How To Find Your Style Aesthetic: The Best You, Practically

From how to search (and how to shop) to where, here’s how to find your style aesthetic. This guide is for those who want an effortless or detail-oriented approach.

The “a” word has flooded social media in the past few years. However, never underestimate the power of letting the world know who you are through your looks. So, if you don’t have a personal style, you might want to learn how to find your style aesthetic.

Yours might be neutral. Maybe you want the world to know that you don’t want them to know who you are. You don’t want to give it away so quickly. I hate to break it to you, but that’s still “a look,” for all intents and purposes. 

Besides, the more intentional you appear, the more grown-up and well-adjusted you look. And that’s something that benefits all types of guys in every aspect of life, from dating to career. So since I’m not avoiding the “a” word today, let’s first answer an important question. Exactly, what is an aesthetic?

What Is an Aesthetic?

An aesthetic is a theme or a set of principles that anchor and guide an overall visual experience. For example, a beach aesthetic for a house might involve a lot of sand and ocean tones or seashell art. The exact same thing applies to the aesthetic you want for yourself as a person. This means everything from how you carry yourself to personal administration. 

Want a legit workwear working-class handsomeness? Grow that beard out and get that farmer’s tan going. Want a more old-money elegance? Then go for a casual but clean-cut hairstyle and get an even glowing tan going. Your look should say, “I’m a man of leisure” or “I may have just gotten off a boat.” 

Want to be more of a wheeling-and-dealing closer? Then, you want a sleek, clean, and hyper-intentional look. It’s a bit like the old money aesthetic, but way more formal (so power suits over cashmere).

This leads me to the most important part of creating an aesthetic. Or rather, the biggest part and also the easiest part to control. When it comes to personal style, clothing makes the biggest difference. 

Another definition of aesthetic? A character or concern of good taste and good looks. This is why, no matter what your personal look is, having guiding tenets makes you appear more put together.

How To Find Your Clothing Style (How To Find Your Style Aesthetic)

Here are three overarching approaches you might take to choose your personal clothing style.

What Kind of Man Are You (Or Want to Be)?

First, consider what kind of person you see yourself as. Or, perhaps more importantly, what kind of man do you want to be? Classy? Relaxed? Adventurous? Unconventional? This is the most open-ended approach, but it’s also the most self-expressive.

This kind of introspection can take some time. And, since your aspirations will likely change several times throughout your life, it’s natural that the way you dress will as well. This is especially the case for men in their late teens and early twenties. You may find yourself drawn to gothic fits one month and dadcore the next. 

What Do You “Do”?

Second, Consider one of these questions:

• What is your trade? 
• What do you do for a living? 
• What is your career? 
• What is your calling?

Which of these questions do you think is the most meaningful? There may be overlap. Pick that question, then answer it. Based on that answer, how do you dress for that thing you do? Or, how would you like to dress for it? Maybe you’re a banker and you love it, and it’s what you’ve always hoped to do. You might wear suits every day.

That’s your anchor. If you like suits, you might just wear more casual tailoring outside of work. Or perhaps you’re a banker, but you fancy yourself more relaxed or not like stereotypical finance guys. You may wear broken suits or sneakers and a suit with a T-shirt (when it’s allowed).

Or maybe you’re a banker, and you hate it, but, hey, you have to pay bills. And, your true calling is to be a writer. So, you wear suits every day, but you’d really like to dress like Earnest Hemingway.

Using how you dress for your job doesn’t have to box you in. It can simply be a good starting point. Think suits versus workwear, or pilot jackets versus hunting jackets.

What Do You Love?

Or third, what do you love to do? Is it a big part of your personality? This might be related to the above, but it isn’t always! Do you love fishing and hunting? Then perhaps an outdoorsy look is for you. Or maybe you love sailing (nautical looks are classic) or the arts (boho chic or eclectic fashions can be distinguishing). 

And again, you never ever have to put yourself in a box. Maybe you pick three different approaches and mix and match. Or maybe you have a weekday style that’s different from your weekend style. There are ways to be wholly unique, even when using classic menswear as your dominant toolbox.

Different Aesthetics To Consider

Here are some aesthetics to consider that may align with your answers above. You might even find one or two approaches to accent and individualize your main aesthetic.

Minimalism (or Scandinavian Minimalism)

If you want a neutral look, a minimalist approach is your best bet. I know the word sounds vague, but Scandinavian minimalism is a specific kind. It focuses on clean lines, natural colors, and functionality. It’s flattering for all body types. Instead of going for whatever fit is trending, you go for more practical ones that provide the cleanest silhouette. 

Earth tones, greyscales, and navy are the base of this look. In the summer, you can also go for lighter colors like muted blues or even occasional yellows. Remember, the point is to go for hues that occur in nature. Then, you can add rich pops of color.

