I’m going to show you how you only need to focus on 20% of your closet to get 80% of the style results you want and, in order to do that, I need to take you on a trip down cringe memory lane with me.

These photos are from when I first started writing masculine style and they’re pretty bad.

I made the mistake most guys make when they start dressing better - I changed as many different variables as I could.

Take this one for example - I worked in an environment in which even the VP’s only wore shirts and ties - not suits. But I wore a suit or a sport coat every day.

Then I threw on not only a skinny tie, but a pink skinny tie.

And a tie bar

And a loud gingham shirt.

Or here’s a casual example.

What is that scarf? I don’t even know why I bought that thing, let alone wore it.

For a few years I just went all out on everything and - even when my execution started to get better - I was still overdoing it.

When I was wearing awesomely tailored custom suits all the time, in an environment in which it was appropriate to do so, I still relied too heavily on too many different things - especially pattern, color, and formality.

But hey, I looked like a style blogger was “supposed to” and it got good engagement on social media (even got some love from GQ) so there was no problem, right?

Wrong. As soon as I stopped working in the suiting industry it became very apparent to me that my over reliance on formality and color was becoming a problem.

So what have I transitioned to now?

Honestly, my wardrobe is fairly simple. 80% of the time, I’m in the same jeans and henleys. They all work well with each other and I don’t have to think about them at all.

But, wearing the same thing all day every day gets boring, so I’ve found that playing around with two other variables - my shoes and my outerwear hit the sweet spot.

I can change my look very easily by throwing on a different jacket or different pair of shoes so I’m much more adaptable to different circumstances.

I don’t have a ton of clothes in my closet (though I do own more shoes and jackets than many women), I don’t have to think too hard about what I’m wearing each day, and I also get to be a little creative and adaptable with what I put on.

For me, this strikes the right balance between ease and expression.

I’ve even found the same with my suiting.

Most of my suits now are fairly simple in color and design (no more bright orange buttonholes or over-the-top plaid patterns)

Instead, I focus on little details like how well they fit, the shape and size of the lapels, or the texture of the ties I’m wearing with them.

I stand out from the other men in suits but not in a way that looks desperate or insecure.

And I’d say 80% of my clients find this same approach works for them. Most don’t do shoes and outerwear.

Some will have a ton of pants or a huge variety of shirts. But what the vast majority of them do end up doing is getting a very simple rotation of simple, quality pieces for 80% of their wardrobe, and then experiment and have fun with the other 20%.

It still needs to be done right - you still have to choose the right pieces, have them fit properly, and know the context of who you are, where you are, what you’re doing, and whom you’re with.

But once you get that figured out, this stuff becomes incredibly easy to excel at.

If you want help with this, you may be a good fit for one of my programs and I’d love to see how I can get you where you want to be.

So shoot me a DM and let’s talk. https://twitter.com/messages/compose?recipient_id=346063582