HOW TO PAIR CLOTHING ITEMS

"Patrick, what should I pair jeans with?"

It depends.

"What about a polo? What should I pair that with?"

It depends.

It always depends.

From what I've seen with working with guys for almost a decade, they want a straightforward answer to what type of item goes with what type of item, such as every time you wear Jeans, you must wear a Polo.

Unfortunately, there is no such formula, as much as Youtubers and subscription boxes want you to believe, but I'll give you the closest thing in just a minute.

The problem?

There are many different versions of those specific items.

Let's use an example I listed above, jeans.

Take a look below and see if you notice the difference between each item.

To keep it even fairer, we're looking at two items right next to each other from the same brand with the same fit and price.

 
What's the difference?

Do you think you'd pair both of those with the exact same top and the exact same shoes?

Let's move on and do another.

This time, we're going to look at polos.

They're both polos. So why couldn't we pair them with the same things?

It's because these items have different formality levels.

The small details (mainly fabric) make one polo "dressier" and one more "casual".

The same thing applies to the jeans pictured above. One is rugged, heavily faded, and worn. The other is dark, clean looking, and has no faded appearance to it.

In both instances, one item is more casual, the other item is dressier.

When you're trying to pair them, you want to match their level of formality.

It would look strange to pair a rugged, worn, ripped casual pair of jeans with a more formal suit jacket. They're two different types of items originally intended and used for two different things - The jeans look like they were used for heavy outdoor work, while the suit jacket looks like it should be sitting in a boardroom. Why would those things belong together?

I see this mistake constantly when guys try to wear a t-shirt with a sportcoat, or jeans with a button-up shirt. They just haven't considered the formality level of each, and they're trying to bridge a gap too far, and then the pairing looks off.

Whenever you can't figure out why an outfit looks "off", this is usually the reason. Work to diagnose the problem and learn how to fix it.

Here's a trick that can help...

Try to score your items with a formality rating - 1 being extremely casual and 10 being something very formal. Don't worry about getting this exactly right.

When pairing an item with another item, you only want to be 1 or 2 deviations away from the item you're trying to pair.

Easy example = When we are wearing a tuxedo (10), we're not going to pair it with flip-flops (1). You likely understand that, because the contrast is so apparent between these two and the range is so far apart. Practice getting better at narrowing that gap.

Try to extend this thinking to each of your items when you're putting together an outfit, and I promise you'll put together better-looking stuff.

1-2 deviations away.

Are there exceptions to our rule? Sure. But if you're struggling to come up with good outfits and feel like you can't pair anything, you're likely stuck here, so let's get you past this before you start trying to become too creative.

Bonus tip: Look at how the model is styled on the website you're purchasing from. This will give you a clue as to what the item was intended to pair with.

Do you think it's a coincidence that the casual polo is paired with casual jeans and the reverse is true for the other polo? Figure out how the item was intended to be styled, and then just copy the same formality level for what you're pairing it with.

And finally, make sure you have enough stuff in the closet at different formality levels. When I get into a guy's closet either virtually or in-person, this is usually a huge issue. They'll be overstocked at one formality level, but not have the others.

Maybe they have 20 pairs of jeans, but nothing they could dress up. Or 40 polos but they're all used for golf.

Make sure you have range in your closet so you're ready for anything. If you need help with that, you can apply for a quick call to learn more about working with me and getting that solved.

Hope that helps.

x Patrick