A common success principle we've all heard: You're the average of the five people closest to you. 

Your environment sets your bar for what's acceptable; This is true for style as much as anything else. 

Unfortunately, this is usually working for you in a negative way. For example, many of your friends or family may dress poorly, and your thinking may go, "Well, if they can wear that, I can get away with this." And so we regress downward when we're around them, even if we want to dress well. 

When someone's family and friends are obese, that person is more than likely overweight, statistically. That person usually stays that way until there is a drastic change in their environment.

If they find themselves regularly around a group of new people who prioritize their health, they'll suddenly prioritize their own. The person who loses the weight the quickest is the one who has lean athletic friends. 

Rarely do we think to apply this same thinking to style.

I have a handful of clients who recently moved to a major city, say NYC, and suddenly realize they need a change, and fast. They see that almost everyone in New York tends to dress better and put in more effort. The bar is set higher, and they realize they're not up to par. 

Your bar for style will always be set by your surroundings. So, to improve your style, you should improve your surroundings. 

You need to marinate yourself in good stuff. Seeing others who look great inspires you to look great, helping set your bar higher. 

Setting a higher bar isn't easy if you live in an area where people don't care about their appearance, so you need to create your own stylish environment. 

Start virtually. Change your online environment. The easiest way to do this is to follow guys whose style you like on Instagram (This is what I do personally). You can also start collecting images on Pinterest; Watch TV shows that feature stylish guys; Read books; Watch Youtube. Just do something to begin exposing yourself to people and things that look good. 

By absorbing this passively, you'll start to soak up style like a sponge. Your bar, subconsciously, will be set higher because of what you're exposed to day-to-day. 

One day you'll look back and wonder why your bar was set so low to begin with. 

-Patrick

PS. Here are some Instagram accounts that I personally follow and will gain inspiration from. However, as I tell my clients, my style is not your style. You can use this as a starting point if you resonate with some of it, but try to find and create your own style environment to use.

Andreas Weinas
WM Brown Project
Johannes Huebl
Shaun Birley
Permanent Style
Christopher Korey
OTOKOMAE
David Gandy