Get in Shape, But Pay Attention to Style as Well!

Nice

Hey Rusty, when did you start realizing all those things about style? At what age?

I'm twenty six and last year I realized I had been keeping with the style I used to have when I was 19 or 20. Big mistake. This year I started updating my wardrobe. Little by little, I buy new clothes. I am also becoming more aware of what is in, through Tv shows, by watching people (younger than me, I admit it) on the streets, in clubs, etcetera.

Recently I started noticing that now often times I am one of the best dressed dudes in clubs, etc. It is not always the case, of course.

Thanks for the article.

Hey, I was just wondering if I could get your advice on "maintaining" once I've reached (or close to) my goal. I've been on a strict disciplined diet and hit the gym mon – sat for the last 6 months and I'm more or less where I'd like to be in terms of physique (went for the lean). I obviously don't want to still spend 3 hours at the gym, 6 days a week but I'm assuming I should keep up my cardio and perhaps a more lenient (but still disciplined) diet? In terms of lifting, can I get away with doing less but the same routine? Basically, what should I do in order to maintain what I have without having to work so hard? Thanks (I'm new to your site and there's a lot of great stuff here).

K

Hi Rusty, i totally agree with you, the good looking body alone is not enough, you have to dress well ( by well i don´t mean expensive ). Your post says it all.

Yavor,

Luckily I was hired to be store manager of Structure (now Express) at the age of 27. The sales guys there were young guys in the 18-23 range and they quickly whipped me into shape style-wise. I have paid attention to clothing ever since.

K,

You can easily maintain on 3-4 days per week. The lifting part can be done in 30 minutes and cardio in 30 minutes. I really believe you can maintain your physique in 3-4 hours per week, no problem. This is what I do during the summer. I workout a bit more during the winter. The main thing to do is lift for low reps to make sure your strength doesn't go down. As long as it stays the same and you hit cardio to keep the fat levels down, you will be fine…It will do your body good to back off for a while.

Helder,

Here is advice I read in a book that makes a lot of sense to me. Buy 1/2 the amount of clothes, but at twice the price (assuming that it is twice the quality as well…don't throw away money). It is better to have a few nice things than it is to have a lot of cheap clothes. What that means is that you can still stick to your budget, but maybe buy a higher quality of clothing. Here is something I just thought about…the majority of people in this world will only see you once…just one time in their lifetime. They don't know if you are wearing the same outfit from 2 days ago. Just a thought.

Rusty

It's a good thought Rusty, you're right, good point there. What i meant back in my comment about non expensive clothes is that people can buy nice quality clothing without waisting their paycheck, without going above their possibilities, but of course you should buy the best that you can, both in quality and style, i agree with you.

Rusty,

I hope I don't dress the same as I did when I go out of university 'cause that was the mid-80's!

I'm still guilty of wearing baseball caps. The main reason is because it's cold here in Canada and I need to have a hat on. However, I've NEVER worn a ball cap crooked (uuggghhhh!) and I've worn them since before they were "hip".

And maybe they're not hip now. Oh well. I have some nice ones – all New Era…….

At least I got out of the habit of wearing track suits everywhere. I had some nice ones of those as well…..

Good fashion tips. It's always a good idea to at least try to look good. It's good for your self-esteem.

I liked your point about dressing to suit your body and wearing quality stuff.

I also love the meatheads who wear t-shirts that are 2 sizes too small………..

Best regards,

Mark

P.S. All the girls I know love David Beckham and Brad Pitt. Can't blame them.

Helder,

Yeah I agree. The best thing about being in great shape is that you look better in clothes anyway. A pudgy guy in a Versace suit won't look as good as a trim guy in a $200 suit.

Mark,

I'm not against baseball caps, but some guys never take them off ever! I know women appreciate it when men dress up to match the ocassion.

I am laughing right now because I was getting bashed in a bodybuilding forum, because I was teaching guys to look "wussy like David Beckham and Brad Pitt".

I guess I have a choice…to try to impress the guys in the bodybuilding forums -or- the attractive women of the world. It is such an easy choice…LOL!

Have a great one!

Rusty

I absolutely agree that style matters much more than people realize. I don't dress like anyone my age that I know. I am 42, could be in better shape, but my wife keeps me stylin' and people can't believe I'm 42. My 20 year old son has a great sense of style too and he keeps me on track. Most of his friends dress in the baggy pants and crooked hats and make fun of him, but guess what? He has girls asking HIM out and all his friends wonder why it doesn't happen to them.

