I like dressing well. It gives you certain swag it’d be hard to get otherwise. But I made many mistakes along my journey, making me look like an amateur. I overpaid for jeans. Wore small-sized shirts. And bought shoes eighty-year-olds wear. It was a shitshow. But once I learned the fundamentals, everything fell into place.
The psychological impacts of dressing well
Improved performance and productivity:
I was a seventeen-year-old telemarketer sitting in a row full of hungry salespeople cold-calling prospects. One day, an old-timer started crying. It’s been a few weeks since she made a sale.
The boss told her, “Go home and rest. Tomorrow, put on some nice clothes and makeup and come to work”. It was a trade secret.
People react to the sort of clothes they wear. It subconsciously impacts their behaviour
2. Increased self-confidence and mood:
Morning, time to go to work. You brush your teeth and eat breakfast. Open your closet and… aah. Nothing exciting to wear. Same old moldy shirts and worn-out jeans. You put something on and take a look in the mirror. Yikes. You’d rather stay home.
However, it also works in reverse. Looking great equals feeling great. Studies on “enclothed cognition” show the clothes we wear affect our thought process and self-perception.
3. First impression matters:
Dressing well is by FAR the easiest way to influence the room. It shows you’re confident enough to take care of yourself. And make you more trustworthy in a professional setting.
How to always pick something you love
My aunt used to tell me, “If you put it on and you don’t like it instantly, don’t buy it”. Sounds like mundane advice, but it’s kinda genius.
If it doesn’t make you go, “Hell yeah!” then you don’t really like it. Take it off and look for something you feel good about. Otherwise, once you get home, you’ll wear your new clothes and realize you hate them. They’ll gather dust in your wardrobe.
As with anything in life, if you need to convince yourself you want something, you don’t want it.
Quick fashion primer
Nail down the basics, and everything you’ll wear will look great on you.
Fit:
Your shirt seams should sit on your shoulder blades right where they end. Not lower on your arm or towards your neck. Your pants or jeans shouldn’t have extra fabric at the bottom.
They should be comfortable whether you sit or stand. If you have to unbutton your pants when you sit, they’re probably too tight for you.
2. Sexuality:
Show some skin. Try V-neck shirts or leave your shirt unbuttoned at the top. Roll up your sleeves. You can even wear “invisible” socks to show parts of your leg.
3. Shine:
One or two items should pop out of your outfit. They’ll pepper in some taste and personality in your clothing. If you wear all black, that’s boring. But if you wear black with white shoes and a silver watch, that’s way more interesting.
4. Essential wardrobe items:
My essentials are dead simple.
Get two pairs of dark jeans. 4–5 basic T-shirts, black or blue navy.Preferably V neck or shirts that sit a bit tight. One white button-up shirt. A pair of black sneakers and another one in white. One jacket in a dark colour. Add a silver/gold/bright colour watch. A brown belt.
That’s it. Sometimes I’ll wear grey or black pants for work. The above items are enough for four to six killer outfits.
Conclusion: step out of your comfort zone
A high school buddy of mine never wanted to look “needy and attention-seeking”. So he always wore old, boring clothes which barely fit. He got what he wanted- most girls never noticed him. Bosses never offered him a nice pay.
He didn’t appear as a guy who’s worth paying attention to.
To dress better, you’ll have to try new things. You must keep an open mind and not care what others think.
Follow my aunt’s rule, and you’ll get it right 🙂
Get my free ebook, “Life Lessons From Getting Rejected By Hundreds Of Women”
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
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