Fashion Losing the Preppy Style Gets More Women

[Achilles]

Like the subject line states, steering away from classic American prep fashion has gotten me an exponentially larger amount of sexual conquests. Let's talk about how and why.

What is prep fashion?
In a nutshell, prep or preppy fashion stems from private American preparatory schools (hence, the name) that would prepare upper-class American high school students for competitive universities. Therefore, the style itself stems from private school uniforms worn by these American students. This private school fashion would then be continued in use by the student into his college years. Feel free to Wikipedia the term preppy for more info if you care to. Today, the preppy style has taken on its own world, and the term preppy has lost a lot of its original meaning and can now mean people from any socioeconomic background who choose to dress in this conservative way.

Quick background info about me:
I grew up in the Northeast and played lacrosse and crew when I was younger. A typical preppy, Northeastern upbringing. My old man wore Ralph Lauren head-to-toe and had my siblings and I dress the same way. My father was a successful man, but conservative and boring to women. My mother was also old school preppy but a lifetime of knowing her and my father taught me that she married him out of necessity and financial security, not for true sexual attraction.

Do women like preppy guys?:
The girls I grew up with were also preppy. But here's the kicker: they didn't like most preppy guys. Take the kid with the leather jacket smoking a cigarette in the high school parking lot. Or the Byronic kid in a band. These guys back in high school got the HOTTEST girls. I thought clean-cut preppy girls were the sexiest thing in the world. What I didn't realize is that these girls didn't think clean-cut preppy guys were sexy at all. Is is hard to imagine why? These girls' fathers wore Ralph Lauren button-ups and ass-hugging khakis. Do you really think that's what they want? Of course not. They wanted the bad boys. The Byronic, edgy, and sexual men. And they always will. Conservative also tends to mean judgmental. My father was conservative and judgmental, as were his friends. Two things that women don't find sexy. What I couldn't get my head around was what about all the girls who did date preppy guys? The answer to this came to me from a friend who I went to high school with. She was the hot popular girl and was dating a preppy guy I was friends with. She told me she was into him because 1- there weren't many non-preppy guys and she in some ways settled for him 2- he was the edgiest out of my group of friends. And then she laid a bombshell on me. She found a guy named Keith we went to school with to be the hottest guy in school. This guy was a total Byronic waif type. I had no idea this hot preppy girl was secretly crushing on this bad boy for so long. It's hardly a shock.

Are preppy guys boring?
Well, ask yourself: when you see a very preppy looking guy in a catalog does he look Byronic to you or does he look like a typical nice guy, who always finishes last. Right, he looks like a boring nice guy. Also, keep in mind, that right now prep fashion is very common and hardly fashionable. How many guys are wearing boat shoes? Or have a J Crew style going? Most guys dress like this, especially in the summer. More boring guys who women will ignore. Sure, media has preppy, uptight guys getting women, but TV shows and movies are often written by these kind of men. And again, this site has discussed numerous times how mass media does not reflect real life and most boring, nice guys consume a lot of this media.

The change:
When I went to college, I still dressed preppy but then, halfway through college, I went through a bad boy phase. I started wearing trendier, more urban designer clothes like we talk about on this site. I was wearing necklaces and had more of a Byronic style. Keeping the same game I had, I noticed that this bad boy image got me an exponentially larger amount of women. Girls would act differently around me; they would be more uninhibited. They would assume things about me, things that were advantageous in getting them into bed. Even well after college, I dabbled in my old preppy style every once in a while, and I found myself having a harder time with women whenever I did.

It makes sense. If you've read the articles on here and really understand what women want, you can see why the preppy style isn't very attractive to women sexually. It may hint that you are a stable partner and can provide financially, but if you know anything about Girls Chase, you know that this is the wrong approach. What's interesting is that a gay man I worked with LOVED preppy guys. This also makes sense. Preppy guys have a soft, effeminate vibe, which is what gay men want. As for women, you know they'll always want the edgy guy who keeps them chasing.

 

[Nova]

basically, preppy is gay. and you know what? i dont even realllllly know what 'preppy' fashion is, i didn't even read your post - but i do know that preppy stuff is gay, somehow

 

[Marty]

Achilles:

This is an excellent post which addresses an issue I've often wondered about.

