Image via Complex Original
You be hard pressed to get us to shut up about style and rides here at Complex, mostly because if we did we'd get fired. You see, blabbering on about those two things, and some other topics, is our job. If any of us did get fired, following a horrific ramen-Flyknit deep fried accident, to be oddly specific, we would still probably spend our time blabbering on about our favorite topics. The primary difference would be that we'd be half way through a bottle of cheap whiskey and we'd be trying to sell sneakers on eBay to pay the rent.
What we're getting at is that since the human brain is set up to search for patterns in things, and we're often thinking of these two things, we've found some patterns. These are those patterns: the 10 Things Cars Can Teach You About Style.
Choose your colors carefully.
In this manner, cars are a lot like suits. You're not going to have too many of them, and they're expensive, so orange plaid is probably not the best idea for either. You can never go wrong with navy, we saw a navy Aston Martin DB9 when we were in LA last week and it was fantastic.
Understatement is classy.
Why is a brightly colored supercar kinda douchey? Because it's more or less like the Mansory 458 above (or any other Mansory car) or the guy who commissioned a solid gold shirt to "impress the ladies." The clothes, and the car, should frame the man, rather than becoming the center of attraction themselves.
Vintage is awesome but old is crap.
Here's an easy question for you: why is a 1982 Buick GNX a sought-after, beloved classic, and a 1982 Buick LeSabre a jalopy that people pick up for $220 on Craigslist? It's because the GNX was a great piece of design with the quality to back it up and the LeSabre wasn't.
The same goes when you're shopping for vintage clothes. Old in and of itself doesn't make something cool, it needs to have been tastefully designed in the first place. It's difference between that teal polyester trench coat from the '80s and your grandad's balling chesterfield from the '40s.
If you want it to stay perfect, don't snack in it.
Just remember, potato chips and nice things don't mix well. Clothes, like cars, are best when they're not covered in a fine layer of grease and grit. Don't fall for the mental trap of "I'll be careful" either, it just takes one spasm to ruin something you worked hard to afford.
Custom is best.
We can find something to complain about with any car; we drove a special editon Bentley and had complaints. Likewise, we've never put on a piece of clothing off the rack and thought "this fits absolutely perfectly." Most people never customize their cars or have their clothes tailored, and that's a damn shame.
A cheap suit that was properly tailored will look better than an expensive one that wasn't, and a $2,000 bespoke suit will look better than a $2,000 designer suit. Go custom.
Setting is important.
Most people own one car, and they pick one that's apropriate for all occasions: commuting, nice restaurants, fast food restaurants, clubs, etc. That's what we love about the Mercedes SLS AMG so much, it's a gentleman's supercar. We love the Lamborghini Aventador, but it's certainly a bit crass for some occasions.
Likewise, it's not advised to go to a club in a white bow tie and tails, or to Alain Ducasse in a bikini top and daisy dukes...especially if you're a dude.
The expensive choice isn't always the better choice.
We're certainly not saying that all cars and all clothes are the same and that you should just buy the cheapest car you can find, but you should be aware that the MSRP doesn't directly correlate to quality. The Ford Mustang is really fast, very cool, and cheap, making it alot like that $6 plain tee shirt from UNIQLO that looks nearly identical to the $55 plain D&G tee.
Don't spend more money unless you're actually getting more.
Sometimes you have to sacrifice comfort for awesome.
Sports cars are awesome, but they're not comfortable. Tight sport suspension that reduces body roll and lets you feel the surface of the track also makes you feel every bump in our poorly maintained American roads. Likewise, you might want to wear sweats and a tee shirt every day, but you should really just suck it up and dress properly when you are going anywhere other than the gym.
Don't be that guy.
Just like how you shouldn't be the guy who completely wraps his car in leopard print velvet, you shouldn't be the guy who completely wraps himself in leopard print velvet.
Never fake it.
If you can't afford a Ferrari, just learn to be cool with that and drive your Miata with pride. There are cool cars and cool clothes available at every price point, so just look around and find the cool shit that you can afford.
Crippling debt isn't sexy, and neither is trying too hard.
