Style Tips Every Southern Man Should Know & Adopt
Achieving a well-dressed personal style and look is easier than you think. Fabric, cut, and fit are components of any Southern style. Here are style tips every man should know and adopt.
Style “rules” often appear stupid, arbitrary, and pointless.
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In today’s fashion world, contesting the rules is fairly common. Just remember that some fashion rules are made to help you look and feel your best and make perfect sense to any Southern gentleman.
Style Tips Every Man Should Know
Developing a sense of style takes time. If you’re new to the fashion game, take your time and observe other men who you believe look good in their skin.
Nashville custom clothier Stephen Richards is taking Music City fashion in a new direction.
Recent college graduates or those entering the professional workforce are prime examples. Your college wardrobe worked well for classes, fraternity and sorority gatherings, and the occasional wedding or funeral. Now, it’s time to pay closer attention to your fashion choices for a true style upgrade.
High-quality clothing isn’t cheap. Nonetheless, knowing where and how to purchase quality pieces will pay dividends down the road. Even if you’re a bit older and realize your clothing choices are outdated, it’s never too late to learn classic style tips for Southern men tips from an expert clothier.
Fit Beats Fabric & Cut
Fabric, cut, and fit are all important. However, focus on fit before diving into the others.
Do you wonder why some guys look better in a tee shirt and jeans than others do in a suit? Clothes that fit properly and enhance your body type make a huge difference. Save the baggy stuff for yardwork or your girlfriend, and focus on purchasing items that compliment your body shape and style.
Locating a talented tailor is vital. Whether you find one at a local men’s store or someone working in their home, an experienced tailor or seamstress can make an ill-fitting garment mold to your frame. Every now and then, I hear someone brag about how they can purchase a suit off the rack that fits well. They’re either lying or don’t understand the importance of fit.
How to Properly Wear a Suit, Blazer & Sport Coat
Before tackling this issue, let’s define the difference between a suit, blazer, and sport coat.
A suit contains trousers (pants), a coat, and sometimes a vest, all of which are constructed from the same fabric and pattern. In short, everything matches.
Blazers are solid colors, usually with contrasting buttons. One example includes a navy blazer with silver or gold metal buttons.
A sport coat is a patterned jacket designed to coordinate, but not match, trousers and pants.
Buttons Matter
For the best look, always button your suit, blazer, or sport coat jacket when standing. Jackets are designed to enhance and slim your silhouette when properly fitted. The chest and shoulders appear defined, and the waistline is more tapered.
Here are a few simple rules for buttoning your suit, blazer, and sport coat.
Buttoning a men’s jacket is easy if you know these rules.
- Always button the jacket of a one-button suit
- Two button suit jackets should only have the top button fastened
- The middle button should be secured with three button suits. The top button is optional.
Notice that the bottom button is never buttoned for functionality and comfort. You will have restricted movement near the hips and chest when all of the buttons are buttoned. The same goes for double-breasted jackets. The bottom button that is closest to the edge of the opening should be left unbuttoned.
Remember that suit jackets are (oftentimes) the highlight of the outfit. A jacket that is improperly worn can ruin the look.
Never Wear a Suit Jacket Without the Matching Trousers
This tip is key in style tips that every Southern man should know and adopt.
Suits are designed to be formal, not as formal as a tuxedo. Think of it in terms of a menswear marriage. The two have to go together. Wearing a pair of suit trousers with an odd sport coat or another suit jacket is a no-no.
Pocket squares add polish and detail to a man’s suit, blazer, or sport coat jacket.
Sporting them separately will give each piece a different level of wear. If you wear the jacket more than you wear the pants (other the other way around), one of the items will deteriorate faster than the other.
If you are a guy who does not have multiple suits and something happens to the trousers or jacket when you’re wearing them separately, you would be short a suit. By wearing both items together, you can maintain them better.
Never (Ever) Match Your Tie and Pocket Square
Inherent in this rule is the importance of the pocket square. Pocket squares polish the look off and are timeless. It breaks up the monotony on the chest of the jacket. From the shoulder to the pocket is about 6 – 8 inches of fabric that can use some adornment. Pocket square and tie combinations should complement the color scheme but not be the same pattern.
Remember when Macy’s and Dillards offered tie and matching pocket square combinations? They should know better. Maybe that’s why they no longer sell quality men’s wear.
