This particular article marks a bit of a milestone for me [ed: and me], as this will be the 100th instalment in the FashionBeans Men’s Fashion Basics series. When I first started writing the series over three years ago, I never thought it would go down quite as successfully as it did, or keep going for as long as it has. It’s a testament to how our readers want to be as knowledgeable as they can about men’s style, and just how much depth and detail there is within the world of menswear. So I was thinking about doing something special to mark the occasion, and seeing as my normal tactic of ‘get wild ar*e drunk’ doesn’t really work in this sort of medium, I went ahead with a suggestion from one of our readers, Alex Martin. He said that it would be nice to have a round-up of all that has gone before in the series, as sometimes (not unlike men’s fashion) it can be hard to keep track of everything. Taking a brief look back through the articles, I have to agree with him. We’ve covered a lot of ground – all the way from perfect fit to dressing for a summer wedding, and everything in between. Perhaps a bit of a recap would do us all good.

Two Key Lessons

Before I launch into it, I’d like to reiterate two of the most important lessons that I’ve tried to communicate throughout the entire series: the way your clothes fit and the type of clothes you should purchase. If you are just starting out on your sartorial journey, these two basic guidelines can be really helpful. In fact, even a seasoned sartorialist would do well to always bear them in mind: If your clothes fit you properly, regardless of the price of the item, it will always look like it was made for your body. Finding a high quality tailor was essential for one of the biggest leaps forward I made when first starting out, and helped achieve that sought-after slim fit that perfectly follows my silhouette and flatters my body shape. In terms of the type of clothes you buy, investing in pieces that are simple, classic and versatile allows you to not only justify an extravagant price tag (as they will last you numerous seasons without ever going out of style) but also means that the majority of the items in your wardrobe can be mixed and matched with minimal hassle or clashing. Even if you only take those two lessons away from this series, I’d consider it a job well done. But anyway, let’s have a brief look at all that we’ve learned so far, shall we?