Jewelry for Men - Cufflinks

Personally, I have never been a big fan of jewelry.  It does not interest me.  I really do find people who adorn themselves with so much sparkle and 'bling' to be downright ostentatious. Vulgar. It is as if they become a walking disco ball, screaming for people to gaze upon them.  While we do take notice, it is not in admiration, but rather in disdain, and for the conservatives, it is in disgust. After all, we live in an era where it is not necessary to carry your wealth with you.

via: Philippi.com

 
However, there are certain pieces of jewelry, more specifically male jewelry, that even the most conservative would approve of.  These would be the timepiece, the wedding ring, tie clips, collar pins and cufflinks.  All of these serve some functional purpose and the cufflink is no different.

via: deoveritas.com

Essentially, cufflinks are ornaments meant to keep the cuffs of shirt sleeves together.  These cuffs will need 'button' holes on both sides for the cufflinks to be inserted through.  Cufflinks are usually worn with shirts that have French cuffs, where the cuffs of the shirt sleeve are folded back, producing four layers of cuffs on the ends of each shirt sleeve.  This is quite different to the buttoned shirt cuffs that we see on most shirts today, which have become the most prevalent way to fasten cuffs. Alternatively, there are convertible cuffs which come with buttons, but also allow the use of cufflinks.

Many friends prefer cuffs with buttons as it is more convenient, as it allows them the option to roll up their sleeves and there is no need to keep cufflinks around.  In addition, putting cufflinks on and removing them has been considered a hassle by some. Far too tedious they say.

via: robertcharles.co.nz

While these are valid points, I still feel that cufflinks and French cuffs present an image of formality and class, with the exception of novelty cufflinks of course.  While I believe that men should dress in relatively simple outfits, it is the accessories that allow us to express ourselves and to have a bit of colour and fun.  Cufflinks come in a number of materials, but usually it is in steel, silver, gold, wood or enamel, but I suggest you fork out some money for a quality pair of cufflinks as these ornaments can last for a lifetime, unless you lose things easily.  Most shops that sell suits and shirts will usually have cufflinks available as well as brands that largely cater towards the male market such as Montblanc or Dunhill.

Cufflinks certainly have a place in the male wardrobe, especially on important occasions.Such accessories provide the finer details to a dapper outfit, thereby adding sophistication and presence to your look. which can certainly be advantageous to you at formal functions and in business, since it may provide the extra edge of professionalism to put clients at ease or to intrigue the ladies. Thus my fellow gentlemen, I highly recommend wearing a pair of stylish cufflinks the next time you suit up!  

Pic of the Day - 3 Jan 2013

via: suit-swag.tumblr.com

Casual Business Outfit

If you want to be look casual, yet well dressed, while also remaining low-key, this is a great example.

Black and white gingham shirt mixed with a grey peak-lapel jacket and white pocket square. A gingham shirt is considered casual, but contrast that with a grey suit jacket to add a layer of sophisticated formality.

The pocket square is folded in an almost haphazard manner to convey a relaxed nonchalance. This is further emphasized by the unbuttoned collar button and loosened tie.  The striped grey, dark green and navy blue tie balances the look, thereby minimizing the contrast to express one's refinement in subtlety.

However, due to the lack of visually appealing colours, one may run the risk of becoming so bland through this monochromatic layering, thus the entire look is balanced and completed with a pair of medium khaki chinos.

犯了這些錯，穿再帥也沒救

parisiandaily.com

最近我看到越來越多男生穿著得比較正式，這表示他們開始注意外表，而這是一個好的轉變。然而，我也發現很多人對於穿著的基本規則不太懂。但有些穿西裝的重要禮儀和基本穿著搭配是男生一定要知道的。

