If there’s one piece of advice I can give to someone who is starting to build out their wardrobe, it would be to discover your personal style first. A lot of guys think their personal style will eventually develop once they start shopping and buying stuff, but this approach will cost you a lot more time and money.
Think of your personal style and aesthetic as the destination in your journey, you need to go know where you’re going so you can plan your route. Once you understand your personal style, then you can start deciding what key pieces belong in your wardrobe. For example, if you like a “smart casual” aesthetic, you may want to add a suede bomber jacket and white sneakers to your shopping list. On the other hand, if you like more of a “rugged” aesthetic, you may want to consider a leather jacket and boots. As you can see, a shopping list starts to form once you know the direction you want to go.
So you might be wondering how do you go about discovering your personal style? I recommend gathering images from Google Images, Pinterest (or your preferred social media) of outfits you like. Once you have a nice collection of images, you can start noticing what appeals to you in those images. Make notes of any pieces that stand out to you (i.e. black jeans, white sneakers, brown boots etc.)
In The Style Game Plan, I went over 10 style personas that I see often in men’s fashion. Once the students saw all 10 style personas, they were able to identify a couple that strongly appealed to them. After doing the style board exercise I described above, they were able to see key pieces they wanted to add to their shopping list. For example, one of the student’s personal style was “smart casual” and a lot of his images had bomber jackets, white sneakers, colored chinos, boots and basic tees elevated with unstructured blazers. From there, he knew exactly what kinds of outfits he wanted to make for himself and how to work with his current wardrobe. His shopping list focused on nailing down a couple of jackets, finding his ideal white sneakers, and getting boots.
What’s cool about having a style persona is you can actually have a couple different ones. For example, maybe on the weekends you like being rugged, but at work you like being dressy and elevated. You can create different looks for different areas in your life.
Do you see how understanding where you want to go is the first step in planning your style journey?
Here is a snippet of a style persona I shared in TSGP:
After the key points, we went over key pieces and stores that carry this type of aesthetic.
Tip: Don’t skip the style board exercise. Not only is it a fun exercise, it’s very informative and you will enjoy doing it. Don’t worry if you don’t think you can “pull off” the look or color, the point is just to understand what appeals to you. Check out the PocketStylist Pinterest page to get some style inspiration for your board.
ps. I’ll be launching the next round of The Style Game Plan in Spring 2024. Make sure you sign up for the waitlist to be kept in the loop.
TSGP is the only men’s style course of its kind that gives practical guidance when it comes to building your dream wardrobe. The course walks you through the foundation of great style like: discovering your personal style, identifying your best colors, dressing for your body type, as well practical guidance like clothing vocabulary, where to shop, and how to build outfits.
