Welcome to the new year, 2023! As we move forward into the new year, it’s important to take stock of our personal style and make sure we’re keeping up with the latest trends and fashion.
In this blog post, we’ll be discussing your style checklist for 2023, there are probably items on the list that have been on your mind for a while and are well overdue now so you may need to take a deep breath and crack on.
So without further ado, let’s get cracking….
1. PURGE YOUR WARDROBE
There must be something hardwired in a man’s mind that means as he ages he becomes unable to discard clothes from his wardrobe, no matter how long ago it was since he last wore them!
On the face of it having a selection of ripped, stained t-shirts that are perfect for doing the decorating is a good solution to that once trusty piece that was a staple choice when you were in your twenties, unfortunately the truth of the matter is a little less straight forward!
The truth of the matter is that all these items end up clogging up your wardrobe making it virtually unusable on a day to day basis as there is no way of clearly identifying what is in there!
There are a few easy steps you can take in order to get things back on track though!
Step 1. Remove anything that is damaged and throw away. Rips, tears, stains, lost buttons, broken zips, they all need to go. I know your best intention is to get it fixed and that it was your favourite once upon a time but let’s face the facts, you’ll never get round to it!
Step 2. Take out anything that you haven’t worn for a year. Preferably these items would go as well but if you’re worried about going that far you can just bag or box them up and put somewhere less prominent. If you suddenly get the urge to wear the shirt you bought from Debenhams 10 years ago you can always go back and retrieve it from the bag!
Step 3. Take knitwear, polo shirts, t-shirts and jeans off hangars and fold them. Knitwear should never be hung as the delicate nature means the weight will gradually lose it’s shape, the rest are far better folded to give extra space for your hanger essentials. If space is no issue for you then feel free to ignore this advice and hang whatever you like.
Sort into items. Shirts, trousers, jackets and suits should all go in dedicated sections to make the selection process as straight forward as possible.
Step 4. From here sort in to different colours and hang in order.
Hopefully once you’ve finished you should end up with your own version of “American Psycho” OCD order!
2. Make SURE YOUR CORE ITEMS ARE COVERED
There are certain foundations that need to be addressed in order to have a fully functioning wardrobe and, once they are in place, everything else becomes infinitely easier!
These items aren’t the most interesting or desirable and therefore get overlooked regularly, however once they are in place not only do they create a range of easy to build outfits fit for any occasion, they also make other, more complex outfits easier to build.
Make 2023 the year when you get these foundations built right and it will pay dividends for the way you look throughout the year.
3. IDENTIFY GAPS
How many times have you been getting dressed and thought would be ideal to have a different colour belt or pair of shoes? Maybe the challenge you have is that the item you want is always in the wash when you need it?
In either circumstance, why not do something about it this year by adding too your
Identify the places that you go regularly; work, dinner, parties, events etc and assess your level of outfit cover for each one. As a general rule I’d suggest you have at least three or four options for any regular outfits. For work you are going to need ten outfits and then cycle through them on a bi-weekly basis.
4. REFRESH YOUR SHIRTS
Remember when you unwrapped that brand new, crisp, white shirt and how striking it looked when you wore it?
How’s it looking now a couple of years on?
Probably still looks white, but I’d bet if you held it up against the same shirt fresh out of the packet it would look a fairly interesting shade of grey!
Most men don’t realise that white shirts deteriorate over time by discolouring and losing their shape and every step along the deterioration line the less it makes your outfits pop until one day the arm pits are so crusty someone will make a derisory comment when you’re reaching for the stationery on the top shelf!!!
Don’t be “the guy who wears the dodgy shirts” in the office and take a minute to identify the guilty items and make a plan to replace them!
Same goes with t-shirts and polos, they have a shelf life and should be refreshed regularly rather than until they fall apart! I advise my clients to refresh work shorts annually (if they are worn consistently) but you can come up with your own plan.
5. SET YOURSELF SOME GOALS
Yes it’s a massive cliche, however it remains good advice!
Improving the way you look can have a positive impact on a variety of areas in your life no matter what your particular circumstances are so why would you not plan to improve?
“Yes, yes this is all very well but what goals can I set myself?” I hear you say! Well let me give you a few ideas for starters:
- Experiment with some bolder colours that make you stand out a bit more
- Get the clothes in your wardrobe tailored to fit you better
- Buy a statement accessory; a watch, bracelet, necklace, ring or belt will all do do the trick
- Expand on your go to looks
- Find a style icon to mirror
6. PLAN FOR THE YEAR
How many times did you have to do a last minute dash to the shops to acquire an acceptable outfit for an event?
There are always things that crop up that will require last minute additions however why not spend a couple of minutes now planning for what the year might throw up?
It sounds pretty tricky thinking of everything that you might possibly need to dress for but you don’t need to spend too much time going in to too much detail and stressing about it, just look back at the last year month by month and see where you were going and what you were doing, our lives aren’t as random and variable as we think so there is a good chance we’ll be doing the same things this year in some format or another.
Once you’ve got your list of possible events, pencil in an outfit for each one – you can get extra points if you detail who will be there and what sort of impression you want to make on them and then planning an outfit accordingly.
Of course you can always utilise your stylist at The Chapar to get some advice on this, just login to your account and send a request.
7. ACCEPT YOUR WAISTLINE
Overindulged too much over the festive period?
I know it’s always a tense time when you brave the scales for the first time in January.
I’m going to give you a hard truth, you need to let go of the size 32 waist in your mind and start dressing for the here and now!
Many guys I speak to <POSTPONE SYNONYM> buying anything until they have lost weight and can get back to their “fighting weight”.
The trouble with being certain that you will lose the weight and postponing new purchases is that you are dressing in items that are too small for you which amplifies the impression that you are over weight which is a massive no no!
If you really can’t bring yourself to accept where you are now then at least try and get some of your larger items tailored to fit you better in the meantime.
8. IGNORE THE TRENDS
There will no doubt be a number of “hot” trends throughout there year and you’ll probably get tempted
It’s easy to get sucked in!
Unless you’re absolutely certain that it’s a good move, avoid passing fads like the plague.
The trouble with most men is that shop too little to be able to let go of the style of the moment that they surfed the wave of! That means that when the trend is a distant memory for most, you’ll still see men harking back to years past and styling them out when all but the most clued up fashion historian has long forgotten that there was a period when Crocs were a desirable accessory!
Yes styles do come back around and you may be able to recycle eventually but do you really wan to run the risk of looking like a throw back until that point?
No, I didn’t think so!
9. Up Your LEATHER GAME
This is an area where I see many men letting themselves down!
Scuffed up, unpolished shoes and antique looking belts that are too long are one of the biggest mistakes men can make, yet make them they do.
It’s a well known fact that a woman will judge a man on the shoes he wears (and the state of them!) but surprisingly many men will make an assessment on them as well making it vitally important to make sure they are not letting you down if you want to create an impeccable first impression.
The same goes for belts and leaving them with a long, out of control section flapping around your waist gives a terrible impression of your competency!
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