即便你覺得西裝外套和西裝褲的材質、顏色差不多，但兩者一定要一致，不要亂混搭!旁人是有眼睛分辨出材質與顏色的差異，他們會以為你買不起一整套西裝、再不然就是西裝褲洗了還沒乾，才會黑色外套配深深灰的褲子。如果你想要走混搭風，就挑對比明顯的顏色，像是海軍藍vs.白。

megasuits.blogspot.com

穿西裝，永遠記得當你站立時最後一顆釦子不要扣，不管是兩顆、三顆釦子或是雙排扣的西裝都一樣。如果你的西裝是單一顆扣子，在你起身當然就該扣起來。而在你坐下的時候就要記得把西裝釦子解開，但雙排釦無論是站立或坐下都只能扣著。這個不起眼的小動作，在懂得禮儀的人眼裡，自然會為你的表現加分。我女朋友去某銀行面試時，就有遇過同場的應徵者被董事長提點穿著禮儀，要他坐下時要記得把釦子解開，這樣西裝才不會皺皺的影響觀感。

請記得襯衫最上面的釦子不要扣，除非你有打領帶或領結，不然別人會以為你早上趕著出門忘了打領帶。另外，皮帶跟皮鞋的顏色要一樣，穿咖啡色皮鞋就要用咖啡色皮帶，穿黑色皮鞋就要用黑色皮帶，簡單來說就是皮件類的物品顏色要一致。

modgentman.com

襪子的顏色是要跟褲子接近或同色系，而不是根據鞋子的顏色來搭配。此外，除非你要模仿Michael Jackson，千萬不要黑鞋配白襪!唯一的例外是你想要表現獨特的時尚品味，你才會穿跟褲子不同顏色的襪子，像是灰色西裝搭配紫色襪子。

collegehumor.com

今年夏天，台灣男生喜歡把polo衫領子往上翻，這是屬於1970、1990年代的流行，如果你怕太陽毒辣讓脖子曬傷，寧可花錢買罐係數高品質好的防曬乳，也不要再當古人了，這樣一點都不MAN。


如果你有使用袋巾，記得材質和顏色要跟領帶不一樣。不然會顯得你很刻意或是有強迫症，同時也透露你對顏色的搭配沒什麼概念。還有金屬配件的顏色不要金、銀混搭，例如；銀色袖扣，金色手表，銀色戒指，不是穿金又戴銀就會提高你的身分地位。

adorn-london.com

附帶一提，即便再流行的穿搭方式，不適合自己的身形就不要勉強，你不是模特兒身高180，短褲配靴子只會顯得你腿短腿粗又矮。

最後，如果你不是視障朋友，就不要在夜間或室內戴墨鏡，不然你就成了自以為帥的渾蛋。

男人該知道如何打領帶

我常說男人應該知道怎麼打領帶，因為它是一件很簡單但重要的事。 雖然大家都穿得越來越休閒，正式場合或上班面試還是需要打領帶! 男生不會自己打領帶應該會被笑不夠man。有時候這不是你的錯，畢竟在台灣打領帶的機會不多，所以學習的動機不足，但出社會就不一樣了，不會打領帶的朋友們請好好學習! 


最後，為避免尷尬，請記得領帶箭頭的長度是到皮帶上緣為止。

穿衣服不只是看心情，合你身材最重要

依我而言，不管穿什麼衣服，適合你的身材是最重要的事。你可以買最貴、品質最棒的衣服，但如果它們不合你的身材，這會讓你看起來還是很糟糕。

為了自己在工作場合讓人覺得穿著夠體面，你必須選擇合身的衣服，但這不代表得穿令你無法喘氣的緊身衣。不論你的身材如何，都應該要穿可以展現你體格身型的樣式。有很多男生抱怨合身的衣服會讓你穿的不自在，這是因為布料品質不佳，衣服確實是太緊等原因。

為什麼我如此強調衣服，特別是正式服裝必須要合身呢?首先，當你穿大好幾尺碼的衣服會很俗氣。而且你就像個小朋友穿大人衣服裝成熟。之前，由於我自己個子不高又不懂得穿衣服，常犯這種錯誤。穿衣要合身但太緊也不好，幸運的話你會被當成穿緊身衣的超人，糟一點就成了giant condom。

在台灣，我常看到很多大叔穿比自己身材大三號的西裝，他們腦袋到底在想什麼?有位長者的說法是，穿大一點的西裝會看起來比較有架勢。我想他們必須為穿西裝就是老氣又無趣的刻板印象負點責任。我可以了解在他們那個年代，流行穿起來方方正正像是樂高玩具的款式，但現在看起來就很蠢。


你必須了解自己的身材，別自欺欺人!大部分男生都覺得自己穿衣服要大一號，或許是自尊心作祟，加上我們常不自覺誇大某個地方的尺寸，但通常你不如自己想像中來的大。

Mistakes to avoid when Suiting Up

Recently I’ve seen lots of pictures of guys wearing formal wear, which is really encouraging to see there are a growing number of guys who do care how they look.  However, I have noticed many of them are unaware of certain do’s and don’ts (faux pas), some minor or very obvious.  I think it’s important that guys are aware of certain etiquette and basic fashion sense that comes with wearing formal clothes.

