THE THREE KEYS TO LOOKING STYLISH
Have you ever seen a guy wearing an outfit that you thought looked great, but when you tried to replicate it, things just didn't work?
Why do some guys just "get it"?
Why do some guys look great in almost anything they wear?
After working with hundreds of men for the past five years, I've been able to figure out the X factor. The answer boils down to, shockingly, only three things.
Which is great. Because as men, we like to keep things simple. We only need to handle these three because they are the ONLY things that matter when mastering your style. And if you can handle these, you will likely look better than 99% of men on the planet who have overcomplicated things to no end and give up.
I call these the Three Keys to Personal Appearance…
Your Clothing Style - You should look and feel "at home" in your clothing. This is where subscription boxes and Instagram "influencerz" come up short. Shouldn't you like the clothing you're wearing? Shouldn't it be a reflection of you? I'll show you how to find your Style Archetype - Choosing the "genre" of style you should use for yourself.
Your Clothing Colors - Walk into a department store and you'll feel overwhelmed by all the color options. How do you choose? It's not "what's in fashion" - it's much more straightforward. In fact, all you need to do is look in the mirror. I'll walk you through choosing the right colors and how to easily pair colors.
Your Clothing Fit - Good fitting clothing solves 80% of looking great. Do you know how to dress for your body type? You need to understand how to make the shape of your body as attractive as possible. I’ll cover fit - how to trim the excess fabric, accentuate the good, and hide the bad.
These three will produce MASSIVE changes to the way you look - helping you feel more confident and look your best for your personal and professional relationships.
This is a no-nonsense guide to improving your style, easily, with the things that actually matter.
Let’s dive in.
Choosing the Right Personal Style
There are many paths you can take on your Style Journey. It's not about which one you choose, it's about where you end up. At the end of your path, all that matters is you look good.
Along your journey, you'll hear people say things like, "This is really in fashion right now," or a woman might tell you, "I really like when guys wear this."
Most men default to these opinions when they go shopping. It gets them a closet full of clothing that doesn't pair well and fades out of fashion in a few months. Most importantly, these guys dislike their clothing. Something just doesn't feel right about it.
Shouldn't you like the clothing you're in?
Shouldn't it be a reflection of you?
The president of a motorcycle club would look strange in a pink Ralph Lauren polo. That same polo can look perfectly suitable for an ivy league prep. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. There is no one right way to look stylish. It's all about what works for you.
How to find your Personal Style
Look around your life. What are you interested in? What do you spend your free time doing? What does your house look like? What kind of car do you drive (or want to drive)? Identify what surrounds you first.
Then, identify Style Icons that suit the look you're after. You can have a look around Google or Instagram, or even your favorite movies and TV shows to find guys whose style you admire. Don't think too hard. Just grab some photos of your Style Icons you can use for inspiration.
Let me show you how this works for me.
I'm big into motorcycles, cars, books, surfing, collecting vinyl, and whiskey. I dig a modern and masculine feel to the house with an old school California vibe. Things like darker, earthy colors and leather jump out from looking around.
Here's my personal style board at the moment...
A small personal menswear style board I put together for myself.
See how this matches what I outlined above? Now we translate this into clothing and what I should be looking for:
This means fabrics like leather, denim, corduroy, and tightly woven cotton. This means items like denim shirts, military jackets, suede bombers, chukka boots, jeans, and oxford-cloth button-downs.
Now I can shop.
Based on what brands match what I'm looking for, I'll shop at stores like Vince, Deus Ex Machina, Buck Mason, Redwing Boots, J. Crew, and Sid Mashburn. It obviously helps to know your brands here so you can determine where to find the right stuff. I’ve been shopping for guys for a long time, so it’s easy
See how this works? Once you identify your archetype and what you like, you can pinpoint the items you need, and where to get them. I can help with that.
Identify what you like > translate that into a "Personal Style" > find items, colors, and fabrics to suit that style.
It should be worth noting that I do not like everything my icons wear. On the same note, I do not like everything from those brands. I only take from both what supports my Personal Style.
What if I still don't know what style to wear?
If you don't have a clue what you like, at least stay away from things you don't. Warren Buffet said something to the extent that most of life is just trying to avoid making the wrong decisions.
So trust your gut. If you think something doesn't look right on you, it likely doesn't. If you feel you're reaching too far, you probably are.
Experimentation is always necessary, but you usually don't have to stray too far from home to find the right stuff for yourself. The further you get down your Style Journey, the easier it becomes to identify items that work for you and banish those that don't.
Adhering to your personal style gives you three advantages...
