The #1 Closet Mistake for Men

I've been traveling a lot recently for clients who’ve booked our in-person styling program.

One of the first things we do together is go through your closet—identifying what needs to be donated, what can be tailored, and where the gaps are. Then, we shop to build out a wardrobe you love.

Over time, I’ve seen hundreds of closets, and I can confidently say that one major mistake is causing issues in almost all of them:

The closet is just a mix of one-off items.

Most pieces were purchased because they looked interesting or cool in the store or for one specific event.

The result? A hodgepodge of things that don’t work together.

There was no overarching strategy. No top-level assessment of what’s needed. Not much thought about what actually fits their body or lifestyle.

Instead, most items were reactionary purchases—bought on impulse because they evoked an emotion in the moment. This approach is fun and totally fine if you know what you're doing, but it usually leads to chaos.

To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with seeing an item, loving it, and buying it. But before you do, you should think about how it fits in with the rest of your wardrobe.

It's like putting together a team—whether in sports or business. Every team member has a role, and when you bring someone new on, it’s to fill a specific gap.

But when you buy things just because they catch your eye—without considering their place and purpose—you end up with a closet full of items that don’t pair well. Or worse, your wardrobe becomes overwhelming in one area and lacking in another.

Maybe you have 40 dress shirts but no casual jackets.

To go back to the business analogy—imagine hiring every interesting person you met without structuring your org chart. There’d be a lot of things not getting done.

Most guys buy pieces because they’re exciting—whether it's the color, pattern, texture, or structure. And that’s great. But what happens when everything in your closet is bold and statement-making?

Not everyone in the band can be the lead singer.

That’s why, years ago, I structured our approach differently—balancing the exciting pieces with the essentials that glue everything together, all in the right fits, colors, and styles for you.

It’s a top-down approach: Fix what isn’t working. Replace it with things that do. I'd recommend you do the same.

Strategy first—no emotional, reactionary purchases that just sit there. Just a lot of pieces you love that work together and that make you look great.

That’s how you need to approach shopping. Stop the reactionary purchases. clean up the closet. Add in what's needed to link it all together with high quality items.

Hope this helps.

x Patrick