﻿If I Had To Start From ZERO [0:00:00]
So, I had a gentleman the other day reached out and say, “Antonio, I love your videos,
but I’m totally confused.” He rightly pointed out I’ve got about
2,000 videos on this channel and there are thousands and thousands of other pieces
of content that teach a man how to dress, but nowhere do they talk about how to get started.
Now, this got me thinking. I know, gentlemen, we’re going into dangerous territory. But,
seriously if you had to rebuild your wardrobe, if you had to start over today,
what action steps should you take? Well, guys, that’s the subject of
today’s video. [Music]
Now, today’s video, I’m breaking into four parts. First, assess the situation.
Second, take immediate action. Third, determine your style guidelines. And,
last, but not least, we’re going to leverage the power of accountability.
So, the first step in assessing your situation is to take inventory. You want to take stock of
what you have available. Take all the clothing in your wardrobe and lay it out on a bed, maybe
on the floor, make sure it’s clean. But, you want to be able to see what you’ve got to start with.
Now, the rules here are pretty simple. You’re going to have three piles – keep,
donate, or try to salvage. Now, up to this point, you’ve kept all the clothing in your wardrobe,
so let’s talk about the things that you want to get rid of. If it is worn out, if it has holes,
if it has stains, if it has tears in it, these are things you want to get rid of.
Now, the salvage pile is a little bit different. Maybe this is something you like,
it just doesn’t fit you properly. Can you get it adjusted? Well, if you don’t know, just put
it in the salvage pile. Maybe it’s something you haven’t worn for three years, but you still
like it. Again, put it in the salvage pile. Now, a lot of us hate to throw our clothing.
We don’t want to waste and I get that. So, put a box and put a date on it. Put in all that
clothing that you are just apprehensive about throwing out and put it in the back of your
wardrobe. Guess what? When you don’t open that box for a year, you can then safely donate it.
Now, the second part of assessing the situation is to put together outfits. You want to see what
you’ve got, how many outfits you can assemble especially outfits that you really like,
outfits that you feel represent who you are. So, look at yourself in the mirror. It really
helps if you got a full length mirror and see how many outfit combinations you can put together.
Now, what you’re going notice at this point is that you’ve got holes,
kind of like my shoe collection right here. I noticed I’ve got shoes that are all over the
office. You’re going to notice that with your outfits. Maybe you’ve got plenty of trousers,
plenty of jackets, but not enough shirts, not enough shoes. That’s what we want to identify.
Now, at this point some of you guys may be saying, “Well, Antonio, how to identify the holes? How
many of each item should I have in my wardrobe?” Well, this depends on you and your personal needs.
And that’s the third part of assessing the situation is to understand what are the goals
of your wardrobe. Whenever you get dressed, there should be a reason a function for the clothing.
Is it for professional needs? Maybe you’re a lawyer in the big city, maybe you’re a consultant
and you want to be able to impress the client, make yourself look confident. Maybe you just
want to be able to express yourself, maybe it’s a combination. You just want to have a casual style
that when you walk out you get compliments. Those goals once defined will determine where
are the holes in your wardrobe, how big they are and what you’re going to need
to put in there to fill them. And now, let’s move on to part two,
filling in the holes a.k.a. making your first few purchases. So, the first thing we need
to talk about when filling in the holes in your wardrobe, money, money, money.
Now, to start things off here, I want to give you one of the easiest hacks to be able to
save money when you’re buying clothing online. That hack is to leverage the power of Karma.
Guys, if you haven’t heard of Karma, this is a free app in Chrome extension.
It automatically allows you to find and apply the best coupon code for you at checkout,
so you’re always going to save money. Seriously, I love to buy fragrances. I
go over to FragranceNet, they are saying, hey, you can save 25%, use our coupon code. Well,
guess what? I use Karma and I find when it’s going to save me over 30%. I saved a huge
amount of money, I made a big purchase. And I love it that they are looking out for me.
Next up, I love how Karma can help you plan and organize by being able to save items from over
50,000 stores in your shopping list. Those shopping lists, the price are continuously
updated. So, if you want to be checking for something, you’re like, you know what? I feel
it’s at full price right now, I want to wait ‘til it drops in price, you can actually see that.
In addition, they’ve got a cash-back feature. So, the more you use this tool, the more you save.
Now, gents, Karma is the sponsor of today’s video and I’ve talked about them before.
