00:00 There are the subjective categories of good taste
and bad taste, but there's also a third category, which is the worst of all, no taste. So, over the
years, I've been asked multiple times what does it mean to have good taste? Why do some men seem
to have bad taste in clothing, while other men seem to be able to dress themselves well without
any effort? When it comes to clothing, when it comes to art, when it comes to social situations,
it's like these guys were born with the ability to just naturally put things together correctly.
00:29 In fact, more than correctly, it seems
like the results, the outfits that they're able to get are greater than the sum of their parts. So,
how does a man cultivate good taste? Is it even possible to learn this skill? Well, gentlemen,
I believe this skill can be learned and in today's video, I'm going to lay out the foundations of
good taste. Straight up a refined sensibility to appreciate the finer things in life. Defining
good from bad taste is impossible. It's a feeling under your skin, a natural repulsion.
00:57 in front of vulgarity or violence,
as well as an instinctive attraction towards beauty and truth." Now, that quote, I actually
don't agree with because I don't think people are born with great taste. I know in my situation,
I didn't grow up around beauty and elegance. Now, I guess there is a bit of simplistic beauty
growing up in West Texas living in a trailer home that had tires on the top of it. And,
by the way, those tires were protecting us from the tornadoes and the lightning. But, seriously,
Jets, I'm not saying I have amazing taste, but I am saying I have better taste than what I did.
01:26 probably 30,
40 years ago. So, if I was able to make the transition, I think you can too. Now,
starting things off, why does it even matter? Who cares about having good taste or bad taste? What's
the difference? Now, if you're watching this video and you're a bit skeptical, I ask you to
think about something that you care a lot about. Maybe pickup trucks? Anyone out there love muscle
cars? Weightlifting. Or what about professional wrestling? Seriously, as a kid, I grew up watching
01:55 Hugh Billy Jim,
and perhaps my personal favorite, Jimmy Superfly Snuka. Now, some of you guys are thinking,
Antonio, I don't know if you know this, but that's not real wrestling. But, those of you guys in the
know, you're like, Antonio, man, you've got good taste for wrestlers. And that, gentlemen,
is what I'm talking about. You see, when you're passionate about something, you learn more about
it. You get more excited about something that other people look at and they're like,
what's the big deal? Whether it's trucks, whether it's muscle cars, whether it's lifting weights.
02:21 you go into the details and therefore,
you get a lot more out of it. So, when you've got good taste in food, it doesn't matter if
you're a vegetarian, if you're a vegan, if you're a meat eater, carnivore like me, you just love to
be able to cook the meat correctly. The same thing with style, image, clothing, watches,
all of this stuff. When you start to get into it, you appreciate it, you develop these good
tastes. You take something that, you know, for one person, it's an expensive watch. For you,
it is a – it's a beautiful piece of art. So, if having good taste in a particular subject,
02:50 fragrance, music, whatever it may be, enables
you to pull more flavor out of it, then why don't more people do this? Well, that question,
gentlemen, leads us to the foundational principles of good taste. Principle number one, gentlemen,
is awareness. So, for the first 43 years of my life, I didn't pay attention to fragrance. I mean,
seriously, who cares about this stuff? It doesn't make a difference, right? Wrong. As anyone who has
gotten into the hobby can tell you, when you start to get into fragrance, all of a
03:17 get addicted not just to the smells,
but to the new fragrances, to the way that the smells make you feel. The emotional connection,
the memories, being able to condition yourself to a particular scent. And the deeper you get into
this, the more you realize there's a fragrance for everybody. And what's crazy is when you become
aware of the different levels of taste there are in things as simple as sneakers. I mean,
yeah, it's a shoe. Come on, would there be a whole community of people that care about
this stuff? Yeah, you bet there are. And all of a sudden, when you start getting into it,
you start looking around, you start to have a deeper appreciation for it.
03:46 Now, the next
foundational principle is education. Now, earlier I talked about barriers. This one right here is a
huge one for a lot of people because to develop good taste, guess what? You need to have an
understanding of that particular subject. And to be straight up, it's only weirdos like me that
buy thick books like this about subjects that, let's face it, 99% of people don't care about.
