Styling tips for men from our fashion forward friend, Dave Diaz!

Ditch the Clique — it’s FOR women and BY women right?

Sure, that’s it (for now anyway lol) but that doesn’t mean men don’t need AND deserve inspiring and empowering resources of their own! In fact, we get more inquiries than you’d think from men genuinely interested in the culture we are creating! But because we are such style advocates the question we get most from men is:

Can you tell me how to dress more confidently too?

GIRL, let’s be honest. Style plays a very important part in the self confidence department, whether male or female. Just like you’ll feel good on the inside if you look good on the outside, we believe that if you look good on the outside, you’ll fee good inside too!

Currently my husband and I are prepping for our first post vaccine vacay (we’re coming for you Cali!), and helping my man feel like his most confident self both inside and out has been living rent free in my mind! So to help him, the men constantly inquiring with DTC and YOU feel like your most confident self, we’ve asked our friend and men’s style expert David of @davediaz.jr to share a few of his go-to tips with you and the men in your life!

1. How do you find the confidence to dress the way you do?  

David: In reality I never made a huge jump from my comfort zone. I really don’t wear things that I don’t feel confident in or even comfortable in. I do push the boundaries though. Over the years you see trends come and go and when I was younger I would follow and keep up with these trends. I was what they would call a “Hypebeast” lol. But as I got older and time passed I could recognize what was a trend or what would be fast fashion. Here today gone tomorrow models, and I knew they wouldn’t stand the test of time. This is where I LIVE in fashion. Timeless pieces, timeless color palettes and timeless fits. With that, I like to take those timeless pieces and make them my own with a Smart Streetwear spin. The timeless pieces are where I get my confidence from because I know the look will live forever but my edge comes from mixing the streetwear with those pieces and it’s worked for me. 

2. What are a few pieces every guy needs to build a confident wardrobe? 

David: Love this question! I swear if you look at my IG you see so many similarities with my outfits. Black or dark grey denim and a pair of black or brown boots is the foundation to my wardrobe and what I would recommend anyone wanting to elevate their own style. From there you are halfway done. You can dress the jeans up and you could dress them down. With that said, the fit is the most important key here. You can’t just buy any black jeans and accomplish the look. It’s the way they fit and how the denim falls on the boot/shoes. I call this “The Stack.”

From there you need basics — black, grey, and white t-shirts of quality, white Oxford shirt, grey hoodie, top coat, blue or grey suit (your choice). My closet in a nutshell. You can mix and match/dress up or down.

As you go on you can start to buy your statement pieces. Be smart about those purchases though. Those expensive designer pieces with the logos everywhere — everyone now knows that you have a Balenciaga printed sweater. You can’t bring that piece out anymore or you would just wear it out and it isn’t valuable to you anymore. This goes back to those Timeless pieces I was talking about!

3. Who or what inspires you the most in fashion?

David: I have a lot of go-to IG pages that I get inspiration from. First would be @ericaustinh and @mrjhines of Harrison&Hines. These guys have been mentors to me for a bit now and the amount of value, advice and game they provide has been huge for me and it’s starting to show in my growth not just in fashion, but as a person as well. Other notable mentions would be @davidson_frere.  

4. For men struggling to step out of their comfort zone when it comes to fashion, what do you recommend? 

David: I will give the same advice that was given to me: Start small. You know as a person what you are comfortable in. Don’t try and change your look overnight if you are already struggling to break out of the comfort zone. Go get a haircut first. Talk to the barber and see what they would recommend. NO Supercuts, go see a professional – thank me later. 

From there, elevate your everyday wear a bit. But not too much. Instead of going out in jeans and a t-shirt, replace the t-shirt for a button down. And instead of the black and white vans that I know you’ve worn everyday since you bought them, put them back in the closet and throw on those boots you just ordered. Once you are comfortable there, replace the button down with a turtleneck and replace the black jeans with some slacks. Personally, I’m still wearing my boots with the slacks, but that’s just me!

David clearly knows what he’s talking about when it comes to fashion. Starting small and building up a fashionable wardrobe with timeless pieces will take your man’s outfits to the next level. But at the end of the day, stay true to YOU and what YOU find comfortable and stylish.

And if you’re looking for other ways to boost your confidence and find inspiration, follow @ditchtheclique and @rachelkgrim on Instagram and attend our next event!

Photos courtesy of @davediaz.jr and @quistpix photography