I’m not here to tell you what Halacha says, because if you are looking for the most lenient path possible it can be found in Halacha; I’m only here to talk about what is the most Choshuv and what is the most ideal for a Frumme male of Am Yisroel:
– Longer payos are definitely preferred over shorter payos, as long as it’s not too long (like some chasidim I know), messy, or in any way can cause a Chilul Hashem when walking around outdoors or dealing with the goyim. The payos should be longer than most yeshivishe/litvishe places & chabad but shorter than what most other chasidim have. The payos are also better in front of one’s ears than tucked behind one’s ears.
– Having a beard (any length of beard) is better than having no beard at all as long as the beard makes you look like a Jew and is not some Goyishe style or something of the kind Chas V’Shalom. Having a longer beard is better than having any length of shorter beard as long as the beard is not messy and won’t cause a Chilul Hashem when walking around outside or dealing with the goyim. The best thing would be if yidden generally kept their beards untrimmed their whole lives starting from the moment the facial hair starts to grow – with only very minimal trimming here or there to keep neatness and derech eretz. Another thing is if your wife prefers a shorter beard then you should adhere to her request, but at least try to keep a beard of some sort; and of course if you have some skin condition that causes an above normal level of discomfort like red/itchy/dry skin then you should also probably keep a shorter beard.
– Regarding clothing: Longer coats that go down past the knees are better than shorter/modern ones. Wearing black coats/jackets are better than wearing blue coats/jackets. If you are to wear blue, the darker the hue the better (same goes for grey, brown, or any other colour). Shoes are better if they’re black, and shoes should also not be too shiny, pointy, or goyish. Wearing a hat of some sort is also better than wearing no hat (although the frum-looking black hats are preferred), and the hats should not be too flimsy, bendy, modern, or goyish, and the brims should not be too short.
The idea here is to dress like a frumme yid and act like a frumme yid at all times so we know our purpose and so we can constantly be ONLY a Kiddush Hashem among other jews and goyim (like not to have long and messy payos that fly into the face of other people as you walk past them) and a positive influence wherever we go.
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Again, I am talking here about what is the most IDEAL; not what Halacha says everyone must follow.