WHY YOU only work with a personal stylist for men
I work in an area that, historically, seems to be dominated by women.
I’d say 95% of the personal stylists and image consultants out there are women and work with women, and it makes sense. Women are much more likely to talk about their clothing and style from a younger age—men, not so much.
Even though my closest buddies know this is something that I’ve always been good at, they still gave me some flak when I started doing image consulting and personal styling for men professionally. And that was a long time ago.
Honestly, this is just not a space you usually find regular straight men in.
So, if the majority of the image consultants and personal stylists out there are women serving women, and they’re dominating the market, why should you go with a service for men, developed by a man?
Another question I often hear is, “I’m doing this to be attractive to women! Why should I take a man’s advice when it comes to this stuff?”
All stuff we’ll cover right now.
Men wear men’s clothing.
Never trust a skinny chef.
If you’re going to be an expert in menswear, you should be wearing it.
I see a lot of commercials about bras (selective attention, I presume). One thing that advertising commonly tells me is that women can never seem to find the perfect one. Apparently, there are support issues and something about wires? I’m not entirely sure. But it looks like they’re hard to shop for.
If I were shopping for a bra, I would have no clue where to start or what feels right. How would I know? I don’t have the body to test it out even if I knew the concerns women have about bra buying.
You want someone who has experienced actually wearing the stuff you’re about to spend your money on—seeing how the clothing fits, how it moves, how it holds up over time. Just seeing items on a mannequin or reading reviews doesn’t cut it.
To be a master in the kitchen, you taste the food. To be a master in menswear, you wear the clothes.
Day in, day out.
We’ve developed this whole thing exclusively for men so we could know the products inside and out.
Men have men’s bodies.
Every day you look in the mirror and see a man. You see the skeletal structure, the muscles, even the fat. It’s all staring back at you. You have a responsibility to figure out how to dress that man.
If you pay attention and learn a bit, you figure out how to do - you enhance that skeletal structure, bring out those muscles, and minimize that fat.
Read More: Measuring the Shoulder to Waist Ratio
And you do this every single day of your life.
Try to figure out how many times you’ve dressed you - the male body. I’m going to guess you’ve dressed yourself thousands and thousands of times - some nearly incomprehensible amount.
How many times have you dressed a woman?
...
I could never begin to comprehend the curves, angles, and other nuances of the female body (although I like to try). As a man, it’s too unfamiliar.
As men, we have our own issues that women don’t understand. Bunching in certain areas, squeezing in others, things that women don’t know about, and honestly things we don’t want them to know about.
Men have the experience dressing the male body and know how to make it look it’s best. We can sort out the little nuances that bother us, and us alone. We know what matters. And we know how to handle it.
Men shop like men.
One time, I had a client tell me that our shopping excursion was like a tactical missile strike. I thought it was hilarious, but it’s true. The way I, and presumably most men want to shop, is like a missile strike...Targeted, quick, and effective.
I’d be shocked if a woman referred to shopping in the same way.
Most women seem to enjoy shopping more than men. I envy them for it. It would make my job a lot easier.
The truth is, I don’t like shopping.
I can hear the gasps.
It’s true.
Why?
Because shopping is fucking terrible.
It’s time-consuming; it’s frustrating; it’s exhausting; it’s costly. Not only that, but the shopping experience feels sexist towards men. Go into any department store right now. How much of it is menswear? Don’t know? Likey because you can’t find it. In nearly every department store, they push us back to the far right corner. We’re relegated to our cozy little corner to sort it out for ourselves while the women enjoy the rest of the store.
So, no, I don’t like shopping. And if I did, it would be a tell-tale symptom of a severe mental illness.
What I like is the result.
I like that shopping can give us the material to work with to create incredible outfits, outfits that make you look and feel fantastic. Outfits that others admire and compliment you on. Outfits that help you land a better job, impress your dream girl or help others see you as someone to be taken seriously.
Shopping is a necessary evil, and over the years, I’ve learned how to dance with the devil. It’s a mission you need to undertake, for the good of your closet and your life.
Don’t spend more time than necessary, solider. Get in, get out, and return triumphant.
Shop like a man.
Better yet, shop with one. Ideally, one that has seen combat before. It never hurt to have another man in the foxhole.
Men speak like men.
If you’ve worked with me before, you’ll have heard me say this to you before your consultation:
“I’m the nicest guy you’ve ever met who’s going to criticize you for an hour or two.”
That kind of straight talk can cut through the fluff, as hard as it is to hear, to produce REAL changes in your life.
I care deeply about the men I work with. It does them no good if I sugarcoat things. Our time is better spent making changes that can bring you a better life, help you enjoy looking in the mirror, and gain you meaningful connections.
Men are problem solvers. We generally connect more logically (no, I’m not being sexist). We want to know the issue, and then we want to fix it.
Dealing with men affords you more of that kind of connection. Here’s the checklist of what’s wrong - here’s how to fix it - let’s take care of it.
Men stay focused on men.
Okay, this one might just be me, but I only work with male clientele. For many of the reasons above, but it’s just where my expertise lies.
Other stylists, if they do work with men, add them on later. I have not once seen a female personal stylist work with men, and then go the other way to add on women.
The truth is, ya’ll ain’t the best market…
The common man doesn’t put too much thought into his appearance. Next time you’re out and about, look around. Do you think the average guy gives his clothing much thought? Does he even want to? Sure doesn’t look like it.
To any onlooker with half a brain, if you were going to do what I do, it’s evident that men would not be the ideal market to target. Even though most men need it, they don’t want it.
Although I don’t have the exact stats handy, it would seem women care infinitely more about their appearance than the common man (although I believe this is changing).
So, of course, it makes sense for female stylists to work with female clients. All the reasons listed in this article could be flipped around as to why a male stylist shouldn’t work with a female client, but I digress.
The problem comes from female stylists “tacking on” a side-service for the boys to net a little extra.
Staying focused allows you to develop a single area of incredible expertise and maximize it to help the most considerable amount of people.
So, no. I don’t make a killing from the market. I cut my revenue in at least half by deciding I wouldn’t work with women and solely dedicate myself toward assisting men. Couple that with the fact most brands don’t like me because I don’t recommend their products or take their sponsorship money. Then add on top of that the crazy marketing budget subscription box services use to try and crush me.
It’s a miracle I’m able to do this.
But I am.
I’m able to do this because men like to hear the truth... YOU like to hear the truth. You like to cut through the BS; you like to solve the problem; you want the best tool for the job. And if you want all that, you find yourself here.
And I couldn’t be happier about it.
If you want to improve the way other people see you, gain self-confidence in what you’re wearing, understand how to make yourself look your best from head to toe, then sign up for a style strategy call with me.
STYLE STRATEGY CALL
If you have questions or are unsure of the best option for yourself, you can apply for a 20-minute Style Strategy Call with me personally. We’ll walk through your goals, I’ll give you more information, and you choose something based on your needs. Currently, there is no fee for this. Look forward to seeing you there.
- Patrick
PS. This call is only open to those 21+ located in the US, Canada, UK, or Europe.
