Men, Listen Up! Here’s How to Dress for the Holidays

It’s Yuletide once again. It’s high time to drop your Dnine Reserve for a while in exchange for a more season-appropriate clothing. The holidays are the perfect occasions that are made extra special by how people are dressed, and that includes the men. No ifs, no buts, no excuses.

Below are some tips on how you should go about dressing to impress around the Thanksgiving table.

1) Know the dress code

There is nothing more awkward than going to the company Christmas party in ripped jeans. And, of course, going to the party looking like a Christmas catastrophe is not such a good idea either. You are mingling with the boss and other company who’s who. If you are not sure that to wear, better ask your officemates what they are wearing.

2) Go for the basics

If you are still in doubt, go for a smart casual attire. Wear a black pants and mix it with a colored, collared top. Wear the colors of Christmas such as a red collared polo shirt. Steer clear from overly Christmas outfits or those dresses you only see on worst Christmastime dresses list.

3) Just KISS

Keep it simple, stupid! This cliché really works. Put it this way. If you would [secretly or blatantly] laugh seeing that outfit on another person, then don’t wear it. Likewise, don’t be that person that everybody would love to call the Grinch after the holidays.

If all else fails, the Art of Manliness publishes a 60-second guide on how a man should dress for the holidays. See below.

dressing for the holidays men

The Art of Manliness also offers holiday dressing tips for the men, as outlined by Antonio Centeno of ATailoredSuit.com.

Layer

Men must know how to overlap cotton and wool in the most appropriate manner. Generally, the Christmas season is chilly so you must know how to wear the right clothes. When we say the right clothes, these should not cause any overheating while allowing the skin to breathe.

Cotton must be worn closer to your body because the fabric is lightweight and breathable. Wool, on the other hand, must be worn outside due to its heat-retaining properties. It could be a jacket, sweater or overcoat. While cotton passes both heat and moisture, wool absorbs moisture. So, this means you can wear wool socks and knitted wool or cashmere hat.

If it gets too cold outside, which it will surely does, make sure that you are wearing 100% cotton underwear, a dress shirt, wool trousers, wool jacket and wool overcoat. Now, if it gets too hot, you may simply un-layer.

Overcoat

A man needs to invest in an overcoat, too. An overcoat is not a luxury, contrary to what most men think. It is an essential, and not to mention, this is the first, last and only thing that other people would see you wearing. Also, you will only need one overcoat, so it is really wiser to invest in an overcoat with the best fit.

When buying an overcoat, the fit is the most important factor to consider. While it is an overcoat, it should not look and feel loose. Choose the overcoat that complement your built. Next, make sure that the sleeve has the right length wherein it should cover your shirt cuffs and jacket, but never your hands.

When wearing an overcoat, make sure there are other elements to complement it such as a knitted hat, wool scarf or leather gloves.

Jacket

The majority of the holiday parties doesn’t necessarily required the male attendees to wear a suit. However, again, it is outrightly gawky to go to a dressy event in sweats. A blazer or a jacket will do and just simply match it with a button-down shirt unless the dress code include the word ‘tie.’

Trousers

Dark trousers or pair of jeans are almost always appropriate for the season. Rare are those who wear khakis; perhaps because of the nature of parties. Khakis can easily get dirty during luncheon or dinner and the dirt is so obvious everyone will keep on staring at the wrong places.

Handkerchief

Carrying a white handkerchief in the back pocket of your pants never gets out of style. And, it’s an inexpensive habit at that. Also, a hanky always comes handy in case of a potentially embarrassing situation involving you, a lady, a child or even a fellow man. So, keep a hanky handy.

Dressing to the occasion is taken a bit more seriously during the holiday season. So, man up and dress your part. Just refer to the illustration if you are a bit lost on what you should wear and when exactly.

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