You wake up, get ready for work, go to work, come home, eat dinner, unwind and/or socialize, then go to bed. Perhaps you are trying to build something great with your life. A career, a family, a business, a personal goal (or set of goals) and/or an idea. Hopefully you push yourself to achieve something great among these important pursuits. So where does personal style fit in to the larger picture? We’ll discuss why personal style matters, and how it can enhance all the important areas of your life.
You might be asking, “doesn’t what you have inside matter more than what you look like?” After all, the important things in your life that we listed above don’t require great personal style. And yes, it is true, you could dress like a slob and have a great career, family, business, and/or reach your personal goals.
But just like your health and fitness, your personal style sets the tone for everything else in your life. While being a stylish man won’t automatically grant you success in any other area of life, setting standards for yourself and showing respect for specific situations or events will make you appear more intelligent and give you more confidence. It’s the confidence and respect for your surroundings that will permeate into the other areas in your life and enhance your pursuit of all other goals.
Now just looking good won’t complete the picture. This is a vain and superficial pursuit to care only about your style, and you don’t want to be an empty shell behind nice clothes. You should develop your personal style as a part of your striving for a well-rounded excellence in your life.
Standards
Standards are the first reason why you should care about your personal style. What you wear sends a message to the world. It communicates the standards you have set for yourself, which tells people what they should expect from you.
This doesn’t mean you need to wear tailored suit all the time, or even feel the need to always look perfect and over-obsess about your appearance. But at the very minimum, you should always strive to look put-together and neat, with clothes that fit and ideally enhance your physical characteristics.
The standard you set for your appearance will affect every other part of your life, as well as how people perceive you (more on that in the next section). Some studies suggest that how you dress affects your mood, attitude, and confidence.
We agree and believe it comes down to standards. The standards you set for your attire set the tone for everything else you do. If you go out in a pair of old sweatpants and a raggedy t-shirt, for instance, no one will expect much of you, and you will turn this perception inward and not expect much of yourself.
This principle applies in all other areas of your life. If you don’t care about what you wear to work (even if you work from home), thinking it’s your performance that matters most, you might find that you’re not getting as much out of yourself as you can. Wearing the best version of your office attire while putting forth a neat, clean, and stylish appearance will give you more confidence and garner more respect from your colleagues. Apply this concept to other areas (dating, socializing, fitness, etc…) with similar results.
First impression
First impressions have an outsized impact on how people judge you. The effect of this first impression lives on well after an initial meeting, whether we like it or not. While this may seem superficial, it is the reality of who we are as people. We are wired to determine the trustworthiness of a new person based on visual cues, with clothing being an important factor.
A stylish and put-together person will give off the impression of someone who holds high standards for themselves, understands how to maximize their own appearance, has a certain level of intelligence and competence, and understands their surroundings.
We all inherently recognize this concept, which is why we wear certain clothes for job interviews, first dates, and important social gatherings where we might meet new people. We all want to have our style dialed in for these scenarios to make the most of your first interaction with people who could potentially be very important in your life (as an aside, make sure you have a tailored or well-fitted suit, nice dress shoes, and smart casual attire for these specific settings).
But personal style matters for every other situation too. Looking neat, clean, and wearing clothes that fit and flatter your form for a given situation will ensure that any first impressions will be positive. You never know when you’ll meet that important person, and presenting the best version of yourself will ensure that they look at you in the best light.
Your substance will always win in the end, but a strong first impression gives you a huge leg up. Take advantage of this principle as much as you can.
Intelligence and trust
Intelligence and trust are a big part of why personal style matters. It’s easier for us as people to trust a well-dressed person. According to a Princeton University study, stylish men are perceived as significantly more competent.
On a surface level, this makes perfect sense. Dressing well requires attention to detail and setting a personal standard for yourself (there it is again). We subconsciously perceive men who can do these two things well as able to do other things well too. This level of perceived confidence allows others to trust your abilities as a man.
Since most work requires someone to care about what they’re doing (standards) and the ability to recognize important details, dressing well signals to everyone else that you have a certain level of intelligence.
Obviously there are very intelligent people who don’t dress well or care about their appearance, and dressing well doesn’t automatically make you smart. Mark Zuckerberg wears the same thing every day, and Adam Sandler famously wears terrible outfits in public. But these two are famous billionaires. Normal people who don’t dress well have to overcome an initial bias against their abilities. It’s much easier for others to trust you and for you to get what you want if you don’t have to overcome this obstacle all the time.
Respect
While caring about your appearance shows a level of self-respect, which we cover in our standards section above, dressing intentionally shows respect for the other people in a given situation. You obviously wouldn’t wear a hoodie and old jeans to a semi-formal wedding, as this would show disrespect for the importance of the event. You should treat all other situations accordingly.
This doesn’t mean you need to dress up for your everyday errands or anything like that, but you should hold yourself to a minimum standard to respect others around you.
For instance, if you go out for a nice meal with your significant other, and she wants to wear a nice dress, you should elevate your outfit to match the level of dressiness. It shows your respect for how important she thinks the dinner is. Maybe a sport coat with some dark jeans or chinos, or a fine knit sweater with some chinos or slacks, or just something that’s a step up from the jeans and a t-shirt you’d wear on an everyday basis.
The same concept applies when at work (even working from home), running some errands, grabbing a coffee or drink with a friend, or even going to the gym. Your appearance and attire shows the respect you have for those whom you interact with, which is another reason why personal style matters.
Confidence
Now all of the important elements listed above funnel into the main factor that brings out the best version of yourself – confidence. It comes down to the basic sports maxim “if you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you play good.”
When thinking of why personal style matters, it boils down to confidence. Looking good creates a sense of self-confidence. And others recognizing that you look good also feeds your confidence, which creates a positive feedback loop that serves to further increase your confidence. Take advantage of this positive cycle as much as you can.
The important factor about confidence is that you must feel comfortable in your personal style. This means you don’t have to conform to any particular style. You don’t have to dress preppy, or refined, or rugged, or any other category to dress well. What matters is that you feel good and your clothes do their best to flatter and enhance your physique and appearance. And dress appropriately for a given situation.
You can use other people or do some research for inspiration to define your style (and we have a ton of resources in the next section to get you started). Ultimately, it’s up to you to create a personal style that expresses your personality. Because this comfort in expressing yourself gives you that extra boost of confidence beyond just looking good.
Resources
- Avoid these basic fashion mistakes
- The 5 types of shoes every man should own
- Best clothing colors for darker skin and lighter skin
- Trend-proof basics for your wardrobe
- How to build a versatile wardrobe
- How to buy a suit online
- How to upgrade your wardrobe
