59 Dos and Don’ts for Getting Dressed Right Now

For decades, GQ was the place men learned to dress themselves. We’d teach you how to talk to your tailor, introduce you to your next game-raising boots, and—crucially—lay down a handful of hard and fast rules about style that you, the reader, were meant to follow religiously. Like: Never wear a tie wider than three inches. Plaid flannels are fine for a lumberyard or a hardware store, but not a formal office. Don’t go shirtless at a music festival. (That one is still true.) On occasion, we’d even explain how to properly break the rules with panache.

But a few years ago, GQ pumped the brakes on all the lawmaking. The thought was: We had entered menswear’s Wild Style era, where stylish guys began exploring new modes of self-expression at every turn—ditching their tuxes for flowy tunics and jumpsuits on the red carpet; dabbling in makeup and nail polish; investing in flashy It bags. Dictating exactly what one should and shouldn’t wear suddenly felt curmudgeonly and antiquated. Who were we to stand in the way of progress? It was a time for unbridled experimentation—for freaking it without restraint—and our precious style rules fell by the wayside.

In 2023, though, the moment finally feels right for us to lay down a few new sartorial edicts. The anything-goes abandon of the last couple years has given way to a return to elegance—and quite frankly, some of you have been allowed to dress yourselves unchecked for too long.

That’s why our team has come together to devise this new list of Dos and Don’ts for a new age of men’s style. Some of the advice is traditional, like which tie knots to avoid like the plague; some of it is extremely right now, like how best to parse TikTok menswear trends (hint: don’t). Unlike in the past, however, when GQ would’ve issued definitive rules as an institution, these new guidelines are a little more fluid and subjective, based more heavily on the personal style and lived experiences of our staffers (and a handful of our fashionable friends) than ever before. Follow them, ignore them, debate them, share them—it’s really up to you. These are GQ’s Dos and Don’ts for getting dressed right now.

Trust us: No one but you is keeping track of how often you’ve worn those jeans with that shirt. Part of the beauty of holding onto clothes for the long haul is finding new things to enjoy about them—how good your ass looks in those jeans, say, or how sick a tie looks with that shirt—once you’ve worn them so thoroughly you thought they had no secrets left to reveal. —Avidan Grossman

Flared jeans, if done right, are killer. But it’s starting to look like Boogie Nights out there. Let’s put the bootcuts on ice and revisit in a few years. —Samuel Hine

This one's simple: No one ever feels bad for the guy wearing a suit when everyone else is in jeans. But they feel all sorts of things about the guy wearing jeans when everyone else is in suits. —Sam Schube

You can now find jeans, button-up shirts, and even suits made from athleisure-pilled stretch fabrics. Resist the temptation and opt for real-deal cottons and wools. Sure, the stretchy stuff feels comfortable, but it looks cheap to the naked eye and won’t hold up nearly as well over time. You’re an adult—you don’t need to be shrouded in cozy yoga-pant material 24 hours a day. —Yang-Yi Goh

Ilaria Urbinati—the Hollywood megastylist who counts Chris Evans, The Rock, and Ryan Reynolds among her clients—has a well-earned reputation for keeping her finger directly on the menswear pulse. And lately, her moodboards have been leaning a little Victorian. “Obviously, the biggest shift in the last few years is pants, which is because we beat that dead horse of skinny pants for so, so, so long,” Urbinati says. “I really only like two kinds of pants now: either a wide crop where you can see a nice sock with a derby or a boot, or a floor-grazing, flowy, almost slightly retro trouser. These days, I want to style everybody like they’re in a Dickens novel. Like, little British street urchins. A lot of cropped pants, big shoes, rouche-y socks. I tuck everything these days: ties, T-shirts, knits.”