Rusty, another great, but seldom-discussed topic! I once read an article written by a successful businessman who asserted the reason clothing is so important is because clothing is self-selected. Diesel jeans VS acid washed-big difference in mentality!!! Having a great body is like having lots of $$ you simply have more options!

Rusty, how are you still single?? It's gotta be by choice, b/c you're one of the few guys I know who gets it, LOL. Even my very beloved husband doesn't always understand that I want him to look nice every time when we go out, and especially when we stay in! He actually tends to dress much more conservatively and older than he really is; I'd love to see him in some trendier stuff!

All very true.

Jeff,

Yep…style is really important. A great body with bad style is like an Ferrari with gray primer as the body paint.

Quinn,
Thanks for the compliment…I enjoy being single. I like meeting and dating great women, but I have too many time commitments right now for anything long-term. I'm sure I would change my mind if I met the ideal girl for me (sexy librarian look, 5'5" to 5'10", dark hair, great sense of humor, 25-30 years old, non-smoker, works out 4-5 times a week, doesn't want kids, like to travel, and slightly immature for her age)…LOL!

Have a great one!

Rusty

Yes I totally agree with you Rusty. I have been slowly updating my wardrobe over the last year. The sad thing is my my younger bro started dressing better first and I follwed his lead, lol. Quality over quantity, like my teacher used to say.

Hi Rusty,

great comment about attractive people smiling more……just makes them even more attractive when they do smile or show a "fun" side to them…..but when they dont smile and have that "attitude"…….INSTANT TURN OFF.

Merry Xmas to you Rusty and to all the other readers and hope you all enjoy the holiday season.

Thanks for all your great posts Rusty and i look forward to more to come.

Ciao for now,
G.

True stuff, but why is it that all clothing manufacturers, specifically those that make pants, seem to think that everyone is tall and skinny or short and fat?

I'm short and skinny, dammit! I just want some pants that fit me!
I tried going to the tailor and getting a pair of jeans hemmed once, but it just looked weird because the bottom didn't have that "worn in" look that they had when first purchased.

Also…any recommendations for reasonably priced jeans? Especially for a 5'5" fellow? Maybe something that looks good with steel-toed combat style boots?

I'm trying to find that fine line where punk and classy collide. Depp seems to pull it off at times (such as here: http://movies.aol.com…demon-barber-of-fleet/2037967).

Also want to create the illusion of height without ending up with boring, one-note/one-color outfits.

So…with that mouthful (handful?) being said…

Suggestions?

Ammendment:
*Looks good with boots OR skateboard shoes OR All Star Chuck Taylors? Or do I just have to buy several styles of jean?

David,

Yeah…I think one two really good pairs of jeans are especially important for a guy. Jeans last a long time, so you get your money's worth. As a guy you can basically get away with wearing the same pair or alternating between another and just wearing different shirts for different looks.

G,

Thanks buddy! Merry Christmas to you as well! I'll post more once the holidays are over. The fitness industry changes quickly, so I want to keep everyone up to date with any new breakthroughs.

Ron,

I went over to your website (click his name guys). You have a bunch of cool short films! I love independent films.

Johnny Depp is an amazing role model, by the way. He is the definition of cool. He wears funky clothing and is "congruent" with it (it works well for him). He is a great example…thanks a bunch. I didn't think of him for some reason when I wrote this post.

As far as short jeans go. I'm not sure exactly where to go. Have you tried online? I have the opposite problem and sometimes I can get longer jeans online than are carried at the store (buckle.com or bananarepublic.com).

Some stores to get ideas for the type of look you are after:
http://www.metroparkusa.com
http://www.buckle.com
http://www.guess.com
http://helloblackbird.blogspot.com/ (my neighborhood boutique)
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/index.jsp
http://www.truereligionbrandjeans.com/

You sound like you and your friends like the same type of clothing as I do. Hope that gives you some ideas!

Rusty

Here is a great video with the many "hip" looks of Johnny Depp. Women love this guy. I would avoid the Pirate clothing however!

Hey, thanks for the compliment on the flicks. I'll have to admit though, some of them are mine and some are made by my friend. If you want to see stuff that's purely mine, you can go here: http://www.youtube.com/indieweird

And while I like Depp's style overall, I'm not big on all the pointless accessories…jewelry, etc. I'm kinda goofy in wanting "functional" clothing. I did, however, always want his 21 Jump Street hair when I was younger. Hell, I even wanted Edward Scissorhands' hair. I was a weird kid. Wait…WAS?

