Men's Style Sins with Outerwear

Outerwear is supposed to be one of the most foolproof bits of men's fashion; after all, any idiot could throw on a coat. But there's much more to outerwear than merely shrugging an overcoat on before you leave your front door. There are still innumerably many ways to do wrong by your outerwear and look foolish with it on. And with the kind of visual real estate that the average coat has, those are fashion faux pas you can't afford to make.

Short Isn't Stylish
For most men, the definition of 'modern fit' in fashion often involves close, abbreviated cuts. And while this can work for a wide range of style pieces from slacks to shirts, it will be far from dashing when done on outerwear. Feel free to have everything you're wearing altered to the hilt, but leave a well enough piece of outerwear alone.

No matter how you play around with the proportions and lengths of your outfit, always see to it that your outerwear hangs lower than all of the layers you're wearing on top. If you're wearing an untucked shirt that hangs to about mid-fly, for example, wear it with a coat that reaches around a couple of inches past the fly. Apply the rule to whatever length of your top is visible, so jackets with tucked in shirts should hit at least past the waist.

Yes, it's an absolute requirement to be the longest item you wear on your torso. There's simply no getting around this rule. Anything shorter makes you look either like a hobo or some disproportionate Teletubby, neither of which is a good impression to make.

Lose the Leather Bomber Jacket
A Harley-Davidson is never a requirement to be able to wear a leather jacket. After all, they can be just as versatile a style piece as anything. One thing to avoid, though, is the leather bomber jacket. Unless you're a jet fighter pilot with a fashion sense circa 1992, it's something you'll be better off skipping at the Salvation Army store.

If you're getting a leather jacket, get a plain vanilla leather jacket that fits close to your body. Bombers, on the other hand, are a slightly more difficult style of outerwear to pair with other pieces. If you feel that you have to get one, however, pick out a design that has not too much padding and a material that doesn't look like leather.

Whether it's in shoes, gloves or outerwear, leather in men's fashion is always meant to cling to your body and hug the contours of the body part that's wearing it. A bomber is an ideal antithesis; the conventional design involves padding, insulation and volume that makes even the most luxurious leathers seem downright tacky. In this case, wearing a combination of the two gives you the worst of both worlds.

Statement Outerwear Does Not Exist
T-shirts have become an extremely popular way to explicitly get a message around. More recently, other style pieces like bags and jeans have jumped on the bandwagon with pins, silkscreen designs and customized paint jobs. On outerwear, however, statement prints and patches will never look attractive, no matter how socially relevant they might be.

While it's true that there are some people who could get away with a statement print or patch on a jacket or peacoat, these guys are the exceptions. Even the experts in men's fashion and the designers themselves will tell you to keep your outerwear as simple as possible. Not only will you have an easier time pairing it with one of your outfits but you'll avoid the fashion minefield that only the likes of Andre Leon Talley can play in.

Simplicity and sharp tailoring count for much in outerwear, more often trumping a design that's merely novel. Don't worry if your peacoat or field jacket is cut and designed much like every other one you've seen in the men's boutiques. As long as there's a high level of quality and workmanship there, you'll still be the sharpest guy on the street.

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