In an attempt to define personal style I asked Sarah Gilfillan of Sartoria Lab to give me her thoughts. Sarah helps men to sort their wardrobes, find their style and guiding them on shopping trips, so she knows well how men tick when it comes to looking good.
Sarah writes: It’s hard to put your finger on and it’s not always agreed on who’s stylish and who’s not. As David mentions, some people can look good in a bin bag and others struggle no matter how expensive and perfectly tailored their clothes are. I agree that it’s an overall effect: the way you stand, the way you hold yourself, your confidence, your ability to put things together, your fearlessness to challenge yourself and try something new. It doesn’t matter how short, tall, fat, thin you are either and there’ll be days where you feel you have it, and days when you feel like you don’t.
And it’s not about wearing a suit or dressing formally. Two people can be dressed in complete opposites and both look stylish – one in workwear, one in a tailored suit and both look great. I feel that someone who has style has a consistency to what they wear though – so it’s not about looking rubbish day to day and then getting really dressed up when you go out, it’s about looking good whether that’s in casual wear on the beach or a tuxedo and everything in between.
"Style is knowing what suits YOU; not your style icon.."
Style is knowing what suits YOU; not your style icon, or the guy down the street or the shop mannequin. Understanding your colouring, body shape and style personality can really help to do this. When you understand what the components are of something that looks good on you, you can repeat it.
It’s about having harmony in the things you wear, without matching them up too closely eg: using corresponding colours for your tie and pocket square, rather than having the matching set - or having some socks that pick up a fleck in the tweed of your jacket rather than them being the exact same colour as your shirt. Getting the correct balance in the colours, patterns, textures, and shapes of your clothes and accessories can go a long way to enhance your style and then if you feel like it, and have the confidence to do so, perhaps adding something a little unexpected that adds your own personality and uniqueness to it.
"Feeling comfortable in your style is important.."
Feeling comfortable in your style is important, and knowing what suits you, but being willing to try something new every once in a while has its advantages too: you may find something new to add to your repertoire.
I believe paying attention to the general silhouette of how menswear is in the present moment helps too. I know we’re talking about style and not fashion, but it’s hard to look stylish in something that looks extremely dated. You don’t need to follow the trends but take bits and pieces that you like from them and find your own way of wearing those items, that’s suited to you and goes with the other things in your wardrobe.
I agree with David on grooming; even if you prefer a more natural, unkempt look, being dirty is not attractive or stylish. You don’t have to be immaculately groomed but you may want to take a leaf out of women’s books: they spend time and money on getting that “nonchalant” clothing style, perfecting their make up to look like they have none on, and using products to get that tousled beach style hair just right.
"The older you get the more important it becomes to look well groomed.."
My observation is that the older you get the more important it becomes to look well groomed. Your face and body look are more likely to look worn out, making it harder to look good if your clothes do too.
So a good way to start is to identify just what feels like “you”. Know what you feel comfortable wearing and what suits you. Ask yourself, when have I received compliments in the past? What do I know worked before? What were the details on it? It’s possible your body shape or life style may have changed since then making it unsuitable now, but there may still be an element of the item that you could revisit – the colour perhaps, or the shape, or the combination of fabrics.
If you loved wearing boho style clothes as a teenager and that’s when you felt your best, then could you try wearing unstructured blazers in linens with a patterned cotton scarf and some unusual glasses now you’re older? If you felt great in a sharp navy suit with a crisp white shirt but have no reason for a suit now can you repeat that with a perfect white polo shirt. well-fitting indigo jeans and good quality shoes to recreate a simple, smart monochromatic look?
"If your body shape has changed or you’ve lost your hair, embrace it.."
If your body shape has changed or you’ve lost your hair, then adapt to that and embrace it, rather than trying to hang on to the past – it’s hard to look stylish if you’re living and dressing for a life you once had.
With many thanks to Sarah for her help. See Sartoria Lab for more about Sarah and her personal styling and shopping services for men.