04:05 Of course, there are tons
of ways to learn. There's great blogs, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok. Guys, you can find ways to
get information. But, the fact of the matter is you have to put in some time, you have to put
in some effort. And that's why when people find something they're passionate about, it usually
doesn't feel like work. I'm sure some of you guys have great taste in video games. Which,
by the way, I want to point out that I finished The Legend of Zelda and Metroid without Nintendo
power. Yeah. The Legend of Zelda, that was one of the most fulfilling, enjoying experiences. And,
04:33 a video game I've ever had. Now,
you may be wondering is there a shortcut to the education part? Can I just download something into
the brain? Not yet, but I do have something that's close and that is my style system course. So,
gents, if you're familiar with the Pareto Principle, the 20% that yield you the 80%,
this is the style system. I focused in on all the information. I've got hundreds of
books that I've read from psychology to style books to grooming books. I've
gone through all that. I distilled the most important information. I put it into a single
05:03
and we present it piece by piece in the order you need it. In addition, we've set up gamification
accountability in the course so that you actually take action. And that's key, gents,
because if information was power, librarians would rule the world. They don't because you
got to take action on that and that's what we ensure you do in the Style System. Now, gents,
if you want to learn more, check out the link in the description of today's video that's going to
take you over to the Style System where you can learn more about this course and how you can use
it, become the best dressed man in the room. And, I'm going to leave you with this video.
05:29 and use that to build your confidence. The
next foundational principle and this one is really important of good taste is authenticity. I don't
know why I said it like that, but authenticity, guys, is something that people can see through.
And if you are just wearing – let's get back to watches. If you're just wearing an expensive
watch to show off, I don't think that's in great taste. Now, if you're wearing that expensive watch
because it represents an accomplishment, if it represents there's a story to it, if it represents
05:55 meaning to you, then all of a sudden it's
authentic. It's something that you saved up for, something that you sold your car to be able to
buy it because the watches mean that much to you. So, a lot of people are going to say that's crazy,
but you know this especially with the other watch, guys. It's like, hey, no, this was something I
wanted every time I wear that watch. It makes me feel like a million bucks. I love it. It's
not about fashion, it's not about status, it's about appreciation and loving it for what it
is and really getting into the story. And to me, that is one of the most important foundations in
06:23 having good taste. Now, really quick, does this
mean that you can have good taste when it comes to, let's say, boots if you don't like particular
types of boots? The answer is no because there are probably certain styles of boots that you actually
do like. The point being is that you learn enough about it to be able to make an informed decision.
And last but not least, the fourth principle of good taste, experience. Now, a lot of guys throw
up objections here. How can I have good taste in cars if I can't afford a car? How can I have
good taste in watches if I can't afford a watch? I can't afford nice clothing. How do you develop
06:52 those good tastes
if you can't experience these things by buying them. Well, straight up, you don't have to buy
things to experience them, you can steal them. No, no, I'm just kidding. Don't do that. No,
but you can do the next best thing which actually I talk about in my course, The Style System is
you walk in to the best menswear store in your town, the nicest watch store in your
area. When you're traveling, you go into that store that has the items that you want to get
deeper into and you just simply try the jacket on. When you try on a cashmere sports jacket,
07:21 maybe is out of your price
range, thousand bucks from Zegna or Laura Piana and you're checking this out, you're filling the
fabric with your hands, all of a sudden you get an idea and this is an experience of what does
construction of a high quality jacket look like. The same thing with watches. You're flying through
and you happen to be in the Dubai airport. Tons of amazing watches in that airport. But,
actually, a lot of nice airports have very nice watch stores and all of a sudden you're looking
at that Cartier Santos. I can tell you that's on my list right now. Beautiful watch. And you
07:51 put it on, you ask them to take it
out of the case, you dressed well, you're looking well, you're there in the airport, there's really
less security concerns. Point being, you get it on the wrist, you take a picture, you get a feel,
oh, wow, this thing looks really good. I mean the proportions are just perfect here, right?
