: Ask HN: How do I dress better?

#2
Unless you want to put a lot of effort into this then just buy clothes with the best quality fabric you can find (you can tell quality fabric just by feel).

Not only will your clothes feel great, as a side effect you will be stylish without being fashionable. Quality never goes out of style.

Edit. I should add that top quality fabric is never wasted on "fast fashion" so the clothes will always be a bit more conservative and so will remain stylish for longer.

This is one area where men have a massive advantage over women. As a man you can buy well made clothes with quality fabric for less than women pay for wear-once garbage.

Re: Ask HN: How do I dress better?

#3
If you have any friends who routinely dress well, ask them to take you shopping. In my experience, they really enjoy it (that's why they dress well themselves), and would appreciate the challenge of helping you to look and feel your best.

Another approach is to go to a store that sells the kinds of attire you'd generally be comfortable in (i.e., the kind of store that sells attire for people like you, and ask a shop attendant to dress you. Obviously there's a risk there that they'll just try and sell you overpriced stuff that doesn't suit you, so you have to be confident enough in your own judgement about what you'll feel good in, and be assertive enough to not let yourself spend more than you're comfortable with.

You could also just try browsing fashion sites online to find outfits that you like. But don't feel like you need to get fancy and complicated (and expensive). Just go for simple outfits made of good fabric and that fit your body shape well.

Re: Ask HN: How do I dress better?

#5
This worked like a charm for a friend of mine in college: Go to a clothing store and buy exact sets of clothing off of the mannequins that you see.

He knew literally nothing about fashion, but was consistently complimented on his clothing.

Re: Ask HN: How do I dress better?

#6
Never understood how clothing can get in the way of confidence. If you know your stuff, then being taken seriously should not be a problem. Remember, with this question, what you're really saying is, "How can I best mask myself so that others accept me based on their own insecurities?"... Blah! Good luck.

Re: Ask HN: How do I dress better?

#7
Man or woman, I'd ask a female friend for help. In my experience women have much better eyes for dress than men, for either men or women actually. See if you can't convince someone to come along shopping with you, the second opinion is very valuable.

Re: Ask HN: How do I dress better?

#9
A friend of mine is running this: https://lookastic.com play around a little with it.

You can also get inspired by celeb's styles: https://lookastic.com/men/celebrities

And don't get shy to ask some fashion lover girl to escort you on a shopping spree. But why stop here, you can hire a stylist and figure out what fits your personality.

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