Especially if you have your shirt tucked in. A beltless waistband on pants with belt loops is like a pair of shoes without laces. Plus, belts are cool, so why miss an opportunity to wear one? —Noah Johnson

If shoes maketh the man, then a lot of y'all are pretty boring. Too many dudes are playing it safe when it comes to footwear, and that's a real shame—especially considering the options out there. Break out some fuzzy mules! Go wild with strappy sandals! Give a platform-heeled, square-toed boot some run! It’s the easiest way to bring some funk to any ensemble. —Gerald Ortiz

When it comes to sunglasses, hats, earrings, headphones, etc., two items at a time is the absolute threshold. Three or more cranium accessories make you a Mitch Hedberg punchline. —Chris Gayomali

Smart outfit architecture is all about contrasts. A Cartier Tank looks phenomenal with a white T-shirt, and over the past few years, it seems like every celebrity has learned that nothing looks better with a suit than a stainless steel sports watch like the Rolex Daytona. —Cam Wolf

There was a time, not too long ago, when this very magazine ruthlessly advocated for all things slim, cropped, and tapered. We goofed. Unless you’re Thom Browne (or one his zealous acolytes), your pants should skim the middle of your shoes. Anything above the ankle is a serious no-go, and anything that swallows your toes is an elite-level swerve. —AG

A few years ago, I realized that what I wore to the office had bled, troublingly, into what I wore at home and on weekends. So I started wearing the same thing to work every day: white oxford, black knit tie, jeans, and a blazer. It made me feel good about my job—like I'd put on clothes to go to battle. But it made me feel even better about wearing everything else in my closet—graphic tees, sneakers, odds and ends—when I was off the clock. Your clothes, I realized, can serve as a reminder of what you're supposed to be doing, and where you're supposed to be. Wearing a tie? Buckle down and finish sending those emails. T-shirt? Chuck your phone in the lake. —SS

The easiest way to juice up your tired clothes? Break out the scissors and go to town. Chop your busted jeans into your new favorite shorts, turn your unflattering tees into smoking-hot crop tops, and slice the sleeves of your age-old oxfords off at the elbows for a punkish frayed edge. —YG

As far as most classic sneakers are concerned—your Vans, your Converse, your Adidas Sambas—wearing ‘em fresh out of the box frankly looks a little try-hard. The more beat up and lived in those OG models look, the better. Don’t be afraid to break them in around the house before debuting them to the world. (One former GQ editor goes as far as to drive his car over his Chuck Taylors a few times to get them just the right amount of effed up.) —Matthew Roberson

Put some thought into what you buy. Buy things that you like, that fit, and that you have a need for. Then wear the hell out of them. Don't be a collector or a hoarder. Life is too short and square footage is too valuable. —NJ

When Bijan Shahvali, the Brooklyn-based vintage guru behind Intramural Shop, goes shopping for himself at flea markets and garage sales, he always carries two things with him. “My measurements and a tape measure,” he says. “It’s good to have those at the ready so when you’re somewhere you can’t try something on—or maybe you don’t want to—you can just measure it quickly. It’s a handy, easy way to make sure you get something that fits you.” And getting those measurements, Bijan says, doesn’t need to be overly complicated. “Just measure a few pieces that you like and fit you well—a T-shirt, a pair of trousers, a blazer, etc.”

You don’t want to look like Tucker Carlson, and we shouldn’t have to explain any further. —AG

What used to be the sole territory of ’80s teen-movie villains and badminton-playing seniors is now the freshest move in fashion. It’s both a great way to add texture and depth to an otherwise simple ensemble and a practical measure for when the weather is going haywire or the restaurant AC is cranked too high. You don’t have to stick to traditionally preppy pullovers, either—the look works just as well, if not better, with a heavyweight hoodie. —YG

Ever wondered why clothes look so much better in magazines or commercials than they do on you? It’s because they’ve been tailored: taken in an inch here, adjusted a smidge there. We all know we need our suits to be altered to better accentuate our individual proportions, but all of your clothes—even the ones meant to be flowy and oversized—could stand to benefit from that treatment. —Gerald Ortiz

Just imagine how many thighs have touched that seat. Gross! Seek refuge in trousers. —CW

Your shirt collars will look much cooler once they hit the juice. Be wary of boogieing into period cosplay, though; too small and you veer into indie sleaze territory, too big and you veer into ‘70s sleaze territory. The sweet spot is somewhere in between. (You could do a lot worse than taking your cues from Bill Nighy.) —AG

