How to Dress Case Studies, Pt. 2: Stylish in College | Girls Chase

How to Dress Case Studies, Pt. 2: Stylish in College

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Hey guys,

This is our second article in the three part “How to Dress Case Studies” series. You can check out the first part here.

If you haven’t read the first part, let me quickly remind you what this article series is all about:

To show you how tailoring your image and dressing sexy comes to into play in the real world, we’ve taken three guys (one for each article in the series) with unique situations – age, physique, complexion, climate, and their goals with women and image. And we’ll be tailoring a few outfits they could very successfully rock in their daily lives and when meeting women.

To protect the privacy of those who volunteered to participate in these case studies, I’ve cut out their faces from the pictures and designated them with one-letter nicknames.

Today’s case study is W, and he just might be the most challenging and fascinating of them all.


Let’s Meet Our Second Case Study – W.

how to dress case study

Age: 22

Ethnicity: East Asian

Complexion contrast: Medium (tan skin, black hair, dark brown eyes)

Height: 174 cm (5’ 8”)

Weight: 70 kg (158 lbs)

Proud of: Upper body, physique, eyes, sharp & defined jawline

Not-so-happy about: Height

Gets compliment on: “Good looking, well-dressed guy,” specific pieces

Social preferences: Classy, sophisticated

Women: Ambitious, traditional

Meeting women: Day game

Goals with women: Short-term dating

Target image: “70% Sharp, 20% Edgy – Elegant, 10% Rugged – Masculine”

Climate: UK – Mild. As we don’t have specific weather in mind, we’ll build one outfit for each: Winter, Spring/Autumn, Summer.

Now, based on the information above, you might be wondering what’s so challenging here... you have a college-aged, good-looking guy who’s looking for short-term dating – that’s easy!

The tricky part comes when you learn that W is ambitious and on a fast-track to building his own success. A lot of his social circle is also notably older, and his preferred image is Sharp (dressed for success). But he’s also still in college, and rocking a three-piece suit might be quite a bit too much for the usually casual college daytime environment.

In other words, we’re looking to tailor a mostly Sharp image that is suitable for the college environment.

So this is our primary goal. Let’s define the others:

  • Height: Elongating the frame

  • Physique: Draw focus to the upper body

  • Age: Youthful twist on the Sharp image

  • Colors: Black, navy, brown, white, grey, charcoal, burgundy

  • Color contrast: Low between upper and lower body, medium color contrast on upper body

And in the next section I’ll explain my reasoning for each target and how we’ll achieve them.


Tailoring the Image

Since our first two goals are essentially identical as in the first case study, let me quickly repeat myself (and you can skip them if you already read the first part in the series).


Elongating the Frame

  • Stick with tighter cuts for trousers and tops

  • Short/slim cuts for outerwear. Avoid outerwear that fully covers the buttocks

  • Whenever appropriate, go for boots as footwear

  • Avoid high color contrast between upper and lower body

  • Avoid large prints/patterns

  • Whenever appropriate, stick with darker colors

We don’t necessarily need to use all of these strategies in a single outfit, but implementing at least a few in our daily outfits is a great idea. Also, we should note that sometimes it makes sense to make a trade-off and sacrifice some perceived height in return for better aesthetics and more impressive image overall, especially when you’re not that far off the average height.


Draw Focus to the Upper Body

There are a few things we can do to draw focus to our upper body (or any area for that matter):

  • Make sure that the fit is spot on and there’s little loose fabric flopping around

  • Use medium-to-high color contrast. Color contrast naturally draws our attention, just like using brighter, bolder colors in general (it’s also why outfits built solely around toned, bland colors tend to “disappear” in the crowd)

  • Be effective with our use of accessories. Scarves, bracelets, rings, pocket squares, etc. all have the potential to be very attention grabbing items, and if we want to direct focus to a certain area, we need to make sure that we’re being smart about our use of accessories


Sharp Image: Dress for Success

As noted earlier, W is aiming for a Sharp image (or in plain terms: dressed up, classy). And even though the image itself can be very impressive, it can look quite out of place in a casual environment such as college.

So, what we need to do is build Sharp outfits that stand out while not making the wearer appear dressed up for some special occasion – we need them to look natural.

Before we can do that, we need to understand the underlining value behind dressing up in the first place – to display status. When we strip off traditions, norms, and social expectations for certain situations, we realize that Sharp image – dressing up – is all about sub-communicating that you belong way up there in the social hierarchy (or, at the very least, on your way up there) and that you’re ready to play with other high achievers.

The way we can make this work is by focusing on communicating the high status, but mix in some casual details to tone it down a bit. We’ll design Sharp to look a bit more youthful while still appearing properly dressed up if the wearer wanders off campus.