Don’t wear different material jacket and pants, even though you think they look very similar.  Trust me when I say that we will notice the difference and  will get the impression that you are trying to hide the fact that it’s mismatching.  If you want to wear mismatching jacket and pants, make the colour difference more obvious, such as navy blue and white or black and grey.

Photo via: itsallstyletome.com

When you are wearing your suit, always button your suit, but leave the bottom button unbuttoned when you are standing, no matter if its a three or two buttoned suit, or even a double breasted suit.  Obviously if you have a one button suit, then button it up. When you sit down, you should remember to unbutton your jacket, except for the double breasted jacket, which you keep buttoned. This is common etiquette for guys.  This little action may not be obvious, but for those who know, it makes a difference in our perception of you.  My girlfriend went to a job interview for one of the banks in Taiwan, where she was with another candidate.  That candidate was wearing a suit, and he got told off by the CEO for not unbuttoning his suit jacket when seated.

Photo via: Forest Gump

Please remember that your collar button (top button) must be undone unless you wear a tie or bow tie.  Otherwise it looks like you forgot your tie this morning.

Quite important is that your belt must be same colour as your shoes, or else it looks really funny. So, brown belt goes with brown shoes, black belt matches black shoes.

Socks must be a similar colour to your pants, not your shoes! And definitely no black shoes, white socks unless you want to look like Michael Jackson.  The only exception is if you want to show off your fashion sense (peacocking), then you wear socks that are in a different colour, e.g purple socks with a grey suit.

Photo via: blog.gotoohlala.com

This I see quite often, your collar must never be popped, be it for shirts or polo t-shirts, and never over your jacket lapel. It was only cool in the 1970s, not anymore.

If you wear a pocket square, never wear it with a matching tie, as this shows either you are trying too hard and have obsessive compulsive behaviour in matching clothing or have no clue on how to match different colours and patterns.

Photo via: paulmalone.eu

Also don’t mix silver with gold accessories. e.g Silver cufflinks, gold watch, silver rings.  You will look really ghetto.

Photo via: sflittlefashionista.blogspot.com 

And on a non-formal note, but I see this too often unfortunately, don’t wear boots with shorts. It makes you look so much shorter and it looks silly.

In addition, don't wear sunglasses indoors or at night, unless you are a blind person or a douche

Wear clothes that fit your physique, not just your ego

In my opinion, this is the most important aspect.  Not just for suits, but for wearing clothes in general.  You could buy the most expensive and finest clothes, but if they don't fit you properly, you will still look rubbish. In order to look great in the real working world, you need to wear clothes that fit you.  This does not mean the clothes hug your body so tight like a second skin, but rather fit your physique so the outline of your figure is still visible, no matter what shape you are.  Sure, lots of guys complain that clothes that fit properly are uncomfortable, but that is due to either the material is of poor quality, its too tight or those guys have claustrophobia in clothes.  

So why do I stress so much about clothes, especially formal clothes, must fit well?  When you wear clothes that are a few sizes too big for you, first its very tacky, and second, you look like a child who is wearing their dad’s clothes and pretending to be an adult. I have made this mistake quite often before, since my stature is very short, so the old me would look like this:

On the other end of the scale, if you wear clothes that are too tight, you either look like a superhero wearing tights if you’re lucky, or like a giant condom.

In Taiwan, I see almost every uncle who wears a suit, is wearing one that is 3 sizes too big for them. What in the world are they thinking? I heard from an elder that it looks good, makes them look substantial and imposing.  I can understand it looked good during that time, but now it does not look imposing, it looks ridiculous. They look like a lego toy in a suit, all boxy above the waist. In my opinion, I think they are partially responsible for ruining the image of wearing a suit as they helped create the perception that wearing a suit is old fashioned, boxy and boring.

