DIRTY30THIRTY STYLE ICON: XAVIER DE ROSNAY

4 STEPS IN BUILDING A NEW WARDROBE

The thing about being 30 is that we are neither too young nor too old. When it comes to dressing up, we tend to oversee our actual age and act (and dress) the age we feel like. I think it’s okay up to a certain point. But when we start to feel like we have to start acting according to our age, show a higher level of maturity, demand respect, or play the game with the grown-ups, a proper decorum is expected. We have to dress the part!

If you are easily affected by impressions and perceptions, then you have to start to worry on how you look.

I know, I know, some of you will go on saying your I-am-what-I-am-and-I-can-wear-whatever-I-like speech but I think, by now, we should have established who we are and at the same time reside on the fact that first impressions last.  “Countless communication studies have shown a man’s visual appearance is initially more powerful than what he says; ignore your wardrobe at your own risk.”

I think, that the real dilemma here is not the fear of looking like a competent person.  Men are naturally stubborn to dress beyond their comfort zone. I have styled regular men a number of times and most of them are half-hearted to let go of their baggy pants and loose t-shirts. While it is true that our personal style should not be undervalued,  let’s face it, at 30, we are expected to act and dress according to a certain standard. So in order to marry personal style from your 20-something bygone decade with your matured 30-something self, I thought of 4 guidelines to help men my age in starting/fixing/improvng their own wardrobe.

1.       Identify your style.

If at 20, you ‘ve experimented with looks and styles, at 30 you should have found the one and modified it to how it best suits you.

At 20, I also experimented with several looks.  I loved dressing up in different characters which kind of messed  up my wardrobe causing a severe case of style schizophrenia. My daily style hop from  grungy skater to trashy metal to DIY’d punk. I would also channel Japanese street style most of the time, and on special (dressier) occasions, I would look like a post-raver clubkid. With all these party going on in my closet, I noticed I was drawn more into the edgy statement-pieces. I also have quite a number of basic black pieces which remains my base as I layer (if the weather would allow me to). My style have aIways been with youth subculture references and I intend to keep some as much as aging allows me to. Our personal style when worn consistently gives us our signature look and creates our personal identity. Take note of this factor as we create our personal uniform.

2.       Create a personal uniform.

At 30, you probably identified which items in your closet you use more often than any of the others. It could be that pants that slims and elongates your leg, or a shirt with that slim collar detail that you love , or perhaps that blazer that gets you a lot of compliments from wearing.  If you look and feel good in it, then it must be working, right? So why wear anything else?  

Narrow down your wardrobe options with the items that best fits you. Consider, however the work environment and the lifestyle you choose to have.  Add variety in the guise of color, details, theme or brand. Begin defining separate wardrobes based on your needs, and keep a handful of crossover pieces to bridge the gaps.

Creating a personal uniform has a lot of advantages- mostly for convenience. It makes dressing time faster and relieves you the stress of what to wear every morning. It also makes shopping easy, choosing only items that will go well with your other clothes. To keep your wardrobe interesting add or choose items with touches of your preferred personal style. As in my case, buttondowns with subtly studded collars may take the place of a studded leather choker. 

(How to Create A Personal Uniform deserves another blogpost, so stay close.)

3.       Refine.

The point of dressing up your age is to show competence at first glance. Whichever  style you decide to carry on, keep everything refined.  Achieving a refined look involves sharp editing of your wardrobe. Always keep in mind that less is more. If rocker style interests you as well, keep it details subtle.  A classic biker jacket over a plain gray shirt and dark jeans may look more age appropriate than wearing a studded biker jacket , cut-off shirts, torn jeans and piles of chain accessories. We can still enjoy the rad look as long as we keep it controlled.   

