11 Outdated Style Rules You No Longer Need to Follow

Image via Complex Original

Black and navy are neutral dark colors that you can base an entire alphet off of, and because of this, they have always been separated. Frankly, this just doesn't make sense. The aesthetic myth is that because they are so similar, if you were to wear black and navy at the same time, it would come off as a poor attempt to match. We know. Fucking dumb.

As is the case with several other outdated rules, this comes via old school suiting regulations. Back in the day, wearing a navy suit with black shoes was viewed as a clash in both color and formality, as black shoes were more for formal and “black tie” events. But lucky for us living in 2014, designers from Calvin Klein to Ovadia & Sons have been breaking this rule for years now. And if you want an even more trusted institution to follow, just turn Uncle Sam. The U.S. Navy uniform combines a navy blue suit with black shoes.

Simply put, there's an old belief that men should not wear shorts. This dates back to more formal periods of dress when men always wore pants, no matter how hot it was or what the activity was. But in World War II, shorts became part of the permitted uniform in the warmer climates. GIs brought the practice home, and guys started to wear shorts more casually in the States.

And yet, it's still widely-held amongst some circles that men still shouldn't wear shorts except at the beach and while playing sports. One big reason that may contribute to this outdated belief is that typically, guys have opted for insanely poorly-fitting shorts every summer. While we're certainly not arguing that guys should oblige to an old-fashion rule that prohibits guys from showing their calves, guys should try to avoid anything that would be considered manpris or super short-shorts. If your shorts, whether at the backyard BBQ or on the basketball court, hover somewhere around top of the knee, you should be all good.

Walking on the sidewalk today, you'd be surprised that this forgoing double denim was even a rule to begin with, but traditionally, wearing a complete denim-based outfit would be laughed at. True to denim's workwear roots, for several decades double denim was  a look worn exclusively by country stars, bikers, and cowboys. The look made periodic resurgence throughout the decades, including the '80s and '90s, but was dismissed by-and-large in the early 2000s following Justin Timberlake and Brittney Spears' now infamous double denim couple's set at the 2001 American Music Awards.

The key to making this work is usually wearing two different shades of indigo, with one part lighter than the other, but that's certainly not a requirement. Most importantly is making sure that gear fits in the proper way. Modern day proponents of double denim include Rag & Bone, Isabel Marant, and even the legendary Ralph Lauren, so if you were worried the fashion set was hesitant to back up the flaunting of this dusty rule, you may want to think again.

This, like many style rules, begins with business dress. Many style rules (particularly the ones that feel especially out-of-date) were birthed to help guide the young businessman away from choices that would embarrass him or his coworkers during the big meeting. The structure of this rule dictates that if you wear black pants, you need to rock black socks. If you're wearing navy or neutral blue pants, the socks have to be the same. It's more for suiting than anything else, but some purists would believe that no matter what you're wearing, the socks at the very least need to be in the same color range as the lower half of your outfit.

This rule has seen plenty of opposition as dress codes have relaxed over the years, and many people who would have once enforced this rule would instead suggest matching your socks to any part of your outfit. No matter what you believe, the idea of being matchy-matchy with your socks seems less than appealing and more tacky than stylish (depending on what colors you're wearing). With labels like Happy Socks and Stance creating wild printed options for your feet, many guys use socks not as an afterthought, but as a completely unique and diverse part of their complete kit.

This rule applies to button up shirting, and in its entirety really reads, "Never button the top button unless you're wearing a tie." The idea is that if you're not wearing a tie, there's no reason to close the top button—a move that may be associated with nerdy guys or the conservative clergy. However, rockstar style legends like The Who and the Pet Shop Boys started buttoning their top button as way of looking different from their peers and parents way back when. Alternative director David Lynch has been wearing the look for more than 20 years.

As many outdated rules go, this has origins for how to dress in the boardroom, a place that typically—but not always—lacks style or creativity. Deciding whether or not to break this rule should not be about committing some sartorial sin, but rather about what's comfortable. A large reason why guys choose to keep the top button of their shirts unbuttoned really comes down to the fact that they find it physically uncomfortable. Whatever you choose, don't get this twisted up with the Chicano movement of Southern L.A., as that consists of buttoning only the top button, and that's something you should avoid unless you're about that life or enjoy being called a poseur.

In post-Civil War America, a burgeoning class of newly rich people began making old money fat cats feel some type of way. To the former, these nouvaeau riche people were vulgar and unacceptable in the higher echelons of society, because they liked to flaunt their wealth, and also threatened the old ways of society. Around the 1880s, people created often-unspoken rules for social clubs that made it easy to spot the poseurs. One of those was no wearing white outside the summer months.

Already a color associated with the leisure class, spotless white threads were so precious at the time that owning and wearing them signaled that you didn't have to spend your time getting dirty like the peasants. So, it was decided that those in-the-know would reserve the color for the summer months and resort wear, leaving fools who wore white to October dinner parties to be scoffed at.

When Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894, it became the de facto endpoint of summer style. By the 1950s, the belief was widely held that white after Labor Day was a faux pas, thanks to widely-circulating fashion rags. For the record, Complex has championed those who have consistently opposed this regulation. Style rebels like Tom Wolfe, Pusha T, Terence Koh, and Coco Chanel are famous for giving the middle finger to this rule and indulging their inner and outer coke boy well after Labor Day. And if something has its origins in post-Civil War America, chances are it's outdated and needs to be reviewed and reformed.

Ties. The “noose of the establishment,” the symbol of the “9 to 5.” Men have been wearing some form of neck tie since at least the 19th century, and while the accessory has been in men's wardrobes for more than 200 years, there are a lot of rules and regulations on how, and when to wear them.

A stuffier guideline would say that a good tie  should follow a strict set of requirements. It should hit right at the belt line, and should be wide and long enough to fit both your particular shirt collar and jacket lapels. The only knot that works is the four-in-hand. Patterns are often dismissed, novelty ties are forbidden, and solid ties are the only real choice.

Guys today have a little more variety then the previous generation. To go along with your personal style, you should explore different knots based on your shirt collar and try loosening it up, rocking a loud pattern, or switching up fabric. Try a square tie. Let the skinny back of the tie hang longer than the front. Tuck it in between the buttons of your shirt or into your waist—or just pass on the tie altogether and go with an "air tie." There's no one way to wear a suit anymore, and there's certainly more than one way to wear a tie these days.

However, one tie rule that will never be outdated, don't wear a bowtie unless you're wearing a tux. Seriously, that period in menswear is over and often inexcusable.

In today's workplace, as the stuffy version of a  suit slowly dies out, ties are less a day-to-day restriction and more of a practiced, but rarely used necessity. Take a risk once in a while, because there's no need to be boring. Figure out what looks good for you, and keep it moving.

In the era of raw denim's resurgence between approximately 2007 to 2009, guys were assaulted with a variety of tips and tricks on how to handle and maintain their newly purchased indigo leg casts. A major reason behind purchasing raw denim was not only to have the fit evolve to your personal shape, but also to work on getting authentic deep fade lines. This, of course, means that guys had to wear their denim almost every day for several months (or even years). No matter how gross the denim became, guys were instructed to hold off on washing their raw denim, unless they wanted to ruin the potential for future time-earned fades post-wash.

We all soon realized that this was gross. While washing often does change the color and shape of the denim, recent years have proven that many denim producers aren't saying you should never wash your jeans, but rather that you should soak them periodically to get rid of bacteria and dirt build-up.

Your fit and fades still be okay if you give your jeans a brief bathtub soak every couple weeks, and you won't be carrying around a mildew-y smell every time you pop on your favorite denim, so don't worry about forgoing this rule in the name of sanitation and still looking dope.

Traditionally speaking, sweatpants and sweatshirts are athletic pieces of clothing. “Sweat” being in the name implies that their cotton and fleece fabric causes you to sweat more as you work out. The traditional baggy design also makes them incredibly comfortable to wear. This rule was established to maintain the “situational” dressing habits of the 20th century: Every outfit has a purpose, and exists only for that purpose. Like a tux is for formal occasions and no others, sweats are only for the gym.

However, streamlined running sweatpants and other athletic gear have been a common wardrobe piece for over two decades. As labels like Publish and John Elliot + Co. are creating innovative new versions of sweatpants and sweatshirts for the modern day, the sweatpant has emerged from boxing gyms and living room armchairs to streetstyle sets and fashion week presentations. If you plan on rocking the cozy boy trend today, opt for a trimmed jogger cut instead of a baggy straight leg design. With a tailored cut, you can show off your sneakers and avoid looking like a hungover frat bro—all while maintaining peak coziness.

As a courtesy, men have always removed their hats when stepping indoors. It's highly likely you've heard something like this said from a older relative. As far back as the turn of the 20th century, men always wore some kind of hat whenever they stepped out of the house. The very old-school version of this practice is that you remove your hat whenever you are in the presence of a lady. If that was the case today, guys would be socially obligated to remove their hats anytime a lady entered an elevator they were in, passed by a woman they knew on the street, or whenever they entered a building.

Nowadays, it's still a sign of respect to remove your hat during certain scenarios, like at funerals, when going to a religious service, or during the National Anthem. While guys still take their hats off for as a way of showing respect, in the 21st century, it would be excessive and unrealistic for a guy to remove his hat every time he stepped inside. For something that has roots that extend back to the knights of medieval England, it's a practice that has long since been outdated.

Some rules are still helpful guidelines for those figuring out how to put an outfit together. Like the rule implies, you should wear no more than three different colors at one time. To today's standards, that's pretty tame, especially when you consider things like floral printed shirts or even tie-dye. Back in an era when every guy wore a suit to work (and just about everywhere else for that matter) wearing three colors was a simple way to balance your jacket, your shirt, and your tie. The shoes and the belt were all directly affected by the color of your suit.

However, with minimalism as a conceptual cornerstone in differing ways across several brands (particularly those from Scandinavia), sticking to three, or even one color is actually something of a practical first step in assembling an outfit that doesn't look haphazard or messy. That said, if you understand what hues look good on you, there's no reason to confine yourself to three colors just because of an old-school guideline.