5 STYLE TIPS FROM THE MILITARY YOU CAN USE TODAY!

Reading time: 4 minutes

Whether it’s a job interview, a first date or the viewing for your dream apartment: you get one shot at a first impression.
If you show up well dressed, with a decent haircut, and can talk politely but with confidence, you’re already ahead of most of the competition.

So today we are looking at 5 lessons from the military that will help you, with very little effort, to improve the way you come across. Guaranteed!

1. Dress More Formally Than the Rest

A uniform draws attention in the civilian world. Plenty of women find it attractive. And there’s a reason why words like “authority”, “security”, “confidence”, but also “care” and “responsibility” are the ones that come to mind.

When something happens, when chaos breaks out and someone has to act, everyone looks at the person in uniform: the one dressed most formally of all.

It makes no difference whether that person wears a service uniform or shows up as a lawyer in a well-cut suit.
What you wear says something about you, and it builds trust.

You want to make an impression, pull attention your way from the first second and stand out from the crowd? Then dress one step more formally than everyone around you.

It doesn’t have to be a suit to start with. Casual works too.
Dark, good-quality jeans with black shoes, plus a black shirt with little or no print, already work wonders.

This side-by-side shows how differently the same man comes across in other clothes.

2. Check Your Appearance

Every soldier knows the check in the mirror to see whether the uniform sits right. And almost unconsciously you run through the details, for example whether every pocket is closed.

Only constant checking makes sure everything fits and sits the way it should.

From now on, before you leave the house, take one look in the mirror and check that the outfit is what it should be. Watch the details, especially cleanliness and how the colors work together.

You avoid mistakes and embarrassing moments, and on top of that your confidence goes up and you feel better.

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

- WILL ROGERS (COMEDIAN, ACTOR, AUTHOR & COWBOY)

3. Less Is More

The army has uniforms for a reason: uniformity and function.

Every soldier has 4–5 uniforms, 2 PT uniforms and one service dress uniform. Nothing gets mixed between them, so the choice in the morning is a short one.

And you? How many T-shirts, pants and hoodies are lying around in your closet that you use 1–2 times a year at most?

The key factor: less is more. Cut your wardrobe down to 3–5 high-quality outfits that you actually wear. As almost always, quality beats quantity here.

Small things like accessories or the color of the shirt you can and should swap out from time to time.

4. Hair and Beard Care

A sore subject, and by now it is one in the Bundeswehr too.

It used to be simple: every soldier shaves, and the hair stays short enough that it doesn’t cover the ears.

Under the new hair and beard regulation, that standard probably only holds in the Guard Battalion now. Every soldier still has to look disciplined and set an example, because they represent something.

Look at it this way: if you’re not worth shaving for every day, keeping the beard in shape, keeping ear and nose hair under control and going to the barber every 1–2 weeks, why would anyone trust your sense of responsibility, attention and discipline anywhere else?

The daily shave. Once a given, today the beard is in fashion. But that needs care too.

5. Confidence

You want the secret that lets you pull off any outfit when you have to?

Confidence.

Just as important as the clothes you wear is how you wear them.

Even the best dressed man won’t look like much if he’s visibly uncomfortable in his own clothes.

Wearing the outfit isn’t enough. You have to own it.

Especially when you start paying attention to the details and dress better than average for the first time, it will feel less comfortable than the sweatpants you’re used to.

So watch your body language. Pull your shoulders back a little and look straight ahead. Speak calmly and clearly. Hold eye contact.

Don’t worry, you get used to it fast, and soon the only time you feel out of place is when you have to dress down.

Good luck out there!

Shughart

Author’s note: if you like our articles, you can support us with a purchase in our shop (click here). We’re grateful for every bit of support!