We just did a dress for success session to a mixed audience of the University of Alberta alumni and students. (BTW our final savvy networking workshop of the season is being offered by them.) We asked the audience to come up with image turn offs for both genders. It’s always interesting to hear what women notice about men’s dress mistakes.

Women notice dress mistakes that men don’t

A reader sent us a list of men’s image mistakes from topdatingsites.com.

We thought you’d get a chuckle (or cringe) while reading them.

  1. He Unbuttons His Shirt Too Far – Have you ever been with your sweetie and found yourself thinking of Miami Vice? Visible chest hair is a sure sign that he needs some tutoring.
  2. He’s Swimming in His Suit– There are few things that look as good on a man as a well-tailored suit. It doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive, but it does need to fit properly.  If he looks like he’s playing dress-up in his father’s clothes, do him a favor and get him fitted for your next special occasion.
  3. He Tucks His T-Shirt In– A t-shirt is meant to be casual, but tucking it into his jeans makes your guy look stuffy. Unless he’s going for the middle-aged tourist look, letting the hem fall naturally is the way to go.
  4. He Wears a Tank Top  – If he’s not a Jersey Shore cast member, wearing a tank by itself isn’t acceptable. Even if he’s built like the Situation, sporting a tank top away from the gym is a bad situation. Encourage him to treat a tank top like the undershirt it’s intended to be.
  5. He Wears Flip-Flops With Everything– Flip-flops are for the beach or the pool. Period.  Wearing them with anything else puts off a slacker/frat boy vibe, and makes it difficult for anyone to take him seriously.
  6. He Thinks White Athletic Socks Go With Anything– We’ve all seen it: a man in dress slacks and nice shoes shifts in a way that reveals his socks, and they’re tubes. Avert this cringe-fest by gently explaining that every man should have a few pairs of dress socks, then stock them in his drawer for him. If he has them on hand, he’s much more likely to actually wear them.
  7. His Underwear Are Visible– People shouldn’t be able to tell if he’s a boxers or briefs man unless they’ve watched him get dressed. Exposed underwear means that his pants don’t fit, or that he can’t be bothered to put on a belt.
  8. He Has A Collection of Novelty Ties– There’s nothing professional or classy about a tie adorned with cheeseburgers, Bart Simpson, or footballs. To pull off a novelty tie, a man needs to possess a very specific kind of quirky fashion sense that most men simply don’t have. Urge him to forgo the wacky prints in favor of a more conservative look.
  9. He Wears Socks With Sandals– This one should go without saying, but somehow this simple rule hasn’t made it through the heads of most men. There’s never a time that pairing socks and sandals is okay.
  10. He Doesn’t Match His Belt and Shoes– A brown belt should be worn with brown shoes, a black one with black shoes. Mixing them seems like a small issue, but it always sticks out like a sore thumb. This is one of the quickest ways to ruin what is otherwise a perfectly acceptable outfit.

Shared with permission from topdatingsites.com. Click here to read the rest of their article for more dress for success tips & advice when dating.

Don’t miss out – Our final savvy networking workshop of the season is being offered by the U of A alumni and open to our clients on Dec 1stClick here for more information or to register.

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Posted by Joanne Blake – Corporate Image Consultant and a woman who notices

About the author 

Joanne Blake

JOANNE BLAKE
Canadian speaker, corporate image consultant & business etiquette expert. If you're interested in booking a presentation, keynote or coaching, contact me. Based in Calgary / Edmonton, Alberta in western Canada.

  1. Hi Dave and Arnold,

    No socks with sandals, even if your socks match your sandals. And the current look with tee shirts is un-tucked (you can still wear a belt under the shirt even if yer spelin isn’t up to my level).

  2. Oh man……..looks like it’s time to go shopping. And here I thought I was done!
    And no socks with sandals, come on…your’e breaking my heart Joanne.

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