Men’s Fashion: How To Personalize Your Wardrobe

Looking good every day is often regarded as an underrated task. After all, you can easily get by throwing together a low-effort outfit from your closet on many occasions. Why start changing that now? But considering how vast the fashion industry is, it’s a shame that most people only settle with the same set of clothes, especially men. Although it might seem too much of a hassle, changing your wardrobe now could impact your perception.

Not many realize it, but fashion is a medium of art, like painting or carving. However, instead of using various tools and equipment, all you need to fix yourself up is patience, creativity, and for all sorts of clothes just within your reach. Fortunately, many clothing stores are open wherever you look. On another note, having too many options might overwhelm you with indecision. If that’s the case, give personalization a shot instead of staying faithful to what’s trendy.

Personalizing one’s wardrobe involves careful thought because, right off the bat, your personality is supposed to shine through based on the clothes you’re wearing. The best example of personalization is fashion from the 90s. Since it was the period when peace was a common theme, the 90’s often encouraged people to customize their clothes to promote freedom. Thus, it shouldn’t be surprising that fashion turns out to be another art form with how the wearer’s personality is shown.

Although, considering it’s ‘personal,’ personalizing your wardrobe could end up being difficult since you’re not supposed to use famous personalities as a reference. Personalization is meant to be a conversation between you and yourself. For those who aren’t used to this kind of thing, hopefully, these tips can help make things easier. 

1. Think Of What You’re Going For

Somehow, clothes have a way of revealing your character. Think of them as a paint while you as the canvas. Before using your ‘paint,’ think of how you want to be perceived. Do you want it to appear lively? Or maybe you’re athletic and want to incorporate a sporty style? Perhaps a subtle yet stylish look? 

Whichever vibe you’re aiming for, ensure you establish it properly. After all, first impressions often last. And your appearance is the first thing people will see. Hence, if you’re going somewhere new, your clothes might be a key indicator of who you are.  

However, being athletic doesn’t mean you should limit your wardrobe to that style alone. People consist of unique individuals, which means there’s no such thing as carbon copies among one another. Don’t be afraid to explore different styles. But always remember to stick to one style for every set of outfits. At least if you’re starting to explore different clothing styles.

2. Repurpose Old Clothes

Some people find it easy to throw away things they don’t use anymore. But for those who are extremely sentimental, as long as something plays a role in their past, they’ll refuse to get rid of it, even though it’s bound to just take up space in a corner. Although they’re simply worn for comfort, clothes hold valuable memories of your life. After all, there’s something nostalgic about seeing your sense of style grow up alongside you.  

Therefore, repurposing them is an excellent path they can take instead of leaving them to collect dust. Because not only does repurposing them prolong their lifespan, but it also serves as a challenge over how you can change them to your current style.  

Cut old shirt sleeves to turn them into tank tops. Patch them up in embroidery from experts at Shop Strange and other specialty stores. Turn your ripped jeans into shorts. You can do all sorts of things to transform old clothes and even make them seem trendy.

3. Look At Your Options 

Now you have all kinds of styles in mind, take a look at what you have. After all, you can’t simply give away every piece of clothing you have in your wardrobe. Although it’s meant to give it a complete makeover, doing so is a waste of clothes. So, before you do anything drastic, look at the bigger picture and see what you’ve been hiding in your wardrobe.  

Use this opportunity to reflect on your previous fashion sense to what you want currently. Because even though they’re already ‘old news,’ the clothes you already have could help trace back to your roots. Who knows? Your edgy style might be revived once you see that old leather jacket you used to wear. However, be careful when picking which ones you should keep. Wear them again to ensure they still fit or not falling apart at the seams yet.

4. Mix And Match

Once you’ve found a solid grasp of your fashion sense, don’t hesitate to take it one step further. Because even though it’s visually appealing, only sticking to one style gets old fast, especially now that your eyes have finally been opened to the world of fashion. Therefore, instead of settling with a style, consider combining two – maybe three styles in one outfit. 

Naturally, not many occasions call for mismatched styles. For example, wearing a blazer over your button-up shirt and matching it with a pair of denim might not be suitable for a company event. As long as there’s a dress code, mixing and matching clothes will likely get discouraged, regardless of how good you look. Hence, you must be mindful of where you’ll wear it. 

If there’s no special occasion and all you want to do is have fun, experiment with your clothes to your heart’s content. Going for a smart casual look by combining a pair of trousers and a coat is a great start. Because despite how both pieces of clothing belong to different styles, having them together surprisingly makes you look sharp and ready for anything. 

If mixing different clothes isn’t your style, consider playing with different colors instead. Although it’s not as crazy as experimenting with all sorts of clothing, complementing colors can get extremely difficult, especially for suits. However, the only thing you must remember is to use one color as the core, then work around it. 

Avoid using colors that are in the same family. For example, pairing navy blue with cyan would be redundant. In contrast, pairing two colors at the opposite ends of the spectrum will make you stand out unless that’s what you’re going for. Choose a base color that either complements your complexion or the current season. Warmer colors are perfect in autumn, whereas cool colors are better at giving you a fresh look during summer.

5. Take A Peek At Thrift Stores

Browsing through designer brands might seem like the only option for some people to look for high-quality clothes. But be that as it may, these brands feel as extravagant as how much they cost. For those who are tight on cash, they can still do anything to change their wardrobe without worrying about the price tag. Fortunately, this is when thrift stores come in. 

Be it the urban area or the suburbs, thrift stores can be found anywhere as long you know where to look. After all, everyone has clothes they’d much rather give away instead of throwing them in the trash. So, it’s safe to say that thrift stores have seen all kinds of clothes that used to be loved by other people. Because they’re handed down, these clothes obtained a character of their own. 

However, just because many people continue to donate to thrift stores doesn’t mean all of them are good. Think of it as a gold mine, where there are more rocks than you can handle until you hit gold. It takes habitual checking to find something that fits your wardrobe. And on top of that, chatting with the staff is another way to get a feel for when and where a new shipment of clothes comes in.  

Although, if you’re willing to travel, there’s a noticeable difference in quality between stores in the suburbs compared to those in the urban area. Regardless, it doesn’t change anything when you still need to take your time browsing through them. After all, accepting how you look and empowering yourself demands attention.

6. Add Accessories

Think of your outfit as a cake. Although it’s nice by itself, it still lacks something to make it special. However, that’s nothing a cherry on top can fix, and using accessories is just the thing. All sorts of accessories are waiting to be added to your wardrobe. But since you want to personalize your outfit, wear accessories that mean something to you instead of only looking at their brand or price.  

7. Try Arts And Crafts

Allowing yourself to personalize your wardrobe is almost like giving yourself a gift. It demands a lot of thought poured into it, but you’ll get to appreciate your efforts the most once you have it on. Because of this, you have the freedom to let your creativity run wild. Tie-dye your clothes in your favorite colors, have an expert monogram your bag or towels in your initials, sew patches or talk to a local tailor to embroider any holes in your clothes—you can do all sorts of things to give your wardrobe a personal touch.

Let Your Personality Shine

Changing some aspects of your life can get extremely demanding. Because on top of effort, your resources must be utilized to make it happen, even for something as inconspicuous as your wardrobe. Therefore, instead of completely throwing away your old wardrobe, revamp it by letting your personality seep in.