Or maybe you're going to Nordstrom's, you know, like, you know, what is Creed Aventus? What does
it really smell like? I've had the clones. So, you go in there and you try Creed Aventus. You maybe
try a little bit. Don't be mixing and wearing like four to five fragrances at the same time.
My point being is you don't have to buy an item to get an experience with it. Now, if you can.
08:20 purchase one item. All of a sudden,
yeah, you can really start to get an appreciation. When you own a watch and you're able to wear it
every single day for a year, that's definitely when you start to get a feeling for the nuance,
the small details, the compliments you get, the same thing with a high-end fragrance,
you start to go through it, you wear it, and you use that entire bottle. So,
yeah, however you got to do it, get that experience. So, historically speaking,
what areas of a man's life would he want to develop good taste in? Well,
the first area I think any man should focus in on is himself, his body in particular.
08:50 So, let me
bring up three images right here. Which man do you think has the best taste when
it comes to exercise and taking care of his body? Well, it was a trick question
because you have three different sets of goals there for each of these men. I mean,
you may not like the body of a sumo wrestler, you may not like the body of a marathon runner,
but according to the principles of awareness, education, authenticity, and experience,
each of these guys and any men like them could make a good case that, hey, yeah, I've got good
taste when it comes to taking care of my body. My point here and getting back to that earlier quote.
09:19 good taste is
very difficult to define. And you can even argue it's subjective. And I think in many ways it is
depending on the goals of the person. The key here is intentionality. This gentleman versus
this gentleman. You could argue that both need to maybe lose a bit of weight, but one
is intentionally gaining the weight because it's part of his sport. The other guy, yeah,
it just looks like he's sitting around eating potato chips. And speaking historically, when we
looked at men that had great taste when it came to their body, they were not as good looking as they
09:46 they actually didn't
go to the gym. They weren't these bodybuilders. A lot of the stuff that we see on Instagram today,
they were men that took up sports as hobbies that actually forced their
bodies to maintain a certain shape. There are many equestrian sports, polo, racing,
horseback riding in general. Sports like tennis, golf, when done with enthusiasm can
definitely keep a man in shape. And, if those are too fancy for you, look at cross-country
skiing. That is really popular in our area and I have to say that that is an incredible workout.
10:14 much equipment for you,
you're in a place that, yeah, it's a little bit drier, go out hiking,
throw a backpack on. Nowadays, you see people doing this with rucksacks with weighted vests.
All of this right here is about staying in shape. Next up, clothing and grooming. Again,
we're focused in on the individual. And if you're familiar with my channel, this is mostly what we
cover here. And, gents, I want to be clear when I'm talking about dressing with style,
having good taste in clothing, it does not mean wearing a suit. It doesn't even mean
dressing up. You can dress casually and have great taste. And, I'm going to go ahead and show you
10:41 could have street style, you can dress goth,
you can go western, whatever it may be. Understand that there are ideas of good taste. But, yeah,
if you didn't have awareness, if you didn't have education, if you weren't authentic,
and if you didn't have any experience, you could really mess this look up and be considered, yeah,
not having any taste here. When it comes to haircuts, there are classic hairstyles
depending on the message you want to send. Yeah, you could go with a pompadour, but probably a
11:04 comb over is
going to be better for most conservative men in a business situation. Fragrances, I talked about
them earlier. I think either one of these is in good taste. Yes, this one is mass manufactured and
pretty much every – a lot of most people know what this scent profile smells like even if they don't
know the fragrance. That being said, you have to go with a fancy designer new fragrance. No, you
don't. You can go with a classic that's relatively easy to find especially right off the shelf and is
inexpensive. And I want to specifically talk about money. I would say meaning over money.
11:33 Now,
a lot of the things that are considered to be in good taste whether it's a good haircut, whether
it's a great smell and fragrance, whether it's a nice pair of shoes, whether it's – you know this
in classic cars. Sometimes, they can be really expensive. Other times, you can have a find. If
you know what you're looking for, again, you got the education. You know what I'm talking about,
finding that Corvette in the barn that has been covered for 40 years and the farmer's wife is
looking to get rid of it. You go in and you check it out and you're like, oh, my gosh, the original
12:00 Yeah, you're going crazy because
you found a deal. You had the education and the experience to be able to spot it. Now, wrapping
up clothing, I do want to talk about accessories. We're talking footwear, pocket squares, neckties,
watches, jewelry, all of these things which you accessorize with. This is going to be areas that
are very sensitive to good taste. Oftentimes, these items are ones that can be passed on.
