I disagree. This outfit is terrible and I will show you better ways to wear a polo. 🧵
It's hard to look good in a polo for all of the same reasons it's hard to look good in just a button-up dress shirt or a t-shirt. The garment typically has no silhouette. Polos are relatively simple garments with straight seams and a short placket.
Like the fedora, it's also saddled with bad social connotations: rich pricks who run on family ties, golfing uncles, and business casual guys at networking conferences where there's plated cantaloupe.
Some people will point to stylish mid-century outfits worn by golf legends such as Arnold Palmer. But immediately, what do you see? The addition of layers, a distinctive silhouette (shape and drape), and the rule of thirds.
What is the rule of thirds? The rule of thirds is not actually a rule, but just a gentle suggestion. It's the idea that an outfit can be made better if you break up the silhouette into thirds—top half is 1/3rd; bottom half is 2/3rds.
For example, which looks better?
Bezo's outfit suffers from the same problem. It wouldn't matter if he tucked in his polo (this would look dumb with jeans, anyway). The pants are too low rise, so the outfit is broken into halves, not thirds.
I say this is a gentle suggestion because there are many good outfits that don't follow this "rule." But you can read more about the idea in this thread about t-shirts.
So how does one wear a better polo? The first is to get away from the business casual connotations. Instead of a simple button placket, as you'd find on a Lacoste polo, consider something like a skipper collar. Instead of pique cotton, consider another material.
Here are these two ideas in action. Compare the build on Bezos vs Picasso. Bezos has a larger drop between his chest size and waist size. Picasso has less differentiation between shoulders, waist, and hips (he's kind of shaped like a tube).
But which of these two outfits is more stylish? I think Picasso's. He's wearing a polo shirt made from a textured terrycloth and built with a unique collar. The outfit has aura.
Another possibility is to get a polo built with a collar band. Most polos are built in such a way that the collar flops over. We see this in other photos of Bezos from the same day. Notice how the collar simply folds over.
Some polos, however, are built with a collar band, like you'd find on a button-up shirt. The collar band connects to the shirt's body and fold-down collar, allowing the collar points to stand up and behave like a dress shirt. This can be useful for layering.
This is important because polos are one of the easiest ways to dress down a tailored jacket, so long as you don't get the ones Bezos is wearing. And a tailored jacket is important bc it adds a finishing layer and creates a distinctive silhouette.
If you can't wear a tailored jacket, or if you don't want to look overly traditional, you can always go back to the original points above: distinct collar, unique fabric (not pique cotton), rule of thirds. These outfits look good bc polo is not suction fit.
IMO, many people who purport to be interested in style are actually interested in other things—body types, position in society (power, wealth), and ideas about prestige. But to me, this outfit is vanilla bland. Does not matter if it's on a buff body. Outfit is still boring.
I only write about style, not about how to look "hot" (assuming your intent is to attract a partner). But I will throw it to others. Do these people (or outfits, if you wish) look "hot?"
When I was on a menswear forum, navy trousers were of great controversy. Discussions about them lasted many years, resulting in long-lasting rivalries. Sometimes people refrained from speaking about them out of fear of dredging up old debates.
First, I should state at the outset that there's no way to have this conversation without, in some way, speaking crudely about certain classes of people. I make no judgements about their worth or dignity. I am only describing the semiotics of men's dress.
Second, everything depends on your goals. Dress is not a science, so there are no overriding laws. Everything is contextual to culture. More on this later
Before we start, here are two outfits involving green sport coats. Which do you like better? Please choose before moving on.
I get this question a lot. I don't have strong views on how transmasc people should dress, but since I often get the question, I've thought about it a bit. Will share some thoughts in this thread. 🧵
My general feeling is that this question often approaches the idea of style from a perspective I don't share. I don't believe in approaching dress first from the perspective of body type. For instance, there are a lot of guides online that break down body types like this.
I disagree with this perspective because they always seem to be about forcing the person into one narrow ideal. So if you're short, they tell you how to wear certain things to give the illusion of height. Or if you're heavy, they say how you can dress to hide your weight.
I don't think people such as Hegesth are intentionally choosing to dress like this to signal they're "not like the swamp." I think we're simply in a generational change in terms of taste. Will show some examples. 🧵
A hundred years ago, men's dress was governed by time, place, and occasion (TPO). If you were of a certain social position and had to do a certain thing, you were expected to wear certain outfits. If you didn't know these rules, a tailor would tell you.
Over the course of the 20th century, these rules loosened, partly because society became more accepting of different social groups and their lifestyles (which is a good thing). By the close of the 20th century, the rise of business casual swept tailoring out of offices
Anthony Constantino, CEO of Sticker Mule, says that he would use a US manufacturer for his company's t-shirts. However, he feels the US company doesn't meet his quality standards and they "must maintain quality."
So what constitutes a quality t-shirt? Let's find out. 🧵
For reference, I'm comparing Sticker Mule's t-shirts (made in Nicaragua) to Bayside Apparel (fully made in the US from fiber to finish). Sticker Mule charges $19 for their t-shirts. Organizations that print on Bayside blanks sell their merch for $27.
I should state at the outset that to properly determine quality, I would need to send these t-shirts to a lab, which I'm unable to do because I don't own a Sticker Mule t-shirt. Additionally, quality can be subjective, as it depends on your preferences.
It's very hard to find a suit jacket that can be worn with jeans, assuming you mean the kind of suits that would be worn for business. Let me show you. 🧵
What do we mean by "suit?" The term suit simply means that the jacket and pants were cut from the same cloth. You can have corduroy suits or linen suits. But when most people say suit, they mean the kind of outfits that would be worn for business, funerals, and court.
Such materials are typically dark in color and slick in feel. Historically, men wore these things with white dress shirts, dark ties, and black oxford shoes to do business in London. This history is why this outfit telegraphs "I'm here for serious business."
I disagree. In this thread, I will tell you what's wrong with Stephen Miller's outfits. Hopefully, this will help you judge whether a suit fits when you're shopping for one. 🧵
For context, here is the video that @FischerKing64 is responding to. Can you spot the issue with this suit?
It appears that Miller has spent a considerable sum upgrading his wardrobe since his time in Trump's first administration. I suspect these are all made-to-measure suits because they look new and come in a wide variety of materials. Unfortunately, all of them exhibit a collar gap.