Image via Complex Original
We see you, you want to become stylish. Everyone wants to be cool and have their swagger be the force that shut shits down. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you deem yourself stylish or at least well dressed. But what if we were to tell you're not killing it as hard as you think you are?
Maybe it's because you wear all the clothes that your girlfriend tells you to, or you might be the guy who won't shut up about the difference between Balenciaga and T by Alexander Wang. Either way, you're doing something wrong, and it's time you need to notice your flaws. Your clothes might be "OK," but we're about to completely deflate your ego—it's just an attempt an attempt to build you back up and make you the unfuckwittable steez king that's hiding somewhere inside you. So stop doing all of this. Here are 10 Signs You're Not As Stylish As You Think You Are.
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The main goal of your outfit is to match your sneakers.
Matching your sneakers was cool back in 2006, but those days are long gone. If you're still making sure that your Air Jordans match your T-shirt, fitted hat, and jacket, you need to check yourself. This doesn't mean you can't have hot kicks or wear things that "go together," but you should never wear a black and orange T-shirt with black and orange sneakers and a Baltimore Orioles fitted. You're not killing it. You look like your mom put together your outfit.
Your personal stylist is a kid who works at a mall.
Retail employees try their hardest to give you good advice, get what size you need, and answer any question that you have. They shouldn't be your blind leap into style, either. Some stores have personal shoppers, and customers will let them pick out complete wardrobes and outfits for them. If this is how you're getting crispy, you need to re-evaluate things.
Sure, a sales associate can tell you they think a grey chambray might be a better choice than a red one, but if you're letting them pick out head-to-toe outfits for you, you'll end up losing, bro.
You go to tons of Fashion Week shows, but have never seen a street style picture of yourself.
Fashion Week is the time when all of the most stylish dudes come out in full-force, and besides attending shows and seeing new collections, they're out there to get their picture taken and grasp their 15 minutes of Internet fame. It's cool knowing that others appreciate your style and see it as a reference point for other clothing-obsessed men. But are you the guy that makes photographers look the other way? Or maybe you did your best lookaway pose as you lit-up a cigarette—just to notice the photog put their cameras back on their hip.
You've never had your picture taken by a struggle street style photography, forget Tommy Ton and gracing GQ, you're not even making it on the Blogspots.
Your girlfriend approves of everything that you wear.
There are certain things about men's style that women just don't understand. Guys are going to dress the way they want regardless. But if you're dressing to simply appease your significant other every morning, you're doing something wrong. Chances are, you're the dude who only wears V-neck sweaters, bootcut jeans, and brown shoes.
You probably don't 100 percent dig everything your girl wears, and it's cool, because, well, she's your girlfriend. You shouldn't be afraid to wear whatever you want, as long as you're not showing up to your anniversary dinner in a Minnesota North Stars throwback hockey jersey.
The only style risk you've ever taken was wearing a dirty T-shirt.
Style risks are great, they're how we find new inspirations for our personal style. You shouldn't go overboard, but if the only style risk you've ever taken is wearing a T-shirt that smells or has a stain, then you need to cut loose. It's great to find what works and stick to it, but if you're the type of guy who only wears oxford shirts and chinos, even he's not at work, it's time for a change.
You're a budding style blogger, and your friends and family won't co-sign you.
To become a style writer, we all have to start somewhere. For most of us, this means starting our own blog or creating some sort of Internet personality. It's tough to get noticed, so we're more than likely to first get followed and co-signed by our friends and family members. If these people won't co-sign you, won't follow you on Twitter, won't Facebook post your first feature-length article, or won't like your Instagram pictures, you're doing it all wrong. Maybe they're just haters, or maybe they're embarrassed by your countless selfies that are attempts to big-up struggle brands that no cares about. If you can't get your mom to take an interest in your new hobby, don't expect a real editor to, either.
You look like a character, not yourself.
If you're still dressing in ye old Americana and imitating Paul Bunyan or trying your best to become the drapey-est street goth, chances are you look predictable, boring, and like a walking punchline. Sure, you can get style cues from some of the greatest innovations or even dress like a true badass, but you should be taking pointers from these sources, not dressing like you live In Maine (unless you really do) or try your hardest to look like A$AP Rocky. You should dress like yourself, whoever that may be, not like an image you've been drooling over on Tumblr.
You think dropping a crazy amount of racks will ensure that you're stylish.
There are plently of clothes that are super expensive, and a lot of them are great. But there are also gaudy and tacky clothes that are produced for living in "luxury." If you're blowing your racks on Louis Vuitton belts, sneakers that everyone else owns, or random, ridiculous shit you saw at Neiman Marcus, you probably look like a douchebag instead of the epitome of steez.
If you're looking to become more Steve McQueen than Lavish, you don't need to go into insane credit card debt. Just find a few statement pieces that are things you actually like.
You're a boring person who only cares about fashion.
As great as it is, fashion is not the end-all be-all of life. You need to look outside of the world of clothing and read books, go outside, or just do something that doesn't involve the discussion of Givenchy's spring/summer 2014 collection or what length you prefer your pants to be.
These are all pressing issues, but if that's your go-to source of conversation on a date or what you talk about when you see your parents for the first time in four months, you need a reality check and to get away from the Internet for awhile.
On top of everything, you're trying too hard.
It's never a novel a idea to wear every piece of clothing you've seen on the Internet at once. This is what we call a hypebeast, and they come in many different varieties. But what it shows everyone, is that you're trying too hard. Style should be effortless and natural, not something you've been planning for months and months.
When you wear a Been Trill hat, Pyrex T-shirt and shorts, and a pair of Air Jordans, you may be killing it in your own mind, but to no one else.