Around 2008 I started dressing preppy, shopping in fancy places like Gant which I'd never had money for before, due to suddenly getting a job that was better-paid that the ones I'd held in the preceding 10 years. You're right, it got me absolutely nowhere with girls. In fact, the time of my life I probably had the most varied selection of girls at my disposal was around 1996-99 when I dressed real immature (e.g. plain black T-shirt with light blue denim jeans, suede jackets, stuff like that which I later regarded as making me look like an outgrown kid—perhaps mistakenly).

What is really interesting is that in at least two long-term relationships, girls actually encouraged me to dress preppy. Like a California girl I dated when I was very young, who said she got a kick out of seeing me in Dockers pants and used to buy them for me. Another told me her favorite was when I wore a navy blazer. Do you think there's a subliminal element of keeping "my" man "not too sexy" so he doesn't get "stolen" lurking under the surface there? Or do you think girls in LTRs look for something different than more sexually open girls?

I thought clean-cut preppy girls were the sexiest thing in the world.

Me too. What's quite an eye-opener is if you Google some Ralph Lauren advertisements, a lot of the guys look effeminate and even borderline gay, but to my eye, the girls look hot as fuck. It's an easy mistake to make to think that if you want to get a particular genre of girl, you have to dress like her. I know it's an easy mistake to make, because I've been making it most of my life, LOL

As for women, you know they'll always want the edgy guy who keeps them chasing.

I think I have a great handle on what NOT to do now; what would be real helpful, Achilles, is if you could post some sample photos showing what you SHOULD positively aim for. I'd be interested to see it.

I'll never forget a shocking experience I had around 2003. I had just recently gotten married, and as is quite typical for a lot of overly comfortable, less than directed men at that point in their lives, I had put on weight. Frankly, I probably wasn't much to look at. I generally showed up to work in a business suit and tie, and so that was how my colleagues were accustomed to seeing me.

In the office where I worked, there was a Chief Accountant who was a few years older than me—maybe 30 or just over. She had flame-red hair in a carré style, a voluptuous and sexy body, a cute face, wore highly provocative, male lust–inducing fragrance like for example Cerruti 1881, and was really, incredibly mean. Like all sweetness and civility on the surface, with a real nasty streak underneath. I hated her guts and I also wanted to fuck her more than anything in the world. Not a good combination.

Anyway, one day I had been away on a business trip and had an early-morning flight back to the city. I needed to come into the office for a short time upon arrival, and rather than head home and change first, I thought I'd just go in, get what I needed done and get out. I was wearing a check lumberjack-style shirt and some very casual winter pants, probably corduroys. Basically I thought I looked a mess, frankly.

Well, my intuition hasn't always been the best, but I'll never forget the way that Chief Accountant looked at me. She was with another young woman, I can't remember who, but they exchanged lustful glances. There's no question about it. I was shocked and bewildered. I had no idea how to act upon it back then, so I did nothing. But your thread here really brought that memory back to mind.

-Marty

 

[Achilles]

Like a California girl I dated when I was very young, who said she got a kick out of seeing me in Dockers pants and used to buy them for me. Another told me her favorite was when I wore a navy blazer. Do you think there's a subliminal element of keeping "my" man "not too sexy" so he doesn't get "stolen" lurking under the surface there? Or do you think girls in LTRs look for something different than more sexually open girls?

Funny you should mention that she was a California girl. I did my undergrad at a big school in CA and was in a long-term relationship with a girl from So Cal. When I first met her and had sex with her, I had the bad boy image and much like your experience, when we started dating, she preferred me a little bit more clean cut in public. What I've seen in CA girls is that they have major complexes when it comes to their socioeconomic status. They constantly need to prove to their friends and even themselves that they're rich or come from a wealthy family. That's what this girl was doing, but I can't say that about all California women. But you bring up a great point: was she trying to make you unsexy? I completely think she was. I believe she wanted you to have the emasculated boyfriend role who offers security, where she has traded your sexuality for security. There's a fantastic article on this site written by Chase back in 2011 that covers this. It's an absolute eye-opener and a MUST READ. Here it is:

https://www.girlschase.com/content/non-s ... oesnt-work

Chase says something in it that's crucial: "The compliant man is the domesticated man. He's been broken -- trained -- taught who the boss is. It helps a woman to feel more secure, while simultaneously nuking her attraction for the man. In terms of biology and evolution, for raising a family, security is more important than attraction to women, so they're willing to sacrifice one for the other."

That's exactly what these women are doing when they want you to dress like their preppy dads. The article points out the importance of never going down this hole of domestication. Stay sexy and edgy and have keep them chasing. There's also a great article that I think as written by Colt Williams. In the article, the importance of not being perfect is discussed and how a girl would prefer an imperfect, sexual man who she tries to change in a relationship, rather than a compliant, boring guy who has no flaws.