Getting truly dressed up these days is already rare enough. If you’re going to do it, do it properly—and that means lacing up a shiny pair of oxfords or brogues, or at least slipping on some loafers or dressy boots. You don’t look subversive pairing Common Projects with your business-formal two-piece; you look played out. —Kevin Schlittenhardt

If your upper arms only see the light of day in a Dri-Fit tank at the gym, it's high time you let 'em shine outside the weight room. Look to Justin Bieber pairing a basketball jersey with some statement trousers, Shawn Mendes jumping on both the sweater vest and wife-pleaser revivals, or Taylor Zakhar Perez pretty much all the time. —Mick Rouse

Fit pics have long been a form of social media currency. But you shouldn’t let the online flex distract you from documenting what you wear for your own personal reference, too. Get in the routine of snapping a photo of your outfit every morning before you walk out the door. Save it in a folder on your phone. Repeat. It’s fun to capture your style evolution for posterity. And if you’re ever not sure what to wear, open up your fit gallery and let it guide you. —SH

Nothing wrong with that tiny Swoosh on your socks or the Ralph pony on your polo. But when you start mixing an enormous chest graphic with a glaring wordmark on your cap, you start looking less like a person and more like a walking brand activation. Leave the logos to the NASCAR drivers. —YG

Failure to heed this mandate will not make you look like a rugged frontiersmen; it will make you look like your best friend is a luminescent fairy and you’re a very long way from Neverland. —AG

You know how good it feels to find that perfect pair of chinos, or the ideal white T-shirt, or a denim button-down you want to wear every day? It feels exactly that bad to bust a hole through the knee of the chinos, or to lose the tee to an ex-girlfriend, or the Western shirt to a crayon incident—and then learn that you can't go back to the store and buy another one. Inventory rolled over. Model year ended. Shit out of luck. So next time you find something (non-vintage, non-designer, non-one-of-one) that you love, buy two, and avoid the problem altogether. —SS

I love seeing pictures of friends’ weddings, but I believe that all the caramel-brown dress shoes that I’ve seen grooms and their groomsmen wear with their navy suits are going to age the way the poofy bridal gowns of the ’80s and ’90s did: like milk. If you’d prefer to avoid cringing at your wedding album 20 years from now, pivot to black or dark chocolate lace-ups. —Eileen Cartter

Imagine your dream watch. Now shrink it by roughly 17%. There, it's perfect. —CW

Don't fall for the face-shape agenda. It’s all a bunch of pseudoscience that merely winds up limiting your available eyewear options. What matters more is the size of your frames: You want them wide enough to sit comfortably on your temples, but not so wide they look like clown glasses. —GO

If you ever catch yourself describing the type of loom your pants were made on—or which city in Okayama they came from—stop it. Your jeans should be the least interesting thing about you, and spending a month’s rent on Japanese denim isn’t a personality. —AG

Reporting live from menswear's trendless present: We have good news for you. You don't have to wear skinny jeans. In fact, most guys don't look good in skinny jeans, tight bulging shirts, or barely hanging-on sports jackets. One of the most important lessons to learn while developing your style is understanding what looks good on your body. I'm proud of you for committing yourself to leg day, but the cling of your jeans doesn't need to make that point. —CW

Band tees were once a badge of honor, attesting not only to your taste in music, but your commitment to leaving the house to hear it in person. Now, of course, you can pick up a Nirvana shirt at Old Navy. But instead of asking high school students to name three songs, as some TikTok jokers like to do, we should embrace the democratization of music merch. Streaming pays pennies and touring is less profitable than it once was. When I discover an artist I like, I might buy their album on Bandcamp or pick up a concert ticket. I’ll also search to see if they sell a cool-looking T-shirt in my size, and then I will order it and wear it around the house and on weekends, or under a button-down shirt at the office. And yes, when I wear my Gulch shirt, I feel cool as hell. —Nick Catucci