Hence I suggest you must know yourself young grasshopper and be honest to yourself! Most guys think they are always one size bigger. Maybe its got to do with our ego and other sizes that we are very concerned about but most often than not, you are not as big as you think. If you are unsure, I suggest you get someone to measure your proportions. I promise you that you will look so much better wearing fitting clothes as opposed to tight or baggy. Look at the difference in the picture below, which is better?

西裝不要日、夜混搭

Photo via Esquire.com

白天

Photo via searchingforstyle.com

沒有特別的規定，但淺色系比較恰當。白天時儘量避免穿黑西裝，那會讓你顯得嚴肅。而且在白天穿著黑色系衣服的視覺效果強烈，除非你上班地點在華爾街，不然還是低調點好。

晚上

即使不是出席正式場合，黑西裝還是很適合晚間活動，不過它確實會讓你看起來比較嚴肅；其他暗色系也都可以。另外，絨布的觸感柔軟，看起來很獨特，但請記得天鵝絨西裝只適合在晚上穿。我也看過不少西裝的布料閃到可以當鏡子，個人覺得超級無敵醜又沒質感，這種款式只適合去夜店時穿(但我想沒什麼女生會欣賞...)。

無論上班或面試，要有專業形象就是要穿西裝!

 上班&談生意

Photo via GQ

該穿什麼樣的西裝得看你公司的文化以及你身處的位階。假如你得要穿西裝，菜鳥應該要選擇相對保守的顏色和款式，通常是深灰、深藍或是黑色，而且最好是素面；如果老闆不介意，淺灰色也是不錯的選擇。扣子的數目以兩扣、三扣最恰當，一扣是偏休閒的設計在工作場合比較不適宜。
晉升到老鳥的你，要保守、要花俏都可以，條紋或是格子的款式也會有不同的風格。如果你想要讓自己看起來更有主管的架勢，則可以考慮合身雙排扣款式。

Photo via Askmen.com

面試

沒得選，不管是去哪家公司面試，西裝是你最佳且唯一的選擇，這也展現你對這份工作的重視。怎麼穿？簡單，保守就對了!你又不是在相親還是casting，讓他們留下印象的是你的能力、經驗而不是你的外表。你去面試穿西裝要合身，不可太寬鬆(給人感覺邋遢)，別忘了要燙衣服!襯衫顏色以白色或淺藍色為佳。千千萬萬要打領帶(深色且素面)!把西裝穿對、穿好會帶給他人具有專業形象的感覺，這也會讓對方更注意你。

photo via Sartorialist

When to Suit Up! Part 3

Photo via Suit Supply

During the day:

There aren’t many guidelines for wearing a suit generally during the daytime, although lighter colours are more suitable. Just remember try not to wear a black suit unless it’s for formal events. It makes your presence very serious, and makes you seem less approachable or like the men in black. Furthermore, black is a direct contrast to daytime, and so you will really stick out when walking down the street, unless its Wall Street :p.

Night time only:

Photo via Tom Ford

Black suits are quite suitable for night time wear, even if you are not attending a formal function, but again, it does make you seem more serious.  Other dark coloured suits are fine, but the velvet suit is only suitable for wear at night.  It is a very different style of suit, but you will definitely stand out, but the fabric does feel nice to touch, which is great when you are surrounded by girls.

I also see a number of suits that offer a very reflective shine to the point where I can see my reflection in the suit, like chrome grey, which in my opinion is really ostentatious to the point of vulgar. This type of suit is fine for going to night clubs with.  Anywhere else is just wrong.

正式場合就是要穿西裝!

