How do you bridge the gap between the basics and adding your personal style?
Hello,
Recently joined and looking to build out my wardrobe basics on a budget while at the same time trying to build out my own sense of style. Any advice to a novice how to create your feeling of "self" through clothing?
This question comes from the fact that I personally have a large disconnect of the fit pics and brands I enjoy to view online versus what I actual wear or present myself. (see attached photo)
For instance, I wear very basic clothes/old tshirts left over from college/cheap shoes. But I like to follow very high-end designer clothes, which include very unusual articles and sometimes outrageous outfits.
Do you all have any suggestions for me on how to "meet in the middle" for expectations, style, or design?
I'm thinking starting with a solid foundation and experimenting from there, but I would like to hear other thoughts.
Thanks in advance 🙂
5 Replies
These guides are good -
Simple Step-by-step Intro - https://malefashionadvice.substack.com/p/a-step-by-step-guide-to-starting
Building a Basic Wardrobe - https://malefashionadvice.substack.com/p/building-a-basic-wardrobe-v70
Developing Personal Style - https://malefashionadvice.substack.com/p/developing-personal-style
A step-by-step guide to starting to dress well for the risk-averse ...
Getting started: the basic advice guides
Building A Basic Wardrobe v7.0
Version 7 of the classic MFA post
Developing personal style
Getting started: the basic advice guides
Take it slow, get comfortable with the fact you'll make happy little mistakes along the way.
Buy on sale or secondhand at the beginning to minimise lost money.
Thanks a ton!!
For me, I found a stylistic thread (sculptural all black workwear) that linked my favorite basics (jeans, turtlenecks, clarks wallabees, heavy tees) to designer stuff (lemaire denims, needles hd pants, craig green jackets). The key being that those basics still pair well w the designer stuff.
For you that thread looks like a punk / streetwear aesthetic. So it might be worth focusing your purchases of basics to what you can imagine working well with your imagined future wardrobe (faded gray denim, black derbies, interesting black graphic tees, a pair of sunglasses) and deemphasizing other ostensibly essential basics (dark wash jeans, leather sneakers, white button ups). That’s not to say you’ll never buy any of those again, but it’s unlikely that the “standard version” of them will pair well with the stuff in your photos.
thanks 🙂