Clothes bought at 30 are usually cut for a different body by 45, and the signs are jeans that sag at the seat and shirts that pull across the stomach. When Ipsos asked 2,009 American adults in June 2023 which outfit looked sexiest on a man, 43% chose a T-shirt and jeans and 34% chose a suit. Among respondents aged 35 to 54, the T-shirt and jeans figure rose to 49%, the highest of any age group.
A Plain T-Shirt With Dark Jeans
The winning outfit in that poll depends almost entirely on fit. Only 10% of respondents called baggy clothes always or usually sexy, and 18% said the same of tight clothes. The target is a T-shirt that follows the chest and shoulders without clinging to the stomach. The sleeves matter too, since half of the poll’s respondents named the biceps as the sexiest part of a man’s body to show, and a sleeve that ends at mid-bicep looks tidier than one that reaches the elbow. A heavyweight cotton T-shirt holds its shape through a long day far better than a thin one, and white, grey and navy are enough for almost every situation.
Dark straight-leg jeans in an even indigo wash look sharper on a man over 40 than faded or ripped pairs. The hem should rest on the shoe with little or no break, and the seat should be close enough that the fabric does not bunch when standing.
Fine Knitwear
A fine merino jumper or a thin roll-neck can replace a shirt under a blazer or go over a T-shirt on its own. Merino comes from a breed of fine-wool sheep first recorded in Spain in the 12th century, and the fineness of the fibre lets a merino knit stay thin enough to layer. It is warm enough for a British autumn, and a crew neck in charcoal or navy goes with almost anything else in the wardrobe. Knitwear should end at the belt and fit close at the shoulder, because loose or oversized knits add bulk around the middle.
A Pressed Shirt With Chinos
Shirt and chinos came third in the poll at 14%. It works at a restaurant or a friend’s dinner without any change, and the Ipsos results also settled the question of buttons. Of those surveyed, 78% said 1 or 2 undone top buttons looked sexiest, and women were more likely than men to choose 2, at 47% against 33%.
On a date, a pressed Oxford shirt with stone or navy chinos shows that a man has given the evening some thought. That kind of preparation is part of what separates dating a high value man from dating someone who turns up in yesterday’s shirt.
A Neutral Colour Palette
Neutral colours did better than bright ones in the same poll, with 36% calling them always or usually sexy against 28% for colourful clothing. Navy, grey, olive and camel combine with each other, and fewer items then make more outfits. A man can add one point of colour through socks or a knitted tie and keep everything else quiet.
Oversized T-shirts, neon and large logos work against men who want to dress well in their 40s. Esquire India warns that anything too flashy at this age looks like trying too hard to fit in, and it suggests leaving the edgier pieces behind with a man’s 30s.
A Tailored Blazer
A 2011 University of Hertfordshire study showed people images of a man in a suit for 3 to 5 seconds each, with the face pixelated. The suits differed only in small details, one made to measure and the other bought off the peg. Participants rated the man in the made-to-measure suit more positively on 4 of the 5 measures, judging him more confident, more successful, more flexible and a higher earner. Trustworthiness was the only rating that did not improve.
A tailoring firm co-sponsored the study, which is a reason for some caution. The BBC has reported that buying a made-to-measure suit is no longer reserved for the very wealthy, with prices starting at around $500, because the tailor adjusts an existing pattern instead of drafting a new one as a bespoke tailor would. Esquire’s suit-fit rules apply to a blazer as well. The shoulders should end where the wearer’s shoulders end, the sleeves should show between a quarter and half an inch of shirt cuff, and with the arms hanging, the knuckles should be level with the hem of the jacket. A navy blazer cut that way is the most useful single piece for a man over 40, since it goes over a T-shirt or a shirt.
Leather Shoes and Clean Trainers
Shoes split opinion by age. When Ipsos asked what looks sexiest on men, 34% said formal dress shoes were always or usually sexy on men under 50, and 22% said the same of trainers on men over 50. Another 42% of respondents aged 55 and over said trainers on older men were sometimes sexy.
Brown leather or suede Derby shoes are right for dinners and the office, and plain white leather trainers, kept clean, go with dark jeans or chinos for everything else.
Heavy Stubble
In the Ipsos poll, 56% preferred some facial hair to a clean shave, and stubble was the most popular single style at 26%. A 2013 study by Barnaby Dixson and Rob Brooks at the University of New South Wales found that women rated heavy stubble as more attractive than a clean shave, light stubble or a full beard. The study showed photographs of 10 men to 351 women and 177 men, and the men in the sample gave their highest ratings to full beards and heavy stubble.
Respondents aged 55 and over were the exception in the Ipsos results, with 55% preferring a clean-shaven face. Heavy stubble also needs trimming every few days, with a clean line at the cheek and neck, so it looks chosen.
Clearing Out the Old Wardrobe
A good wardrobe for a man over 40 is short and plain, and every piece in it has been tried on before it was bought. Brand barely features in that description, and none of the outfits the Ipsos respondents preferred depended on one.
