Tattoos and piercings are an inescapable fact of life in the modern age. Every year, almost $2 billion is spent in the tattoo industry. 14% of Americans of all ages have a tattoo, and between the age of 18 and 40, that percentage skyrockets to 76%. It’s safe to say that a lot of people have tattoos and piercings. But is it really a good idea? Is it worth it? Have you ever taken a rational look at the decisions of whether or not to get a tattoo or piercing, when it makes sense, and when it doesn’t?

That’s the topic of this episode of The Personal Image System Podcast. As always, there are no clear-cut rules about this topic. The question of whether it makes sense for you to have a tattoo, or whether you will be better off by abstaining is one that depends on your specific situation. One very important rule of thumb is to make sure that the decision, for tattoos or piercings, should be made with a clear mind, not on any substances that could impede judgement.

Besides that, it depends lot on two things: Who will you be interacting with most (need to make a good impression on), and what role do you want to play on those social circles? For instance, if your role is the artist, the free mind whose creativity is at the forefront, a tattoo or piercing would certainly be more appropriate for you. However, if you want to be considered trustworthy, mature, and competent, it may be a bad idea, especially if your audience is either outside the US, or of an age where tattoos were not as commonplace.

So consider carefully, and weigh the pros and cons before getting a tattoo or piercing. Listen to this episode with an open mind, learn how I approach the subject, and how I would recommend you do as well. As always, use this episode of The Personal Image System Podcast to help you become the best you possible! Enjoy!

Consider the pros and cons of tattoos carefully before getting either. Understand your audience, as well as the role you intend to play, and make your decision based on those two thing.

The Personal Image System (Master-Level Course on men’s style)

Did you know that good fragrance can double your chances of getting a woman’s phone number? That’s right, smell is that practical when it comes to your likeability, attractiveness, and influence. Yet, 80% of men don’t wear any sort of fragrance. Men understand that it is important not to smell bad, and appropriately wear deodorant, but most men seem to miss the real value in smelling good!

There are countless benefits to wearing a fragrance that matches your natural smell. It will increase your level of attractiveness, perceived levels of trust,  reduce stress levels, make you more confident, and increase your level of alertness. As you can see, it goes far beyond smelling good, and really affects the level of success that you are likely to see in your life!

But what is the right way to wear fragrance? How do you select a smell that work for you and apply it? How do you avoid overwhelming others with your scent? What is the difference between cologne, toilet, and perfume, and what does it mean for you? Explore all of that and more on this episode of The Personal Image System Podcast!

Most men aren’t taking advantage of fragrance to enhance every aspect of their life. Fragrance has power to improve every facet of your life. Use it!

The Personal Image System (Master-Level Course on men’s style)

Have you ever considered the effect that the way you dress might have on how you perform? In tests, subjects who dressed in clothes appropriate for their task performed better in those tasks. There is something powerful going on subconsciously. This is the power of enclothed cognition.

Women will often take advantage of enclothed cognition. If they are feeling sick, or having a down day, they will dress nicer, knowing that they will get compliments on their clothing throughout the day, and it will cheer them up. Men rarely understand the powerful tool of enclothed cognition. It is a powerful tool to accomplish what you want to in life.

This shows the power of style, and the fact it truly is a tool to be used in your life. It’s not just for those who concern themselves especially about outward appearance, but really is for anyone who wants more out of life! Anyone who wants to be successful and accomplish great things in their life can be aided in their goals through dressing well!

Understand the effect that the way you dress has on your abilities and performance, and use it to your advantage! Dress up when you’re feeling down, and when you really need to perform.

The Personal Image System (Master-Level Course on men’s style)

When it comes to dressing well, one of the major reasons that men often put effort into it is because they want to appeal to the opposite gender. This is a driving factor, and needs to be addressed. But as you can probably tell from all of the previous episodes, there is a lot more going on under the surface of what kind of clothing can make a man attractive than may at first seem to be the case.

Evolutionary biology tells us a lot about this subject. For instance, did you know that women (and men) are subconsciously attracted to larger hands? It’s a sign of power and dominance, and something that we don’t even realize that we notice, yet we do, and it affects the way we view the person. What is valuable to understand about this, then, is that clothing that can make your hands seem larger will have the added effect of making you more attractive. For instance, a jacket that fits well, is the right length and fits your arm and wrist width correctly, will have this effect, and immediately make you a more attractive human being!

On this episode, we get into that, and so much more! We talk about relative dimensions, and why the relative size of your waist to your shoulders is so important, why confidence in dress is essential, and why it’s important to give off a sense of success and accomplishment in what you choose to wear. So jump into this episode with me, and learn the science behind which clothing makes men more attractive, and what clothing will actually impede this effort.

Understand the powerful role that the way you dress plays in your sexual appeal, and put effort into improving it, to make yourself more attractive.