Choosing the Right Colors

With tan skin, black hair, and brown eyes, W can essentially get away with nearly anything in terms of color choices. The one exception is that it’s usually best to avoid the most potent, bright variations of colors like red, pink, and blue.

Image-wise, black and red are great colors, which, while aggressive, also communicate high status. So does white, but it’s a more passive color.

As for contrast in complexion, W falls somewhere around medium (varies depending on the season). And even though it’s best practice to replicate the color contrast in the outfit as well, medium contrast in complexion does provide us a lot of leeway in either direction.

One thing I would like to note in this article is that choosing colors based on your complexion is a “nice extra” rather than something mandatory to stress about. So, if you’re reading these case studies and find yourself getting overwhelmed because you’re not sure what colors would suit your complexion, don’t worry about it for now. Making sure that the outfit is well color coordinated in general plays a much more significant role in determining how great your overall style looks.


Outfit #1: Everything is Better When You’re Sharp

We’ll start with a winter outfit. Given that winters are not particularly fierce in the UK, we can focus on aesthethics rather than doing everything we can to stay warm.

We’re taking the core of this outfit from a look that W is already succesfully rocking (after all, there’s no point in reinventing the wheel) and giving it a more aggressive twist to really nail that “Wow!” factor.

But even with the changes we’ll be making, the outfit will still remain very much on the Sharp side of the spectrum.

how to dress case study
  • Coat – when it comes to winter outfits and Sharp image, nothing beats a well-cut coat. Yes, the length is less than ideal in terms of making the wearer taller, but as in the first case study, it’s a tradeoff that we’re willing to take, given how much we gain in terms of aesthetics and image suitability. Given W’s physique, slim cut would look the most impressive, but when it comes to winter coats, it’s perfectly fine to leave some room for layering (even if we won’t be using it in this particular outfit).

  • Roll neck jumper – a superb option given our image goals, as a roll neck jumper is a lot more casual compared to, let’s say, a dress shirt – but it still suits the Sharp image on the whole. As you can see in the photo, the cut is tight enough to really emphasize the good work W has been doing taking care of his physique. Burgundy is easily the best option here, but the outfit would work with a navy roll neck, too.

  • Smart trousers – the first change we’re making to this outfit W already rocks is to swap navy smart trousers for black ones. As noted earlier, I want to give this look a more aggressive twist to make it really “pop,” and black is the perfect color to achieve this. Even though the example I’m using here is technically skinny cut, in practice it looks more like a slim cut, and that’s great; we don’t want them to be skin tight, as it would look awkward considering the cut on the coat.

  • Monk strap shoes – when talking about Sharp image, a wise man once said “Feeling brave? Go for monk strap shoes and get noticed for all the right reasons.” And I couldn’t agree more. That wise man is actually one of our readers and the person whose case study we’re doing right now. Think of it as my invitation and recommendation for him to spice it up a bit. But in all seriousness, monk strap shoes can be a very good looking design, and they are still uncommon enough (at least compared to brogues/oxford shoes) that they naturally stand out in a stylish way.

  • Accessories – as it is common, we’re matching the belt with the shoes. The two key areas we need to pay attention to here is that it should be a smart belt, ideally on the slim side, as it plays a role in helping the wearer look taller. We’re also keeping it simple with gloves – black and leather – don’t overthink it. We’re also going with a smart, black leather strap watch to match with other leather detailing. A bead/leather bracelet could be added to the mix but is not necessary, as we want to keep the focus on the upper body. Lastly, a scarf is almost always a good idea when wearing a coat. We’re going for one in navy to introduce another color and some color contrast, but a black one would work very well, too.

  • Bag & umbrella – I generally don’t include bags/umbrellas when doing outfit recommendations like this, but given that our case study lives in the UK, where it occasionally rains, and he already owns these two very good looking items, I just couldn’t help myself but include them.


Outfit #2: Gentleman with an Edge

Our second outfit in this case study is meant for Autumn/Spring, and it’s essentially an Elegant – Edgy outfit that’s been dressed up to the point where it looks pretty damn Sharp. Given that we don’t want the outfit to be overly sexual from the start, we’re going for more tame, casual colors – brown and navy instead of black.

But the key detail to notice here is that the outfit looks quite different depending on whether the leather jacket is on or off. With it on, we have a cool, stylish, and subtly dressed-up look. Without it, the outfit becomes a lot more sophisticated and overtly dressed up – Sharp.

how to dress case study
  • Brown leather jacket – another great-looking item from W’s current wardrobe. As noted earlier, we’re going for brown leather items to keep it more on the casual side. In terms of cut, slim/short would be the most flattering, given W’s physique and height.

  • Waistcoat – beneath the jacket, our second uppermost layer is a navy waistcoat in a slim/skinny cut. A fitting waistcoat and buttoned shirt combo does a tremendous job emphasizing the V-shape physique. A subtle pattern would be fine, but as we’re already going for a gingham shirt and floral tie, a plain waistcoat is a safer choice and makes it easier to execute without making the outfit look overloaded.

