Today we share a number of the good essential style tips for guys who want to decorate better. Whether you’re an entire beginner or perform on your style for a short time and wish a refresher, I’ve refined these concepts and tips over the last 11 years to assist you in looking your best in no time.
- REALIZE THAT DRESSING WELL MAY BE A SKILL
Just like cooking or shooting free throws, dressing well may be a skill that one can learn.
My job as a private stylist isn’t to shop for guys and send them on their way. I teach men how to choose clothes that enhance them to roll in the hay on their own. If dressing well weren’t a skill that would lead, I’d be out of a job!
With all of your skills, you recover the more you practice. And unless you reside in some weird nudist colony (I would apologize here, but if you’re a nudist reading this blog, you’re within the wrong place), you would like to urge dressed a day. Meaning you’ve got a chance to practice and nurture the skill of dressing well every single day.
WHAT you’ll DO TODAY:
Nobody is born with a perfectly tailored 3-piece suit or with some magical intuition to decorate well. (If you would like a reminder, scroll copy and appearance at my high school picture again.) Realize that dressing well may be a skill that will develop through practice.
- DEVELOP YOUR “EYE” BY IDENTIFYING STYLE YOU WISH
Right after guys tell me that they’re just not “naturally stylish,” it’s often followed up with:
“I just don’t have an eye fixed for producing outfits or knowing what looks good.”
Here’s what we tell them:
“Ok. Is there anyone whose style you think looks good? Something you think ‘I’d wish to dress like that, albeit you don’t think you’ll pull it off. Maybe it’s a star, a musician, an athlete? Even a fictitious character. a number of my clients have mentioned Bond or Tony Stark before.”
The guy will then list off plenty of men he thinks dresses cool. I prefer to mean that he just debunked his assumption that he doesn’t have an “eye. He just showed me he could see and recognize great style!
Now, he won’t know the why yet, and that’s often the rationale why guys tell me they don’t have an eye fixed. Understanding why is learnable.
But whenever you’re performing on a goal, it’s vital to spot and challenge the stories you tell yourself. Whether it’s that you simply don’t have an eye fixed for style, you’re too busy to figure out, or you’re just a shrinking violet. The stories we tell ourselves are often invisible barriers to keep us in our temperature.
WHAT YOU’LL DO TODAY:
Take 5 minutes. List out three or more guys whose style you think looks great, which is within the direction you’d wish to go. Albeit you don’t think you’ll pull it off, list it. It might be someone you recognize, a star, or maybe a fictitious character from a movie.
- SOLVE 90% OF YOUR STYLE PROBLEMS BY GETTING the proper FIT
This is something an actual client said to me once after seeing the image of Ryan Gosling above.
“How the hell does he look so cool wearing just a t-shirt and jeans?”
The answer, my friend, is fit.
Fit is the most vital thing when it involves excellent style. It’s so important that I tell all of my clients, “wearing clothes that fit properly will solve 90% of your style problems.”
When clothes don’t fit properly, they throw off your body proportions. Due to the surplus fabric, clothes that are too big cause you to not only look sloppy but fatter and shorter than you’re.
Men tend to wear clothes that are too big for them because it either “feels more comfortable,” or they don’t skill clothes are alleged to slot in the primary place.
The right fit is how someone like Ryan Gosling (or me, or you) can look effortlessly stylish rocking a plain white t-shirt and jeans, and the way someone can look terrible during a “nice suit” that probably costs 20x more.
This also means if you think that you would like a suit to seem stylish, you don’t!
If you’re more a leather jacket and jeans like me, you’ll wear a leather jacket and jeans and appearance fantastic, as long as you’re wearing clothes that fit right.
WHAT YOU’LL DO TODAY:
“How Clothes Should Fit You” Cheat sheets show you my trick to mastering the right fit for your shirts and pants in 10 minutes.
- SURROUND YOURSELF WITH STYLISH PEOPLE (EVEN IF IT’S ONLINE)
When making any change in your life, especially something physical like your style, the only significant roadblock will be the most surprising.
When it involves the people around you now, your friends and family, your girlfriend, your co-workers, there’s a high likelihood that they won’t all have a positive reaction to your change.
