7 Ways to Customize Your Look
Published on February 1, 2024
Truly stylish guys really OWN their look. They make their clothes their own. Today almost anything you wear can be personalized without spending an arm and a leg. So why are you going around looking like everybody else? From head to toe you can customize your look to suit your style. Here’s how:
Off-the-rack shirts are made to fit the most possible guys, which means they’re generally too big, especially in the midsection. If you’re tired of wearing a tent, you can take your chances with some designer’s definition of “slim fit.” Or you can go custom, get a shirt that actually fits you and say goodbye to the male muffin top look forever.
Every guy’s got one tie he’s held onto for too long because it’s just the right length and the knot comes out perfect every time. Guys who get their ties from custom tie maker Peter Field have whole closets full of ties like that. The Peter Field team works with you to pick a fabric, style and length that’s perfect for you. They specialize in ties for tall and short men, but there’s no reason a medium height badass can’t have a uniquely designed tie made exactly to his specifications (and throw in a personalized, hand-crafted pocket square too).
You can save up for a Rolex, and be like every other dude who just spent his Christmas bonus/tax refund/share of his latest Ocean’s Eleven style heist on a watch but real ballers go custom. New York’s own Martenero lets you choose the style of dial, hands and strap you want on your watch and you won’t have to rob a casino to afford one.
Readers of The Compass already know the merits of a custom suit from Black Lapel, the dozens of luxe fabrics, the stylish patterns, the special features that make it yours and yours alone. Still, the number one reason to get a custom suit remains fit. Tailors can alter a suit, but truly custom suits are a different ballgame. If you want it to fit you flawlessly, go custom.
Can you customize the design of your socks? Sure, but the real power move is to focus more on fit. Instead of stocking up on cheap one-size-fits-all synthetic socks, step up to a pair that is made with a right and left foot to fit you exactly, like Falke’s Sensitive London.
A bespoke shoe is a serious step towards stylishness, but just one pair of custom made shoes can set you back a lot of cheddar, so you better absolutely love those bad boys. Thanks to hook + ALBERT, if you’re not ready for that kind of commitment, you can play the field and still personalize your shoes. A ten pack of their colored laces means you can go two workweeks with different accent colors on your shoes everyday. And for your more casual looks, you can pick from their assortment of removable loafer tassels that can be added to your penny loafers.
These are just a few of the dozens of ways to customize your overall style, from your cologne to your topper (Goorin Hats lets you customize your lid in select locations). Now the only question is how do you make your look your own?
Leave a comment below or put up an Instagram pic of your favorite personal touch and hashtag it #BLcustomized and #BLcustomlife and we’ll post some of our favorites here.
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Nice post, thanks for sharing this one hoping to read more of your work.
This design is spectacular! You most certainly know how to keep a reader
entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Wonderful job.
I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how
you presented it. Too cool!
We aim to educate, encourage and entertain with every story!
I’ve been doing colorful socks and custom laces for just a bit now, and I never would have thought it would get so much attention. I’m in sales and people always notice colorful laces.
Laces and socks are a great way to add some personality to your look AND customize the fit.
We like colored socks so much, we’ve given socks the spotlight in our Guide to Stepping Up Your Sock Game and primer on .
I’m not big on the colored socks and laces, but I do like the watches.
In my part of NYC, people like the classic black suit & tie with a white shirt… I don’t know what they see in it, but thanks to “The Compass”, I found my Confidence and helped my figure out where to get my inspiration from. I’m more for Rat Pack look (leaving out the fedora, and adding a bit more color), without sacrificing the “modernness” of the look. like this: Like this … without the fedora.
Glad to hear that we’ve helped you define your own style. That’s what this article and The Compass and Black Lapel are all about.
As for the socks, if you’re not a fan of colored socks have no fear, the Falke London line we featured above that are fitted to each foot’s shape are available in black, gray, navy and sand. As for the laces and tassels, they’re, admittedly, bold and may not be for everyone. So glad you made this comment because it brings up a good point: everything should be customized, even your choice of what to customize.
Great post guys, those ties and watches look awesome.
Thanks, Chris. As you know, once you go custom, you see the world differently!