They used to be known as Shoptagr. It’s the same tools, different name.
And what I love about these guys, again, is that I use this tool every time I’m going in to make
a purchase whether it’s boots, whether it’s jeans, whether it’s a fragrance, whether it’s a grooming,
a dopp kit, I want to make sure I’m getting the best deal just like you guys. And this is a
no-brainer tool that makes it incredibly easy. Seriously, gents, it’s absolutely free. You
can download the app and use it that way. You can apply it, put it in the Chrome extension.
This is a simple tool that saves you money. Again, when you’re going to check out of the
store, yes, you may have saved 15%, 20%, but if you use Karma, it goes out there and it scours
the web and make sure you get the best deal every time. It is such an easy way to be able to save
money online. [0:04:59]
So, use that link in the description of today’s video. Grab it for free. Karma,
an awesome company, love what they’re doing. They help you save money. It’s a no-brainer,
guys. Highly recommended. Again, guys, use that link, go check them out.
Now, besides using Karma, what are my other rules when it comes to building your wardrobe?
So, first up, the most expensive items you’re ever going to buy are the ones that
you do not use and this happens all the time. We’ve all done it. We go out there and we really
like that shirt, we like those shoes, and we can’t figure out what outfit we’re going to – and
then it was on sale, we save 85%, we’re proud of that. But, the fact is you never wore that item.
I had an orange vest that I did this and, I mean, I thought it looked good. It was actually
a little bit too big, but it was such a sale. Guys, don’t buy these things, they are traps.
Remember, when you’re purchasing things, you want it to fit into your interchangeable wardrobe,
not just to have something nice in the closet you can’t wear with anything.
So, when I say interchangeable wardrobe, remember, these are items that all work together. So, if you
were to have four pairs of shoes, four shirts, four trousers, four jackets and they’re 100%
interchangeable, if you were to throw that to most people, they’d say, “Oh, you got four outfits.”
No, you have four times four times four times four. That is 256 outfits from 16 items because
you made sure they were 100% interchangeable. Again, gents, I want to stress this hard,
this is a very important point. When you buy an item, think how it’s going to fit into
your wardrobe what you’re going to wear it with. Don’t look at it as an individual purchase because
you’re just not wearing shoes with nothing else. And if you are, you’re going to get arrested.
Next up, let’s talk about your style education. Seriously for 10 bucks,
you read this book, you will know more than 95% of men. You read two books on men’s style,
you’re going to know more than 99.5% of men. Yes, I just made up those stats,
but I’m probably close because, guys, when you start to care about this, you’re going to learn
and it’s going to prevent you from making stupid mistakes. It’s a sliding scale, the more you know,
the less you are going to spend or that you can get away with spending.
There is a risk side because one you start getting into watches, you start getting into fragrances,
you want to spend more, you want to go for a better quality. But, here’s the thing, once you
understand that, you are less likely to fall into the traps of buying poor quality, of buying items
that are expensive that don’t last long and are not a good investment because they’re a fashion
piece that’s not going to stand the test of time. Now, this point may sound counterintuitive,
but sometimes it’s worth spending a lot more money on a foundation piece. Why? Because
it’s something that you can build off of, it’s something you’re going to wear again and again.
One thing I talk about is a man developing a uniform and that shouldn’t be boring. This
should just be the default styles that you fall to, the default outfits, which you know make you
look like a million bucks. You feel great every time you put this combination on.
It may only be one, maybe it’s initially going to be three, four. Whatever it may be,
again, if you – your goal is to really express yourself, then you’re going to
want to have a few different default uniforms. But, the beauty of this is you don’t have to think
about it, you know how to dress it up, you know how to dress it down and every time you put it on,
you feel confident, you feel great. And because you know what this uniform is,
you know what your work horse items are. Perhaps just simply jeans and a nice blue polo,
so you know what? I’m going to spend a little bit more money, I’m going to get quality boots
that work with this, boots that have designs, boots that are two-tone. They use two different
types of leathers two different colors. They’ve got, you know, something funky going
on with them that draws attention. These boots get compliments. In fact, you’ve got a few extra
pair of boots because you just appreciate that people take the time to look at your footwear.
Yeah, your polo shirt not going to say much. The jeans, they’re pretty simple, dark blue
color. But, those shoes, that’s what grabs people’s attention every time you’d go out.
