Think long-term and visit a tailor. . .

A few tools of the tailor's trade.

A few related style points to make today.  First, dressing better and overhauling your personal style takes a little bit of time.  There is a small learning curve to consider.  In addition, few of us average guys have enough extra cash on hand to do this in one fell swoop.  So, developing a nicer appearance, and the wardrobe that will eventually go with it, takes time.  But getting there is half the fun.

Ok, let's get down to business.  Think of kicking up your style as a process, and here's the first part of it.  Go to your bedroom and examine what's hanging in your closet, folded in your dresser drawers, or at the bottom of your laundry bag.  Take a good hard look at each piece.  Identify and filter out the over-sized stuff (or the things that are slightly too small), the ragged, worn items, or anything with huge logos, brand names, or cartoon characters.  You might not be able to do this all at once, so think long-term, and plan to donate or otherwise dispose of the worst offenders first.  In short, unless you plan to sleep in that massive Tasmanian Devil t-shirt that comes almost to you knees, out it goes!

Chandler explaining to Joey what makes his tailor a bad man during season two of Friends.  Don't worry!  A visit to the tailor isn't this weird in real life.

Then, find and visit a local tailor, to get your measurements taken.  Don’t feel intimidated by this.  Lots of men and women use seamstresses and tailors for repairs and alterations to their clothing.  An initial visit to get your measurements doesn’t take long or cost much, and it makes the rest of the style process easy because you'll then be able to find and purchase clothes that come much closer to actually fitting you.  

 A few simple measurements are all you'll need to begin kicking up your style a notch or two, and it's best to have an experience tailor take these for you, so that you are armed with accurate information about your physical dimensions.

At the very least, make sure the tailor notes your correct neck, chest, and waist sizes, your sleeve and inseam lengths (these may differ slightly between your right and left sides).  A really good tailor may also suggest a few other measurements that will assist you in your purchasing decisions and subsequent alterations.  In any case, ask the tailor to write down your physical dimensions on an extra piece of paper for you to take home.  Put that information somewhere safe where you can consult it (or better yet, take it with you) later when it actually comes time to buy stuff.

Alright.  You've got some measurements, so what do you do with 'em?  Well, next time, we'll start considering the clothes themselves that will help you kick up your style a notch or two and where you might find them.  See you then!