You’re not a sommelier—don’t pack a ‘capsule wardrobe’ of basics you think will pair nicely together. Stuff the clothes you love most into a carry-on and figure it out once you’re there. Necessity is the mother of invention, and limiting your choices will inspire the type of gloriously unmeditated fits you usually see at the bodega. —AG

Every few months, Hanif Abdurraqib—the acclaimed cultural critic and poet—goes into his sneaker room and surveys his entire 230-pair collection. “I’ll pick out the 20 or so pairs that I’ll rotate through for the season,” he says. That tight edit allows him to get dressed every morning without feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of options available to him. “It’s mostly based on color palette: In the fall and winter, I’m wearing mostly black, which gives me a lot more flexibility in the sneakers that I can wear.” While he’s sorting through his shoes, though, Abdurraqib also picks out the pairs he hasn’t worn in a while to give away. “There’s a culture, particularly around sneakers, that revolves around how much you have, how much you’ve attained, and how much you can hold on to. But to me, none of that serves the questions of: What are you actually wearing? What feels good on your feet? And who can benefit from me being honest with myself about what I don’t need anymore?"

Tees, tanks, sweaters, button-ups—they all looked better tucked. Your legs look longer, and the rest of you looks leaner, when your pants constitute two-thirds of your outfit. —AG

Even if you only wear it a couple times a year, it’s worth splurging on a fancy tuxedo. Nothing is more memorable than a dreadful boxy rental tux. —SH

Are you gazing out at a blue-green ocean right now? About to mosey over to the pool bar for another tequila soda? Financially dependent on getting featured on wikiFeet Men? No? Then you, my brother in fits, should not be wearing flip flops. As a resident of New York, I’m spiritually dismayed whenever I see someone strolling around a city in thong sandals, their feet barely supported and exposed to all manners of grit and grime. And don’t even get me started on what they look like—“flop” is in the name. Do us and your soles a favor and save the flip flops for your beach vacation. And while you’re at it, explore the wonderful world of huaraches, espadrilles, and slides. All exponentially better styles, requiring the same amount of extremely low effort. —Gabriella Paiella

Falling in the vast realm of dressing in between suits and sweats, “business casual” is the trickiest style to nail. Consider the rogue tie (i.e., one knotted without a blazer) your secret weapon to making any outfit look the right amount of considered. —SH

We are so eager to make trends that it takes only a few TikTok videos before someone attempts to establish it as a movement. Forget Rat Girl Summer, Plazacore (not related, as I initially thought, to Aubrey Plaza), Whimsigoth, or Tomato Girl Summer. These aren't even jokes—they're "real" trends! And in our new style economy, they last about as long as a fast-fashion T-shirt. Exert some effort and seek out some trends (and clothes) that will last. —CW

Mike Nouveau, a vintage watch dealer and WatchTok royalty, suggests stretching your budget when purchasing a watch. Or as he puts it: buy once, cry once. “You buy once and you suffer once when you pay a lot, and then you're happy forever after that,” he says. “If you buy the cheapest watch you can, then you cry when you realize it has the wrong hands, you cry when you have to pay for a $2,000 service, and you cry when you realize the dials are aftermarket.” Instead, Nouveau insists, “don't be afraid to pay up to get the best one you can afford. I have a lot of people hit me up and ask, ‘What's the cheapest Rolex I can get?’ I say, ‘That is the worst way you could do this!’ ”

When in doubt, go white and ribbed. —AG

You can’t go wrong with a classic V-neck knit over a polo, an oxford, or nothing at all. But the fashion cycle has yet to shine favorably again upon the V-neck T-shirt, which still hasn't shaken the navel-exposing sleazeball associations from its mid-aughts American Apparel heyday. —YG

In terms of wearing camo, there are really only two types: Realtree and tiger stripe. All other versions of the pattern put you at risk of looking like an insurrectionist. —CG

They’re too big, too symmetrical, and too closely associated with corrupt oligarchs. Stick to a semi-taut four-in-hand—here’s how to tie one—and figure out the dimple situation for yourself. —AG

You want some kind of contrast between the hem of your pants and the collar of your shoes—otherwise you might look like you're wearing one of those motion-capture body suits. —NJ