Or maybe it’s your jacket you’re going to spend more money on. A classic sports jacket
can last a man over 20 years. But, it doesn’t have to be dressed up like a sports jacket,
you could go with something casual. Me, personally, I love suede and leather jackets.
I’ve got a variety of them and they are an item that’s worth spending a bit more money on to make
sure you got quality, to make sure you got a good fit, to make sure you get exactly what you want.
Now, for one second, gents, hold up, I want to hit a very important point and that is
slow and steady wins the race when it comes to building your wardrobe and saving money.
Yes, you can go out there and purchase everything in one day, but if you do that,
you’re buying some items based off of theory. You believe you’re going to wear this,
but guess what? That is rarely the case. What you want to do is slowly fill in those
holes, again, building outfits, uniforms, looks and as you wear items, you notice,
you know what? I wear the heck out of those shoes, I probably need to get another pair. I
am loving these jeans or before, you know, they change up the style or before they go
off sale, I want to go buy two more pairs. And that’s how you really build a functional
wardrobe, a functional interchangeable wardrobe that you’re going to get your miles out of versus,
again, picking up items that you thought you were going to wear, but you just don’t.
Now, let’s go into step three, determining your personal style guidelines. Quick question. Have
you ever travelled abroad and you notice how people drive very different? You go over to the
UK, they’re driving on the wrong side of the road. You go over to India, they are driving all over
the road. Over in Cairo, I was blown away, that was the craziest traffic I ever saw in my life.
[0:10:04] Point being is people in different
countries have different ways of doing things. And it’s the same thing when it comes to individuals
and how they dress. You do have some style rules and you need to figure out what those are. You may
think you have none, but you do have some. So, I always like going with inspiration.
Inspiration is a place where you actually identify looks that you like
because they fit your guidelines, your rules for what you want for yourself.
So, go through the magazines, go to Barnes & Noble or a bookstore,
but pick up some old ones. I love going through classic looks because you know that if you like
it now, it was in 20 years ago, it is going to be a classic style that isn’t going anywhere.
But, you can also go to Pinterest, you can go to Instagram. So many great places, where you can
find somebody you love their looks. You don’t even need to see the guy’s face and you can just, hey,
I love the combination he’s putting together because guess what? You’re going to want to
imitate this. You’re going to want to be inspired. This is going to have give you a destination
of where you want to go with your look. So now, that you’ve got your inspiration, let
me share with you some timeless style rules that have worked for me in a variety of situations.
The first one is to give a [beeping sound]. And by that, I mean, guys,
you got to care about men’s style. I’m a science guy, I love reading about history,
I love reading about how things work in nature. And what I noticed in nature is that animals
are attracted to other animals because of certain colors, because of certain smells,
because of certain actions and the way that they are perceived.
Social status, we see it animals, guess what? You’re going to see it in humans.
If you want to walk into a room and be respected without saying a word,
if you want to be able to be attractive to the opposite sex or at the same sex, understand that
there is data out there that supports ways that you can dress to impress and if you understand
that, guess what? You are more likely to use the information, to actually spend the money
to actually take action to improve your image. Next up, let’s talk about the style pyramid – fit,
function, and fabric. These are the three things I always say when you’re going to purchase an item,
when you’re going to keep an item that you want to make sure, hey, that it fits you. Fit is king.
That the fabric is of the best quality you could afford. When you’re starting off, maybe
you’re going to go cheaper on that suit, go with something that’s maybe half polyester, half wool,
but you want to upgrade as soon as you can. Function, this is simply wearing the right item
at the right time. Suits are great, but not if you’re going to be at a construction job site,
you need to wear something that is functional that serves the purpose of
you being there and helps you do your job better. Next up, let me introduce you to the style theory
of value. This is the value of your clothing is equal to the number of wears times the way
it makes you feel divided by the price. Now, I’m proud to say we came up with that
formula here at Real Men Real Style, but it really fits the way I think about things. In a nutshell,
what that formula says is don’t just pay attention to the price, think about how it’s going to make
you feel, how many times you’re going to wear it because you’re looking at two suits.
One suit costs a hundred bucks, another suit costs $500. Now, the $500 suit, yes,
it’s more expensive, but it also fits you well. Every time you put it on, you feel like a million
bucks. You end up wearing that suit 50 times, you get $10 per wears with it ends up being.