I think I have a great handle on what NOT to do now; what would be real helpful, Achilles, is if you could post some sample photos showing what you SHOULD positively aim for. I'd be interested to see it.

Although there are various ways in looking edgy, here some examples. It's funny how if you ask yourself about any of the follow pictures, "Could this guy be on the cover of the next Gant or Ralph Lauren catalog?" the answer is always "absolutely not." Which is why it works!

Let's use Ryan Gossling as an example since there's an abundance of pics of this guy doing everything from walking his dog to taking a shit.

Notice how he juggles between a hard, Byronic look to a more refined version of it. But he's still very Byronic in all of them. He's not clean cut, wears a visible chain, beat up jeans, and scruffy boots. Even when he dresses to go out, it's pretty edgy with the blazer and tee combo.

If this style is too casual, and you want to look edgy in a professional setting, I would say look to Tom Ford. He's gay but as the guy who made Gucci what it is, he has a great sense of style and knows how to keep things elegant yet edgy. Although he's dressed more professionally in most of these pics, he always looks interesting and never boring. He's unshaven and wears his suits in an edgy way.

It's funny how when I was younger and dressed preppy, I would always convince myself that women didn't want the bad boy even when it was painfully obvious they did. I remember if a girl told me she liked tattoos on a guy, I would literally tell her that she shouldn't. I would scold girls and try to keep it playful but I just couldn't digest it. It was so pathetic! A girl once told me leather jackets and a rugged look was very sexy on a guy, and I said something like, "Yeah, but it's not really attractive. Clean cut always looks better." It's like I was trying to convince her and myself at the same time that she didn't want that, when she really did. I was describing what I wanted in a girl: soft, effeminate, and preppy. These are obviously not what women desire in men. The good thing is, most guys, especially preppy guys, have no idea what women want. So let them fail while we rack 'em up!

 

[SteveUno]

Great thread topic! Funny thing is, I was thinking about starting a thread about this very topic a few months ago. I was wondering about this myself because last summer when I did some traveling, I dressed very preppy. I was going all out on the preppy style that summer mainly because my friend is a manager at a major preppy clothing store and got me great discounts.

So I traveled throughout Europe last summer and I looked pretty damn boring, effeminate, and like a nice guy. We went out to lots of bars and clubs and I noticed that I was getting passed up over and over again for my other guy friends who dress bad boyish and more Byronic.

Btw I never actually noticed that article on this site so I'm glad you posted it otherwise I would've passed it up. Also I have been made to look like a nice guy too by my ex girlfriend when we were dating at the time. I knew she was trying to de-masculinize me because along with trying to get to dress like an old man (preppy and boring), she tried to even fatten me up! Haha I'm sure lots of you guys know what I'm talking about.

And yeah I see the style you're talking about with Ryan Gossling and Tom Ford... they both have an edge but in their own ways.

 

[BarryS1]

When I went to college, I still dressed preppy but then, halfway through college, I went through a bad boy phase. I started wearing trendier, more urban designer clothes like we talk about on this site. I was wearing necklaces and had more of a Byronic style. Keeping the same game I had, I noticed that this bad boy image got me an exponentially larger amount of women. Girls would act differently around me; they would be more uninhibited. They would assume things about me, things that were advantageous in getting them into bed. Even well after college, I dabbled in my old preppy style every once in a while, and I found myself having a harder time with women whenever I did.

Had the same realization in college. When I transitioned from wearing polo shirts/cargo pants/Sperrys to 59-50hats/bro tanks/running shorts, girls started looking at me. A couple female friends and protested the change saying, "Those hats will make you look like a douche NOOO!"

Interesting what you said about going back to preppy and noticing a difference. I had an internship my last two semesters in college requiring a dress shirt and pants. I wore them in the mornings before going to my internship in the afternoon - absolutely no looks from girls.

 

[Estate]

Guys,
I think you're looking at this all wrong...

To a point, dressing down... or at least, being casual over too dressy works in the US. In other places, not so much. But you're coming at it from an angle of "I can't get girls, how do I get more girls...?!?!" Ok... look attainable.

But what you're missing out on here is quality over quantity.

If you're not getting with women then there's lots of way including this to start getting laid. But are you interested in numbers or quality?
There's a pretty strong argument, that if you want to walk into a business area of town, a high-brow bar or lounge or any sort of environment where you tend to find more quality women, the baggy jeans and t-shirt just won't cut it.

