Top 10 Style Tips For Men This Holiday Season

New York fashion stylist Jeremy Hernandez (photo above) works in designer relations for celebrity designer Bibhu Mohapatra and was a competitor on Season 2 House of DVF on E!  To kick off the holiday party season where every man should look his most stylish, Hernandez joined the Queerty team to share his Top 10 Style Tips For Men.

One: Have a sense of humor. This might not be a fashion tip, but it is definitely a style tip. There is nothing more charming that a man with a sense of humor who can keep you smiling and engaged. Nobody wants to go on a date or have a job interview with a tub of plain yogurt. Put some berries in there and make it happen.

Two: A well-cut dark suit changes the game. Always have a suit well-fitted to your body. Bring your suit to an tailor, which is surprisingly inexpensive, to get a look that is smart, fashionable and on-trend. When choosing color, black is a given, but navy adds a sexy touch. All skin tones work with navy. Dark brown over light brown, you don’t want to look like you are in the ’70s; grey is not for everyone, as it makes some people look like they are wearing pajamas. Navy also allows you to be playful with the colors you will use for shirt, tie, belt, and shoes, and it can be used an interchangeable suit where the pants work separately as well as the jacket.

Three: A crisp white shirt immediately cleans up your look and makes you look very elegant. Whether it is pair with a suit for work or under a jacket for a night out, this shirt makes you a smooth operator. Think sexy Tom Ford model. Or sexy Tom Ford.

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Make sure your shirt fits your body as well. The moment you take your jacket off, you don’t want it to look like you are wearing a hot air balloon, here to rescue Dorothy and take her home.

Four: Always stay stocked with new undies and socks; the distressed look might be in for certain designers and jeans, but this look should never be meant for your undergarments. I’m not a fan of neon colored underwear either. It reads Boy For Sale, and not the song in the musical Oliver. Please make sure you are buying your actual size. Underwear is not meant to push you all up into a muffin.

Speaking of muffin tops…

Five: If you are not a skinny queen, skinny jeans may not be for you. Unless you are dressing as a muffin for Halloween, the muffin top is nobody’s favorite kind of “top.” Dark denim jeans work with everything, whether with a well-cut blazer, which every man needs, or worn casually. The lighter and looser your denim gets, the more you look like you are wearing mom jeans. And if you aren’t a cowboy, or you aren’t wearing cowboy boots, burn your boot cut jeans. If you are wearing cowboy boots, I don’t understand. If you can’t find the heart to burn your beloved boot cut jeans, email me your home address and I will come do it for you. Short, tall, stocky or frail, boot cut jeans mess up everyone’s proportions. They don’t look good on anyone and people who believe in boot cut jeans cannot be trusted.

Six: A bow tie is not necessary. If it is for a tux, I will allow it. (…see Tom Ford model above.) But we must remind ourselves we are no longer 5 years old, getting dressed by our mothers for a Sears photo shoot to send our family for Christmas. Bow ties look childish and give a feeling of trying too hard. A bow tie on a grown man feels like a mid-life crisis cry for help. Think Fonzworth Bentley who used to carry around an umbrella covering P.Diddy.

 

 

Seven: Find a good signature cologne, as you must always smell nice and clean. Find a signature cologne that works with you day and night, and smells so perfect on you no one can resist complimenting you. It is extremely important that it goes well with your skin. Just because you like the way it smells when sprayed in the store, it isn’t always the right test. Make sure you have an honest friend (preferably a Capricorn) with you when purchasing cologne, who won’t let you smell like bathroom air freshener.

Eight: Classic black shoes. Hold this pair close to your heart, for it is your “go to” pair, your emergency pair, the pair that looks good with everything — jeans, suit, cropped pants, evens shorts at times. You can wear this pair to a wedding, date, funeral or just for the day if you are feeling like having fancy feet. Stay away from square toe looks. Focus on a nice wingtip from Cole Haan. Very chic, very comfortable. Worth the price.

Sneakers, if you are going to the gym, I am so happy for you and your kicks. But if you are wearing a suit or consider your outfit “so fashion,” put on a real shoe.  The boat shoe just makes you look like a bratty, trust funded, privileged little douche, and with all the money your parents most likely gave you, you can put it into a decent shoe selection. I have no comment about flip flops unless you want diseases on your toes.

Nine: Once you find that nice tailored fitted blazer that fits you perfectly, follow that fit and invest in blazers in other colors or fabrics. This will take your wardrobe so many places in this universe. My top three choices are:

• Uno: a crisp black velvet jacket, but skip the fancy gold buttons.
• Dos: A wool double-breasted jacket is effortless and playful. Do this in either light grey or black.
• Tres: While you are shopping, pick up a jacket in a lighter shade of blue for Spring/Summer please! Not baby blue like an ’80s prom, and not Royal Blue like you are the Willy Wonka blueberry.

Ten: Lets talk about your hair, darling. I am very easy going when it comes to hairstyles. Long or short, your hair should fit your personality and style. All I ask is don’t have lice, or Justin Timberlake cornrows circa year 2000, and if either of those are the case then pull a 2007 Britney and shave it off. Also, good conditioner is better than good shampoo. When someone runs their hand through your hair, it needs to feel soft and clean, and smell great.

Just remember, always be a gentleman. Have good manners, be polite, open doors for others, say thank you and please. Nothing is sexier and more stylish than a man who respects others. Carry yourself well. Be good, look good, do good.