Finding an attractive pocket square color or pattern brings out your creative instincts. For example, the pocket square can have a subtle color that’s in the tie. When placed in your suit pocket, that infinitesimal color comes alive when properly matched.
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It takes some trial and error to get it right, so consult a stylist at your local menswear store or custom clothier for assistance.
They can guide you on the proper scale of the design and fabric weight. Pocket squares are made to be seen, so choose one that will not sink and disappear into your pocket throughout the day.
After consulting a professional about properly sporting a kerchief, mixing colors and patterns may overwhelm you. A tip that will help you if this is the case is donning a white – straight fold pocket square. There are other ways to fold your pocket square.
Proper Placement and Length of Your Necktie
As we’ve touched on, men aren’t wearing ties as often today. Knowing the proper length of a necktie is critical. Otherwise, a necktie that is too long or too short will destroy your look. A good rule of thumb is the bottom of your necktie should stop at the middle of your belt buckle. Another way to guarantee that your tie is the right length is to cover all of the exposed buttons on the placket of your shirt (and should still stop at the middle of your belt buckle).
Stopping at the mid-point of your beltline will help achieve a proportional look. Some men’s torsos are longer than their legs, and others are the opposite.
Still, you have other men whose torso and legs are very close to being the same length. When a tie stops above your belt buckle, it shortens your torso. When it’s below, your legs are shortened. Having the right length keeps you balanced.
Match Your Belt to Your Trousers
A belt is more than a piece of leather that holds your pants up. It is an essential style element that adds sophistication to the outfit. When you wear a belt, it should match your trousers. It could be springtime, and you want to wear light pants with a light shirt. The perfect belt would be a light one to create continuity.
Ensuring that your belt compliments your wardrobe is an essential style tip every man should know.
If it contrasts too much, the belt will cut you in half. Above, I talked about neckties creating proportionality. Belts help to form this as well. A stark difference in the belt and pants color can have an effect that makes you look blocky. This will section you off and stunt the length of your look.
Spend As Much on Your Shoes As You Do Your Suit
Shoes are the focal point of a suit. They round off the look with class and elegance. People see the suit better when you are wearing a great pair of shoes.
The natural inclination when looking at someone is to start at the head. Classically stylish shoes will catch the eye and make onlookers scan you from top to bottom.
More importantly, the shoes must be of stellar quality. Just as in suits, price can be an indicator of quality. It’s not a guarantee, but it does usually point you in the right direction.
Ideally, you want to purchase a hand-cobbled dress shoe. There is greater attention to detail and craftsmanship when a shoe is handmade. Some handmade shoes may not be in the budget. Do your research and find a quality shoe brand that will last. Style is an investment in you and your confidence. So don’t be afraid to spend a little more.
Casual shoes are also growing in popularity, especially in a business casual or remote work setting. You don’t have to break the bank on casual shoes. However, look for quality casual shoes that are well-constructed and will last. A good entry point is Cole Haan.
Stylish Southern Men Accessorize Wisley
Jewelry, pocket squares, socks, belts, and braces are common items that men use to accessorize. The best advice is to accessorize but do so wisely and minimally.
Finding the right fit and look in a watch is an important style tip for Southern men.
Outside of the wedding ring, a top-quality watch adds another level of sophistication to your wardrobe. I recently purchased a Hamilton watch for my son when he completed his master’s program. It was a reluctant purchase because he wasn’t used to wearing a watch. I broke down and asked his thoughts on presenting him with an entry-level luxury watch, and to my surprise, he was ready to wear one. He loves his new watch, wears it daily, and has developed an interest in quality watches.
Whichever style of watch you prefer, make certain the size compliments your wrist. Often, I see men wearing watches that are too large. My wrists are small, so a 39 or 40mm fits well. Visit a professional jeweler before purchasing a quality timepiece to find the right size and style for you.
Bracelets are another way to add personal style to your look. I have several and wear them daily. Like any other accessory, match them to your attire and choose the right material to compliment other accessories and clothing.
Stylish Southern Men Never Sport a Backpack With a Suit
The utility of a backpack is undeniable, but it’s used for a specific purpose and environment. As an adult, I am comfortable assuming you have passed the schoolyard days requiring you to carry books and supplies.
A top-quality leather messenger bag remains an essential style tip that every man should know.
Backpacks will damage the shoulders of your suit on the inside and outside. By now, you know that a quality suit is a financial investment. If you are wearing a backpack, it would stand to reason that you are carrying a lot of things. This can get heavy, and the weight of the back’s contents will weather the suit’s shoulders over time.