首先，你必須了解買這套西裝的用意、目的為何。你會在什麼樣的場合穿這套西裝?夜店還是五星級飯店?是白天還是晚上進行的活動?是要上班穿還是去參加婚禮或派對?是正式場合還是休閒活動?從以上的問題你會知道，有些款式的西裝只適用於特定場合。你一定無法想像有人會穿著閃亮鐵灰色西裝配上花俏的襯衫去參加面試；當然，如果他是要去應徵馬戲團或是夜店公關應該是沒問題。

Photo via: Fashiz Mode

正式場合

婚禮、喪禮、晚宴等都算是正式場合。台灣男生參加婚禮時的穿著有時令我感到不可思議。難道婚禮不是人生中令人值得慶祝的重要場合嗎？當然我知道台灣社會與西方文化之間是有差異的，但穿著正式服裝出席婚禮我想是表達對新人和他們雙方家庭的基本尊重，這也意味著你在意這次的活動，你重視他們這件人生大事。西裝被視為正式服裝，上班族工作、見客戶穿西裝，學生課堂簡報穿西裝，但出席婚禮為何卻不穿？這道理說不通呀!通常女性出席正式場合都會打扮，男性是否也該表現一下呢？

如果你同意我的觀點，那麼身為一位紳士該如何穿著？出席正式場合是穿西裝，一般來說顏色以黑色為主或是深灰、深藍到接近黑。此外，西裝通常是兩顆扣子，圓領或是尖領都行。如果婚禮是白天舉行，穿淺灰色系西裝出席也是沒問題。白色西裝則是在熱帶國家的穿著。

Photo via Fashiz Mode

• 極為正式的場合要穿白襯衫搭配袖扣。
• 素色領帶或領結，不要用夾式的。男人該學會打領帶、或領結，不要再當高中生！不會打領帶不要說你是男人！
• 記得穿皮鞋，休閒鞋、運動鞋、拖鞋都是大忌。當然你沒得選，皮鞋只能是黑色。
• 你也可以加袋巾或手帕，而白色是最正式的。

以上所列是最正式的穿著重點，你可以依據個人風格稍稍變化，只是會比較不正式。

When to Suit Up! Part 2

When to suit up? Part 1

First and foremost is that you must know why you want to buy this suit. On what sorts of occasions do you think you will wear it?  What sorts of places will you be during those occasions? e.g night club as opposed to five star hotels? Will these events occur during the day or at night?  Is the suit for working at the office or attending a wedding and other fancy parties? Is it for formal or casual situations? 

As you can gather from my questions, there are certain suits only suitable for certain occasions.  Imagine a guy wearing a loud chrome suit with funky designs for a job interview, which is fine if it was for the circus or a nightclub, but totally wrong everywhere else. 

Formal Events:

Photo via: Mr Porter.com

This means funerals, black tie-events, and weddings.  I have been appalled by the lack of formal wear by so many Taiwanese men when they attend a wedding. Is the wedding not one of life’s most celebrated and important events? Naturally I am aware of the difference in cultures between Taiwan and Western society, but I still think it is a sign of respect to the married couple and their family. Suits are considered formal wear, yet we wear suits when we go to work, when we make presentations in class, but don’t wear suits when attending weddings?  How does that make sense? A lot of girls dress up for this event, why shouldn't guys do the same?

Assuming you agree with my opinion, what should a respectable gentleman wear to such events?  Obviously a suit or a tuxedo in this case, but generally a black suit is most appropriate. Dark charcoal and very dark blue is also fine, but if you are unsure, go with black for these situations. Normally it is a two button suit with shawl or peak lapels. Light to medium grey is fine when the wedding is during the day. White suits are only suitable if you are in the tropics or in a boy band.

Photo Via: Tom Ford

• To complete the ultra-formal look, wear a white shirt, as it is considered the most formal, with cuff-links. 
• Wear a solid black tie or bow-tie, no clip-ons! A man should know how to do his tie just like he knows how to pee while standing! If you don't, I highly recommend you learn otherwise you will lose soo much respect.
• Remember to wear leather dress shoes, no sneakers, no sports shoes, and definitely no slippers!! You can choose any colour, as long as its black.
• You can add a pocket square, but white is most formal.

The points above highlight what is considered the most formal. If you want to play around and add your own style, like I do, it will be less formal, but in this day and age, it is acceptable, since most people don't know what is formal anymore.