If you would like to figure with me individually as a client, you want to comply with my solo work. Meaning your girlfriend or wife cannot sit in any of our sessions or shopping trips.
I created this rule after working with a client whose wife insisted, she sit-in in our styling sessions. She would give me feedback on every single piece of recommendation I’d share. Her notes and comments amounted to “He doesn’t like that; he prefers to wear this.” Essentially negating any advice, I might give.
She was enabling his lousy style.
After a few weeks, I promptly refunded his money and created this rule.
Change is uncomfortable for people. It makes them face the truth that somebody is functioning hard to enhance, and it challenges what they’re doing for themselves.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is, “You are the type of 5 people around you.” Whom we surround ourselves with has a significant impact on our ACTIONS, BEHAVIOURS, and MINDSETS.
This is why wealthy, successful people in business tend to be friends with one another. It’s why fit attractive Cross fitters are surrounded by fit, attractive Cross fitters in Instagram pics. And it’s why obese parents are more likely to possess obese kids.
When it involves your style, that’s precisely what you would like if you would like to enhance. You would like to surround yourself with people with equivalent goals as you.
WHAT YOU’LL DO TODAY:
The simplest change you’ll make is to start following stylish people on places like Instagram. It’ll offer you a double whammy: It’ll expose you to great style and provides you with some inspiration, but it’ll also create an environment where dressing well is “normal.”
- SPECIALIZE IN A CLASSIC STYLE FIRST BEFORE TRYING TO DEVELOP A PRIVATE STYLE
people make a mistake when trying to enhance their style because they have to make an innovative, 100% unique personal style.
This is a classic example of what’s called “Extreme thinking.”
Want to lose 20lbs?
“Ugh. I even have to offer up bread, rice, beer, alcohol, candy, meat AND need to do some crazy cross-fit work out and spend 2 hours at the gym. Forget it”
Want to save lots of money for a vacation?
“That means I even have to cancel my Netflix account, stop going out on weekends, defer my student loans. I probably had to miss some MasterCard payments if I ever want to possess fun. That’s getting to ruin my credit. I’m never getting to be ready to relax on vacation now.”
When you’re beginning to improve your style, consider it like how chefs learn to cook:
They don’t enter the kitchen thinking they have to make some fantastic and original dish never seen before.
They learn the classic recipes and techniques first. Then they begin adding bits and pieces of their personality and interests to place a spin on them.
You’re getting to do the same thing together with your style.
Focus on classic styles first, then slowly add your spin later.
WHAT YOU’LL DO TODAY:
I write on classic styles in my “Essentials” series; you’ll see all the Essentials I’ve written about thus far by clicking here.
- STAY BEYOND GRAPHICS, LOGOS, AND WILD PRINTS (FOR NOW)
Many Essential Man readers are older professionals (30+), and that I often get asked, “How am I able to look older/more mature/get taken more seriously?”
One of the ways is to remain beyond graphics, logos, and wild prints on any modest clothing, whether it’s a t-shirt, sweater, or, god forbid, pants.
Whenever you wear a logo or graphic t-shirt, you either appear as if you’re in college or are on your thanks to a UFC fight.
I’m not against logos and graphic t-shirts as a part of a solid wardrobe, but going with solid colors goes to form you look 10x more mature and higher when you’re starting.
WHAT YOU’LL DO TODAY:
Solid colours and graphic/logo-less clothes cause you to look more refined and mature. the good thing is that this alteration may be a simple swap. Replace your graphic t-shirts and garments with stable versions, like with the examples above.
- STICK WITH SOLID NEUTRAL COLOURS
Supported Every man’s wardrobe, neutral colours.
What are neutral colours?
They’re colours that aren’t overpowering. Because they’re not overbearing, they easily mix. Powerful colours like neon, green, and orange? Pretty hard to figure with.
If your wardrobe is all neutral colours, you don’t get to know “how to combine and match colours.” A neutral colour wardrobe is self-working!
Here’s the opposite thing: You’ve probably already been dressing in primarily neutral colours without even knowing it.
