Men’s style and grooming by Yatan Ahluwalia: Seven ways to look your best

Here are seven rules to keep in mind that will help in making you look and feel your best any time

The look for grooming – Real and natural

Hair: Short and wavy.

Brows: Bushy

Face: Trimmed stubble.

Lips: Clean and buffed

Face: Looks fresh after an application of a natural face masque (We used the Organic Skin Masque from Valley view organic).

1. The grooming rules

Skin: No matter how nice your clothes are, people will remember you by your face and unfortunately, whatever flaws that may come with it. Make sure your skin always looks camera ready. Treat acne, pimples, and dark spots as soon as they appear. Follow a grooming regime to address issues like an oily texture or dryness. Your skin should look as flawless as a blank canvas.

Hair: Your hair reflects how well you take care of yourself. Short or long, straight or curly - your hair needs to send out the message that you’re in control and are very much the man around town. Cut, style and condition your hair as often as necessary, provided it always looks and feels good. Choose a hairstyle that accentuates your facial features.

Smell: Pay special attention to the fragrance you choose. While men are visually oriented, women will remember how a man smells. The fragrance you pick should blend perfectly with the natural chemistry of your body. A light fragrance is always better than one that lingers long. Apply one or two sprays each time, and never directly on your clothes. Ditto for the deodorant spray before you get dressed.

2. Believe in yourself

No opinion is better than your own. Trust your instinct – if you feel a new look works on you, it probably does. If you feel you just can’t carry it off, you probably cant. Your ‘inner voice’ is right more often than wrong.

Put your look together and look into a full - length mirror. Check yourself from head to toe. Identify the problem area – this could be the bright coloured pocket square or the flashy new watch that you are trying on for the first time. Remove what needs to go and replace it with what makes you feel (and look) confident and secure.

3. Embrace the classics

Stylish men stick to the classics and recognise that timeless styles always works better over trends that may come and go. Safe options in clothing are like comfort food, you know it may be boring but it always checks the right boxes.

This however shouldn’t stop you from experimenting. You can build an interchangeable wardrobe for yourself by mixing the old with the new. For instance match a pair of brown shoes with a blue suit. The old school rulebook would expect you to wear black accessories with a blue suit, but in recent years, brown is just as acceptable.

4. Colours matter

Always pick clothes that compliment your natural skin tone. As a general rule, men with pale skin tones should stick to cold colours (blue, green, pink) and those with a dusky tone should wear warm colours (yellow, orange, brown). Grey and beige fall somewhere in-between.

Black and white is universally neutral and will work on just about anyone. Dark colours make you look slimmer and leaner while light colours will make you look wider and fuller. Neon’s are best avoided for everything except sportswear and metallic tones like gold, copper and silver only look good as jewellery and sometimes on cars.

5. We are built for it

Understanding your body type is important. Your body type and shape should always take preference over trends.

The trick is to emphasise and highlight your assets while diverting attention away from the undesirable areas (and we all have them). For instance, if you have a nice long neck and an unwanted beer belly, wear tops that will make the eye travel towards the neck and shoulder area. You can do this by wearing a v - neck t-shirt or a smart short collared shirt. People will be compelled to focus on your neck and ignore the paunch staring straight at them.

6. It’s all in the details

Besides the clothes you wear, accessories play a major role. Everything from the eyewear down till your shoes gets noticed, if not scrutinised.

Ensure the watch is always working, the belt is resting right at the centre, the socks match (both with the trouser and the shoe) and that the bag or phone you carry isn’t looking old or worn out.

7. Personality traits

Your day-to-day look needs to reflect who you are, not who you would like to be. Always create a look, which puts you in the ‘comfort zone’. Besides our body language, our clothes reflect who we are. You may have noticed: a friendly approachable person will leave a casual jacket unzipped and open whereas someone closed and reserved normally wouldn’t.

Having said that, stay away being stereotyped. Don’t get labelled with a style. If you are artistically inclined, a suit could yet look just as good on you as it would on a corporate honcho, if not better. Similarly if you are athletic or sporty, there is no reason that ethnic clothes wont work just as well for you, as maybe a tracksuit. Change your look frequently, but not too often. Revamp, reorganise and restock one or twice every few years.

In focus: The two- button check jacket

The two-button jacket is a safe choice for just about any body type. This jacket is flattering thanks to the slimming effect it has on the body. It also makes the wearer appear taller.

On a two-button jacket, the buttons fall lower on the jacket, creating a deep V shape from the collar to the longer lapels. It’s therefore great for showing off your shirt or what you have on underneath.

Keep the checks small for a more subtle statement and larger to stand out in the room. In its more modern form, the jacket should have a more snug fit and end just above the hip. Any longer, and you risk making your legs look shorter and your silhouette wider.

Ensure the jacket allows you to move with ease. Look out for folds around the armhole, sleeve and sides when you move.

Styling Tip: The top buttons on a two - button jacket should always be closed when standing. Unbutton the jacket only when sitting down to avoid creases. Fasten it again as soon as you stand up.

On the dresser

1. Bare Anatomy is a personalised hair care brand that customises products based on the users hair type. The profiling is done by answering a series of questions on their website. The range includes shampoo, conditioner, hair oil and they recently added a hair mask, which is a pre shampoo treatment that promises to condition the hair effectively.

Usage: Always apply a hair mask both on the roots and tips of your hair.

2. I recommend the products from The Body Shop, not just for the natural ingredients but also their visible and effective results. The Wild Argan Oil range comes packed together as a set has a soap, body butter and shower gel to nourish and condition the skin. This bath set will ensure your skin does not look dry or chapped after a hot shower.

Grooming tip: Using multiple products with one key ingredient ensures effective results.

3. The Ultra Facial Cream by Kiehls helps restore the skins moisture levels and is therefore my pick as the grooming product of the fortnight. The cream absorbs easily into the skin and keeps it hydrated for almost 24 hours. Its lightweight formulation restores the skins balance – ensuring your skin just doesn’t feel smooth but also looks and feels fresher and younger. Suitable for all skin types, especially for dry or weather beaten skin.

Usage: Daily, on a clean face before going to bed.

Author bio: The author is an image, style and grooming consultant and trainer.

From HT Brunch, November 24, 2019

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