How To Dress Older For Going Out To Bars And Clubs – A Young Lads Guide

You can be old with a young face, or quite young with an old face.

If you’re young and look even younger, this can be a problem getting into a bar, and even when you’re in you may look like a child. A lot of this can be determined by the way you dress.

There are a few tips which can go a long way, and a few faux pas when it comes to getting ready to go out.

If you want to look a bit older there are plenty of things you can do when choosing your outfit and future wardrobe, which can make all the difference.

I am 29 and still look young, I may be approaching 30 but I still get asked for ID, thanks to my young face. I actually love this now, but back when I was 18-21 it was an annoyance of getting asked for ID a hell of a lot. Of course things have changed now, bars and clubs are more vigilant on the people they let in, especially if you look underage, because the member of staff as well as the bar can be fined. As you get older you’ll appreciate looking younger, but until then there are a few things you can do so you appear as a older gentleman 😉 Check out a couple of my tips for dressing older and more refined.

Lose the Hoodies And Graphic T Shirts

They make you look young, which is not so bad if you are a 25 year old, but if you’re 18 you don’t want to draw attention to your youthful self. In general, t-shirts should be avoided.

No sportswear!

It’s a golden rule of going out to most places no matter on your age. Don’t wear sportswear, no track jackets, no football shirts, tracksuits, bottoms, caps or anything which resembles sportswear. Most classy bars will not let you in wearing sportswear no matter what your age anyway.

Wear clothes to suit the weather and the place you’re going

One common thing which people seem to do is younger guys who’ll go out in the Winter in just a short sleeve shirt. I live in Newcastle and we have a reputation for this kind of stuff, especially the girls, but for men it doesn’t make you look older. Wearing a jacket (unless it’s the summer) is something which should be done. The type of jacket could be anything from denim, tweed, blazer, or other types of smart jacket. Generally you should go out in shoes rather than trainers, but many bars these days are OK with smart looking trainers. Smart looking jeans are also fine, there is no need to wear formal trousers.

Knits And Cardigans Are Great

It could just be me, but I do love them. A good weapon for the young looking guy is that they can make you look older. Team a V-neck or a smart cardigan with a shirt and a pair of dark jeans. You can layer a cardigan or knit with a good fitting, smart T-Shirt. If you’ve read my basic T-Shirt guide you’ll know there’s some really good looking, and good feeling basics out there. Getting a few of these for layering is a good investment.

Experiment with colours

Just because you want to dress older does not mean head to toe in brown or black. Wearing a light pastel coloured shirt such as pink, green, purple or blue or a checked shirt with knitwear is a good way to keep your look fresh without looking too much like a teenager.

The fit is king

A lot of people in fashion believe that the fit is everything, it’s essential. In this case it is. You don’t want to wear something too big and baggy, if it looks like you just stole it from your dad’s wardrobe then it’s probably not the right fit. When shopping for clothing, especially the upper half such as t-shirts, knits, shirts and jackets (as it’s the most noticeable) make sure the fit is not too big.

See how older guys are dressing

A great piece of advice is to find some inspiration, and see what older guys are wearing. You can get some really good insight and style tips from just looking around, and checking out what others are wearing.

Confidence

As you may of heard, it’s all about the confidence 😉 Be confident in your own look and remember that you’re dressing as an older person. If you want to get taken more seriously, and not be seen as a kid then dressing for the occasion and having the confidence will set you on the right path.

Verdict

I hope these small selection of tips gets you on the right path to dressing that little bit older, smarter and more refined. Use these tips and create your own individual, unique style which you feel comfortable in.

Inspiration