I've had this effect myself so I understand where you're coming from. More women actively approach me or give me signals when I'm dressed down. But it's because I seem more attainable. It's easier to get more women this way if you are relying on THEM coming to YOU, and are not concerned with quality.

Once you start pushing your limits and improving, things begin to change in that respect.

 

[Marty]

I agree with Estate that this argument as it currently stands is oversimplified.

James Bond and Don Draper, to name but two fictional characters, are almost constantly dressed to the nines yet seem to experience no issues with attracting pussy.

I think there's a "how you wear it" element to this... I think it was Ross who once wrote, in the context of hats, that it enhances whatever fundamentals you possess, or lack thereof. In other words, dressing more formally gets you more attention if you carry yourself suavely and coolly in the first place, and makes you seem even more of a standout douche if you're starting out awkward. It's like leverage, a magnifier of both the good and the bad.

The above refers to business suits, tuxedos, ties, blue blazers and the like. I do think however that the polo-shirt-and-khaki-slacks look can be safely consigned to the garbage can. Even if you wear it well, it still has that touch of Best Buy casual labor to it

 

[Grand Pooba]

This thread (no pun intended) has piqued my interest - I get the basing behind "preppy isn't sexy" etc etc, but can we define exactly what preppy means for style, what it doesn't, and what brands and styles would be considered preppy?

I ask because a bulk of my wardrobe consists of items from Club Monaco, Banana Republic, and I also tend to wear polo/lacoste shirts with dark jeans and tan Cole Haan shoes. I try to pull off a classy sophisticated look, not your typical prep boy with boat shoes and short cargo shorts.

At the same time, I do recall brands like Abercrombie and Hollister being quite popular a few years ago.

 

[Marty]

Hey Ozzo...

Here's my personal take on this—by no means to be treated as gospel, but just in the interests of discussion:

First of all, the style you describe sounds very tasteful. I also like the dark jeans and tan shoes look, and Cole Haan is an extremely stylish brand.

I quite like Banana Republic too although I personally think they slightly overcharge versus comparable brands. Their cut is generally excellent.

Second, and this is subject to debate... I understand that you have some South Asian heritage in your ancestry, which I guess means that you're slightly darker-featured than the average American of European descent. I bring this up because in the article on facial hair, and in a couple other places too I think, Chase makes the point that darker-skinned men already have a slight edge by virtue of their physical appearance, so being a bit cleaner-cut helps to take that edge off ever so slightly and makes you more attainable without lowering your value. So if I correctly understood his interpretation, I think you're probably positioning it just right.

Hope this is of interest.

-Marty

 

[Grand Pooba]

First of all, the style you describe sounds very tasteful. I also like the dark jeans and tan shoes look, and Cole Haan is an extremely stylish brand.

Thank you, Marty.
This brings up a point of conflict I had in my initial post, which is what preppy exactly defines? In my opinion, there are two styles of a "preppy" look:
1. The traditional "prep school" appearance defined by a Polo shirt (or similar), khakis or tight, short, colorful shorts, and boat shoes. In general, the color palette is very Spring floral - pinks, blues, yellows, khakis - generally neutral warm colors which could be effeminate and which DEFINITELY are not edgy.
2. The clean cut, tasteful look which some might describe as business casual, sported by brands like Club Monaco, Banana Republic, and the like. These are defined by generally tight fits, socks with patterns, an array of colors which also include blacks and whites, and might be considered dressy.

In the case of this thread, what I understand is that the first style is unattractive for women, whereas the second style is attractive depending on your context and what you do with it. But it also seems that the #2 "tasteful" and "sleek" appearance is still inferior to the "bad boy" look when it comes to seducing women.

I would post a picture of myself in the #2 attire, maybe later tonight.

----

Second question - I had a thought as I'm sitting eating lunch. Every year I notice certain styles and trends come into play, but in general people seem to gravitate towards imitating everyone else. Five minutes ago, I noticed three guys walk into this sandwich shop wearing the exact same shoes but in slightly different colors - suede half-boots with four lace holes and leather laces that are somewhat casual - that seem to have picked up dramatically in fashion a few months ago. Unfortunately I don't know the name. Anyway, the net result is these guys all looked pretty much the same at first glance.

For our purposes, it seems better to go against the grain and stand out either tastefully or with edge, rather than do what everyone else does, correct?

 

[Estate]

For our purposes, it seems better to go against the grain and stand out either tastefully or with edge, rather than do what everyone else does, correct?

