Thank you for the help Anth0079.So no more sneakers? Man, casual shoes are expensive. The cheapest of the brands you listed is Sketchers and they are still $50. I’m used to buying shoes no more than $25. Oh, well I need to look more mature. So how many pairs of shoes should I have? Are black and the various shades of brown they come in neutral? No more white socks, then what color?
BTW I almost never wear button up like I am in the picture. I always wear them buttoned up to the second from the top button and un-tucked. I need to get more help on what kind of shirts to wear and how to wear them, with a shirt underneath or not. Also I haven’t been able to find out what an Italian style t-shirt is. Google’s not much help.
What size necklace should I get? I mean like how long should it be, how low should it go?
Maxtro,
You are a student right? I’ am also a student so I know how the money thing sucks. You know, you don’t need to be a millionaire in order to dress the part. There are student alternatives available *grin*. I live right off the main campus of a major University so whenever I go to a local store such as: Target, Meijer or Wal-Mart to pick up a few things I notice that they are always having deals on shoes and clothes for students. I bought a pair of black suede casual shoes that look like Timberlands for $4 at a Target down the street a while back and I still wear them on occasion. The funny thing is that those pair of $4 shoes always fetch me some nice compliments, you know why? Because I take care of them, my shoes always look like new. I have a friend that I have known for 10 years now and he still has shoes from 5 years ago. I will think that he went out and bought some new ones then it turns out that he is wearing an old pair. All he did was clean them up and work them into his shoe rotation. Just because something doesn’t cost that much money doesn’t mean it is cheap. Anyway, when is the last time you had someone come up to you and ask what brand of shoe you are wearing? Make them look good, that is what really counts.
As for quantity: You don’t need an army surplus at your disposal in order to get the job done. When you buy footwear keep in mind what you are going to use them for. It is always good to at least have one alternative in case you get scratches, stains, mud or whatever on your starting line-up. Like if you have a nice pair of shoes, don’t wear them anywhere except out, and that’s only when you want to look good. Take your prized pair off as soon as you get home; there are too many things around the house that could cause harm to your shoes. Also, you don’t have to go out and buy 15 pairs of shoes tomorrow. Only buy shoes when you can afford them. If you take care of the shoes you own then you should easily be able to build up a nice supply in 8-9 months. Another important thing to remember, always keep your clothes and accessories on an evenly spread out rotation. If you get a good rotation down then there is a good chance that people will think you own a lot more than what you really have.
Okay, I just went and counted my shoes real quick; I have 10 pairs that are currently working on a 21-day rotation. They consist of: 5 pairs of casual dress shoes/boots, 3 pairs of dress shoes (Italian loafers and such), and 2 pairs of sneakers for any occasion. Now this doesn’t mean that I don’t have old shoes, I do. I have some old shoes that I keep around in case I need them for dirty work. Personally I like to go through a 1 year cycle where I build up my supply, then at the end of the year I keep the shoes that still look good and give the other ones away (friends, family or even charity will take them). You should also take into consideration that you need to replenish your junk shoes.
When I say neutral, I mean no bright colors and no designs. Colors like brown, black, grays, cherry leathers, tans, and almost any earth tones will work. I have a friend who has some nice blue Timberlands. Make sure you don’t get anything to flashy.
Necklaces:
From looking at your Me pic it looks like you have a nice sized neck in relation to your head (not in a bad way, Maxtro). I would say to get a loose one. Again this goes back to the loose neck/ low collar effect I mentioned earlier. If you go with a loose one then it will create the illusion that you have a longer chin and more prominent jaw line. The farther your necklace hangs down your chest the more it will drag your chin and jaw line down with it. As for how long it should hang, I would say that if you wear a button up shirt and have the two top buttons undone then it should barely be covered in order to maximize the effect of the illusion.