Neutral colours are white, black, navy, olive, grey, khaki, brown
What I like about neutral colours, apart from it being self-working, it’s a masculine colour palette. It causes you to look refined, severe, and put together. It also provides the suitable backdrop once you want to start out introducing more colour to your wardrobe.
WHAT YOU’LL DO TODAY:
I recommend a ratio of 3:1 when it involves solid neutrals and non-neutral colours. Take 10 minutes to see your closet. Does one have more non-neutrals, graphics, and pattern clothes than solid neutrals? Please make a note to start out balancing it bent hit a 3:1 ratio.
- TO QUICKLY UNDERSTAND QUALITY, GET HANDS-ON
Why are some cashmere sweaters $100 et al. $1,500? is that the $1,500 one 15x better?
Are higher quality clothes “worth it”?
No doubt, these questions have crossed your mind. And my answer is…
It depends.
It’s hard to form anything suitable for a coffee price. Whether that’s a pair of jeans, a laptop, or a steak dinner reception. Once you have a limited budget to figure with, there need to be some compromises.
There’s an assumption that because higher quality or designer clothes are expensive, “you’re getting ripped off” as a customer. You’ll sometimes read guys on blogs and forums proclaim you’re just “paying for the marketing costs.”
Having worked for 11 years as a menswear designer, I can tell you it’s just not true.
Better materials, better construction, and better design cost more to form, which costs you to shop for more.
A perfect example: Cheap jacket zippers are often low as $0.50 a zipper. They’re light, are often frustrating to use, and, of course, break easily.
When I was making leather jackets, I used to be using high-end RiRi zippers. They’re heftier and nearly impossible to interrupt. Once you zipped your coat, it had been buttery smooth.
The downside? they will sometimes cost the maximum amount as $20 per zipper on behalf of me as a designer, which means by the time the jacket hits you within the stores, that single $20 zipper adds $60 to the worth of the coat because of a typical 3x mark-up.
That’s not marketing. That’s math.
But it’s hard for you to understand what proportion better than a zipper or $1,500 cashmere sweater is without trying it. An equivalent way I can tell you, one among the simplest meals I’ve ever had cost $220 per person. Regardless of how well I describe it, you can’t truly understand until you’re taking a bite.
WHAT YOU’LL DO TODAY:
Go to a store that you simply would consider out of your budget. An area that may even be uncomfortably expensive for you. You don’t need to buy anything. Just walk around, touch the garments. Maybe even try something on. Make attention to how things fit, feel, and the way you are feeling wearing them. Then attend a quick fashion shop like Zara or H&M and check out similar items. Make a note of what’s different and what’s similar. Anything surprising?
- BUY THE MOST STRAIGHTFORWARD QUALITY YOU’LL FOR YOUR BUDGET
This leads us to the question; what proportion do you have to spend on clothes?
Simple: My recommendation to all my clients is to shop for the most uncomplicated quality matching their budget.
If you’re making mid-6-figures a year, then a $200 pair of jeans won’t be an enormous deal. But if $200 is barely what you create each day, there are many great options at lower prices.
WHAT YOU’LL DO TODAY:
To start, I always recommend J. Crew. They’re in almost every major city, are classic with slightly of a trend, and have solid prices.
- SAVE TIME WITHIN THE ROOM USING THE “PULL 3” TRICK
Whenever I’m out shopping, I always see people pulling one size, then going back and forth from the showroom to the room.
It drives me crazy! It’s such a waste of your time.
Imagine cooking a meal reception where you took out one ingredient at a time from the fridge.
I’m getting to show you ways to chop your shopping time in half with one trick.
When you’re pulling clothes to undertake on within the room, “Pull 3” of an identical item:
• One in size you think that you’re
• One take stock
• One size down
So, if you’re buying jeans and you think that you’re a 33, pull a 32 and a 34 and take all three to the room. It saves you a few trips and maybe a little bit of insurance if it’s a replacement cut or the brand changed their sizing.
WHAT YOU’LL DO TODAY:
Use the “Pull 3” trick when you’re out shopping.
- YOU DON’T START CONFIDENTLY. YOU BUILD IT
Think about once you first started learning the way to drive a car.
You were probably terrified.
You were pretty sure within the primary 10 seconds of hitting the road. You were getting to crash.
