32 STYLE TIPS FOR MEN

I recently turned 32. To celebrate, I want to give you something. Here are 32 rapid-fire things I've learned about style and fashion that you can use to improve the way you look.

1. If you want to spend a lot of money on clothing, know what you’re doing. You wouldn’t invest in a sportscar or a home without doing your research. Choosing the right color, silhouette, fabric, etc., is best not left up to chance.

2. Most store salespeople (I’ve likely interacted with hundreds at this point) don’t know much about style, but they know a good amount about their brand or the brands they carry, so use them when you shop. They are trying to help. Just keep in mind they work off commission, so ensure everyone's incentives are in alignment.

3. Knowing what you don’t like is almost as helpful as knowing what you do, sometimes more. Think about it like a compass. You know what direction you shouldn’t go, so turn around and go the other way.

4. Constantly marinate yourself in style. If you’re continually exposing yourself to and surrounding yourself with things that look good (not just clothing, but your home, art, etc.), you will naturally be influenced by it. Marinate yourself in good stuff, and you become good stuff.

5. You don’t need a lot of money to have good style, but you likely need to spend more than you think you should. Think about it as a percentage of your income. You should up that percentage more than you think.

6. If you don’t have a common body type, don’t be mad that common stores don’t carry stuff that looks good on you. Realize that brands build their stuff with a particular guy in mind. Find the brands that made their stuff with you in mind.

7. You also don’t need to shop from many brands. It’s easier to do the reverse. Find a small handful of brands that work well for you, and only buy their stuff. You won’t have to wonder if something fits well. You know the brand fits you well.

8. Make clothing work for you. I tailor about 40% of my wardrobe. I don’t cry about how things don’t fit. I make them fit.

9. Your best friends when buying clothes are black, white, and gray. You think it’s boring when you read that, but when you execute it, you realize those colors are easy to find and to pair.

10. Clothing looks better when you’re in shape. I know every trick in the book to make you look trimmer, but it doesn’t hold a candle to leaning down. Clothing drapes your body better. It’s best to be honest about that.

11. Trends are fine, but don’t let them dictate your style. Doing so will make you feel like you’re a boat being blown around every which way on the high seas of fashion, always in danger of capsizing.

12. No matter what the trend, make sure it makes your body look good. People say, "this is trending right now; should I wear it?" That depends. Does it make you look good? Trends are fine. But the ultimate test of whether or not you should wear something? It should make you look good.

13. Dress one deviation above everyone around you wherever you’re going. This will ensure you always look a bit better than everyone else, but you’re not the asshole wearing a tuxedo to a barbeque.

14. You have a better eye than you think you do. Humans naturally gravitate toward what is beautiful and have an aversion to what isn’t. Trust your gut. If you think something doesn’t make you look good, it probably doesn’t.

15. You’re the chairman of your style. I want you to build an imaginary board of directors to help steer the ship of making you look good. Think about a few guys whose style you like, and then with every purchase you make and every outfit you create, ask yourself, "Would these guys wear this?" If the answer is a majority no, the item returns to the shelf.

16. Stop worrying about what other people think of what you’re wearing. They’re just as concerned about what they’re wearing.

17. Compliments are dangerous. Most guys base what they wear on the compliments they receive; however, that doesn’t mean the item looks good on you; someone might just be complimenting the item itself. If you walked about your town in a pink polka-dot top hat, you’d get compliments on it left and right because of your bold choice.

18. A smaller closet is much easier to deal with than a large one. Constantly weed through your wardrobe and have no mercy when getting rid of items. Hire slowly, fire quickly, as they say.

19. In close to a decade of doing this, I’ve seldom seen someone’s style problems be solved by adding in more color, patterns, prints, etc. Flair is nice to look at on a shelf but hard to put into practice. I know it’s hard but start with the basics.

20. Your style should be a reflection of yourself. Think about how someone would create a character in a movie. Dress like your character.

21. It takes a while to lose weight. Gaining an education can take years. Changing your personality can take a lifetime. Putting on new clothing takes about 1 minute. It doesn’t excuse the former, but you’re leaving a tool on the table if you’re not dressing well.

22. Most of the rules you’ve heard about fashion have no real basis for their existence. Even if they did, the reasoning behind them is so antiquated it wouldn’t even matter now. Stop following rules just because someone ten years ago told you to. Learn to ask "why."

23. The majority of clothing, at one time, was a plant. Treat it as such. Stop boiling it alive and dousing it in chemicals and then complaining when it deteriorates. Be gentle.

24. Most clothing manufacturers have your best interests at heart. No, they’re not trying to rip you off, and yes, clothing does really cost that much. There are special cases where this isn’t the truth, but most people and companies, while trying to make a profit, actually do good.

25. But it’s best to buy from heritage brands and specialists to be sure you’re getting a good product. If a brand specializes in one thing or they’ve been doing it for a long time, they likely do it well. When looking for an item, fit the brand with a history of specializing in it and buy from them.

26. Until you KNOW what would fit you well, don’t shop online. It’s much harder to find stuff that fits well. Try on stuff in person to find brands you like, and THEN you can shop for those brands online.

27. Use experts. Getting older, I realize that I can speed up the process of success in any area of my life. I try to use experts to get better results. In clothing, you have people like me, but you also have custom clothiers, tailors, store associates, etc., who can help you navigate things. Start using people.

28. You probably have some stuff in your closet that works well, but you’ve forgotten about it (or maybe you just need to tailor it). See if you can’t find that bit of gold.

29. Most of my client’s problems are from settling. They kept a shirt because it was just "good enough" or they "just needed something." Don’t settle. Try to find the best you can when shopping for a specific item, otherwise, don't get it. It’s okay NOT to buy something rather than settle for average.

30. Life is too short not to wear what you like. You should wear stuff that makes you excited to put it on.

31. Improving your style can take less time than you think. I turn client's wardrobes around in as little as a day. But it is a lifelong game. You’re never done, which is actually fine because you’ll realize you enjoy playing.

32. Once you know what you’re doing, style isn’t hard. It’s a lot of upfront work to determine what looks good on you, what brands work for you, what you like wearing, etc. But once you do, your closet is basically on autopilot.

Bonus: Have fun. Some of the clients I’ve worked with who HATED clothing ended up being some of the biggest style nerds once they figured out it’s something that can be enjoyable, and they can have fun with it.

Trust your gut.
Wear stuff you like.
Enjoy what you wear.
Enjoy how you look.
Remember, style is just a means to live a better life.

Looking to take these tips along with my personalized process to improve your style? Let’s chat

x Patrick