1. Shopping becomes easier. You don't wander aimlessly or put yourself at the mercy of an employee's suggestion. You know your guiding principles.
When I'm shopping, If a store associate comes over with ANOTHER floral print shirt, saying, "This is SOOO in for spring right now."
I just smile. I can confidently say, "Thanks, but no thanks. I know what I'm here for."
2. Everything in your closet works together. You'll have an easy time pairing because everything shares a similar aesthetic.
Keeping things in the same "aesthetic family" will make sure an item never looks out of place in your outfits. You can pull anything out of the closet, and it plays nice with everything else.
3. Your clothing will be congruent with who you are. We've taken things from your lifestyle and made them work stylishly. You're not going to be wearing someone else's style. Not your wife, a magazine, a subscription box, or an "influencer" is dictating what you wear (You wouldn't let your wife or a salesman choose your next car, would you?).
People can see what you're about from a mile away, and you feel comfortable knowing that you're not wearing a costume. Instead, you're just you. Stylish, handsome, you.
Wearing The Colors That Make You Look Good
Even if you nail the Style and Fit of your clothing, you're not looking your best if you're not choosing the right colors.
Choosing the right colors eliminates the stress of shopping and deciding what to wear. Wearing the right color enhances your face by clearing your skin and bringing out your eyes. Filling your closet with the right colors makes sure everything pairs together.
Too much color is often the reason that men have difficulty pairing together items. It's usually the last straw before a client calls me…
"Patrick, you got to come out here, man! I have a closet STUFFED full of clothing, but for some reason, I have nothing to wear! I just can't create outfits!"
I'll have them send me photos of their closet. 9/10 it's filled with every color and shade imaginable. The problem?
The woman at the department store said she thinks this color will look great on him.
The new article in his fashion magazine said this color was the hottest color for the season.
His wife said this color was her favorite, and she thinks he should wear it.
So he goes around and buys up all these different colors. He's stuck with a rainbow for a closet, and nothing works together. He paid attention to everyone and everything, and it left him nowhere.
Instead, he should have focused on the ONE thing that matters when choosing your colors…
His face.
“The characteristics of color that are found in your face should be found in the clothing below your face”.
- Patrick Kenger
The idea is that the colors in your clothing need to work harmoniously with your natural coloring. Here's a very simplified version of this is advice you've likely heard before:
"If you have blue eyes, wear a blue shirt to bring them out!"
Sure. But we can take it much, much deeper.
We do this through Color Analysis; it's a process I go through with every client. Color analysis is thorough, but I'll give you the gist of what you need to know to select the right colors for yourself.
We're concerned with three things when doing color analysis…
Your Hue
Your Value
Your Chroma
Here’s what you need to know about each one…
Hue
How "warm" or "cool" are you?
You've likely heard of colors being either “warm” or “cool”. We can think of people as having a warmer or cooler appearance as well.
To figure out if you’re warmer or cooler, ask yourself these questions…
Are you able to tan easy, have green veins, a "bronze" appearance to your skin, and look good in gold and copper tones? You look better in warmer colors, and it's best to stick with those, especially close to your face. Tan, brown-eyed individuals usually fall here.
Do you burn easily, have blue veins, a "pinkish" undertone to your skin, and look good in silver tones? You look better in cool colors, and it's best to stick to those, especially close to your face. Whiter, blue-eyed individuals usually fall here.
Value
How dark or light are your features?
Do you have light eyes, hair, and eyebrows? You'll generally look best in many lighter colors.
Do you have darker eyes, hair, and eyebrows? You'll generally look best in many darker colors.
See how we're just mirroring those characteristics?
Chroma
How bright or soft are you?
Softer Colors
Brighter Colors
Chroma refers to how "intense" a color is. High chroma colors are bright, vibrant, and fully saturated. Low chroma colors are toned down and have a softer, gentle appearance. Neon colors are an example of high chroma, while dusty grayed colors are an example of low chroma.
If you have softer, gentle coloring, stick with colors that are low chroma. If you have brighter, more intense coloring, go with higher chroma colors. Doing this will mirror the intensity of your facial coloring and make things look congruent.
On the left, we have an example of a “brighter” guy who looks better in higher chroma colors. On the right, we have an example of a “softer” guy who looks better in lower chroma colors.
Color analysis is a bit complicated, but if you just look at these three things, and only pay attention to what looks good next to your face, you'll have an easy time choosing colors.
Choosing the right color is just another key to use to unlock your style.
Finding Clothing That Actually Fits
How frustrating is it to try on clothing or put together outfits and realize you look a little… frumpy.
Something is off. You don't look polished. Things are bunching and bagging and squeezing and sagging, all in weird places… and worst of all, you don't know why.
