GuidesSix stepsUpdated
I want to dress better. How do I do it?
Being well dressed isn’t a talent. It’s a craft with few rules, and you can learn most of them in an afternoon. Here they are, in the order in which they help you.
Why
Why dress well at all?
“Kleider machen Leute” – clothes make the man – is the title of Gottfried Keller's novella about a poor tailor whom a town takes for a count because of his fine overcoat. On a small scale that still holds today: before anyone has said a word, people have already formed a first impression. Clothing is part of it, and the part you control yourself.
It also works inward. In 2012 the psychologists Hajo Adam and Adam Galinsky called this “enclothed cognition”: in their experiments, people wearing a white coat worked more attentively when it was presented as a doctor's coat than when the same coat was called a painter's smock. Later replications have not confirmed every finding. Put cautiously: clothing can influence how you perceive yourself and how focused you are on the task.
Nobody has to dress up for that. Hoodies are comfortable – and there are situations in which good clothing is the one percent edge: the job interview, the first meeting with a client, the dinner that matters to you.
ToolStudioSee yourself in a good outfit before you buy anything – instantly as a preview, or as an image of you if you like.ToolDress codesFrom Casual to Business: what each level means, with real outfits.Clothes make the man.
1Fit
Fit comes before brand
A garment that fits looks more expensive than it was. One that doesn’t looks cheaper. On a shirt, the shoulder seam ends where your shoulder ends. On pants, the waistband holds without a belt, and the hem just touches the shoe.
For pants that fit, a trip to the alterations tailor is worth more than paying extra for a label. If you know the terms, you buy better: Oxford cotton, penny loafers, fresco, hopsack.
ToolGlossaryThe staples and fabrics of a timeless wardrobe, briefly explained: what they are and what they go with.2Selection
A few pieces that all go together
A full closet doesn’t help if the pieces don’t go together. A few that mix almost freely are better. Our Lookbook shows 12 looks from 18 pieces: 9 tops, 6 pants, 3 pairs of shoes.
That makes 162 possible combinations. 44 of them are safe in every pair. So you don’t need to think long; you just need to reach.
ToolLookbook12 looks from 18 pieces, each one open to further combining in Studio.
9×6×3=162combinations, of which44are safe
3Color
Calm colors forgive more
Navy, gray, white, light blue, beige and brown almost always go together. It gets difficult when two colors are too similar without being the same. Black and navy is the best-known example.
Gray on gray works, but it lacks tension. The light blue Oxford shirt, by contrast, goes with every pair of pants in this table. That’s why it appears in 10 of 12 wardrobes.
ToolPairingsAll 1,206 pairs of tops, pants and shoes, rated safe, works or avoid – with reasons. Navy hopsack trousers |  Medium gray fresco trousers |  Beige chinos | |
|---|---|---|---|
 Black T-shirt | avoid | works | works |
 Light blue Oxford button-down | safe | safe | safe |
 Gray merino crewneck | safe | works | works |
Black T-shirt with the navy hopsack trousers: “Black blends into navy, and the T-shirt is too casual for hopsack.” Gray knit with the gray fresco trousers: “Gray on the same gray stays tone on tone without tension.”
4Shoes
Shoes set the occasion
The same gray pants look like weekend with white sneakers and like office with dark brown loafers. No piece shifts an outfit as much as the shoe.
Keep the season in mind. The navy suede Belgian loafer goes with the lightweight fresco trousers; with winter flannel we advise against it. Dark brown suede goes with all three pairs of pants.
ToolGuideSmall, explained matrices: which pants color with which top, which shoes with which pants. Dark brown suede penny loafer |  Navy suede Belgian loafer |  White sneaker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium gray fresco trousers | safe | safe | works |
 Gray pleated trousers | safe | works | avoid |
 Charcoal flannel trousers | safe | avoid | works |
Belgian loafer with the winter flannel: “A summery Belgian loafer and winter flannel have no shared season.”
5Shopping
Buy in the right order
Don’t start with the sport coat. Start with a top, pants and a pair of shoes that make an outfit together. Every further piece should open up new combinations, not just fill a gap.
For First Office Job, that means: after purchase 3 you have your first outfit; after purchase 7 there are 12. Navy unlined sport coat and Dark brown suede belt give it presence.
ToolWardrobes12 starter wardrobes for office, leisure, travel, summer and winter, with buying order and shop links.
1White Oxford button-down–- 2Beige chinos–
- 3Dark brown suede penny loafer1 outfit
4Navy long-sleeve knit polo2 outfits- 5Medium gray fresco trousers4 outfits
6Brown suede tassel loafer8 outfits
7Taupe gabardine trousers12 outfits
8Navy unlined sport coatLayer
9Dark brown suede beltfinishing touch
Safe outfits of top, pants and shoes after each purchase.
6Occasion
Test it against the occasion and on yourself
Rules get you to the door. After that, it depends on where you’re going. Describe the occasion in your own words, and Stil puts together outfits from safe pairs, with a sentence on why they work.
In Studio you see every outfit instantly and for free as a preview. If you like, also as an image with your own face.
ToolOccasion generatorFree text in, finished outfits out.ToolStudioCombine with an instant preview; an image of you for Credits (€10 = 50 Credits).In short
- Fit before brand.
- A few pieces that all go together.
- Calm colors. Black next to navy only with a suit.
- The shoes set the occasion.
- Buy one complete outfit first, then expand.
- Check once before the occasion, ideally on yourself.
Good for a post or as a reminder.