Classic menswear pieces will make up the bulk of your wardrobe, if not all of it. Think crewneck sweatshirts, straight or slim chinos, white sneakers, or tan Chelseas. Some minimal clothing brands include COS, Asket, and L’estrange London.

Monochrome Aesthetics

Monochrome aesthetics are similar to Scandinavian minimalism in that the base is quite simple. However, you can experiment more with silhouettes and details. So, while you’d go for a taupe crewneck T-shirt in Scandi-minimalism, you might pick a black pocketed henley here. Moreover, tonal tops and bottoms are flattering on short guys.

You can go for a military-forward look with an olive utility shirt and tan khakis. Or a chic, urban look, with a black turtleneck, black jeans, black boots, and a camel peacoat over it.

By making monochrome hues your foundation, you can bring order and intention to what might be an otherwise out-of-control look. This is why fashion-forward streetwear fans tend to anchor their looks in monochrome. An oversized shirt jacket, slim cargos, and deep-lugged boots would look chaotic in more than two colors.

To shop monochrome, check out Ministry of Supply, Buck Mason, Proper Cloth, and Common Projects. For good leather jackets, consider Schott, Aero, Lewis, and Real McCoy.

Preppy, Ivy League, and Old Money

The preppy aesthetic is an inherently youthful style. It emulates the look of Northeastern prep school kids and the men who once were Northeastern prep school kids. It’s a lot of cardigans, khakis, polos, cable-knit, boat shoes, and loafers. 

There’s overlap with Ivy League style, but Ivy style is more tied to academic aesthetics. It’s also more adult. Add blazers, tweed, club ties, and practical Oxfords to the above list.

And finally, both preppy and Ivy styles make up a big portion of the old money aesthetic. This simple, elegant style emulates the leisure activities of old, landed families. It’s also seasonal, meaning pastels in spring and darker hues in autumn.

Boating, equestrianism, and hunting are popular pastimes among these folks. So, nautical styles and English countryside styles are tentpoles. Family heirlooms are a good way to flaunt your tribe, whether Cavendish or Astor.

Brands to consider include Brooks Brothers, Barbour, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, and LL Bean.

Suit Guy Style

No matter how casual society gets, suaveness never goes out of style. And whether it’s due to your job or your personal preference, you might want to focus your wardrobe on tailoring.

You can be a deal-closing shark with power pinstripes, white contrast collars, and gold dress watches. Or maybe you’re more professorial and prefer tweeds and autumn tones.

Another approach? A less stuffy elegance that involves broken suits, lighter colors, and casual layers (replace that suit vest with a cardigan, perhaps). On the weekends, you can go for structured pieces like button-downs over button-ups, unstructured blazers, slacks, and shirt jackets.

Brands you can look into include Brooks Brothers, Armani, Suit Supply, and Spier & MacKay.

If you like a flashier suit look, consider high-end brands like Hermes and Louis Vuitton for your accessories.

The Athletic Aesthetic

The athletic aesthetic has come a long way since the days of ill-fitting sweatpants. For a clean, everyday version, consider athleisure pieces like joggers with cinched hems, quarter-zip sweaters, polos, well-structured tees, and quilted vests. These days, there are even hybrid pieces meant to straddle the line between gym wear and everyday wear.

Ash & Erie, Lululemon, and Bantam have great options for athletic clothes. For a more streetwear take, consider Supreme, Fear of God, or Stussy. Streetwear incorporates luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, which you’ll find in suit guy style. It also incorporates workwear styles, like Timberland, which we’ll cover below.

Workwear and Functional

Workwear provides many classic pieces for casual menswear. Service boots, utility jackets, chore jackets, trucker jackets, and cargo pants are all examples. In fact, jeans are technically workwear, too.

Workwear style can be worn casually, not just on the jobsite. However, casual workwear tends to lean more traditional than high-vis vests and hard hats. Think Iron Rangers boots and denim chore jackets. In other words, most workwear items for casual situations could technically work for you on a job site but might not be the most practical (or safe) option. 

Some good brands in this category include Carhartt, Levi’s, Wrangler, Timberland, and Danner. Here’s an entire article about some of the best workwear clothing brands for men.

Conclusion: Feel Free to Experiment

And when it comes to how to find your style aesthetic, don’t forget to experiment. Here’s how:

• Mix and match aesthetics to create your own. I mentioned this several times, but it’s worth noting one more time!
• Keep up with trends, models, and influencers. Not for the sake of blindly following them, of course. The point of crazy runway looks is to see what parts of it may resonate with everyday guys like us.
• See if you can find a style icon or icons that you align with. I’ve always been partial to Cary Grant and Clint Eastwood.

As you can imagine, it may take some time for you to find what works for you. That’s ok! Take it slow and keep looking for inspiration. 

Questions? Comments? Let me know below!