8 Mistakes Older Men Make Trying To Look Young (2024)

Don’t Make Yourself Appear Older Trying to Look Younger!

Today, many men turn to fashion and excessively youthful clothing when trying to negate the implications of getting older. Dressing in a very modish way, however, doesn’t make you look like you’re still in your 20s or 30s, although it can, ironically, make you look older, and no one wants to look like a man in a mid-life crisis masquerading as a teenager. So, in a society and an employment market where youth is highly valued, what can you do as a more seasoned gentleman to look both youthful and authentic?

Whether you are in your 40s, 50s, 60s, or older, there are several approaches you can employ to make yourself look younger in a positive way. These methods won’t make you look too young, but rather, age-appropriate without appearing old or stodgy. The goal is to find clothing that suits your age but is also modern enough that it makes you feel updated and fresh.

By avoiding the following mistakes and incorporating our style alternatives into your wardrobe, you can achieve a look that balances the elegance of your age with a fun, youthful demeanor.

1. Wearing Athletic Clothing Outside the Gym

Gym Clothes Don’t Automatically Give You a Gym Body

As part of Classic Style, we generally believe that athletic attire is best reserved for times when you are actually exercising and that no one should wear sweatpants, trainers, or similar garb as casual attire. However, many younger men tend to dress casually in athletic attire because they find it comfortable and suited to their lifestyles.

To a certain extent, this choice makes sense: young men tend to be more athletic and generally in shape, so exercise clothes can complement their physiques. Unless you have the body of a younger man, however, these same garments will instead emphasize the age of most older gentlemen.

Instead: Wear Comfortable Clothes that Suit the Situation

So, if not sweats and athleisure attire, what can you wear instead that makes you look young but not too young? In hot weather, it can be as simple as wearing a polo shirt and a pair of shorts. More generally, you can go with a pair of longer pants and sports shirts. To keep cool, seersucker is a great material for pants. Linen is also a great material for older men because it has a certain element of casualness that makes you look younger; at the same time, it’s very sophisticated and classic.

2. Wearing Sneakers Incorrectly

Other Casual Shoes Provide Superior Alternatives

As we age, our bodies are less able to acclimate to uncomfortable attire, especially clothing. Older men tend to avoid leather dress shoes because of the assumption that they are always uncomfortable and instead wear pliable sneakers at all times. Many young men also always wear sneakers as their primary shoe choice, leading to the assumption that wearing sneakers makes you more comfortable and appear younger.

The latter notion is disproven by the point made in the previous section: overly casual or youthful attire emphasizes age in everyone who isn’t young. The former point is also an incorrect simplification: while sneakers are comfortable shoes, they are not necessarily any more comfortable than properly fitted, high-quality dress shoes.

Instead: Employ Sneakers Correctly, Plus a Range of Casual Shoes

When It Makes Sense to Wear Sneakers

Sneakers have a place in the wardrobes of older men, but that place is not as your primary footwear selection. Instead, pick and choose occasions for wearing sneakers: maybe for going grocery shopping, going on a walk , running some errands, or playing with your grandkids; these are all appropriate times to wear sneakers. Rather than full-on tennis shoes, go with a nice pair of neat-looking leather sneakers: they function the same as conventional sneakers but appear far more dignified and age-appropriate.

Casual Shoe Alternatives to Sneakers

For all other occasions, opt for a more elegant casual shoe. Consider a pair of driving mocs or boat shoes. If it gets a little colder, maybe an unstructured pair of chukka boots are the exact perfect mix between a casual and polished look. Loafersare one of the very best options for casual footwear, as they are easy to take on and off, are supremely comfortable, and still look dapper.

3. Wearing Baseball Caps as a Casual Accessory

It Isn’t Always Time to Play Ball

Like athletic clothes, baseball caps can work in a specific context, like if you are actually playing baseball or you’re going to a baseball stadium to cheer for your team. In all other circ*mstances, however, they have the same effect as wearing other examples of overly casual attire: they appear disjointed unless you really are young.

Instead: Employ Hair and Hat Tips Suited to Your Age

Make Sure That Your Haircut Reflects the Realities of Your Hair

Rather than obscuring your hairline with a hat, you should first select a haircut that suits the realities of your hair: the proper haircut will help any amount of hair look fantastic, whether your hair is full and rich or thin and sparse. This selection of classic hairstyles provides the ideal starting point for any gentleman, but if you are starting to lose your hair, never fear: these haircuts will flatter thinning hair, with suggestions suited to how much hair you have already lost. Your barber will be able to suggest haircuts to suit your hair type.

