It’s all about attitude… and weight, and skin tone, and hair and everything else you could possibly think of. But mostly it’s about attitude.

We’ve talked before about the difference between an outfit looking natural and looking like a costume.  I want you to look at the two pictures below.

Notice how goofy this guy looks. Now it may just be that he’s not very photogenic, but I doubt it. He’s wearing a submissive smile, his haircut makes it look like he’s trying to hide the fact that he’s balding instead of embracing it. It also looks boyish instead of more adult. His stance is awkward and the colors are all wrong for his skin tone. The light tones make his freshly-resurrected-from-winter pasty skin look even more pale.

Contrast that with this guy. Yes it absolutely helps that he’s a lantern-jawed male model. But notice the other thing that are hard to quantify. His hair is cut like a man instead of a hipster. His posture is very commanding and he’s obviously very comfortable with the woman in the picture (these two models may have just met two minutes before this shoot but he sure doesn’t seem intimidated by her, does he?).  His smile is knowing instead of supplicating. His clothes are honestly just as goofy as our first gentleman, but he pulls it off so much better.

Dressing better is one of the easiest things a man can do to improve himself. It just takes a little bit of instruction, some funds, and some creativity. But in order to really step up your style game, you have to improve yourself. You need to get into shape, develop social confidence, groom yourself properly, be comfortable in your own skin and not look like you’re constantly seeking validation.

I’ll admit that developing all those takes a lot more time and effort. As a man, you shouldn’t let either one intimidate you. And while you’re developing them, you should act like you have them. Developing an attitude can often preclude getting where you want to be. Having that attitude can make even a T-shirt and jeans look good and will make your improved style look even better.