西裝是值得投資的

Photo via: xcitefun.net

男人的一生一定至少要有一套西裝，可能是工作需要或是參加婚禮，不然你當新郎的時候一定要穿吧!當男人穿上西裝的同時，也釋放出某種信號，旁人如何解讀就端看他穿什麼樣的西裝以及他會不會穿西裝。正確地穿一套好西裝會讓你看起來更專業、散發自信與魅力，Daniel Craig 就是最好的例子。相反地，不知道怎穿西裝，會讓你很俗氣。
儘管是老生常談，但買一套好西裝對男人來說一項值得的投資，如果你妥善保養它而且體格沒有變化太大，一套西裝是可以穿超過五、十年。
買西裝不如想像中的簡單，想買好西裝得做功課；西裝的領子要多寬?要幾扣?任何決定都會影響整體造型的感覺。

直到最近我才開始對西裝有所了解。曾經我以為買西裝只要版型、顏色看順眼，穿得下就好。回頭看，才發現自己像是個小孩在挑選數十年後的退休計畫，根本不知道自己的需求是什麼，付了大把鈔票卻買了尺寸太大或是品質不佳的西裝，還以為自己穿起來很帥，但我女朋友看了照片大笑說很像演歌仔戲的 >''<

當然買錯西裝不是罪大惡極，但如果你對此一無所知，覺隨便買就好，那你就冒著被當成小丑的風險。若你想要穿西裝看起來有模有樣，有些撇步是你購買時一定要知道的。

此外，不要傻傻的被銷售人員牽著鼻子走；她們常常不了解自己的商品，特別是在百貨公司。她們不了解你，也不懂你的需求是什麼，而且大部分的銷售人員(阿姨們)根本沒穿過西裝，業績才是她們所關心的。為了避免錯誤的決定，你應該要知道挑選西裝的要點為何。接下來幾篇文章會討論如何因應場合選擇合適的西裝。

Why guys should Suit Up!

Photo via: xcitefun.net

Every man in his life, at one time or another, will wear a suit, whether it is for work or for a wedding, a man needs to own at least one suit. When a guy puts on a suit, it makes a statement. The type of statement depends on the suit he is wearing and how he wears it.  It could make you appear professional, confident and powerful, like Mr Daniel Craig over here. It could also work against you by making you look tacky or old fashioned like some of the pictures in my previous post.

Despite the cliché, buying a decent suit is in fact an investment for guys, since you can wear it for many years, as long as you look after it or your physique doesn’t change drastically.

The truth is there is actually a lot to know about buying a suit and all the choices you make, actually do make a difference. Until recently, I had no idea of this at all.  Back then, I always thought, buying a suit was just choosing one that kind of fits and in the colour that I wanted. And so, looking back, I felt that I have been like a child choosing which retirement plan was best for me. Thus I made very poor choices in buying my suits and to this day I still shudder whenever I see old photos of me in suits, whereas my girlfriend falls over laughing everytime.

Of course it’s not as serious as I make it out to be. If you know nothing about suits, and think it is okay to just randomly buy one, then you are very welcome to risk looking like a clown. If you would like to look decent in a suit, you would need to understand certain factors before deciding what suit to procure. 

On an aside, please don’t blindly listen to salespeople; they actually don’t know what they are selling, especially in the department stores.  They don’t know you and don’t truly understand what your needs are, since most of them are aunties who have never worn a suit. They just want to make the sale. In order to prevent yourself from being duped, you need to know what to look for in a suit.  The next few articles aim to discuss the different types of suits suitable for different occasions.

Your thoughts on these suits?

So I found a few pictures online of guys wearing suits, and I would like to know what your thoughts are for each person and how they come across to you as. e.g Photo A looks cool or silly because.... Please can you comment below or on facebook.  Thank you :)

                

                                                      Photo A via: Getty Images                                              Photo B via: The Sartorialist

                    

                                                     Photo C via: Suitored.com                                                Photo D via: Style Blogger

這些西裝如何?

我在網路上看到一些穿西裝的男人，想問你們對各照片的想法和印象。例如照片A看起來很帥因為等等。請在這部落格或facebook留言，謝謝!

                

                                                      Photo A via: Getty Images                                              Photo B via: The Sartorialist

                    

                                                     Photo C via: Suitored.com                                                Photo D via: Style Blogger

But we do judge a book by its cover

Photo A via: lhspodcast.info

I know there is a saying which states: “never judge a book by its cover.” However if we meet a stranger, the first thing that we can assess them by, i.e our first impression, is their appearance just like how a product's packaging affects our perception of it.

