Looking for fashion advice?
BY TIGER ROSE, IMAGE VIA PEXELS/THEYSHANE
For mascs, shopping can feel less like retail therapy and more like a chore: shirts end up clinging to your chest, trousers cling to your hips when you want them baggy and formal wear seems out of the question. No brand seems to design for your body, so you end up compromising on everything and feeling satisfied with nothing.
The fix isn’t a better high street. It’s Vinted, thrift shops, and flea markets – and knowing exactly what to search for when you get there. That’s where we come in.
Jeans
Before you type anything into a search bar, get your inspiration in order. Creators like @Alicia.MP4 are the masc style syllabus you didn’t know you needed. Once you know your inspiration, it can help to know your silhouette vocabulary.
- Barrel leg — rounded through the thigh, tapered at the ankle. Structured but never stiff.
- Uniqlo straight leg – the reliable middle child of denim. Goes with everything, offends no one.
- Carpenter jeans – utility pockets, a loose leg, and a built-in excuse to buy more chunky belts.
- Weekday’s Astro – a mid-rise, loose-baggy unisex jean that’s fast becoming a masc staple.
Accessories
A bandana tied at the waist and colour-matched to the fit? Perfect. Chunky silver rings or thick silver bangles? Hot. Accessories do the finishing work, so it’s worth getting deliberate about it. Try out understated accessories like a solid 925 silver bar pendant. Or if you want a statement piece, why not try out a chunky chain? Before buying any single piece, ask one question: does it match what you already own?
Tailoring
A proper tailor is what stops baggy trousers from swallowing your hips and makes a shirt actually end where your trousers begin. A cheaper alternative? Once you find something that fits, buy it in every colour available!
Bags
Pinterest is quietly one of the best tools for building a wardrobe, mostly because the algorithm rewards obsession – click one bag you like, it’ll hand you a dozen near-identical options before you’ve finished your coffee.
For me, a sleek shoulder bag is perfect for daily use. My rule of thumb? Dark colours go with most things. Add in a silver or gold accent – a buckle or a zip pull – to tie into your jewellery.
Jewellery
First question: silver or gold? Gold runs warm, silver runs harsh. Market stalls and vintage shops turn up pieces with actual character, and can be better than gambling with online purchases. I own one shaped like a belt and one that flips to show a different face on each side. Small details, but it carries the whole look.
Belts
Treat the belt as the sentence’s final punctuation, not an afterthought. I go big on the buckle. The real hack: once you’ve found a belt that fits, buy interchangeable buckles. Not every belt takes them, but the ones that do solve the sizing headache for good – you stop hunting for the right size and start hunting for the right buckle instead. A decent vintage shop will stock plenty. And bring your go-to trousers when you shop, so you can see the belt in context rather than judging it in isolation.
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