10 Easy Ways to Transform Your Style

Image via Complex Original

Too many times we try to restructure our wardrobe, yet we keep the same clothes in there to rot and die and be all sad and what not. Don’t do that to them. They were once a big part of your life, you know? Just give them a proverbial haircut to give them new life. Add some personal details that you do yourself: cut, paint, add, subtract. Whatever it takes to give them the chance they deserve to make it back on the squad. Who knows—they could become all-stars.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing it safe when it comes to your style and the clothing you wear. If that’s how you want to express your individuality, then who are we to judge? But sometimes, throwing a little bit of caution to the wind adds a spark of exhilaration that only the feeling of risk can achieve. Without going overboard with it, tossing in a riskier piece with your everyday uniform—whether it’s adding a fun layer or tossing in a wild color—gives it just the right amount of edge to make you stand out, in a good way.

Sometimes, buying crazy pieces to accentuate your wardrobe doesn’t always work out the way you thought it would. Whether it doesn’t fit your current, redefined style or it literally no longer fits your body, just keeping it to never wear it again is something that Scott Disick would do. And you, my friend, are not Scott Disick. So learning the ropes of reselling through avenues like eBay, Grailed, or clothing forum marketplaces could not only clear out your closet to make space for new stuff, but it will help fund said new stuff. And if you do it right, you may not have to spend much outside revenue at all.

The trends of the season are what give people in the fashion industry a reason to breathe. Trends give them life. And frankly, it’s really cool to see what new styles are going to give birth to a whole new category of fanboys trying to fit in with the crowd. There’s nothing wrong with buying into a trend or two because they are cool and are trends for a reason. But basing your entire style off of the lot of them will force you to change styles more than you can fiscally or emotionally handle.

It can’t be stressed enough that every guy who is serious about redefining his style needs a proper tailor. They’re basically wizards. So keeping one in your inner-circle of fashion trusts is one of the more opportune things that you can do. Unfortunately, not all tailors are created equal. So if you currently have one on commission and they aren’t on board with your style switcharoo, there are other fish in the sea. Test a few out; see which ones are picking up what you’re putting down, style-wise.

Sometimes, people want to fashion their, well, fashion off of someone that inspired them. This is all well and good until you realize that your body type is the complete opposite of the person you are trying to swaggerjack. Play to your strengths. If you have a muscular body, use that to your advantage, but also consider how a pair of skinny jeans will look with your thighs bulging out of them. If you are constantly complimented on how a certain color brings out the beauty in your eyes, look at building around said color. Know what looks good on your, not on someone else, and it’ll end up bringing you the stylish success that you’ve been searching for.

You can have your outfit looking like a million bucks, but if your haircut and swagger are in the negative, then guess what? Your clothing isn’t worth it. When it comes to style, it isn’t just about the clothes that you put on your back—it’s about the full package. As in, your grooming habits, knowing your surroundings by dressing and acting accordingly, and, of course, the confidence you exude whilst wearing those clothes. See these as the sum for the greater good—not individual entities—and redefining your style will come easier than you could ever imagine.

Never—I repeat—never start from scratch when it comes to redefining your style. Your current wardrobe is there for a reason. At some point, it worked for you, so completely upending it and trying to reinvent the wheel that is your style may fail quicker than you can say, “I am fashion.” By adding little details to your current wardrobe that express this new direction that you’re trying to go and growing from there—that gradual climb to your reinvented style shows progression and not a cliff dive. Toss on a couple of cool pins, start adding accessories that you think fit your style and personality, or dabble in different footwear choices. These are things people that will notice, but they won’t get suspicious to the point of 30 questions about “the new you.”

It’s really easy to see a style that you like on someone else and try to run with it because you know it’s gotten that person results. But that person is, in no way shape or form, you. Imitation is how some stylish people got to where they are, but that always leads to turnover in their own style, forcing them to change it up just like you’re attempting to do yourself. The real success is when someone has paved their own personal style through knowing what works for them. Your personal style is exactly that: personal. It should reflect you as a person, not someone else, because it’s just as much about authenticity as it is about how it looks on you. 

Listen—if you want to play dress-up, that is perfectly fine. Just make sure that you’re consistent. By being all willy-nilly with your style, it likely forces you to buy more items that you will wear less. Creating a uniform—something you feel comfortable in and that looks good on because you know it plays to your strengths—allows you to free yourself of the exhaustive exercise of having to figure out what works for you on any given day. All of the advice given basically boils down to knowing what works for you and trying to stick to it because you know it looks good, you know others think it looks good, and, finally, it makes you feel good. Just like with anything that you grow to love, you keep it and watch the fruit of your labor grow.