That hundred dollar suit, you wear it once and you never want to wear it again. It’s not breathable,
it didn’t fit well. You just felt like, yeah, you felt like wearing a costume, so guess what?
It was a hundred dollars per wear. It would have been better for you to buy that $500
suit and to get more miles out of it. Now, gents, those are some of my
guidelines. You want to take those and run with them and create your own because
you’ve got something about you that makes you unique. You’ve got your own needs your own wants
and so, make sure it comes out in your style. Maybe you’re not a suit type of guy, but you
still need to get dressed up, so you put your own combination together. You, you know, grow up down
south, you got a little bit of a Western flair to you, so you start bringing that combination.
You got a leather blazer, you love your Western boots. You want to rock them,
they got a little bit of color with them, they’ve got, you know, you pull those up and you show
the shaft on those boots, it is amazing artwork. Point being is you identify I’m not wearing dress
shoes, but I definitely can wear boots. I’m not going to wear suits and those types of jackets,
but I can wear leather jackets. When you start to define what is your style, your own rules for how
you dress up how you dress down, where you go to. And this is what I love to see when a man owns
it and he feels like a million bucks and he’s able to express himself through his clothing.
Now, let’s talk about leveraging the power of accountability. Remember at the very
first of this video, I talked about those three sections. You’re going to get rid of some things,
you’re going to keep things, but other things you’re going to try to salvage.
So, what you want to do is make an appointment with your tailor or seamstress and you’re going
to take all that clothing in and you’re going to see can I have it brought in, can I have
this better fitted, can I salvage this suit. Now, you may not want to, but so many items when
you buy them off the rack, they’re just not even close to being a good fit. Even jeans,
you can actually have those hemmed, brought up and it’s going to be looking so much better than,
yeah, having that tear at the back. And even if you just started to do have
that tear at the back, you can actually get that fixed. So, again, take these clothing items in,
hold yourself accountable. When it comes to your hair,
how about you cheat on your barber? Make a appointment with the best stylist in your area.
Maybe go back to that barber and say, you know what? These guys offer straight razor shaves, I
want to try this out. I want to understand the art of shaving and make this a part of my routine.
[0:15:09] Maybe you don’t own a suit,
but you’re probably going to need one because guess what? Your little girl, she’s getting
married here soon and, yes, you own a blue collar plumbing company. You’re master electrician,
but guess what? When you walk her down that aisle, you want to look like a million bucks.
And if you try to get this done two weeks before the wedding, good luck, it’s just
not going to happen. You’re just not going to feel comfortable, you’re going to feel like you’re in a
costume versus if you buy that suit six months out, you go with the classic charcoal gray,
navy. You start putting these pieces together, you start practicing dressing sharp.
You actually maybe take some dance lessons, you’re going to show up and she is going to be crying,
your wife is going to be crying. You are just going to be the man at that wedding because
you understand the importance of ambiance of actually being able to dress up and you’re
going to show that you went the extra mile. Gents, what all these have in common is that
we are setting up appointments. We have other people helping hold you accountable
to take action because right now you’re watching this video, but what I want you to do
is go out there and take steps to improve the way that you’re dressing, improve the way that
you are presenting yourself to the world, so that you can become the man you know yourself to be.
My friend, I want to share the story with you. He, Tracy, he would buy a watch and he didn’t do this
very often. I remember he had a huge deal, he went out and bought a very nice $500 Seiko and he had
it there sitting, he could not open it until he finished his project that sat there on his desk
for two months for him working his butt off. And when he managed to finish that project,
he was able to unwrap it and get that watch. He actually already had it fitted to his wrist
and he put it on and it just felt so great. Guys, understand that there are ways you can set
this up, you can set yourself up for success when it comes to dressing better. And if I had to start
over, this video is what I would like find. So, guys, with that being said,
I would appreciate it if you would share this video with a man who can use this advice.
Now, at this point, some of you guys are saying, “Antonio,
how did you make it through a video and not talk about fragrance?” Well, guess what? I didn’t,
I’m bringing in a couple of fragrances here. And I am going to recommend you check out this
video right here, it’s my ultimate guide to buying fragrances online because there are
so many counterfeits out there, there are so many – you can get ripped off royally
when you’re out there buying fragrances. But, guys, check out this video right here,
I teach you how to save, how to be able to go out there and purchase the fragrances you love at the
best price. Boom, right there, it’s a good one. [0:17:26] End of audio