Another secret to refinement is to streamline your wardrobe and eliminate everything loud. (Aw! That hurts!)  It took me a painful while to pack away my statement pieces. Though I know, that sometime in the future, those studded denim jackets I DIY’d will come in handy, it is in my best interest that we part ways for now. Streamlining your wardrobe eliminating everything that is unnecessary will help you start fresh. It will help you realize items that you may (or may not) need. Perhaps a rockstar-ish watch (instead of spiked armbands) to pair with your crisp white shirt + jeans , or a skull print Alexander McQueen pocket square to go with your gray blazer. Refinement also extends to grooming. If you once rocked long pony-tailed hair, maybe it’s time to pay your barber a visit now that your hair is receding.  Keep everything simple and the details subtle.  Show that your taste, appearance and manner has improved.

4. Upgrade.

Let’s pretend for a second that all our hardwork for the last 10 years are for a better and comfortable life. Let’s pretend that we’ve achieved improvement in our life compared to bumming out infront of TV eating chips and smoking from bong. When entering the third decade in life, it would not hurt to treat yourself the littlest luxury you can afford. It helps other people’s perception towards us if we ante our wardrobe a notch.

Brands and prices are of importance at this point. And so is quality. Though it is true that style cannot be bought, you should be able to at least afford higher priced items than what your 20-year old self used to buy.

We know Levi’s is the standard of cool in denimwear, but adding some brands like A.P.C. or 7 For All Mankind in the mix  increases style quotient. While Topman offers affordable, trendy and fast fashion for boys, investing on a pricier high-quality tweed blazer from Neil Barret may be a better choice. And while Sperrys works in men of any age, grabbing yourself a real Italian leather shoes will clearly separate men like you from the boys.  

It is perhaps the right time to own investment pieces like watches, belts, shoes, bags and coats. Since they’re  expensive, you don’t have to own a lot. They also come in handy when closing deals, attending  parties or meeting prospective dates.

Rememeber, that when in doubt, always  dress a half-step more crisply than everyone else, regardless of the situation.

Sources:

http://www.gillikin.org/2012/04/the-experts-speak-style-for-a-30-something/

http://www.askmen.com/fashion/fashiontip_600/609_dress-your-age-30s.html

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/04/16/how-to-build-a-manly-wardrobe-1/

THE ULTIMATE WARDROBE CHECKLIST OF A THIRTY-SOMETHING MAN

My 20-something self’s old wardrobe contains  fur sweaters, leopard print pants and gold Doc Martens . Sometimes worn with snakeskin vest and sometimes worn altogether.

One day, I sorted out my closet and packed away my club-clothes and everything flashy, keeping only the good buttondown shirts and some decent trousers and jeans.  And there aren’t a lot left.  My closet is literally empty!  

They said that at the age 30, one should have done playing with fashion already. By 30, you should have your own true brand of style. 

One may not find any other better timing to start a new wardrobe than this!

So, I went to make a checklist of wardrobe essentials for a 30-year-old  me. Clothing that I should start having. Regardless of one’s personal style, I think everything mentioned in the list are what we should all have. A little twist on details like, collar, prints, and fit can say a lot. In fact, I believe that this is the building blocks of a man’s wardrobe. Some may opt to have a happier color palette, others need to have more on one than the others, but for a start, I want to keep mine neutral and play on layering perhaps. It's just a matter of proper mixing of pieces to create an ensemble. 

Basically, I just presented to you the next 30 blogposts I plan of having, as I scour the stores for my own style inspiration of each item..

Feel free to save and print them to use as your guide.

