General Style

Unless man purses come into fashion, we're dealing with more and more junk to carry around these days - wallets, iPods, cell phones, Blackberries, PDA's, etc.  Pockets bulging in the wrong places are unsightly.  You want as clean of a look as possible on your pants as possible and leave the bulging to where it's relevant.  Here are some tips on keeping your pockets lean and clean without having to resort to vertically striped pants.

1. Your wallet. You don't want a thick wallet.  It screams someone with too many burdens, an overzealous World of Warcraft player, or an obsessive-compulsive packrat.  Really go through your wallet.  Toss as much as you can.  Throw out old receipts.  Cancel excessive credit cards.  Burn that VIP membership card to hotbabesXXX.com.  When you're done, it'll feel really good.  If you really have trouble pruning, buy a thin secondary wallet or money clip used for you go out and transfer only the essentials: cash in larger denominations, one credit card, driver's license.

2. Loose change. Get rid of it.  I keep anything under a quarter in change in a jar.  Every few months, I take the jar and take it to a Coinstar machine at a local bank.  I don't get charged for using it.  Most Coinstar machines charge 9% which is quite a lot if you're converting months worth of change.  I know some machines don't levy the commission if you use them towards a gift certificate to specific retail stores.

3. Breath Fresheners. Gum, Pocket Paks, mints, etc. You need to carry a pack of these no matter what - bad breath is your enemy.  I've had varying experience with different kinds, though I generally stay away from the mini spray canisters and stick gum because the paper packaging makes them vulnerable to heat.  Listerine Pocket Paks take up the least space though I find the traditional tablet gum lasts the longest.

4. Keys. You really only need your car and house keys.  Keep them on a detachable so you only go out with those.  I have a fat car alarm pager, but I substitute it with a tiny secondary pager that doesn't have the paging function.  I know German car owners have thick fob keys - I'm not sure if there are any smaller alternatives to those.

5. Cell phones. These days, phones are cheap.  You can easily get a thin flip phone for under $50 off craigslist, Kijiji, or eBay.  You need your phone of course to collect numbers, so like gum, you need to reserve a spot for it.  Make sure the phone has the ability to store and transfer interesting photos from your computer.  I put my rock climbing and recent travel photos on my phone.  When meeting new people, photos are a great communication tool.  The iPhone is great because you can play your own videos, though in context with this article, I'm not a huge fan of it because of its size.

Note: Playing videos of you biking down the World's Most Dangerous Road in Bolivia is cool.  Playing viral Youtube videos that everyone has seen before is not cool.

Extra Note: Never wear your phone on the outside of your pants on a clip.  I know it's really convenient, but in terms of style, it's an eyesore.

6. PDA's and Blackberries. PDA's can be left at home.  If your phone is GSM enabled, then get a small flip phone and swap your SIM card over to it for when you go out.  Staring at your phone and punching away at it like a Gameboy all night in a club has lost it's cool.  For many, the Blackberry is your phone, camera, organizer, GPS, etc.  I like the all-in-one concept, which really helps save pocket space, though I'm scared of its addictive Crackberry properties.

Reminder Note: Never wear your phone or Blackberry on the outside of your pants on a clip.  I need to re-emphasize this because it's like the fashion faux-pas of wearing a t-shirt under a shirt.

7. Digital cameras. I used to carry one around when I first starting going out to clubs a lot to "track my progress" - it was encouraging.  After a while, I stopped carrying one around because of the pocket burden.  Now, I occasionally carry one to film some rough live footage of my dancing.  If your camera has a decent camera with a mini-flash on it, this is probably the better way to go.  After a while, club photos with random hot women and friends all look the same.  This one's up to you though.  If you really love pictures, then by all means bring a camera.   Just try to get a model as thin and slim as possible.  I know Canon, Sony, and Casio all carry pretty thin models.

Exceptions. If you have a medical condition that forces you to carry medicine, inhalers, etc that fatten your wallet, then by all means carry these items.  If your pockets are getting bloated by these or of the above items, I have seen some decent looking waist bags that hang stylishly off your belt, and don't look like purses.  I've seen overpriced Gucci waist bags, but since waist bags are popular in Asian culture, I know some Japanese fashion stores carry Japanese men's Hanpu waist bags that carry the same function and look even better.

Also, you might consider wearing a sports jacket or a heavily pocketed military style jacket as part of your club wear to get more carrying capacity.  Just remember, the clubs get hot.  I love how a jacket or club blazer looks, but it doesn't combine well with dancing unless you sweat very little and have a high tolerance for heat.