It is not a “good bit” and you will not come across as “charmingly festive.” You will come across as the guy who spent his actual, hard-earned dollars on a novelty knit with an embroidered elf on the front. —AG

Trust me: I’ve been looking for years. It’s OK—healthy, even—to just settle for “pretty good.” —GO

As far as timepieces are concerned, the gender binary is absolutely fake. Some of the raddest watches on earth are designed specifically for women, and there’s nothing stopping you from strapping ‘em on yourself. —CW

So, you spent $1,000 to cop your dream Jordans on StockX. Happy for you, king. Now just be sure to pair ‘em with a look that’s worthy of their stature. Too many sneakerheads fall into the trap of thinking their kicks are enough of a flex to outweigh the sloppy joggers and dated button-ups they’re rocking above them. The whole picture matters; nobody’ll even notice your sick shoes if you’re awfully dressed. —YG

Fall clothes are hitting the major e-commerce sites right now, which can only mean one thing: they’ll be 70% off before you know it. Sales season is getting longer and steeper as e-comm competition ramps up, which means it’s easier than ever to play yourself in search of a good deal. Say, copping a pair of pants in almost the right size. Or buying a funky knit that you can see yourself wearing to a totally hypothetical theme party. If it’s not in your wishlist before the price hits the basement, don’t buy it. —SH

You never want to be the guy who goes out for the day with a ton of shit stuffed into their pockets, or who leaves their gum and sunglasses and subway novella at home to avoid the indignity of being just another dude with a novelty tote bag. The convenient—and fly—move is instead to invest in a tiny leather or canvas bag, also known as a purse. —SH

The world is burning, bees are dying at an alarming rate—the last thing you should be stressing (or arguing about on Reddit) is whether a multi-billion-dollar corporation is still cool. This sounds like a you problem, bud. Give it a break. —AG

You don’t look like Ryan Reynolds. You look like a rejected Bachelorette contestant. —GO

“I generally don't like the dos and don'ts conversation,” J.Crew men’s creative director Brendon Babenzien says, “because it goes back to this idea that there's a way to do things, and a way not to do them. But it really varies from person to person.” (So maybe take everything you’ve read today with a grain of salt.) Instead, Babenzien advises: “Do what you're comfortable with. And don't listen to the powers that be. Do you. I want to put confidence back in people's hands, and I don't want them to have to worry about it.”

As someone whose literal job is to opine on what celebrities wear, I maintain that movies and television shows, not red carpets and pap shots, are the best style inspo for the average person. Lots of celebs now have stylists and/or brand deals that dictate their looks; copying them usually won’t yield the most original results. One of my earliest cinematic style icons was Michelle Trachtenberg’s Harriet M. Welsch in the 1996 flick Harriet the Spy, with her yellow raincoat, baggy blue jeans, primary-color sweaters, and black-and-white composition notebook as an accessory. Costume designers are some of my favorite people to interview; to me, they are geniuses. There’s a reason you want to dress like Christopher Moltisanti. Run with it. —EC

There are thousands of sports teams with sick uniforms, kits, and merch. Get your soccer jerseys and baseball caps from your favorite local club rather than from your favorite fashion brand. —SH

As much as we love ball caps and beanies around these parts, it’s high time more fellas indulged in the offbeat pleasures of berets (so good with a tee and jeans!), Sam Jackson-style backwards Kangols (try one with a slouchy suit), and even certain cowboy hats (call it the Yellowstone effect). Just continue to steer clear of short-brimmed fedoras and pork pies—the pick-up artist community has officially ruined those forever. —YG

Not every purchase has to be an act of altruism, but you should consider that clothes are sold for a profit, and those profits are what keep businesses afloat. So if you need a new pair of pants, you might as well buy them from a brand that you believe in. —NJ

If you’re 50 trying to dress like you’re 20, it’s embarrassing. If you’re 25 trying to dress like you’re 85, it’s provocative. And if you’re over 65? Wear whatever the hell you want. You’ve earned it. —AG