Photo B via: sikworld.com

For example, look at photo A: What do you think of this person? Would you lend him a million bucks? And no, I'm not talking about Zimbabwean Dollars. Does he look like he drives around in Ferraris?  




Looking at this fine gentleman in photo B. Do you think you can trust him with your life? Maybe he has a heart of gold?  

Photo C via: roseborn.com  

Then what about this person in photo C?  What impressions do you get from him? Would you lend him money? It’s more likely you are going to borrow money from him.

So, my point is that appearances do count. I have said this countless times now and I’m sure you’re tired of reading this, but from my personal experiences, I can’t stress its importance enough. Whether it is for doing business, work, meeting new friends or dating, appearances count a lot. Thus, shouldn’t we try to be presentable most of the time?  Naturally I am not saying image is everything,  in fact our values and principles are the most important, however I have been really surprised by how many doors have opened for me, literally and figuratively ever since I started to care about how I dress.  

So for the next couple of articles, I want to discuss buying suits, the epitome of men’s formal wear. I would really appreciate it if you can give me any feedback and comments as well as what issues or topics you think are worth discussing.

以貌取人?

Photo A via: lhspodcast.info

有句話說:「別以貌取人。」但如果我們第一次跟陌生人見面，我們先會從他的外表和穿著觀察是什麼樣的人，再思考要用什麼樣的態度或語氣來面對。

舉例來說，你覺得照片A的老人是什麼樣的人?

 你願意借他100萬嗎? 他看起來是會開法拉利的人嗎?

photo B via: sikworld.com

再來看照片B，你覺得這樣的人值得信任嗎? 
他是個心地善良的好人嗎?

最後來看照片C的男人，你有甚麼感想?

你願意借他錢嗎?還是你向他借錢的機會比較大?

Photo C via:roseborn.com

依據我的經驗，無論是在工作場合、社交活動等方面，外表的確有其重要性，雖然我說過n次了! 我還是要強調外表真的很重要。

當然，外表不是一切，我們的內涵才是最重要的。然而，自從我開始注意穿著，我發現周遭的朋友對我的觀感有所轉變，甚至是與陌生人接觸時，我可以感受到他們對我特別友善。


接下來幾篇文章，我會討論如何買一套好西裝，畢竟西裝是男人最正式的服裝。

如果有任何的想法、意見或是你覺得有什麼值得討論的話題都歡迎提出來分享、討論。

無法隱藏的致命傷

photo via: nymag.com

我身邊有不少品行優良的男性友人，只可惜他們的穿著打扮掩蓋了他們的優點。

我們都知道該注意自己的穿著，但常常說一套做一套，特別是在正式場合的時候。很多男生對於穿衣服沒有sense，不是太緊就是太寬鬆，或是出席婚禮、宴會等正式場合穿著不合時宜。


對我而言，不會看場合穿衣代表這個人不了解各個場合所代表的意涵或重要性。想像一下有人穿著吊嘎配短褲參加婚禮，能看嗎?!有些男性會穿得太女性化或是太孩子氣；對，就是你！不要再穿卡通圖案緊身T-shirt或貼腿褲了...


我也注意到男性常忽略了個人整潔衛生的重要性，自以為將’'男人臭味''簡稱為男人味就很MAN了嗎?!想想小時候為什麼你們會被女生討厭，罵你們臭男生，你們就真的很臭阿!女性朋友一定記得從前上完體育課，男生們滿身大汗，臭氣沖天，令人無法呼吸。由以下的連結來表達我的意思。

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQqpCnilpBs

有些人可能沒意識到這些缺點，甚至還有覺得這樣很酷、很帥。也難怪這些臭男生會不受歡迎。


為什麼這麼多男性對於穿著、外表這麼沒sense、這麼智障?可能他們有太多事情需要煩惱，像是晚餐要吃啥，晚上要看哪部a片，又或者是他們太有魅力，吸引太多女性飛蛾撲火所以應接不暇，只好利用怪異的髮型、長過膝蓋的大T-shirt再加上臭氣沖天的體味把她們通通嚇跑。