Your style can be equated to your identity. How you comfortably wear your clothes and strut your stuff can define who you are. You may not notice it, but there is a certain way that you have dressed yourself for a long time. Suddenly, you find yourself in a state of fashion awakening and the clothes hanging in our closets no longer inspire us. Changing our style doesn’t mean changing our identity as well. It just means that we have to redefine our sense of style and give ourselves a makeover to feel renewed.
Start with Improving What You Have
One of the reasons why some of us are reluctant to change our style is because we think that the change is going to be drastic. This is why we specifically used the “step up” and not the general term “change” to give it a more encouraging tone. Starting with the style that you know or the clothing that you have been familiar and comfortable with is one of the easiest ways to step up your style.
Instead of changing every piece from your wardrobe and your look, you can go for improving the look that you already have. So instead of changing the type of clothes that you wear, just look for better versions of those that you already wear. If you have been used to wearing faded jeans, try wearing a vibrant or darker colored pair. If you wear loose or oversized shirts as your style, try a shirt that’s about your size and choose a fabric that provides you maximum comfort. If you like hoodies, try a more form-fitting version as your step-up style.
Start with these small steps. The change may not be readily discernible, but it can substantially improve your overall look. Learning is best done with steps, and this is a good way of stepping towards the right direction.
Make a Gradual Upgrade
Again, don’t do anything drastic. You can equate stepping up with upgrading, where you can slowly move on to the next level of style from what you are used to. If you are fond of wearing plain, solid tees, you can gradually go for shirts with small prints or logos as your first upgrade. You can then progress to graphic tees and proceed to try something leaning on the casual side. According to the creators of Palm Angels menswear, you can still use your favorite badass street- and skateboard-themed designs such as skulls, skeletons and flames if you like to bridge the gap between luxury and streetwear. Before you gradually let go of your skateboarder look and transition to luxury menswear, you can follow this succession until you are comfortable wearing dress shirts. If you like to wear polo shirts as your signature style, you can make a smooth upgrade by going for casual shirts next and then upgrading to dress shirts.
If you are a hoodie fan, you can transition into wearing blazers by first upgrading your hoodie to a zip-up cardigan. You can then proceed to the next level by going for button cardigans. Reach your final transition by wearing blazers and you have made a great style upgrade in just a few simple progressions.
Try the Mix and Match Approach
Another smooth way of upgrading your style is to mix and match your old and new clothes. It’s not that drastic of a change because you are wearing new clothes along with your old clothes. You are only changing one or two items from the overall look that you are used to.
Let’s picture out the following example: your preferred getup is a pair of faded jeans, a graphic tee and a hoodie. You can try out many combinations without drastically changing everything. You can wear faded jeans, a graphic tee and switch to a cardigan. You can also switch to dark denim jeans, graphic tee and hoodie or zip-up cardigan. You may also want to try the combination of faded jeans, solid tee and hoodie or zip-up cardigan.
The change in the above example is subtle but discernible. You or people close to you can notice the change, but they still see your individuality and style as pretty much the same. Nothing drastic, but there is an improvement.
Try a New but Low-Key Fashion Statement
Some of us are uncomfortable with the idea of trying to look better but also attracting too much attention. We may sometimes be afraid of how people close to us or those we know will react when we try out new clothes. When trying out something new, keep your selection simple and low-key. Going for bold fashion statements, trendy looks and out-of-the ordinary clothing are the things you should avoid. If it is your first time wearing a blazer, go for a simple brown or grey blazer rather than a bold red one. The mere act of trying something new is already a bold enough move, so keep it that way for now. Diving for bold and attention-grabbing pieces can just make your upgrade awkward. Of course, you can try out bolder clothes once you develop the comfort level and confidence.
Applying changes to your style can be quite challenging, but with gradual modifications, you are well on your way to looking better or the way you want to be. Take your time in experimenting with your looks. Don’t do anything drastic, but observe how the small changes have an effect on your overall look. Once you find that the small changes work well for you, will gradually become more comfortable and confident to take bigger and bolder steps. Before you know it, you have transformed yourself into a better and more improved man who not only looks good, but also feels good.