I've been going to clubs for a while, and the one fashion mistake I see guys doing over and over again is wearing a t-shirt (or any collarless shirt) under another shirt.

At first, I thought this was an epidemic that existed only in cities where there's winter.  I'm sure it's less of a problem in warmer climates, but even in the sweltering summers here in Toronto, I still see guys wear the two shirts!  I've thus come to believe that it's a mistake most men will naturally make, so I now write this as a warning to all.

Can you see the fashion difference in the two pictures below?  If you think the t-shirt under looks better, then just take my word for it and don't wear a t-shirt under another shirt.

What It Communicates

This fashion faux-pas shouts a number of things.  First of all, it suggests you're not comfortable in clubs.  Perhaps a club newbie.  Or worse - a techie!   Maybe because I came from a computer background, the t-shirt under a shirt (or even worse, the corporate conference IT t-shirt under another shirt) phenomena is something I've seen so much that I've come to associate it with cubicles and TPS reports.

Now there's nothing wrong with being a geek.  It's just not the first thing you want to communicate given the stereotypes.  Women would rather talk about the adventurous things you do outside of work than your optimized compiler.   Look around at the alpha guys, club regulars, or maybe some male models.  You won't see them making this mistake, both fashion and conversation-wise.

The shirt under the shirt also sub-communicates that you're not comfortable with your body (it's sinful!) and you have to cover it up.  Aversion to dancing screams the same thing too.

On the other hand, exposing your chest a little communicates sexuality.  Combo it up with some interesting neckwear (avoid a French scarf) and now you'll have something interesting going on.  I like to wear things I've picked up from places I've travelled to.  It makes for interesting conversation fodder too.

However, be prepared to draw attention to your newly exposed chest area which you were formerly trying to cover up.  Women will look.  You piece of meat.

Body Odor And Sweating?

If body odor and sweating is an issue, wearing a t-shirt under won't help - especially if it's a cotton one.  It only exacerbates the problem and leaves you a soaking mess.  Unfortunately, extra or heavy cologne is also a no-no - it just takes you to the other extreme.

I recommend wearing a polyester, quick dry, or similar synthetic material as a shirt .  Stylish and fitting ones made of these materials are a little harder to come by, as most of them are designed for outerwear, but I have picked a few cool retro-styled polos at my local Mountain Equipment Co-op.  If you're fine with wearing a nice t-shirt out (that's NOT those overdone Affliction MMA shirts), then you'll have more options.  Clothing makers for hip sports such as or skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, or rock climbing have .   Burton, Quiksilver, and Blurr are few brands that come to mind.  Vintage stores also often carry polyester shirts dating back a few decades.

Also try trimming your body hair.  However, if sweat is really an issue, then consider this little trick.  Bring an extra shirt to the club and check it in at coat check.  Once you've sweated out your first shirt, head back to coat check and swap it with your spare.  Check in a small towel too if you need to wipe down before swapping shirts.

The one exception to the shirt under a shirt rule is if you plan on unbuttoning or buttoning only one or two buttons on your outer shirt.  Still, if you plan on dancing, the less layers you wear, the better.

If you look through the fashion trends of the past decades, you'll notice that much of the clothing we remember from those periods have all but disappeared today.  They were loud, and the trends left as soon as they came.

Loud fashion is still around today, but is usually worn by teeny-boppers.  Retailers targeting this market know this well and frequently change up what they have to offer in their stores.  Go visit a mall and you'll know what I'm talking about.  Go to the back and take a look at their full sale racks.  The prices are steeply discounted from the original because the styles have become old.

If you're over twenty years old, on a budget, or just want a timeless wardrobe you don't want to change so often, then this article is relevant for you.

Men's Fashion Trends That Will Fade Fast

1. Jeans With Too Much Faux-Damage - false paint splatters, rips, holes, and oil stains.  I avoid the paint splatters in general, and I do have oil-stained from actually wearing them to work on my car.  I also have old, ripped jeans from just wearing them too much.  They actually, have a natural worn tear that looks great that retailers have difficulty duplicating.  Holes are easier to duplicate, but look like bullet or moth holes.  I don't wear these types of jeans to clubs though, and many have rules against them. 

High contrast wash jeans - dark jeans with a heavily bleached area usually around the thigh section won't be around long.