OK, I know you're "fresh to death." I know, I know, you be "stylin' on 'em." But ask yourself, "am I really?" Anyone can put on jeans and a t-shirt and pull that look off, but when it's time to go into Sinatra mode, how do you fair? I've heard cats say, "Man, I'm never putting on no suit and tie unless I'm going on a job interview." That tells me two things: a) you go to all the wrong events and b) you like the wrong kind of girls. Are you kidding me? Dressing up is one of the best gifts you can give to your ego. I see you've got a lot of learning to do; I don't got all day, so listen up and listen good.

Read more after the jump.

First let's learn the lingo. Two terms you need to grasp and understand when it comes to this styling thing: bespoke and ready-to-wear. They're two totally different concepts, yet they are both equally important.

Now let's start with the easy stuff, ready-to-wear is basically a suit that you can buy off the rack at a clothing store. You walk in, ask for your size, try it on and buy it. This is the way most men buy their suits. They're pre-cut to fit a standard size profile and usually the store you buy from will have a tailor on hand that will make alterations for a small fee or for free. Everyone is shaped differently and there is absolutely no such thing as a "standard size profile", that's just nonsense. I will say this though; some people pull ready-to-wear suits off better than others.

Now on Ody (pictured above left), the shirt, the vest, and the pants are all ready-to-wear, but he pulls it off incredibly. He found a cut that fit him and went with it. Effortless. Me on the right there, I'm a little different. The suit was ready-to-wear, but I got some alterations done by my trusted tailor. We call that "touching up." Now the suit was my size but didn't fit me as it should, as it would with most people, my next piece of advice might be the best advice I ever give to you: FIND YOURSELF A GOOD TAILOR. It's very important. It's even more important than the actual suit. Now my tailor, Sue, is my hero. She knows my cut better than I know it. Look at how the pant leg drops on the shoe perfectly, my shoulders drop perfectly, my underarm is intact. I give this look a ten-out-of-ten. Accessorizing is also important. Check the skinny tie, Louis Vuitton scarf used as a pocket square, and the Keith Haring pin; it adds my personal touch to this work of art. Your shirt and shoes are also super important. We can talk about shoes another time but for now, just learn the steps to looking good "dressed up."

Now for all you stubborn jeans and t-shirt types who totally just skipped over that last paragraph. This look might work for you. This is the casual preppy killer look. See? You can even wear jeans! How convenient. Now this look doesn't require much teaching. Jeans pulled up properly on your waist, shirt tucked in but unbuttoned, knit sweater around your shoulder (Carlton Banks anyone?), and a good pair of loafers. The key to this look is your color choices. If you're gonna wear dark selvedge denim (see my last style guide), stick with darker and more earth tone colors such as brown, green and blue. However, degenerates like me prefer a distressed, ripped-up pair of jeans, which allows for more color schemes. See how I flipped the script with the peach cashmere sweater? Totally killer! Colors like peach are hard to pull off, but sometimes you just gotta go for it. Next I flipped the tan Hermes belt with the gold buckle (accessories, accessories, accessories!). That sweater/belt combo totally set the stage for me to come with the orange socks. That might've been the most difficult part of this outfit. Socks can make or break a 'fit. Wrong color, wrong pattern can make a great 'fit a terrible one. Now I did the paisley Ralph Lauren socks with the red Ralph Lauren driving loafers. Another ten out of ten score. Now I'm not just giving out random scores here, let's be honest, I pulled off three colors that should never be worn together typically--and I pulled them off well.

The end-all-be-all of this look is a luggage piece. I advise you all to never, ever, ever try this look without a piece of luggage. Be it a briefcase, a duffel, or whatever, always have something in your hand. It gives the effect that you just came from somewhere important and you've got somewhere better to go after this. Actually, that should be your mentality when getting dressed everyday, but we'll talk about that some other time.

Now on to the hard part, bespoke. Now let me start off by saying this: all real killers should have at least one bespoke suit in their collection. Now what is bespoke you ask? Well it is a suit made for you from scratch, inch-by-inch with details based on your preference, shape, cut, and style. The only problem with a bespoke suit is the cost. A custom made suit can run you in the upwards of $10,000.00. The only problem with the price, though they're worth every penny. Personally, I don't have a bespoke suit yet, but I'm working on it and you should be too. This suit speaks volumes about you. It says everything you would say about yourself without you having to open your mouth. This is the ultimate status symbol when it comes to dressing. You see your man T.I.P. up there with that custom killer two-piece with the custom shirt. See, you too can transition from jeans and t-shirts to a bespoke suit, just like T.I. Do the both of us a favor and next time you're shopping to go out, ditch the typical stores you may shop at and hit Brooks Brothers, that should be a perfect starting place for us to get your sartorial game on point. Until next time.