Find the Right Hat for You

When it comes to selecting a hat, there are a plethora of casual hats within Classic Style that maintain a youthful feel without appearing juvenile. Flat caps or a porkpie are ideal choices in cool and transitional weather, while nothing beats a Panama hat when the weather is hot.

4. Wearing Tight, Trendy Clothing

The Latest Fads Could Exacerbate Flab

In an effort to appear young and hip, some men adopt the latest clothing trends to emphasize that they are still “with it.” In general, we feel that chasing trends is a losing proposition for anyone: by definition, fads come and go, and it can be very expensive to remain on top of what is trending.

Chasing trends is a particular pitfall for older gentlemen as most trends are based around the physiques of the young, with cuts and lines intended to flatter fit, athletic bodies. Unless you have the build to pull them off, these tight-fitting clothes that are super trendy will show every imperfection and every extra pound you have, which is not advantageous and doesn’t make you look younger.

Furthermore, as an older person, the social assumption is that maturity should cause you to feel secure and confident with yourself and your personal style and that you have no need to seek validation or approval from others by wearing the latest trendy clothing. Wearing particular clothes to fit in is usually associated with high school students and is, generally speaking, not considered becoming of an older gentleman.

Naturally, you should feel free to wear what you want, but obviously chasing trends will usually cause others to assume that you are trying to dress like something you are not because you lack confidence in who you really are.

Instead: Moderate Trends To Suit Your Age and Style

There are, however, several ways that you can adapt contemporary trends to reflect the realities of your body and your age; it simply requires a more moderate approach to them. This means you must incorporate the overarching trend, if not each of its particulars. If the current trend is to have tightly fitted jackets and trousers, you can go to the alterations tailor and have your trouser legs tapered and a dart added to your shirt: these alterations will give you a slimmer profile without making it look like you have been stuffed into your clothes.

5. Wearing Unflattering Jeans

Don’t Let Every Jean Genie Out of the Bottle

Jeans are considered an iconic emblem of youth and have been favored by young men for decades, ever since subcultures in the 1950s first popularized them as casual attire. In many ways, however, the wrong jeans are a minefield of issues that can actually make you look older than you are.

Many Jeans Styles Can Appear Dated

The distinctive trendiness of jeans means that many cuts, colors, details, and treatments are closely associated with particular fashion epochs: think about the bellbottoms of the 1970s or the boxy stonewashed jeans typical of the 1990s. Wearing these jeans today can make you appear dated and like a fashion fossil come to life.

Hyper-trendy jeans are also unlikely to flatter you, as they tend to be extremely skinny jeans and, therefore, inappropriate for anyone without the build of a model. They also tend to feature faddish detailing, such as faux distress, holes, and rips that are not consummate with the demeanor of a mature, classic gentleman.

Instead: Find the Proper Jeans for Your Body Type

In order to appear younger but still tasteful, you should seek out a pair of jeans that falls in the midpoint between what is trendy and what is timeless. Such jeans should be neither too tight nor too loose and neither too light nor too dark. You want minimal details, with no rips, staining, or aging on your jeans. Go for a pair with a proper length and if they’re a little slimmer, it is usually best to avoid a break altogether. This “Goldilocks” approach allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds with jeans that aren’t dated but are also comfortable and flattering.

6. Dressing like a College Boy

Parodies of Collegiate Attire Don’t Make You Look Younger

Some men explicitly ape the clothing habits of young men in an effort to be associated with youth. Nowadays, this endeavor consists of crafting ensembles that parody the looks of young college men, replete with cargo shorts, flip-flops, graphic tees, sports jerseys, and hoodies or sweatshirts. Adopting this costume of youthful culture won’t fool anyone into thinking you are young; in fact, on actual college men, this look usually appears immature, and on anyone else, it tends to look downright silly.

Instead: Emphasize Dynamism Suitable to Your Age

Many elements typical of the youthful look of a college boy can be tastefully updated to suit the needs of an older man. These upgrades are age-appropriate while still capturing some of the whimsical effects of more youthful attire.

