One of my favourite hobbies is building up performance cars and racing them. As with any project like that, it requires a lot of planning and preparation. I have to ask myself: Do I want a drag car, rally car or a road racer? Do I want to turbocharge it or supercharge it? Do I want to build something classic or exotic? And so on. Building your own personal style isn't much different except your likely not going to get as much grease on you and have less bruised knuckles.

On blogs, a lot of guys talk about personal style, and a lot of tips are given, but never have I seen the process documented from start to finish. How is it that the style set come up with an idea and execute it from start to finish? Whether you are building your own clothing line or just filling out your closet, the concepts are very similar. In this series I'm going to document the whole process from idea to execution so that you can learn how to develop your own complex personal style. Feel free to follow along after the jump.

For the last few years I've used a style concept I call "Country Club Rockstar". Using elements of my identity, I blended my country roots with aspiration prep style with a rockstar edge. This has suited me well for everything I've been doing until now: going to school, working in fashion and business, etc. But with my recent change in career towards my other passions, I no longer need to wear suits to work, and my office atmosphere is a lot more casual, leaving room for creativity. My general scene has become less formal, and so my dress is becoming less formal to match my atmosphere

Atmosphere and Personal Style

While your personal style should reflect your past and your future, it has to accommodate your environment as well. It makes no sense wearing a suit when the situation doesn't call for it, and being unable to adapt is just as bad as having no understanding of style at all. So whenever you are building your wardrobe, consider your current (and near-future) activities and environments. In my time doing style consulting, I've had a lot of guys come in to buy clothes for a new job. This is a good place to start because your job will likely be stable focus point to build your wardrobe around. You must also consider where you live, what you do when you're awway from work, and where you are going.