They're ones in which they have little communities built around them because if you've gone
12:29 an amazing in good
taste watch for $100, you can also spend $100,000 and maybe get something that's gaudy that would be
considered not in good taste. So, it can be very confusing because money doesn't seem to matter.
This is where I really do think in accessories you should spend a little bit more time learning
about things. Now, the next area historically where men and women can develop great taste is
the world of culinary knowledge. Now, if you've just dipped your toe into food, do you realize it?
12:57 This is a whole
world that goes beyond this video. Me, I've just started getting into meats for years. I didn't
understand that cooking meat at different temperatures made a difference. I know. It
just goes to show that sometimes you grow up just cooking foods not knowing truly how to cook them,
how to actually be able to bring out flavors to mix things. I know one of the coolest things is
seeing my son at a very early age get into cooking. He's off at college now.
13:24 But, I mean this guy,
he was 14 reading up what Gordon Ramsay is putting together. And if you think I'm exaggerating here,
just simply look up how to cook an egg. There are all different ways on how to cook the same
type of egg, different ways to get different flavors, different tastes. And that's, again,
what I love about when you develop good taste in an area especially something that maybe you
use daily. All of a sudden, you're able to every time you sit down to a meal,
you enjoy it. I'll tell you the one bad thing about developing great taste in food.
13:54 you go out, it spoils restaurants
for you unless it's a really great restaurant. Every time my family goes out because pretty much
every kid starting at like age 8 starts cooking in our house, they understand what good food is. So,
we go out to restaurants and maybe this is a great thing because we save a lot of money and we save
ourselves from eating unhealthy food. But, they're like, dad, it just doesn't taste good or they
undercooked or they overcooked the pasta. What? You know, it's little things like my kids are
noticing and it's cool, but it's also, yeah, it's a double-edged sword because all of a sudden...
14:22 your inability
to deal with bad food, yeah, all of a sudden goes up. Am I the only one here? I'm sure a lot
of you guys have dealt with this. Have you ever gone to a restaurant and you can't even stomach
it? Yeah. Let me know in the comments below. I want to hear your stories. And, of course, art,
culture, music. And, again, it starts with first awareness that it's out there. A lot of you guys,
I get it. You look at art and you're like, okay, this is a bunch of money laundering.
I've watched those videos as well and I'm, you know. But, talk to an artist.
14:49 start learning about
their story. You guys always ask, you know, who's the artist that does this stuff? So, my friend,
Sam, I saw her artwork and I know for me when I first saw it like 15 years ago, I was like,
if I can buy some of her artwork, that is a sign to me that I have reached a level of success. And
I ended up having her come out to be influential, I did buy some of her artwork and I just love
what she's doing. But, here's the deal, if you never become aware, it's always going to be a
part of life that is out there that you just fail to explore. And even if you don't agree
15:19 I think seek to understand it. It's so
rewarding because all of a sudden when you start getting into art, you're able to go into museums,
you're able to appreciate things that people have – your grandfather, your great-great-grandfather,
you go back thousands of years what men and women have appreciated throughout time and you just to
be able to – you can walk into these places and you just have a greater taste for what's truly
there. All right, gents, so what did I miss? Let me know in the comments below. I know I didn't
cover literature, I didn't get into a whole lot with sports. I did talk about the WWF, but...
15:47 probably gone into football, guys.
Let me know in the comments below what you have great taste in, what you think people overlook.
I love hearing from you guys and I want to see you in the comments. Let's have fun. Let's get out of
control down there. What video to watch next? Gents, I got you covered with this one. Boom,
right here. Check it out. It is solid. It is good. You're going to love it. Boom, right there. Oh,
yeah. Check it out. Solid video. Magic. When you click it, you'll go right to the video. Yeah.