1. CASUAL BUTTONDOWN. This should be the life after T-shirt. When choosing, consider the FIT, fabric and little awesome details. They make a difference. 2. CRISP WHITESHIRT. It takes some getting used to but after you get the hang of wearing white, it gives you a different confidence and glow. Again, fit and fabric makes a difference. 3. LONGSLEEVE SHIRT. A versatile item when layering. 4. POLO SHIRT. More casual than the Buttondown. Something I will probably own a lot of. 5. CASUAL BLAZERS. Day-to-Night quick fix item. Alternative to 20-something's denim jacket. 6.SWEATERS. Choose the season's best. You probably not gonna own a lot of this anyway. Great for styling. 7.CHINOS. They come in many colors for you to play around with your Buttondowns. Choose the fit that best flatter your legs. Probably the life after jeans. 8. JEANS. Time to give out those ripped and faded pairs. At this age, I'd probably want to notch up my brand of choice. 9. BLACK TROUSERS. The most versatile amongst my lot. If your wearing this a lot for work, get the best fit even if you have to spend a few more bucks. 10. WALKING SHORTS.  More casual than Chinos. Beats the heat on weekends. 11. CASUAL LEATHER BELT. I was never so picky with belts. As long as they're slim, real leather and has a nice clean buckle, I'm good. But how do we really use belts in creating style and look?  12.SNEAKERS.  Penis extension. 13. NON-DRESS LEATHER SHOES. Make sure it's comfortable, versatlie and of high quality. The shoes makes the man. 14.TOPSIDERS. The thing about dressing up on your 30's is that you should have the right clothes on the right occassion. Same goes with shoes. 15. BOOTS. Your last pieces of youth at your feet. 16. DRESS SHOES. To pair with your suit. At this age, your feet are fully developed and they won't grow any bigger that that. Invest on a really nice one. I keep mine clean before storing and walk it around the house from time to time to keep the leather oiled if I'm not using it a lot.17. TRAINERS. Because by now, you should really need to start a regimen. 

18. GYM SHORTS. No more college jersey shorts. Definitely, cut-off jeans are not allowed in the gym. The most comfortable thing ever. 19. HOODIE. Choose the subtly designed ones. Great styling piece. 20. SWIM SHORTS. Because Speedos are always optional. 21. SWEATPANTS. I think fit is also essential in sweatpants. I used to abhor sweatpants because I think they are too ugly, until i discovered a kind that doesn't look baggy and god, they're so comfortable! 22. GYM BAG. Not the free bags you get when you signed in  for membership at the gym. 23. GOOD SUIT. I missed several events and parties because i don't have a proper suit. Everyone's getting married at this age and you're going to attend to a lot of weddings! 24. DRESS BELT. Your suit's cherry on top. 25. SOCKS. At this age, I hope we know we can't wear white socks to a suit, right? 26. NECKTIES. If I wear it for work, then I'll try to own a lot. If not, at least keep some. I'd like to know more about necktie's history and if their patterns mean something. And find out if slim is still in. 27. TANKTOP. I guess now as a real underwear more than a party wear. 28. WHITE T-SHIRT. Where's the best place to get one? 29. DESIGNER UNDERWEAR. It's time for you to upgrade to a more adult grade. No more Bench underwear. And mind the fiber count. 

30. BLACK BIKER JACKET. I think this is the ultimate piece of every man's wardrobe. i don't care if it's pretty warm here but I still think every man should own a leather jacket. It's like the symbol of cool. It takes guts to wear one based on the reputation surrounding it, much less to use it often. And I think, you should really really look good in it, otherwise you didn't LIVED the life. 

30 CRISIS

When I turned 30 a few years back, I woke up, threw a party, got drunk and still felt like I was 29 the next day. Or 24 even. 

I never really thought that turning 30 could be life-changing. Besides, age is just a number, right?

Wrong!

After the dust of 20-somethingness settles, whether we like it or not, we'd start to feel changes. 
Changes in lifestyle. 
Changes in priorities. 
Changes in points-of-view. 
All organically developing, without you realizing.


When that happens, we should be ready. 

I wasn't. 

I woke up one day and reality bit me. 

I, suddenly, am 34.
Those cut-off Band shirts I wear day and night started to not feel right.

Familiar existentialist questions like:

 "Who am I?,"  "What have I achieved in life?," and "What else do I wanna do?" 

started to bother me out of nowhere.
I know I've been here back when I was 25.
I thought, I got past through this.
To tell you honestly, I still don’t know the answers up until now.

The thought of reaching 30 years old is scary.
Feeling neither too young nor too old 
isn't just the things you feel uncertain about.
I wouldn't know how it feels to be 30 and married,
but to be 30 and single is like going in to that decade alone.


Either way, we all have to move forward and continue living.

Hi. My name is RC,

34, going on 30.

Join me as I discover and learn 
things and information 
that will guide me 
in this another sartorial journey
from Crazy 20...
to Dirty 30.