If anyone in or near Northern Illinois needs a commercial or music video, let me know! Oh, and we'll be having auditions for our next feature in Milwaukee, WI in Jan. Email mst_audition@hotmail.com if interested. Sorry…had to throw in that plug

As you can tell, I'm enjoying the site!

Oh, and Ben Sherman's got some really cool stuff too. I also like Lucky Brand jeans cuz they're made in the USA. Enough chatter from me.

Ron,

I kind of like all the accessories on him. It makes him stand out a bit. Ben Sherman stuff is great. It gives people that Rivers Cuomo (main siger of Weezer) look. You have to rock the thick black rimmed glasses to pull off that look well.

Lucky Jeans are my casual comfortable jeans. They last forever. I'll check out your youtube stuff!

Rusty

On him, it works. On me, not so much.

Yeah it's True Rusty,
Fitted clothes will give you an extra edge and girls really notice this.
I used to wear baggy jeans and xlarge shirts and you coudn't see my body at all.
Now I wear Shirts in small or medium and I see the girls looking and feel more comfortable.
Why you think women like men in Suits?

Greetings,

J.L

Hi Rusty,

I have been reading the site almost daily for the last couple of months and it has been massively helpful.

Here is a style question. I have normal to athletic build (44" chest 32" waist), but it seems like most of the clothes that fit nicely on my chest are too baggy around the waist. I buy fitted dress shirts, but trying to find casual or vacation clothes that fit will is a PITA.

Business attire is easy = fitted suits

Business casual = khakis and golf shirts or silk button downs but they look kinda sloppy because everything seems to be cut for fat people now.

Casual = unknown… ( i could use some help here)

The Hollywood look guys all appear to have all of their sweaters, golf shirt and button downs tailored. Is that what I need to do or do you have a easier (cheaper) solution.

I am 37 years old and own a financial services company, so trying to spend some time playing the image gave in important to clients.

Dave,

I do have a recommendation. Go to a store called "Buckle"…I did a search and there are 15 of them in Michigan. You also have one "Metropark" store and it is located in Novi, Michigan. You also have 6 "Guess" stores in Michigan.

Those are my three top recommendations, because they cut stuff that is really fitted. You have to try on different brands, because each of them will fit differently. The clothes are pretty "hip" as well…without looking like you are trying to dress like a high school kid.

As far as slightly more conservative fitted stuff…try "Express" or try a few of the different brands in Macy's.

Hope that helps,

Rusty

Hi Rusty,

You mentioned that "If you are exceptionally attractive, you have to be extra careful to make sure you smile wherever you go." Why is that? What goes through a guy's head?

Thanks in advance. LOVE the site!

T,

Many guys are intimidated by really attractive women…a nice smile makes you more approachable. The same thing goes with guys.

Thanks for reading!

Rusty

Rusty,

Enjoy your site.

I totally agree with your smile comment. Everytime I have gone out and for whatever reason, I have that cheeky grin on my face, it always spells success… I have been told I am intimidating otherwise.

My style tips.

Is to know what is in fashion, but tweak it to your own tastes. Theres no point wearing 'skinny' jeans because you can wear them, if you don't feel comfortable in them. Or wearing short short (ie Magnum PI's are back) if you don't think you can pull it off.

Its great standing out in a crowd, but not over the top. Saying that, I recently went to a 90's party wearing a dark velvet red jacket. Went out after and no one battered an eyelid.

There are some fashion lines that are timeless, and don't date. A dark blue sports jacket, with jeans and a white shirt or t-shirt works in any decade. While a lavender shirt, light blue jeans and white jacket may be in fashion now, but I doubt it will be useable in a few years time.

Make friends someone who can alter your clothes. Shirts that are baggy can be tapered etc… Same thing with loose pants. Nothing looks worse then clothes that don't quite fit.

I actually think dockers with tucked in golf shirts is the worst look anyone can have. I would much prefer to sport decent Jeans with a nice fitted UNTUCKED button down shirt.

NT,

I hate tucked in button down shirts as well…I'm with you there…and I don't like Dockers either. That type of look adds 20 years to a guy's age…100% agree!

Rusty

Rusty,

Great post!! I'm glad I heard about this at my age (16). I see plenty of guys my age that really do not know how to dress or are always showing off their muscles by wearing those kinds of cutoff sleeves, which for some reason I have never really liked anyway. What do you think about the tight jeans on guys? I have always been a little hesitant to wear them. Well anyway thanks for the post! It's really helpful!

-Michael