  • Gingham shirt – black and white dress shirt in a gingham pattern. Compared to a plain dress shirt, patterned ones such as gingham or check tend to make the outfit a bit more casual and less intense – a great combination for daytime. Naturally, we’ll be wearing the buttoned shirt tucked in as we normally would with a waistcoat on top.

  • Navy trousers – I know the lighting in the photo is less than ideal, but those are indeed navy smart trousers (you’ll have to take my and W’s word on it). This monochromatic combination between the trousers and the vest will help elongate the wearers frame and make him visually look taller. Once again, as with the waistcoat, a subtle pattern is a valid choice (however, a waistcoat and smart trousers in two different patterns is not.)

  • Chelsea boots – I went with Chelsea boots because they look superb with the leather jacket, but also to break the pattern when the jacket comes off. I feel that going for oxfords or other dress shoes in this situation would end up way too dressed up given the image that we want to achieve. On top of that, Chelsea boots do a great job connecting the edgier and dressier items thematically.

  • Accessories – once again we’re going for a smart leather belt (ideally, slim) and we’re matching them with the shoes. We’re also picking a watch with a brown leather strap to match with other leather details (the navy detailing on the case in this particular example is just a cherry on top). Note: a steel watch would work well, too. We’re also adding a black leather bracelet to break the pattern, and once again, to keep it from being overly dressed up in a traditional sense. Lastly, the tie. It’s completely optional and depends on how dressed up you want to keep the outfit. In a grey floral pattern it’s a very stylish detail to rock, but it will draw looks in a college setting – there’s no going around it. The alternative is to keep two to three buttons open to show more skin and sexualize the outfit.


Outfit #3: The Mysterious Man

Our last Sharp outfit in this case study is for Summer, and we’re going for a look that should come with a disclaimer: “Don’t try this at home.” The reason for it is that black-on-black outfits can be difficult to pull off and still look impressive in a “Wow!” kind of way.

On the bright side, when executed right, the black-on-black outfits can look very impressive, flattering on nearly any physique, help elongate the frame, and look both Sharp and very sexy at the same time.

how to dress case study
  • Blazer – a short, slim/skinny cut blazer in dark navy or black (charcoal and dark grey could work, too, but depending on the shades, could end up looking washed out). This is the key piece in the outfit, and the one that actually makes the outfit dressy/sharp.

  • V-neck – stark black V-neck. With W’s physique, I’d aim for muscle skinny fit or regular slim fit. The former would look a lot more sexualized and impressive, while the latter would look a bit more casual/relaxed. No patterns, logos, prints, etc.

  • Jeans – black jeans in a skinny/slim cut. The goal here is to make a smooth transition between the blazer and jeans. This means we should adjust the tightness based on the cut on the blazer. We’re also looking for a similar shade of black to the t-shirt (yes, there are different shades of black, and that’s why black on black outfits can be such a pain. When put right next to each other, the difference becomes very obvious). Alternatively, if we’re going for a black blazer, we could match the shade of black with the blazer instead of the tee.

  • Monk strap shoes – stylistically, we really have a lot of options here: oxfords, brogues, Chelsea boots, and even certain sneaker and chukka boot designs. But thematically, and given the kind of casual Sharp (damn, it even sounds weird) image we’re going for, I think monk strap is our best option, not to mention a very stylish one, too.

  • Accessories – black, smart leather belt. The tricky part here is that, given the outfit we’re going for, we need to consider even the shade of black on the belt for best looking results. The easiest option is to match it with shoes, as they’re our other big leather item. We’ll be using the pocket square to finally introduce another distinct color to the outfit – after all, we don’t want to look like we’re going to a funeral. White would be our safest option, but a combination of burgundy/red, navy/blue, and maybe some white would be our best-looking option. As for hand accessories, I went with a steel watch and leather bracelet combination. We want two distinct hand accessories here that are not particularly flashy on their own. The alternative would be a black leather strap watch with a rope/bead/steel bracelet.


Finishing Thoughts

Sharp image in a college environment is a tricky goal (I mean, if we want optimal results); but at the same time, I’m sure our case study W is not the only younger guy who wants to make the “dress for success” motto work to his advantage. And if that’s you, my hope with this article is that I gave you at least a few ideas about how you can implement it in your image while making it easier to achieve your romantic goals, too.

I’m also always on the lookout to personally help guys maximize their physical attractiveness using clothes and image. If that sounds intriguing, you can learn more here.

And if you haven’t already, check out the free eBook I have prepared for you: “What Killed Your Sex Appeal? 5 Awful Mistakes That Men Make With Their Image”.

What Killed Your Sex Appeal?

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