Today we’re going to talk about fashion. Personally, I used to avoid it like the plague. My uniform was basically a bland, oversized t-shirt, ill-fitting jeans, and ratty sneakers. I’d say, “Clothing is such a stupid thing to spend your time on. I’m not one of those shallow posers. I don’t care what I look like - what matters is who I am on the inside.” I see now that this was a cover born of fear. Fashion seemed complex, challenging, above my head - throwing my hat in the ring by giving a crap would bring the possibility of failure, and I decided to spare myself by telling myself that fashion was stupid anyway. It’s “The Fox and the Grapes:” the grapes are high up, probably beyond my reach… eh, whatever, they’re probably sour anyway. I don’t want them.

Time to dispense with these childish excuses. Fashion makes a difference, like it or not, and it’s time to man up instead of avoiding it. Fashion says something about who you are, and beyond that there’s simply a visceral power to it that’s undeniable. For instance, I am absolutely captivated by hipster chicks. I don’t understand it, but there it is. Something about their look drives me insane in the best possible way. That’s the power of fashion - let’s harness it.

Lesson with Sebastian Drake: Fashion, Part 1

Let’s keep it simple - we want to look good, but this isn’t about making fashion our life. Sebastian broke fashion down to two main points: fit and detail.

Fit

Fit is important and independent of the type of clothes you wear - its style, quality, price, whatever. Here’s the point to remember: tight is right.

With shirts, you want: tight/clinging at the bicep, tight in the shoulders, a little tight in the chest, no extra material at the stomach. The bottom of the shirt should fall no lower than one belt-width below your belt, and ideally it should hit right at the middle of your belt. This means that if you raise your arms above your head, you’ll show a little skin - that’s good. Don’t be afraid to show some flesh, you little sexpot, you.

With t-shirts, it’s almost all about fit (as opposed to detail, which we’ll discuss next post). Sebastian suggests you ignore what’s on the shirt, no matter how stupid the design or image - if it fits well (according to the criteria above), buy it.

Wear your shirts small. I repeat: tight is right. I’m about 5′11″, 165 pounds - Sebastian suggests that I buy “small” and never buy larger than a “medium.” I bought a few 50/50 t-shirts from American Apparel in a “small,” and they look great. Obviously, bigger guys might need bigger sizes, but keep it tight. Wear a shirt that’s way too big for you, and you lose all sex appeal. Togas haven’t been hot in a while.

For long-sleeved shirts, Sebastian thinks that a little less material at the wrists is a good thing. It’s a cool, modern look, plus it lets you discreetly check your watch when necessary. Slightly shorter sleeves on suit and sport coats are cool too, and they let you floss your cuff links. Also, rolling up your shirt sleeves can look cool - I have some shirts that I wear almost exclusively with the sleeves rolled up.

With trousers and jeans, you want: tight in the waist and thighs. Below the knee, tightness isn’t necessary; you can go boot cut or whatever, and that’s fine. Just make sure it’s decently tight in the areas above the knee. Slightly shorter pant legs are ok if you’ve got fly socks or shoes that you want to floss. Again, slightly short is a sexy, modern look.

Heavier guys: this stuff apples to you too. Tight is right, no excuses. If you’ve got a little more to love, so be it - show it off. Sebastian asked me: “What kind of chubby girls get attention at the club?” The answer is: the ones who dress as if they’re not chubby. It’s the bigger girls in knee-high boots, short skirts, push-up bras, tight tank tops, etc, who make it crack in the club, not the ones who dress as if they’re ashamed of their weight, with poofy dresses or those big belts right across their middles or whatever. The same applies to us - within reason, tight is right, irregardless of body type.

Sebastian ended the lesson on fit by saying, “Clark, your clothes are cool, but they could be tighter.” Does that apply to you too? If so, do what I did: don’t throw out your favorite threads, but go pick up a couple cheap new items with a tighter fit and see how you feel. I’m a fan.

Next: Detail.