I often talk about personal style as being my main goal for this blog and my interpretation of fashion, however I’ve often had people say to me that they really struggle with discovering their own personal style. Although they actively spend a lot of time trying to find their “look”, they never quite manage to find something that they feel comfortable wearing and look good in. After a few questions, we usually ascertain that there is a particular reason that is preventing them from constructing great outfits. With that in mind, I wanted to highlight 5 common reasons you might be finding it difficult to find your personal style.
1) You Don’t Want To Try New Things
So you’ve been dressing a similar way for a while and you really want to develop and improve your look; but you’re scared to try new styles. This is usually the main reason for your struggles and is often a tough one to break out of as it does require that you step out of your comfort zone. So, here are some tips to help warm you up to new ideas:
- Find your favourite style icon (celebrity, actor, model etc.) and Google as many different looks as possible. What do they keep constant and what do they experiment with?
- Don’t be afraid of trying things on in-store. No one is judging you for trying something on and then deciding it’s not for you but you may surprise yourself if you give it a shot.
- Try building an outfit from scratch without using your favourite brands. If it doesn’t work, 30-day returns are a wonderful thing.
2) You’re Not Paying Attention To The Details
I hammer this point every time I do an outfit post and it is, by far and away, the most important element of any look. Make sure you pay attention to the smaller details of every outfit. That’s right, EVERY outfit. I’m not saying that you have to wear a pocket square with a leather jacket or a cravat with a neck-neck t-shirt, but make sure you have accessories that compliment the outfit. Some accessories to look at are:
- Watch
- Belt
- Socks
- Shoes
- Pocket Squares (tailoring)
- Bags
On that note, don’t forget to make these work together. You should always match your belt to your shoes, if you’re wearing brown shoes, wear a brown belt (though this doesn’t have to be the exact same shade). I also try to match my watch to my belt as well to keep a theme. A pocket square should include s colour similar to your shirt, but not your tie. Socks should add a good splash of colour, but when in doubt aim for a simple block colour.
3) You Don’t Know How To Dress Your Age
So, you’ve been dressing the same way for years and, chances are, the look has suited you less and less as you grow older. It’s not a pleasant truth but we all age so best to adapt rather than fight it. Aging with grace is much more preferable to aging badly. If you look at something and think to yourself “is that too young for me?” chances are that it is.
Though for every door age closes to you, it opens another. The mature look is an incredibly versatile one and a style that you can evolve as you grow older. Put down the slogan t-shirts and hoodies, aim for a fitted polo shirt and cardigan. You’ll feel a tad awkward for about 30 seconds and then someone will mention how much they like you’re look.
Dressing yourself is a a matter of understanding how age affects the way you look and styling it out.
4) You Buy Cheap Rather Than Quality
This is a very difficult one to confront and a tough habit to break. Budgets are tight, you have financial obligations and, if were honest, clothes aren’t at the top of the priority list for all of us. However, slowly investing in your clothing as items that should last a long time, rather than buying cheap and often is an easy way to make your looks stand out more and look better. Bad quality clothing is easily spotted and can ruin an ensemble when thrown into the mix, so start buying a better quality of clothing and you may find it’s the missing piece of the puzzle for your fashion.
5) You’re Not Giving It A Chance
We’re all guilty of this. You buy something, you’re excited to try it out, you wear it once (maybe twice) and never pick it up again. It’s an item of clothing that is left in your closet to gather dust or gets included in your next donation for Oxfam. Instead of ignoring it, give it a few more days or dig it out and where it again (after a wash). You never know when something you forgot about will become a new favourite in your wardrobe. The benefit of this is that you don’t have to spend more money!
Thanks for checking out the post, make sure to let me know if you have any questions about any of the points made. You can also sign-up to be notified of new posts and follow The Male Stylist activity. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter or Instagram for style inspiration, gentleman’s musings and general fun.
