Back by popular demand comes Part 2 to the Gentleman's Guide series, a series I absolutely love. Following Part 1, which covered the definition of a gentleman while openly revealing that they are a dying species, this part will go a bit more in depth of what it means to be a man who is truly gentle, this time covering how to dress on any occasion.
We've all heard the rule to "dress to impress." Well, sometimes that just isn't good enough for a gentleman. You should dress to not only impress, but leave a lasting impression, so even if, and I say IF, someone sees you dressed down, they remember you as the man who shook the whole room. Having said that, dress for the location as well. No one likes a man in an all black suit showing up for Psychology 1000, and you can't impress at psych if you wear joggers and a T-shirt saying "Drunky McDrunkerson." You have to find a middle man, or middle woman, I should say. That's right, dress a quality very much like a sorority girl, but, you know, in a guy kind of way. They dress up just enough to seem business casual and catch a eye. You can always spot a sorority girl sitting in a classroom full of GDI's (I say that with love, as I am one, for now) they are often there to get work done, but look fantastic doing it.
Put simply, if you could wear it on a date and it is acceptable, you should wear it everyday. If you go on a date, blow everyone out of the water with elegance and beauty. Flannels and nice jackets always look great with nice, clean jeans and either a correctly colored hat or none at all. Your wardrobe should be like a tuxedo t-shirt (or have the same message as Arkansas believes it does) and say "I want to be formal, but approachable." Make yourself known and remembered, but in a gentle way.
Apart from wardrobe, a gentleman should always look and feel great. Skin, hair (head, beard, mustache, eyebrows or... the other major area), and everything in between should look and feel exactly how you want them to. As my high school hockey coach always said, "Look good, feel good, play good." I'm not going to tell you what hairstyles and shapes look best; that is your barber's job, and they can even do eyebrows and facial hair, so let them. They are the unsung heroes behind the gentlemanly appearance. Always keep your skin healthy and soft, moisturizers aren't weird for men to have. they smell good and make you feel great to touch, and you probably want to be touched. On a side note, always keep your finger and toe nails trimmed and clean; it shows sexual intelligence, for reasons you can completely understand. You don't have to shape your appearance every day, but once or twice a week to keep yourself at a certain standard is always a necessity.
