Often I meet men who tell me that they are comfortable in the clothes they wear, even though they admit that they don’t look good in them. Most of them don’t see the benefit of dressing up and so they just wear cargo pants, flip flops, and T-shirts.
Most men don’t realize that they could probably earn more money, attract more attention from potential partners, and be taken more seriously if they dressed well. Of course, dressing is a process and it takes some time, but at the end of the day, it is always worth it. When I was growing up, my personal style was not developed at all — my parents didn’t care too much about clothing — and so I just wore whatever I had without any concern for style. At the age of 14 and 15, I started to develop an interest in style, but it wasn’t an overnight success. Especially in the beginning, I had to try out some things before I found the style I really liked. Over the years, I have noticed a number of changes that happened after I began dressing well and improved my style. In this article, I would like to highlight 101 things that will likely change for you if you dress better.
Before we start though, I want to share a “before” photo when I dressed poorly and an “after” that represents my style now. It’s a world of a difference — but what I want to show you is that any man can make the decision to dress better. Will you master the art of clothing in a few days, weeks, or months? Unlikely — but you will continuously improve and after a while, you’ll feel uncomfortable look at “before” pictures of yourself because you have come such a long way.
Before, I was wearing short-sleeved shirts in black with designer pockets, white pants and square-toed shoes, a leather jacket with a gaping collar, and a horrible printed silk tie along with cheap straw hats and equally cheap belts.
A few years later, I wore a stroller suit that fit me well and even a white tie ensemble. I know you can change your style too, and I am sure many good things will happen to you because of it.
101 Things That Change When You Upgrade Your Wardrobe & Improve Your Style
1. Coworkers take you more seriously and ask you more questions
2. When you walk on the street, other people will turn their heads to observe you
3. Wherever you are, you are much more likely to be noticed by other people
4. People on the street ask you for directions because you look trustworthy
5. You will have no problem test driving a Porsche or Maserati
6. Strangers will compliment your style
7. Your guy friends may make fun of you in the beginning, but soon they will solicit style advice
8. Good friends ask you to help them order a suit and ask you for color combinations
9. People smile at you more often
10. At the bank, you don’t have to wait very long anymore
11. You are more likely to receive an unexpected upgrade — in a hotel, at the car rental desk or for a better table at a restaurant
12. If your superiors are sloppy, they may feel threatened
13. People assume you are successful and treat you better
14. Salespeople are more likely to talk to you — but they are also more likely to leave you alone if you tell them you are not interested
15. Friends that usually just wore t-shirts all of a sudden wear a blazer when they meet you for dinner
16. You begin to want mother-of-pearl buttons on your shirts and horn or corozo buttons on your jacket; additionally, you want your buttons to have a shank, so they button more beautifully
17. You want to learn more about style and sign up to our newsletter
18. You notice little details such as hand-sewn buttonholes or the last of shoes other men are wearing
19. You will likely start to notice others’ (poor) style choices, poor fit, etc. – always remember that you might have committed some style mistakes as well when you started!
20. Some people at work may feel threatened by you because you are dressed better than them
21. Some may think you are more arrogant, but if you are friendly you can quickly show them otherwise
22. Moths become your enemy
23. Suits and shirts that you always thought fit properly suddenly feel like an ill-fitting potato sack
24. You become interested in closets and their size
25. You analyze other people’s style and you smile when you see them wearing a real ancient madder silk tie, peccary gloves or double sided scarves
26. You realize your body is asymmetrical – your right shoulder is a tad lower than your left one, and your right thigh is slimmer than your left…
27. You start to see the scourge of oversized jacket armholes everywhere
28. You start wearing a tie to work
29. You will iron shirts better than your mother
30. You buy your first knit tie
31. Compliments from people who don’t dress well themselves mean less to you
32. Your alterations tailor knows you by your first name, and you know where to get hats reblocked
33. You don’t want to leave the house without a pocket square in your jacket
34. You understand the difference between a full canvas and a half canvas jacket
35. When you travel, you always look for nice haberdasheries or men’s accessories stores
36. You realize that your suit or jacket looks very different with a few new accessories
37. You buy more accessories and get rid of the shiny $5 silk ties you had since you were a teenager
38. Materials become important to you and you check if a sweater is made of wool or blended with polyester
39. Other people are more likely to flirt with you
40. You take a closer look at your dry cleaner, washing machine, iron, and ironing board because you don’t want to ruin your investment pieces
41. You realize sunglasses are not just functional but that different kinds work better with certain outfits than others
42. When people see you in gym clothes they are surprised
43. People will argue less frequently with you and you will achieve your goals in discussions more easily
44. Acquaintances are more likely to invite you to parties
45. The name Alan Flusser means something to you
46. You start reading blogs, websites and magazines about men’s clothing style
47. GQ, Esquire etc. become superficial and you realize they are not worth your time anymore
48. Things like 6×1 DB, MoP and Scye mean something to you
49. People want to take selfies with you
50. Co-workers and superiors compliment you on your presentations at work
51. You don’t wear tennis socks anymore and invest in over the calf socks and become a little more daring with sock colors
52. You consider going sockless with loafers in the summer
53. You try to match the color of your belt and shoes, and your shoes now need shoe trees
54. You think about getting a pair of suspenders
55. People remember you as the stylish guy even though they have only met you once
56. You don’t want to take your jacket off anymore
57. Flip Flops are a thing of the past (or at least exclusively for the beach or sauna)
58. You get rid of your brightly-colored shirts and invest instead in pastel tones
59. You say goodbye to square-toed shoes and you try to understand the difference between Blake, Blake Rapid and Goodyear Welting.
