The gap between looking sharp and looking cheap often lies in forgotten details.
Shoes with scuffed toes, worn-down heels, or dirty bottoms
Your shoes frame your whole outfit, and others will notice the state of your footwear much quicker than you realize.
Strolling around town in leather boots with white toe rubs or heels with rubber caps worn down to bare metal looks neglected.
Consistent trips to the store, taking 30 seconds to touch up scuffs with matching shoe polish, and keeping sneaker soles white will save your whole look immediately.
Leaving clothes wrinkled
The instant you pull a shirt from a drawer or put on a new jacket that still sports its sharp, factory-pressed creases, it screams carelessness.
Wrinkles take attention away from nice fabrics and tailored fits by making your clothes look cheap and cheaply made.
Spending thirty seconds running a handheld steamer on your garments gets rid of tough creases and allows your clothes to have a crisp, clean hang.
Cheap buttons on blazers
Expensive suits and sport coats use horn, bone, mother-of-pearl, or matte finish buttons to match the heaviness of the garment itself. Most mid-priced jackets are outfitted with cheap, thin, shiny plastic buttons that appear and feel cheap.
Taking these cheap factory buttons off and replacing them with something as simple as horn or matte finish metal buttons makes all the difference on a jacket without altering the actual garment.
Smudged screens and glasses
When you spend good money on an expensive phone or designer glasses frames, it kind of defeats the purpose if the glass is always covered with fingerprints and dust.
Seeing someone looking at a phone covered in dirty smudges can feel gross and unhygienic in person. Keep a travel size microfiber cloth in your purse or pocket to keep your everyday tech and glasses germ-free.
Clinking accessories
Often inexpensive purses, jackets, and boot straps will include thin, hollow metal rings and cheap plastic zippers that clank together like keys when walking.
Luxury accessories are made with heavier-weight, solid brass or nickel hardware that doesn’t make noise when handled.
If your purse or clothing makes a jingling sound when you walk, everyone knows your gear is cheap.
Leaving jacket stitches intact
Retailers often use tiny white or tonal cross stitches to keep suit vents or coat slits flat while they sit on shelves. They’re meant to be cut open right when you take them home so that the fabric can freely move.
When left intact, the X-stitch sews up the vent’s back flap which causes your jacket to hike up across your hips unnaturally when you wear it. And by the way your coat is looking, it’s plain to see it wasn’t laundered and set up properly.
Dingy white clothes
If you’re not careful with your washing, white shirts, socks, and tanks can soon start looking dingy and gray.
Failing to keep darks and bright whites apart can result in colors running, and this is further compounded by extended exposure to hard water.
If you don’t promptly tackle stains, sort your laundry diligently, and employ a fabric brightener, your whites will inevitably end up looking faded and worn.
Overstuffing your purse
Packing weeks’ worth of coupons, grocery lists, and business cards into your purse gives your bag an unsightly pooch. Your minimalist wallet won’t keep its stylish shape if you jam it full of loose change and paper bits.
And when you push fine leather past its breaking point, it’ll stretch permanently, making stitches pull and zippers buckle. Carry only what you need to keep your bags and pockets sleek.
Lint and pet hair
Dark wool jackets, black sweaters, and other dark slacks are dust magnets. And brushing up against debris, hairballs, and fuzz without cleaning them off makes you look sloppy.
Laying fuzzy balls of pills or pet hair all over your shoulders seems like you threw on clothes without looking in the mirror.
Running a lint roller or fabric shaver across dark knitwear before leaving the house will make your sweaters look tidy and clean.
Carrying cheap plastic bags
You can have a great outfit on, but nothing kills the look faster than carrying your groceries in a flimsy disposable plastic bag.
Having cheap single-use bags for your lunchbox, gym totes, or extra sneakers looks sloppy and unplanned.
Splurge on a plain canvas tote bag, minimal leather shopper bag, or thermos bottle sleeve to keep your everyday bags neat.
Leaving protective film on
Leaving clear factory shipping stickers on the underside of metal bag clasps or watches to prevent scratches is intentionally lazy.
Instead of preserving that new look, the edges of the plastic wrap attract gray fuzz, peel up at the corners and reflect terribly in direct light. Taking off all the plastic wrap allows the actual metal and glass to truly gleam.
Wearing hair ties on your wrist
Throwing a large black rubber band hair tie or neon cloth scrunchie on your wrist for safe keeping throws off your entire arm game.
Hair aids don’t look good next to a chic watch or feminine bracelet. Throw those extra hair ties in your purse or pocket instead.
Dragging long hemlines
When your pant legs drag, the fabric quickly pills and gathers dirt after just a short walk. And your lengthy jeans often end up scrunched up around your shoes, messing with your leg line.
When your pants are hemmed to your specific shoe height, your outfits will always look as though they were made for you.
Overpowering perfume
When a good scent is applied, its presence is felt as someone draws near or brushes by.
Dunking yourself in inexpensive alcohol-based synthetic colognes results in a biting aroma cloud that clings to those around you while also appearing immature.
Opt for well-balanced fragrances and apply only one or two subtle spritzes to warm pulse areas will keep your scent inviting.
Visible undergarment lines
When your bra straps are obvious or your underwear shows through light fabrics, it totally spoils the smooth lines of your clothes.
When underwear digs in too much, it causes bulges that are noticeable under lighter materials, spoiling a clean silhouette.
Wear seamless underwear that matches your skin tone and fits well so that your clothes can lay smoothly against your frame.
Suit tags on
Many high-quality suits and coats come with a tiny woven brand label attached with a few loose stitches to the outside sleeve cuff.
These exterior tags are just for show in the store, letting customers see the fabric maker without taking the jacket off.
Keeping the tag sewn onto your sleeve cuff is an easy way to show that you missed one of the fundamentals of menswear; snipping those stitches will make the cuff look much better.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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