If there is no avoiding using a backpack because of your lifestyle, then make sure it is a quality and stylish one, such as the products from Buffalo Jackson. The workaround that will protect your jacket is folding it properly and placing it in your bag.
Finding Your Own Southern Style
Trends come and go. As such, I am an advocate of the classic and timeless elements of menswear. By investing in these items and wearing them the classic and intended way – you can guarantee that you will be pleased with the outcome. You also will not have to worry about looking at yourself ten years later when a fad has faded and wondering why the hell you wore that!
As always, I hope you enjoy these style tips for Southern men.
Oxford’s Own: Rowan Oak, William Faulkner & Nic Brown
I’ve been to Oxford, MS many times yet I must confess; I have never visited Rowan Oak, the home of legendary author William Faulkner. I mean I have not physically been there. My dreams have taken me there on multiple occasions. In a post for Garden & Gun, writer and Oxford resident Nic Brown brings Faulker’s homestead to life.
Fifty years after the writer’s death, Rowan Oak continues to inspire
Every day I cross the street from my house and enter an alley of towering red cedars. Through their shade I pass into an antebellum maze garden. The bricks that once hemmed in the pristine hedges here are now crumbling. Huge magnolia volunteers grow straight through their intricate rows. My daughter plays with the fairies that populate this overgrown ruin, but my dog is more interested in the old mansion just beside it. She climbs the porch and whines at the door, as if the ghost of William Faulkner might someday let her in.
She’s out of luck, of course. But though Faulkner is long gone, this place—Rowan Oak, his historic home and the thirty-three acres around it—still stands just off the main drag in Oxford, Mississippi, where it’s maintained by the University of Mississippi as a literary landmark, museum, and nature preserve.
Rowan Oak as shown in Garden & Gun
“I know people would love to get their hands on that garden, but I’m not going to let them,” says William Griffith, Rowan Oak’s curator, who for the past fourteen years has been committed to keeping the place as close to the way Faulkner left it as possible. And for those in the know, Griffith—a whiz-bam storyteller with charisma to spare—is almost as much of an attraction as the house itself. It is a lesson I learned the first day I moved into town. My new house was across the street, and I’d barely unpacked my car before I set off for Rowan Oak. Within minutes Griffith was giving me a personal tour, even sneaking me into Faulkner’s pantry, a closed room where the walls are covered in phone numbers written directly onto the plaster by Faulkner himself.
“We even get celebrities here,” Griffith says, reeling off the names of illustrious visitors while seated beneath a photo of Morgan Freeman on the porch, “and we treat them just like anyone else.” But considering how he’s welcomed me since the day I arrived, I guess he means that everyone—famous or not—gets the VIP treatment.
Built in 1844, the two-story house was in such a state of disrepair when Faulkner purchased it in 1930 that his stepson said “a strong wind would blow it over.” And although Faulkner greatly improved the structure over the thirty-two years he spent in it, the grounds received different care. The former owner had let its antebellum gardens go to seed, and when Faulkner’s wife, Estelle, expressed her desire to restore them, Faulkner said, “Only new money would ruin a garden like that.” And so they were left in their state of natural ruin, and that’s pretty much how you’ll find them today.
For five dollars, visitors can tour the home, but free and open to the public every day of the year, the grounds and gardens are the real attraction for me. Here vines twist up anything vertical. Craggy Osage orange trees are covered with flourishing ferns. Wild turkey, deer, and foxes roam through sprawling hedges. The grass is spotty, overtaken by the same phosphorescent moss that also glows on the damp bark of the trees, and when the afternoon light (perhaps that of August?) hits the thick canopy of leaves, the air seems to radiate, as if whipped into some vernal froth. All of this, which makes Rowan Oak so much more than just another historic house, seems also to describe Faulkner’s fiction: dense, thorny, complicated by the intersection of nature and man, and lovely.
“It’s the Central Park of Oxford,” Griffith says, and though more than twenty thousand people a year visit, most often I find myself there alone. At sunset, I’ll sit on the porch of the servants’ quarters and throw a stick to my dog. Sometimes, if the night is clear, I’ll walk across the pasture in the moonlight. Faulkner said he relied on this, his own “postage stamp of native soil,” for inspiration, and I’ve come to understand why. Rowan Oak holds within it the same mysterious pleasures of a maze: It’s where I go when I want to get lost and not be found.