Self-Styled: A Style and Grooming Guide for College Guys

Look like you care—even when you don’t.

I’m Alexander Cheves, and this is LOVE, BEASTLY—a blog about sex, feelings, and manhood. It’s written mostly for men—gay, straight, bi, MSM, or just curious—but some readers are women, and some don’t fit into categories. Everyone’s welcome here.

Self-Styled is where I write about grooming, personal care, and what style means when it’s rooted in self-love—not trends.

No sponsorships. No influencer bullshit. Just what I’ve tried, worn, and actually liked.

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I have never written a post like this before, but a friend in the college writing department told me to step out of my comfort zone. She is a style blogger and says I am stylish, so I suppose I am a fashion influencer now. Move aside, Stacy London!

A heads up: I am a cisgender man, and most of my readers are, I think, cisgender men, so this post is for us. I am writing this as a senior in college, a few months shy of graduation, so this post is also for college guys.

I assume you, like me, are living on a shoestring budget. I am not a fashionista, but I believe style should be practical, affordable, and comfortable. I encourage you to experiment with your style outside the typical college look—sweatpants and hoodie—because, in addition to all the other things we must worry about, we also have to consider our appearance. Self-presentation matters. Every classmate is potentially a future colleague, and every professor a possible connection to a future job. College is like an extended job interview, and, like any interview, appearance matters.

Over the last four and a half years, I have picked up tips from the fashion kids at art school. More importantly, I have seen the response from professors when I wear a collared shirt and slacks to class. So I write from some experience: It's important to look like you care, especially when you don't. How you treat yourself determines how others treat you, and you want to be treated well. People say they "don't take themselves seriously" to say they are chill, unstuffy, and unpretentious. It's a tricky phrase: You do, after all, want to take yourself a little seriously. If you don't, who will?