The Personal Image System (Master-Level Course on men’s style)

Have you considered how your clothing can actually help you break down barriers, and form better relationships with people? From a very young age, touch is important to humans, and all types of animals. A sense of touch is what’s so important between a mother and a child, and studies have shown that animals will actually choose texture over food when they are very young!

This is why touch breaks down barriers. When you’re on a date, or even just interacting with people in a purely platonic way, one person touching the other is one of the most powerful ways to develop deeper rapport and trust, and texture in clothing is a powerful motivator for touch.

You may not know it, but something really powerful happens when you’re with someone, and they reach out and touch you, or feel the material of your clothing. You’re instantly in rapport with them, and it seems like you’ve developed a closer relationship than time would allow! That’s how powerful it is, and that’s just one of the major reasons why you should put special care and interest in including variety and quality in the texture in your wardrobe.

Learn about more reasons why texture is important, and how you can start including it in your wardrobe today, on this episode of The Personal Image System Podcast!

Don’t neglect texture in the clothing you wear! Texture in your wardrobe can actually help people break down barriers toward you, and develop a closer relationship!

The Personal Image System (Master-Level Course on men’s style)

We’ve all heard about how important it is to stand out in a crowded world, and that is certainly good advice. But have you ever considered the value in meeting the expectations of the part you want to play in life?

The “Halo Effect” has been well-documented throughout the years. It refers to the fact that people who look the role that they play in life tend to see more success in their field. For instance, someone who is in the army, and really looks like our preconceived notions of a soldier (tall, muscular, broad shoulders, sharp jaw line, etc) is more likely to get promoted than someone who may be just as qualified or even more so, but doesn’t look the part.

While the halo effect is unfair, it cannot be denied that it exists and affects your success greatly. This is why you must make sure you do everything in your power to use it to your advantage. While there are certain things about your body, build and look that you cannot control, there are things that you can, and the halo effect is the reason that you should make such as effort to do so.

So pay attention to this episode of The Personal Image System Podcast! This is foundational to why personal image matters so greatly, and why you should be doing everything in your power to use it to your advantage. It may not be fair, but it is an undeniable factor, and one that you should be taking advantage of. Learn how to, on this episode of The Personal Image System Podcast!

Carefully analyze the part you are trying to play in life, whether technician, doctor, CEO, soldier, or anything else, and meet those expectations, because when you do, people will tend to give you the benefit of the doubt.

The Personal Image System (Master-Level Course on men’s style)

Do you think that you are a rational human being? Most of us, men in particular, would like to think that we are. But when we get right down to it, we’re actually far less rational than we would like to think. In fact, the majority of our time is spent on a sort of “autopilot,” where we are going through the motions, completing tasks that have to be done, but are not paying any special attention to what it is that we are doing. This mode of operation saves us valuable decision-making energy, and helps us have that energy when we need it.

But an understanding of this human tendency and mode of operation shows just how powerful and important our personal presentation is. Often, it is the difference between you or someone else getting a promotion. Or perhaps it’s what leads a doctor’s patients to put their full trust in him. Or maybe it just causes you to be liked better overall, which in turn cannot help but lead to more success in your life.

The point is that personal image, and a good presentation through clothing and everything else that we’re discussing in this podcast, is absolutely essential, and after this episode you should have no doubt about that. It’s not just for those men who have a passion for fashion. This is for any man who wants to do well in life, and wants to learn how to get an edge. Having an amazing personal image presentation is one of the best ways to make that happen.

Understand the ways that your presentation can and does affect your life as a whole, and the success that you see in your endeavors, so take control of it!

The Personal Image System (Master-Level Course on men’s style)

Men often find color in style to be a bit confusing. They don’t understand it and so, very sadly, they just tend to leave it out of their wardrobe. If that is your stylistic choice, then that’s great. But if you are neglecting color because you find it confusing, or don’t quite fully understand it, or trust yourself to implement it in your wardrobe in a way that is fashionable, then that is a tragedy.

This episode is for the express purpose of helping you to fully understand color, and how it works. There are specific principles relating to each color, and how and why they go with other colors, and that’s what I’m addressing in this episode.

Why are navy and grey suits the best colors for first suits? Why are dark colored jeans more versatile than light jeans? What color of denim goes with a sports jacket? How can you start implementing colors that are a bit more out there(indigo, red, violet, etc) in ways that really works and still gives you a professional look?

Those are just a few of the questions addressed in this episode. If you’re looking for an all-encompassing primer on the world of color in men’s style, this episode is for you! Get ready to learn to love color, and the ways that it can be a part of your wardrobe once you start to fully understand it, on this episode of The Personal Image System Podcast!

White:

Charcoal Grey:

Black:

Navy Blue:

Light Blue:

Brown:

Indigo:

Color Wheel Chart:

Don’t be afraid of color! Understand the variety in the world of color for men’s fashion, and start to implement a bit of it, in a stylistically sensible way, each day.

