Fashion Elegant African Man With Bag In City — Getty

Attention husbands, brothers, and boyfriends! It may seem like your daily outfit selection is but an arbitrary, unimportant decision, but choosing what to wear every day has meaning and sometimes unintended consequences. In his bestselling book, “Blink,” Malcolm Gladwell reminds us of the concept of “thin slicing,” a widely accepted idea that with only short excerpts of your social behavior on display, others will draw inferences about who and what you are. He proposes that the brain makes millisecond judgements based on new stimulus; for example what color pants you have on. The scary part is, it’s entirely subjective. One person might conclude by your tailored pants suit that you are trustworthy and important, while another might surmise that you are snobby and slick. Do your jeans and sport shirt say, “I only work part time,” or “hey, I’m so successful that I don’t need to conform to cultural expectations?” Argh! Trying to please all of the potential thin slicers out there seems overwhelming. So how can a man effectively communicate who he is with his clothing? Check in with a few friends/loved ones and then, leave it to the experts!

Men who don’t even know where to start should try stalwart fashion emporiums like Rubenstein’s, George Bass or Perlis. Rubenstein’s offers complimentary styling sessions specifically to help you “define” your personal style. This is a great jumping off point at no cost to you. And at Fellow Harper Jones and Luca Falcone you can browse through thousands of fabrics and linings and create your custom look as well. If you’d like to convey a more casual, sporty style check out Jean Therapy, Nola Couture and smaller, private labels like DNO or Lafayette-based Motier.

Whatever it is you want folks to perceive about you, if you find the right store, brand or salesperson, I guarantee you can do this all while remaining true to yourself.