You weren’t confident. Yet, as you kept driving, your confidence grew. Driving got easier. Now you illegally Snapchat on your phone while sipping your coffee and twiddling with the radio as you steer together with your knee, and still get add one piece.
It’s an equivalent together with your style.
You don’t get to start confidently to enhance your style. Your confidence grows as you’re employed to improve your technique.
Just like with driving, the more you are doing it, the better it gets.
WHAT YOU’LL DO TODAY:
Start with one outfit. Just one. Use the recommendation within the last tips – persist with neutral coloured, classic styles that fit well. You’re getting to look and feel great. That quick win is vital. Now use that feeling to stay going. Then, read the following tips to find out my favourite trick to help you build confidence even faster.
- USE MY FAVORITE TECHNIQUE TO FEEL MORE CONFIDENT DURING A NEW OUTFIT
This is an excellent technique to use in conjunction with The Swap Trick and maybe a KILLER hack for a primary date. It’s something I used once I first started dating my current girlfriend.
Whenever you’ve got a date (or a conference, interview, or speaking event): Wear the outfit you’re getting to wear so far for a whole day before the date.
Even if it’s a dressy outfit, set about your day like it was the other day. Get coffee. Go grocery shopping. Attend work.
What you’re essentially doing is “breaking in” the outfit. Getting yourself wont to wear it.
I started doing this because I noticed that once I would dress up for a date, albeit it’s clothes I’ve had for years, I might always feel uncomfortable during the date. I’d feel self-conscious. I’d fidget tons.
Then at some point, I had a scheduled date right after work. Since I had no time to travel home and alter, I wore my date outfit to figure. By the time the date rolled around, I had spent a whole day in my date outfit and felt relaxed.
WHAT YOU’LL DO TODAY:
Whether it’s a replacement jacket you bought or a whole outfit for a date, break it in by wearing it around to try to go errands. Got a last-minute date or event and can’t spare a whole day? I’ve found even wearing the outfit for a couple of hours before bits of help.
Need some date outfit ideas?
Check out this fantastic post: “A beautiful woman allows you to skills to decorate (and what to do) on a primary date.”
- SEEK THE ASSISTANCE AND ADVICE OF EXPERTS
According to Mint, I spent $7,360 last year on books, courses, and consultants to improve my business skills like writing and public knowledge in topics I’m curious about, like philosophy.
It seems like tons, but ask yourself this question: What’s the value of bad advice?
Imagine you’re the CEO of a corporation, and you’ve got a marketing budget of $25k. You read some advice from marketing forums crammed with anonymous writers. You opt to require a number of the recommendation, and it seems to be wrong. Now you’re out $25k. Suddenly, a $7k investment by a top expert looks like a steal.
How many months, even years, will you waste following bad advice regarding your fitness routine? Your finances? Your style?
This tweet from Amy Hoy sums it up perfectly:
When it involves learning the way to dress, there are plenty of options. From style blogs, Instagram, Reddit, and YouTube channels.
Some dish out great advice. Most are crammed with guys who wish to shop and want to mention it online. When it involves style advice, it is often tricky to filter the great from the bad. As someone who has been doing this for over 11 years, I know that styling advice is often challenging to show. Telling someone what to shop for isn’t equivalent to teaching them the way to have great style. A comparable way a cook tells you to shop for ingredients doesn’t help you learn the technique.
WHAT YOU’LL DO TODAY:
Whenever you read advice online, always consider the source. Do they dress well? More importantly, is it a method you would like to adopt? If they’re a stylist or have products, how do their clients and readers look? Good or terrible? Do they need a fashion or style background, or are they “a regular guy a bit like you!”
HAVING AMAZING STYLE IS SIMPLER THAN YOU THINK THAT
- Buy clothes that fit – it’ll solve 90% of your style problems.
- Focus on the classics first – classics are classics for a reason. They’re time-tested essentials that look good on every guy.
- Stick to a neutral colour palette – Neutrals automatically mix, so you don’t need to worry about mixing colours. they create you look professional and masculine, and when you’re able to introduce more colour into your wardrobe, they function as the suitable backdrop.
- Have fun