This is the part I think gets confused a lot in PUA circles...

Technically you're right, stand out in some way... but in PUA-land people take it to stupid extremes.
Take the guys with the boots for example. We always called them desert-boots growing up but I think in the fashion world they're called Chukka's or something like that? They do seem to be the fashion coming into this Spring. Now I'm guessing they all wore them with the same pair of "Dad Wrangler" type jeans or else skinny chords. That's a pretty comon stlye in the hipstery parts of town around here.

But the problem is the 9/10 guys just buy clothes.. "something" like what appears to be in fashion right now, in a size thats "about ok", ignore colors, matches, fits, accessories, etc, etc, etc... and yes, you just get the whole "bland guy following the trend" look.

So The PUA will say **** that, I'm going to die my hair pink and wear clothes covered in LED bulbs. Now... is THAT really better? To me, at least... No.

But having said that, you can take those shoes and put them into a styling outfit and stand out that way.
Instead of wearing an XL pleated shirt from Macy's, go and get a tailored fit double ply white shirt elsewhere...
Now both guys are wearing the same thing. One looks like his Mom dressed him that morning and the other guy looks well put together.

At least that's my style... peacock by dressing the "norm" only better. Good fits, good materials, matching colors, don't be afraid to throw in a bold color to the outfit but don't let it dominate your look. Then instead of a side-side, you take what's "in fashion" but you make it look good.

Again though... I'll go back to my point in my last post. I think you guys are overlooking the real things going on here. It is *easier* to get *average* women when you look attainable to them. But we're all about reaching to the skies here right? Not settling for average?

 

[Richard]

At least that's my style... peacock by dressing the "norm" only better. Good fits, good materials, matching colors, don't be afraid to throw in a bold color to the outfit but don't let it dominate your look. Then instead of a side-side, you take what's "in fashion" but you make it look good.

This right here is gold.

A slight nuance is you can dress properly against the norm as well.



Most guys in my area dress like the above image: pants sagging, enlarged clothing, chains, etc. --> The clothing itself is usually above average, and gives an air of power/money because their clothing comes from drug money and girls in my area are generally attracted to that lifestyle.



Whereas me, I dress more like the above. More casual/classic and it stands out against the "norm" but still looks immaculate. It's also a clever twist when a guy dressed like this takes things sexual - completely throws women off =P

-Richard

 

[Marty]

These girls' fathers wore Ralph Lauren button-ups and ass-hugging khakis.

What is wrong with ass-hugging, may I inquire? I thought women liked a small, lean, supple ass on a guy, and if it's shown off to perfection in tight-fitting clothing, all the better surely?

 

[Franco]

I won't comment too much on all points on this thread, but I'll mention that I model a lot of my style after -- you'll like this, Estate -- Colin Farrell. Not only does he have very "bad-boyish" taste in fashion, but he also resembles me pretty closely (to the point where multiple people have mentioned the similar resemblance to me).

Just to give you an idea, here's some of the fashion that you might catch me in (with Colin Farrell as the model so to speak): Colin Farrell's Fashion

- Franco

 

[Marty]

Suffering from a little cognitive dissonance here... help me out if you will.

On the one hand, I totally agree with Ozzo... the pastel shorts, boat shoes and boyish bordering on effeminate "New Haven" look is total bullshit and enough to make girls retch. Several women I have known intimately have told me that possibly the most repulsive thing in a man is an excessively groomed, spick-and-span, semi-feminine appearance (e.g. with manicured nails... I kid you not) that leaves the person's sexuality in doubt. Likewise I was shocked when I moved to the US and ventured to the pool/beach, to see some (apparently heterosexual) men with fully waxed chests and/or underarms... seems gross to me, cannot imagine that in Europe (excusable perhaps on a championship swimmer).

On the other hand, looking at the link Franco posted, yes that is some very cool, edgy and masculine style he has going on and that would engender instant respect from me as a fellow-man... BUT where I have difficulty is in imagining myself approaching a girl in a skirt-suit, heels and pantyhose while dressed in this manner. I would feel underdressed to be talking to her, even borderline scruffy (in some of the images, not all by any means). Now if she were in denim hotpants and a halterneck sun-top herself, it would be another matter.

Put another way, I'd want to feel presentable enough to be able to go on an instant date at a moment's notice without getting kicked out by the management. I am in no position to criticize, since Franco gets boatloads more women than I do, but I raise this point because if I'm on the wrong track I'd like to be corrected sooner rather than later.

