14 DAY TRIAL // Women and fashion are such best friends that their coming together rarely leaves room for anything or anyone else. But that doesn't mean they're safe from the so-called "faux pas" phenomenon, also known as that common disease that affects those ladies who, out of their desire to be trendy, end up looking like just fresh out of a garage sale. Quite on the contrary. Now, since a few days ago we saw which the five trends men hate the most in women were, it's time to turn the tables on them and analyze five of the styles that are generally over-abused by them, as well as explain why they're not as cool as they seem to think they are.
The girls at All Women's Talk drew up the following chart as some sort of payback to Simon's post that we already talked about. However, anyone is free to disagree with it, as well as to add new items that are not present in it, like wearing socks with sandals in the summertime, wearing cutoffs (pants and shirts) or see-through tees, cladding oneself all in tight leather, or whatever else comes to mind. So let's begin with our countdown.
Backpacks with suits
A suit is generally seen as a sign of ultimate elegance, thus excluding from the very start the idea of comfort. On the other hand, you have the backpack which, as useful as it may be (and it is), seems to cry outdoors, practicality and freedom of movement. Whoever sees how these could ever come together needs to take a good look at the way people (to read, women) are looking at him on the street and go and buy himself a nice and fancy murse or a regular briefcase.
A bag as an accessory for men is not a new idea so what's so wrong about this combo is not the combination itself, but rather the nature of the two elements. There are always ways to avoid looking this awkward, and they are so varied that it would be almost pointless to try to enumerate them all. But, whatever guys choose to carry their stuff to work in, they must remember that suit plus backpack almost always equals "high school kid playing dress up with his dad's suit," as the girls from All Women's Talk so delicately put it. And that's just not cool.
Comb-overs
This one, naturally, applies to men who are already of a certain age. Be that as it may, nothing in this world can excuse a Donald Trump hairstyle - unless, of course, we're talking about the Donald himself. Sure, losing one's hair can be a pretty traumatizing experience and it's only understandable that the man in question tries to do his best to make it less obvious.
Nevertheless, comb-overs are never the solution. Just because Trump can pull it off doesn't mean that regular guys can too. And the explanation for this is pretty simple: given the Donald's money, fame and reputation, he could as well go out of the house in nothing but a bathrobe (if Hugh Hefner does it, why couldn't he?) and he would still be seen as the epitome of? whatever Trump stands for. For regular folks, however, the solution can only be either cutting the hair close to the head or going completely bald. Sometimes, they say, less is more, and this certainly applies in the case of hair of "follicly challenged" men.
Wacky ties
There was once a time when wacky ties were seen as a must in every guy's wardrobe, as they were deemed the only accessory that could bring some spunk into an otherwise boring office outfit. That was back in the '90s so, unless you're living in the past or you're trying to set the trend (wrong one, this time), it's best to keep ties as simple as possible. Make no mistake, women do love it when they see that you still haven't lost touch with that child in you, but maybe wearing Tweety ties is not the answer to finding the key to their hearts.
"It may look cute for some, but wacky ties just look - well, wacky - on some men. Stick with the basics." write the girls who came up with this chart. However, we might as well mention that there are certain types of men who can, and do, get away with the craziest and most colorful ties and even bow-ties. They are usually cool by definition and, to them, fashion is not a science but rather the most natural way they have of expressing themselves. Needless to say, unless you happen to be among those very few lucky ones, you might as well stop trying to impress your work mates with your ties. Trust us, they're not jealous of you because you have so many. Really, they're not.
Too tight clothes
While girls are encouraged to wear clothes as tight as possible (actually, the word is "fitting"), few other sights are as laughable as that of a guy donning clothes two numbers too small, in what can only be a desperate attempt at looking buffer. Machos are all the rage right now, and have been so ever since we can remember, but those who flaunt it without having it are guilty of first degree wannabe-ism, and are treated by those around them accordingly.
Bear in mind that the opposite can also apply but, most often than not, it's not a fashion crime that women frown upon as much as in the case of too tight clothes. Either way, it's pretty obvious for women when a guy goes out and buys an S tee when he's actually an XL, just to create the impression that he's bulkier in the chest and arms area than he really is. If he also matches the tee with the "cocky walk" (you know, the one where he keeps his arms slightly farther away from the sides of his body, as if all those muscles are constantly getting in the way of him walking normally) and equally tight jeans, he should not be that amazed that chicks don't swoon at his feet whenever he walks by. It's never going to happen.
Funky facial hair
There's rugged, and then there's just? unkempt. Also, there's facial hair, and then there's the goatee. For some reason or another, men seem to think it's ok not to shave for days, as if taking care of themselves would be some kind of favor they're doing us women. Sadly, they're wrong and, with each day that they conveniently forget to take care of their looks, their hotness factor goes down. Facial hair and unkemptness can only look good if the guy in question makes sure they do.
"You may not know about the meaning of fashion - but please, get rid of those goatees which make you look exactly what the name implies! If you need that 'stache to keep your macho image, keep it trimmed - neatly!" say the girls from All Women's Talk. Just like with the mullet and its many recent variations, facial hair is not for everyone because it can make a guy, if not the right type, look like a trucker, to avoid a more offensive term. So make sure you know in which category you belong and that you're willing to take great care of your looks if you really want to go for facial hair.
These being said, it's pretty clear that men, just like women, can sometimes be found guilty of falling victims to the trends they so much criticize. And, as in the case of the latter, the solution is never to overdo it - just stick to being yourself and doing/wearing whatever best suits you as an individual, and you will certainly not be stared at on the street, for all the wrong reasons.
