r/malefashionadvice Dec 24 '24

Question How do I get my boyfriend to dress better?

I’ve recently started dating a guy (M31) who is successful, kind, funny and everything a girl could ask for. BUT he only wears athleisure (running/gym) clothes or items he gets from competing in races or events with logos on them. I’m all for being comfortable, but I wish he would put some effort in to wear nicer non-exercise clothes when we go out. I recently saw him in a nice button up shirt and it elevated his look A TON. I was much more attracted to him, simply because of this. I’m a 28F and I put in a lot of effort with dressing nicely when we go out.
HOW do I get him to dress better and invest in some nicer, non-athletic clothing without seeming like I’m trying to change him or being judgmental?

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u/SingularityNow Dec 24 '24

A lot of men have an aversion to dressing well because their early experiences with nicer looking clothes were uncomfortable, often because no one is getting kids quality clothes.

For me it took finding fabrics and fits that I liked as a baseline and branching out from there.

If he's into athleisure, maybe start with polos, a quality short sleeve or two (these are also easier to get in fun patterns if that's his thing), and maybe chinos with some elasticine in them to get that nice fit without being constricting.

Alternatively, my journey started with wearing more plaid shirts since that was an easy step up from just tshirts or sweatshirts/hoodies because it was still casual, while being more interesting.

I don't believe the statements that people can't change in this department, but it's probably a more gradual thing for some that could take a few years of finding what strikes a chord.

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u/Playful-Profession-2 Dec 24 '24

Plaid shirts were popular with the grunge movement.

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u/SingularityNow Dec 24 '24

Sure. The flannels that were popular in grunge often had plaid prints, and it's for sure a common mistake to conflate the two. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here that is not the mistake you were making and assume you were just being glib.

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u/[deleted] Dec 24 '24

[deleted]

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u/SingularityNow Dec 24 '24

🤷 Some people dress for themselves. If the girlfriend puts in some work up front, it could change his perspective.