The Personal Image System (Master-Level Course on men’s style)

The Color Wheel and Men's Clothing (blog post)

Everybody wants to find their own personal style. That one look that can be uniquely you, that can portray those aspects of your personality to the world that you would like portrayed, and that can become your signature look. What most don’t realize is how well copying other styles that you appreciate, from style icons of the past and present, can set you up to have that exact type of impact through the way you present yourself.

It seems backwards, doesn’t it? That mimicking or copying someone else’s style could in fact aid in your ability to develop your own style seems unlikely. But that’s exactly what can happen! Because as you start to allow yourself to take aspects of a personal style from people you who’s style you admire, you’ll also start to realize the ways that you can tweak it and make it your own.

This is when the magic happens. When, after establishing a solid stylistic foundation through the mimicking of your favorite style icon(s), you begin to bring your own unique taste and ideas to the table. That’s when it actually becomes your own personal look and style, and you’re no longer copying anyone. You’ve actually established your own look, through a solid foundation laid in mimicking.

Then, the most important step is to wear your chosen style and presentation with confidence. This is the major step that makes a style icon stand out. They’re not constantly checking themselves to make sure everything is in place and how they want it. They strike out with confidence throughout their day, and this confidence brings an extra level of iconic style to what they do. Approach your days with the same attitude, and you will be able to have that same kind of impact through your own personal stylistic decisions.

Don’t be afraid to copy other people’s style. This is a great way to kickstart your own fashion sensibilities, and it gives you a base, from which to refine your own personal style.

The Personal Image System (master level course)

Deciding which brands you are going to buy from regularly is a big, important step in the journey to dressing better. But brands change over time, and the only way to always know the ones that are working best for you is to continually test them out, over time, and cycle back through occasionally to see if brands that you dismissed before are better options for you now.

But you need a starting point. A kickstarter. Somewhere to jump off from. And that’s what this episode is all about. Today, I’m showing you what my favorite brands are for each item of clothing, within each pricing bracket. Whether your budget calls for affordable, mid-range, premium, or even custom clothing, I’m giving you my best recommendations for where to look first.

Dressing better is a journey, and one that is continually in motion, evolving and changing. That’s a lot of what makes it such a fascinating study. So enjoy the process! The journey of coming to understand brands and quality in clothing will take a lifetime, but use this episode to jump-start that journey, and start dressing better and making better decisions regarding brands today!

Navy Suit:

Affordable: Nordstroms, big box stores

Midrange: Suit supply, J. Crew

Premium: Zegna, Ralph Lauren,

Custom:  It’s all about the relationship. If you’re willing to travel, you can cheat the system. See: 10 Custom Tailors Antonio Recommends

Sports Jackets:

Affordable: Banana Republic, J. Crew

Midrange: Bonobos, Suit Supply

Premium: Ralph Lauren, Armani

Custom: Same as suits

Dress Shirts:

Affordable: Nordstrom, 1901

Midrange: Charles Tyrwhitt, 5th & Lamar

Premium: Ledbury, Hamilton,

Casual Shirts:

Affordable: J. Crew, Factory, H&M

Midrange: J. Crew, Banana Republic,

Premium: Nordstrom,

Trousers:

Affordable: Nordstrom, Topman

Midrange: Hugo Boss, Banana Republic, Bonobos

Premium: Canali

Chinos:

Affordable: Old Navy, Dockers

Midrange: J. Crew, Banana Republic, Bonobos

Premium: Ted Baker

Jeans:

Affordable: Lees, Levis, Wrangler,

Midrange: Bonobos, Lucky Brand, ABC, Nudie, AG

Dress Shoes:

Affordable: Aldo, Johnston & Murphy

Midrange: Paul Evans, Allen Edmonds, Alden, Churches,

Premium: Ferragamo, Prada

Leather Boots:

Affordable: Thorogood

Midrange: Red Wing, Wolverine

Premium: Alden, John Lott

Casual Shoes:

Affordable: Converse, DSW

Midrange: Sperry, Zappos

Premium: Jay Butler

Neck Ties:

Brooks Brothers, J. Crew, The Dark Knot

Belts:

Affordable: Dockers

Midrange: Allen Edmonds, J. Crew

Winter Coats:

Affordable: L. L. Bean, The North Face

Midrange: Patagonia

Premium: Canada Goose, Brioni

Scarfs:

Affordable: GAP, H&M,

Midrange: J. Crew, L. L. Bean

Premium: Burberry, Prada

Winter Boats:

Affordable: The North Face, Hunter,

Midrange: L. L. Bean, Sorel

Premium: Red Wing

Warm Weather Jackets:

Shorts:

Affordable: Old Navy, GAP

Midrange: J. Crew, Mr. Porter

Premium: Ted Baker, Paul Smith

Sandals:

Birkenstock, Zappos

Sunglasses:

Ray Ban, Oakley, Maui Jim

Watches:

You usually get what you pay for. See: The Ultimate Guide to Men’s Watches

Get to know your brands, and which ones fit your budget and needs. But understand that brands change over time, so experimentation is essential.

10 Custom Tailors Antonio Recommends

The Personal Image System