you know, something that really gets to me that i think the vast majority of people do is wear oversized clothing. i don’t “oversized” in the sense like guys wear xxl t shirts that fit like dresses and sag their jeans below their asses (both of which also get on my nerves… but that’s another story), but i mean oversized in the way that your *item of clothing* is juuuuuust too large for you by the slightest amount, but only because the other people in your life also mistake sizing and think that you’re wearing the right size.

the things i think no one should mis-size, but get mis-sized all the time:

1) a leather jacket. this is most unforgivable. a leather jacket should be form fitting and tight. it’s leather, it’ll stretch and mold to your body, so buy it in a size so that it can. a friend of mine lived by the motto that one should continue to size down until one cannot close the jacket, then size up one. i just think that a leather jacket has to fit snugly throughout the body and sleeves (these often get overlooked, bring yours to a good tailor for work if this is a problem for you). i always think of an iconic picture of the ramones, with their perfecto jackets so tight and small on them that there was no way anyone (even with their bodies) could close it. their were slim because they made them that way, and they looked amazing because of it. tight, short throughout, all around perfect. wear it that way (okay, maybe not that tight and small, but you get my point). if there’s any sort of person you should emulate when it comes to a leather jacket, make it a rocker.

2) blazers. people, blazers are made to make you look nice and shapely. the shoulders need to be broad, the waist cinched, and the length just right. gq believes that you should be able to cup your hand easily under your jacket when wearing it. this is a good rule of them for more formal blazers. personally, i like to cut my more casual blazers like my leathers: short and tight. and this is why i swear by costume national blazers, they understand my mentality about blazers. i have the most amazing navy linen one from them i got in milan, and my got the fit is spot on. if you need a blazer and you don’t mind a little of a splurge (in the world of nice blazers it’s a deal) go for costume national, the construction is amazing and so are the fabrics, and the fit (but i said that before). remember: casual = short and tight. formal = classic, a little longer but not necessarily looser. keep it the same slimness, just lengthen it a little. i have a friend who wears a lot of brioni, and i would never recommend he cuts his blazers like i cut my costume national ones, because his are much more classic than mine. if it’s classic, keep it the classic length and style, you’ll thank me when you don’t look like you’re wearing your son’s blazer from prep school. and please, get lapels that suit your build, otherwise you accentuate the things you don’t want to accentuate and it’s all a big mess. see the gq article about the right suit for reference (google it.)

3) sweaters. the seams should land perfectly on your shoulder, like your blazer’s seams. that’s rule #1 with sweaters. nobody wants seams on their biceps, that’s not nice. and they’re not bat wing sleeves for a reason, so don’t size them that way. (that’s rule #1.5 i guess) rule #2 is keep the length appropriate. not too long, not too short. i think sweaters should either just barely cover your belt, or they should reveal a little tiny peak, but no more of this swimming in sweaters business (even if it is cashmere!), it doesn’t look nice. so stop it.

4) t shirts! people get this wrong all the time. like a sweater, the seams should land on your shoulder, not lower, not higher, not anything else. and it ends at your waist, not your crotch. that’s the chief thing people get wrong. your t-shirt should stop at your belt and no further. it’s not a mini-dress.

then there are other things like pants, undershirts, collared shirts (please, get the right sized collar! you’re not an ann demeulemeester model for god’s sake!!!!) and other things, but these are good enough to start all your sartorial journeys (or advance them, hopefully!)

thanks for following, kelseydavis!!!

also (since i can’t, for some reason, respond to your answer/question about the dress i posted earlier) i did make the dress yeah, it’s 100% percent from my brain and hands haha

"Dressing well is a kind of good manners, if you ask me. When you’re standing in a room, your effect is the same as a chair’s effect, or a sculpture’s. You’re part of someone’s view, you’re part of that world, and so you should dress well. I find it’s a show of respect to try to put on your best face and look as good as you can."

thanks for following, theessentialman!