Some high-profile men have become especially recognizable as a result of wearing particular clothes or accessories on a regular basis. Just think of, say, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs with his black turtleneck jumper and actor Bill Nighy with his thick-framed specs.
These are just two examples of men who have developed their own signature style — with Ape to Gentlemen defining a signature style as “not just a sense of style but a sense of style that’s entirely one’s own.” Here are several pointers for how you could develop your own.
Dress for your body type
This is basically about choosing clothes that will hang off you in a way that looks natural. Real Men Real Style sums up the five male body types as ‘rectangle’, ‘inverted triangle’, ‘trapezoid’, ‘triangle’ and ‘oval’.
As you experiment with different clothes, you could realize which types best suit your body type. For example, if you are relatively short, you could benefit from wearing a jacket with a hem ending at the hips, while a double-breasted jacket would add bulk to a tall and lean frame.
Take your lifestyle into account, too
Here, you are considering not only what you do in your personal life but also what your job entails. In this spirit, if you are an outdoorsy, athletic type, a jeans-and-boots combo could obviously work better for you than a suit and tie.
Indeed, even if you are a teacher, slipping into a suit can be a step too far. A ‘smart casual’ look pairing a sports jacket with jeans could strike just the right balance.
Adapt to your environment
Of course, the climate conditions to which you are most accustomed could, to an extent, reflect your personality. Someone who has chosen to live in a beachfront property could naturally have very different life priorities to a resident of a chilly area like Norway.
In any case, make sure you select attire that would help you to withstand the weather conditions you often encounter. Generally, cotton fabrics are good in warmer weather, while colder climates would call for heavier wools.
Choose colors that complement your complexion
Naturally, there is a broad spectrum of complexions, with some at one end of the scale counting as ‘warm’ and others at the opposite end classed as ‘cool’.
Warm complexions include black or brown skin, and suit shades like tan, red and green. Meanwhile, cool complexions can be white, fair, or olive — and, in any of those three instances, blue undertones would enhance your look.
Don’t be afraid to experiment
Fashion tends might occasionally surface something that piques your interest and you reckon could be incorporated seamlessly into your existing style. Nonetheless, you should be careful not to be too prescriptive with how you fill your wardrobe.
After all, cultivating a signature style is about letting your personality shine through in your attire. For this reason, when shopping on — for example — the T.M.Lewin website, you could look at all the trousers in stock there before you decide which pair of trousers to purchase.
Remember to add a few timeless ‘staples’ to your wardrobe
Esquire explains: “White sneakers, slim jeans, well-cut white shirts — certain garments stand the test of time for the simple reason that they suit pretty much everyone and will always look good.”
Hence, it would be wise for you to reserve some of your clothes budget for pieces like these. Given how often you would be able to reuse them without distracting from your personal style, you could prioritize stocking up on these items before throwing in some other, quirkier options.
Be selective with how you accessorize
You don’t want to go overboard with the accessories. Often, just two thoughtfully chosen pieces worn alongside a simple outfit can make a surprisingly big impact.
So, when choosing your accessories, maybe you will be happy with a pair of sunglasses, which could obviously be of major practical use to you anyway if you live in a very sunny area.
Alternatively, if you are in an especially formal field of work, such as law, you could routinely take a simple leather briefcase with you to various places.
Have a lengthy checklist with you when you shop
That checklist should cover all of the points detailed above — enabling you to make sure, before you buy any particular clothing item, that it meets all of the relevant criteria. Through being cautious in this way, you can help to prevent buyer’s remorse from setting in later down the line.
