Make It Yours: The Best Ways To Personalise Your Look

Having a sartorial identity crisis? Whether you’re a seasoned menswear fanatic or just starting to dabble in the world of style, it can be easy to lose a grip on your sense of self when it comes to your clothes.

You’ll look your best when you’re confident, and confidence comes from feeling like yourself. If you’re throwing on trendy garments at random or copying what you’ve seen others wear, even if it doesn’t gel with your personality, you risk losing your individuality, and your outfits could potentially come off as feeling contrived.

So, how do you dress better while still allowing your personality to come through? The secret lies in the details. From choosing a haircut that accentuates your best features to ditching the contacts and getting yourself a pair of statement specs, there are loads of subtle style moves you can make that will help to give your looks character and set you apart from the masses.

Here are a few of our top tips.

Get The Hair Right

Getting a new trim is one of the quickest and most effective ways to change up your look. But it’s not necessarily as simple as just finding a style you like and asking the barber to replicate it for you. Of course, you can do that, but it won’t always yield the best results.

What you should be doing is picking a haircut that complements your face shape. This way, you’ll accentuate your best features, your face will look more balanced and, put simply, it’ll just suit you better.

There are five main face shapes: round, square, oval, heart and diamond. Stand in the mirror and establish which one of them best describes the shape of your face. Once you’ve done that, you can use our guide to pick a hairstyle that complements it.

Generally, the idea is to retain a nice oval shape overall. So if you have a round head, you might want to add some height on top, and if you have a particularly long face, you’ll want to keep it short and cropped.

Make Friends With Your Local Tailor

What could be a greater personal touch than having your clothes altered to fit you perfectly? A good fit goes a long way, and enlisting the help of a competent local tailor is the easiest route to get there. Sure, a garment might fit you OK straight off the peg, but having a few small alterations made could be the difference between looking good and looking fantastic.

Most decent tailors will be able to do things like reduce waistbands, shorten legs and sleeves, taper legs and take torsos in relatively easily. Sure, it’ll cost you a bit, but it will be worth the expense for clothes that fit like gloves.

Add Some Jewellery

A lot of men shy away from jewellery. Perhaps they’re worried about appearing feminine or they simply don’t know where to start. But we’re here to reassure you: men can wear jewellery too. What’s more, adding it to your everyday looks is a great way to quickly add a visual signature and bring simple outfits to life. All you have to do is select the right pieces.

If you’re a bit apprehensive about dabbling in jewellery for the first time, why not keep it simple? Instead of going full Mr T immediately, we suggest picking up something subtle to wear on your wrist. A metal or beaded bracelet is a great place to start, with the latter offering a way to add some colour to your outfits too.

Beyond that, there’s a whole world of rings, pendants and earrings to dive into, but we’d recommend checking out our guide to men’s jewellery before you start shopping.

Pick The Right Timepiece

A good watch is an expensive purchase, but think of it as an investment in your style. It’s something special you can wear every day, and it adds a touch of class and sophistication to even the most basic of outfits.

For a personal touch, spend some time researching watches, and find one that clicks with your personality and lifestyle. For example, if you’re very active and spend a lot of time getting your hands dirty, a reliable tool watch like a diver or a field watch would be a good match.

Alternatively, if you prefer the finer things and like to dress up at any given opportunity, why not look at luxury dress watches instead?

Add A Personal Touch

If the opportunity presents itself, you could get literal with personalising your look. Some brands and designers offer various options for personalisation, from monogram embossing and embroidery to custom-coloured kicks.

Sneaker brands like Nike and New Balance have programs that allow customers to reimagine their best-selling styles in their own colour choices.

That’s just one way you could make a piece your own, but there are plenty of others. Keep a look out when you’re shopping and seize any opportunity to do things your way.

Don’t Neglect The Eyewear

It’s all too common for people to treat their eyewear as an afterthought. Sure, a pair of glasses is a tool for a job, but they can also be much more than that if you pick a standout design that works with your face shape.

A signature pair of specs can help frame your face, add personality to your look, and create a visual signature. Pick something striking but not too in your face – something that complements your style and personality and that you feel comfortable wearing.

We would always recommend heading into a shop to try a few pairs on. If that’s not possible, many brands offer a digital try-on service that allows you to test different styles out using your phone or laptop camera.

Try Some New Facial Hair

Some distinctive facial hair can be a real trademark. Think of all the pop-culture figures you can instantly recognise based on nothing more than their beard or moustache. It’s because a bit of well-placed fuzz can really define your look while giving the eye something to focus on and the mind something to remember.

Experiment with different styles, find one that works for your face shape and make it yours.

Establish A Core Uniform

Now, we’re not saying you should get up every day and put on the exact same thing – you’re not Mark Zuckerberg. But having a loosely defined uniform of staple pieces you can keep coming back to again and again can really help define your look and make getting dressed each morning infinitely easier.

So, find some key pieces that work for you and stock up on them. Maybe there’s a specific brand and model of T-shirt, Oxford shirt or shacket that you like and works well for you. If so, buy a few in different colours and use them as a foundation for your outfits.