7. Wearing Excessive Colors and Patterns

Bold and Young-Looking Aren’t Always Synonymous

Colorful plumage is a sign of youth and virality in many species of birds, but unless you’re a peaco*ck, excessively loud patterns and colors aren’t likely to trick anyone into thinking that you are still young. On older men, these distracting details can make you appear insecure as if your clothes were wearing you and not the other way around.

Instead: Incorporate Bold Detailing Sensibly

Selecting the Proper Accessories

When done correctly, the incorporation of color and pattern can be utilized to make you appear more youthful without seeming affected or fake. This is best achieved with bold pops of colors or patterns in small doses: consider a bold striped shirt, a louder tie, a pocket square, a boutonniere, or maybe even your pants. But if you have one bold item, keep the rest more muted so it doesn’t overwhelm your personality.

Finding Balance Between Bold Colors and Patterns

Subtlety can be maintained by opting for either a bold pattern or a bold color. For instance, a shirt with very broad pink and white stripes could be overwhelming, but if only one element is bold – like a very broad stripe – while the color element is more sedate – like brown and white – the result is a unique garment that remains classic and versatile.

The Value of New Socks

Socks provide the perfect opportunity to introduce a bold color or pattern without the risk becoming overwhelming. Rather than wearing those bold, crazy socks that a lot of people wear with pizzas on them or football teams or dinosaurs, get a pair of two-tone striped socks that have subtle color variations; they work well with your pants, they look modern and fresh, but not to the extent that a pair of football socks would.

If striped socks are too much for you, maybe get a pair of two-tone solid socks that are a little more subtle but just visually interesting and they can even be a conversation starter. Or, during the summer, when you wear loafers, you may even want to skip your socks altogether, or you can achieve that same look and protect your hygiene by wearing no-show socks.

Exceptional Socks from Fort Belvedere

8. Wearing Extremely Youthful Fragrances

Overly Juvenile Fragrances Don’t Pass the Sniff Test

Fragrances are an often overlooked component of your wardrobe, but in an effort to smell, as well as appear, younger, some men ditch their Old Spice and select a very saccharine, overwhelming, youthful scent. Such overpowering smells, however, create a disjointed effect because the odors are not associated with the style and maturity of an older man; they are often better suited to a middle school locker room.

Instead: Utilize Age-Appropriate Fragrances

Fragrances tend to have fewer hard and fast rules regarding age appropriateness than casual clothing. As a result, any fragrance that is timeless, elegant, and versatile should serve you very well, especially if you take the time to make selections that take into consideration the season, such as summer, or the occasion; failing to do so is a mistake that fragrance experts avoid.

Which Roberto Ugolini Fragrance is Right For You?

Bonus Warning: Neglecting Body Odor and Bad Breath

Don’t Be Oblivious to the Olfactory

Because of negative associations between old age and odors, many people erroneously assume that all older men smell bad. This prejudice means that people will be expecting bad smells when encountering more mature fellows, so it is essential that you take proactive steps to prevent even the perception of foul smells. Fortunately, this endeavor is fairly simple.

Conclusion

Getting older can be a scary and disheartening experience, but we hope that by considering the pitfalls highlighted in this video, you will have the confidence to avoid sartorial mistakes that age you, embrace clothing tips that help you look as young as you feel, and love every minute of your life. The autumn of your years can be one of the most rewarding, fun, and invigorating periods of life; don’t waste it trying to dress like something you’re not!

Are you guilty of any of these mistakes? How do you account for your age when dressing? Share with us in the comments!

Outfit Rundown

Today Raphael is wearing an outfit that is perfect for an older gentleman during the warmer months of the year. It consists of a linen shirt in a bold white and brown stripe and I got it from a company by the name of Spier & Mackay.

His pants are a pair of classic chinos from Polo Ralph Lauren. They have pleats in the front because he has big thighs, and they also have cuffs because he prefers the added weight; they’re a little shorter, and they’re neither super-wide nor super slim but just in the middle.

Raphael pairs this look with a pair of dark brown loafers from Scarosso, which is a German brand, but the shoes are made in Italy. They have this woven leather, which is a bit more casual. Color-wise, it works well with the brown in my shirt. He is combining it with a woven belt that picks up the brown leather color and the casualness of the shirt and the chino.

Overall, the look relies on very earthy pastel colors that work well for Raphael’s age or for someone who’s 10 or 20 years his senior.