-Marty

 

[Franco]

Marty,

BUT where I have difficulty is in imagining myself approaching a girl in a skirt-suit, heels and pantyhose while dressed in this manner. I would feel underdressed to be talking to her, even borderline scruffy (in some of the images, not all by any means).

Not everything in that link is something I would wear, but his general "edge" style is more what I was getting at. I went ahead and pulled a few images from there replicating exact styles that you'll find me wearing:

...and I usually don't undo more than 2 buttons on my shirt. =)

- Franco

 

[Marty]

Franco:

Looks terrific!

Two questions:

• (a) Where do you buy this stuff? Is it expensive?
  
  (b) How do you (and this Irish fellow) get your untucked shirt to hug your body like that? I can achieve a nice waistline with a tucked shirt, but when untucked it tends to billow out and hide my figure... there must be some solution as these pictures would indicate?

Thanks

-Marty

 

[Franco]

Marty,

(a) Where do you buy this stuff? Is it expensive?

Depends on where you go and what you're purchasing. I'll search for value if I can find it first and foremost -- brand-name stuff for certain clothing items can be highly over-expensive. That being said, if I can't find something cheap that will give me the same look as the expensive brand-name stuff, I'll fork over the money for it. This is especially true with things like jeans since you only really need a couple pairs of them and they last for a very long time, so the investment can be worth it.

For T-shirts, Sears bought out the brand "Structure" which I absolutely love; they really do have the sexiest variety of men's clothing in my opinion. However, since they are usually just a small section of a Sears store, they don't have as much of a selection as they used to anymore.

I bought my most recent pair of jeans from Express, but you can probably find good pairs at any good outlet. Just make sure to try tons of them on and find one that really fits you well before forking over the cash. Generally, the jeans should be rather tight around your waist, but not so much that it feels like you're having to suck in your stomach for it to not bother you.

Men's Warehouse is good for suits/sports jackets because you can get them tailored to your size. I generally go there for my classiest outfits.

As far as accessories, I usually just order those off of Amazon. Those types of things generally don't need to be tried on in person, so you can just order them online (and return them for a full refund if they end up not being what you thought they were).

(b) How do you (and this Irish fellow) get your untucked shirt to hug your body like that? I can achieve a nice waistline with a tucked shirt, but when untucked it tends to billow out and hide my figure... there must be some solution as these pictures would indicate?

You want to buy relatively small shirts that fit your upper body rather tightly. Not so much that it feels awkward when you lift up your arms or turn your torso, but enough that you should feel it pressing up against your skin. Also, to achieve the best effect, you really should be focusing your workouts/weight-lifting on your upper body -- including chest, shoulders, upper back (lats), and triceps -- so that you can obtain that "V-shape." Not only is this sexy in general, but it helps your clothes outline the muscle in your body. You'll notice that Colin Farrell displays it well in the fourth photo I posted of him just wearing a tee and jeans.

Structure has absolutely awesome t-shirts, and they fit exactly as I mentioned. They are a rather thin and stretchy material that is still soft, and each of them usually has really good-looking graphic designs on the front (that have gotten me compliments several times).

I've also heard Zara mentioned often on this forum, although from what I viewed online, it seemed a bit too "hipster" for me. I won't judge it too harshly though until I visit an outlet store. Supposedly there is one about 15-20 minutes from my location...

- Franco

 

[Rage]

This is a fascinating thread for me (though a bit old), because my current and past 2 years or so look has been that cut up Ryan Gosling look (in fact I have outfits that match exactly what he’s wearing in 4 of the 5 pics except for exact color).

Cut up muscles look and boyish charm and all that help with the above look.

But the last 3 months or so (shopping for my summer haul omg) I had been trying to transition my look a bit, from that juvenile adolescent who gets laid and college girls like into a look that it is masculine attractive but suits older women better (and becomes congruent with an older persona for me).

That Colin Farrell look is about what I’d been getting to with the new shirts and stuff I bought, so I got excited checking this post out and seeing my 2 looks here. I like the look with the edgy dress shirts and tucked in with belt but couple buttons undone look. It feels like something I can net older women with (in the immediate judgment of my looks) and a look I can transition into my mid 20s smoothly with.

No reason you have to adopt one permanently and forever swear off the others though right?

…

Nevertheless though am trying to learn and better my fashion bit by bit; I wanna get some boots and some other belts and shirts to further that Colin Farrell look. But also have tanks and v necks at hand to have the cut up young punk look too

Gem