"Why is finding properly fitting clothing so damn tricky?"
I'll tell you. For starters…
How clothing fits YOU is not determined by the name of the fit.
Read that again.
This means that skinny jeans will not look "Skinny" on every man. A "Slim" shirt can look like a garbage bag on certain guys.
Here's a personal example: I have huge legs—both from a love of cycling and a love of bread. Most "Straight Leg" jeans fit me like "Skinny" jeans. I'd burst out of the "Skinny Fit" jeans they're shoveling out to everyone in those subscription boxes (read this if you're considering a style box service like Stich Fix).
You've probably noticed something similar with a particular item of yours. It says it should look one way, but in reality, it doesn't. You've probably also noticed...
One brand's fit will be different than another.
You try on a shirt from one brand labeled "Slim Fit". It looks great. Horray!
You try on another "Slim Fit" shirt from another brand. It looks baggy. What the F*ck!?
Be aware that fits will shrink or grow depending on the brand. More modern brands will generally have a slimmer fit. Heritage brands will usually be a little roomier. It also helps to know that a European brand's "Slim" will be a lot tighter than an American brand's "Slim."
What's with all these names?
Skinny fit, slim fit, tailored fit, modern fit, classic fit, straight fit, and the list goes on….
You've probably found yourself in a store before staring at these words. With all the options, How do you choose what's right for you?
What the heck should you do?
Let's start at the beginning. The name of the fit doesn't matter. We are only concerned with making your body look it's best. Descriptions be damned.
You need to experiment with different fits until you get the look you're after. Once you do that a couple of times, you'll at least have a baseline of what works for you. If you want your jeans or shirt to look slimmer on you, you might need a "Skinny" fit, you might need a "Classic" fit, or you might need something in-between. It's not up to the fit. It's up to your body.
When I'm out shopping for a client, and I've identified his baseline fit based on his body type, I'll pull many of the items we need one fit tighter and one fit looser. We know where home base is, but if this brand is fitting a little too tight, we have a backup option (I do this with sizes too).
(Pro stylist tip: When shopping for certain items, like jeans, grab a few of the same exact pair. Same fit. Same size. Same everything. Hand-stitched items like this will vary in how they fit, even with the same measurements. Clients look at me like I'm insane. "Watch," I tell them. They are astounded when they try them all on and realize they are all, indeed, different. They can vary up to an inch or so.)
It really helps to know your brands to make this easy. Clients love that I can tell them, even online, the specific brands that will most likely fit them for each item. I've put so many body types in so much clothing that I can usually tell spot on.
You'll get that way with your own body type too. When shopping, there will invariably be brands that seem to fit you better than the rest. You're Goldilocks, and you've found the brand that's just right.
When that happens, you have one job:
Double down.
Buy everything that fits you perfectly and buy it in different colors (only the ones that work for you.
It is the height of stupidity to find a gold mine like this and then start digging elsewhere.
A lot of men want to shortcut all of this, which makes sense. Identifying the right brands for you takes time, effort, and money.
That's what most of my clients get excited about: Their personalized shopping list. It's a list of all the right brands and items for you. And it comes standard as a small chunk of what’s covered in the Virtual Image Consultation program.
Using Your Style Keys
These keys all work together to create an incredible wardrobe that pairs together, looks great on you, and that you love wearing.
Whenever you're putting together an outfit or going shopping, run your choice against these three style keys and ask yourself:
"Does it work for my personal style?"
"Does it work for my coloring?"
"Does it fit/work for my body?
If you can answer yes to those three, you're good to go. You'll look better than most men just by asking yourself those simple questions (and knowing the answers to them).
Where Do You Start?
Start by subtracting, not by adding. There should be no shopping until we take care of home base. Head into your closet and comb through everything, asking yourself those questions, and remove anything that doesn't fit the bill. Would one of your Style Icons wear that shirt? Does that tie really work for your coloring? Do those pants fit correctly, or are they a little baggy?
If something almost fits right but just needs a little tweak, this may be able to be salvaged by tailoring. While tailors aren't miracle workers, they can undoubtedly make some adjustments to make your items work for you well. If an item will need multiple alterations, it's best to just start fresh, as the cost of the adjustments will be almost just as much as buying the item new.
After you remove those items, you can start adding things in slowly. Very slowly. It's best to start with one category of an item first, say, pants. Handle that, and then move on. This allows you to compare items with each other back to back and keep a clear head on what's working.
It’s time to get to work. And if you're ready to handle all this for yourself, you can get some help from me personally to improve your appearance from head to toe.
Cheers to your style journey,
Patrick
