Men’s Style: What’s Sexy, What’s Not? Our Poll Results May Surprise You

WHEN IT comes to matters of style, “sexy” is subjective. One person’s sartorial aphrodisiac could be another’s fashion Ipecac. Is it possible to get consensus at all on crucial questions like: Is there an optimal number of shirt buttons for a guy to leave undone? What’s the most attractive facial-hair situation? And are open-toe Birkenstock sandals a turn-on? (Spoiler alert: No, not really.)

To shed light on these queries we turned to Ipsos, a survey-based global research company, which interviewed a nationally representative sample of 2,009 U.S. adults between June 7 and 12.

Some takeaways:

• Only 22% of interviewees think men over 50 look sexy in sneakers (which frankly seems ageist).
• A mere 3% of participants named ankles as the sexiest body part a man can reveal.
• Men’s jewelry was deemed relatively unsexy by 47% of those surveyed, while 52% deemed red clothes rarely or never sexy.
• Baggy clothes? Even less alluring, with 65% of the survey sample giving them a thumbs down.
• Meanwhile, 41% of the group agreed that black clothes are generally a sexy bet.
• And myopics rejoice: 75% of respondents said glasses were sometimes, usually or always sexy.

Read on for more detailed insights on steamy shoes, shorts and beyond.

Survey Says…Smokin’!

Our poll results—with good news for men who bare their biceps and bad news for long-shorts lovers.

Hot-Button Issue

While 40% of all respondents said undoing two shirt buttons is sexiest, and 38% said one, the majority of men voted for just one (44%).

Here Comes Stubble

Although 44% of the people interviewed find clean-shaven faces sexiest, a whopping 56% prefer some sort of whiskers—with the three different hairy categories splintering that vote.

Sexiest Inseam

“What would Goldilocks do?” are words to live by when shopping for shorts: 64% of those surveyed said moderate “just above the knee” cuts are sexiest, while truly short and below-knee options earned an unimpressive 19% and 17% of the vote, respectively.

Sexiest Getup

When it comes to a complete outfit, 43% of poll respondents named a James Dean-ish T-shirt and jeans the hottest look, while a suit, at 34%, was the runner-up. “Shirt and Chinos” drew just 14% of people surveyed. The real loser? Athleticwear, with 6% of the sexy vote.

Sexiest Glimpse

The sexiest body part for men to reveal? Biceps by a landslide with 50% of the vote. No other option registered much approval (including legs at 15%, collarbone at 9% and ankle at 3%) while “none of the above” had quite a fan base at 23%.

(Un)Sexiest Shoes

When we asked about footwear, dress shoes, often stiff and sweaty, won the always/usually sexy vote with 34% (when worn by men under 50). Meanwhile, famously comfy Birkenstock sandals were deemed never/rarely sexy by 72%, age notwithstanding.

What About Date Night?

Date-night outfits can be a key indicator of sexy vs. unsexy style. In Midtown NYC, we asked men and women what works—and what doesn’t. Some highlights:

• “I think it’s really sexy when a guy wears color. Color reads as confidence. Also, I could see a mesh tank top being sexy on someone.”—Ming Lin, 34, archivist
• “I used to wear, like, NHL T-shirts when I started dating my fiancé. She told me they were terrible. I guess wearing a basketball jersey on a date would be terrible too.”—Tim Manahan, 32, investment banker
• “I’m visiting from Italy, where I live. There, it is not important to show a lot of skin. For men, it is considered a little bit arrogant, a little bit cheap.”—Giuseppe Giannini, 23, student
• “According to my wife, a sexy outfit always starts with the shoes—they’re the first things women look at. The shoes should be stylish, like suede boots or fashionable sneakers, and they should be worn with socks. If he’s wearing crappy shoes, it’s over.”—Mitchell Schepps 64, reinsurance broker
• “If a guy is wearing stuff that’s oversize, that’s not attractive at all. It makes his proportions look off. Just wear your size. Dirty shoes are unattractive too.”—Monet Mitchell, 20s, works in customer service

—Edited from interviews by Lizzy Wholley and Jamie Waters