![A "Holden" cap toe oxford in black from Gaziano & Girling [Image Credit: Parisian Gentleman]](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/A-Holden-cap-toe-oxford-in-black-from-Gaziano-Girling.webp "A Holden Cap Toe Oxford In Black From Gaziano Girling")
60. Your new suit gives you a V-shape as if you had worked out 5 times a week at the gym
61. You begin to understand the power of appearance
62. Matching colors and patterns in an interesting way becomes your new sport
63. Your standards get higher and higher and you don’t need a salesperson anymore when it comes to shopping for clothes — you are less likely to get sucked into “good deals” if the fit is not right
64. Your dry cleaner knows who you are and gives you a volume discount
65. People who knew you as a child or teenager comment favorably on your Facebook photos
66. You only use shoe horns to put on shoes and shoe shining becomes very important
67. You sometimes get overambitious — thus creating a look that is not your best, but you know you can only improve your style if you constantly challenge the status quo
68. You don’t mind being overdressed
69. You have a spreadsheet with your measurements so you are always prepared
70. You want to visit Rubinacci in Naples, Caraceni in Milan, and Savile Row in London
71. You need to reorganize your clothes storage space — and you now want shoe racks
72. People assume you have more authority and will interrupt you less frequently
73. The meaning of “casual” dress is now redefined as an odd combination
74. You start to have a monthly clothing and accessories budget
75. You buy an unusual suit on sale, because the fabric is so great and it is all handmade — but then you realize the fit is not so good and you return it
76. You don’t trust the dry cleaner with your precious shirts, so you wash them on delicate in mesh bags so you won’t fray the collars
77. You start to become interested in other stylish things like watches, whisky and shaving with an old school razor.
78. The black suit you bought when you had no clue is now only used for funerals
79. You start to dislike monochromatic looks
80. You look forward to cold winters so you can wear your heavy overcoat, gloves, and scarves
81.When you travel you always take your biggest suitcase to avoid squishing your suits
82. At the airport you have to explain the TSA agents what metal collar stays, collar pins and tie pins are
83. You want shoes with leather soles, not rubber
84. You develop an affinity to tweed and other fabrics with a depth of color
85. You don’t throw away your shoes anymore, instead you have them resoled at the factory or at a local cobbler
86. You develop an interest in cuff links and French cuff shirts
87. You try to come up with different hairstyles and grow a beard
88. All of a sudden you don’t like those glasses you’ve had for years, and now you want a stylish pair of acetate or horn frames
89. You throw out your college hoodies
90. You invest in a pair of brown suede shoes
91. You realize one can never have enough ties
92. You invest in a tuxedo and seek out Black tie events
93. The wire hangers you get from the dry cleaners become unacceptable and you upgrade to fine suit hangers with a wide shoulder pad for your jackets and suits
94. You start wearing bow ties, and you always want to tie your own
95. You freak out when you find a vintage silk top hat in your size
96. You aren’t afraid to invest in your wardrobe; you know that a $450 pair of black cap toe oxfords will last for years
97. Your significant other has to wait for you to leave the house
98. You enjoy seeing yourself in the mirror, you get more confident, and you express that in everything you do – and other people notice it
99. You get excited if the dress code is Formal Friday and you dislike Business Casual
100. You start hanging up your jackets in the car because keeping them on when you drive wrinkles them
101. Scientific studies have shown that stylish clothes make you more attractive — and attractive people earn $250,000 more than a less attractive counterpart – so dress better and earn more.
Bonus
102. When you are standing in front of a judge or a jury, the decision is more likely to go your way.
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