I always say that the difference between style and costume is authenticity. In part 1 we thought about the current style environment to assess our style needs and get us started. The next thing you need to think about in changing up your style are your roots. However you dress should not only represent who you are and who you want to be, but who you have been. People should be able to get an idea of what sort of man you are just by the way you dress. I realize that a lot of people don't have the same appreciation of style that I do and, frankly, a lot of guys I know think it's silly until they start digging for promotions later on in life and realize they need to up their game. Then they always seem more than happy to give me a call for assistance. I really find investment in personal style to be about self-discovery though and it all starts in the past.

Now, unlike a lot of guys who I see on fashion blogs, dressing well was never a priority for me growing up. It's not something I was raised with. I grew up out in the countryside wearing mostly hand-me-downs from my big brother and the only time I was aware of the need to dress and impress was when going to church on Sundays. But I consider myself inherently a country boy and this has always been fundamental to the way I dress. Clothes that are tough, can take a beating or be passed down from a man to his kids. For this reason I'm going to be looking at rugged fabrics like denim and cotton twill that are able to handle the rough and tumble life.

For this look I'm building, there are other aspects of my personal history that I want to tap. Growing up I spent a lot of my time in Cadets, heading out to camps every summer, building shelters on survival weekends and learning new skills that have helped me throughout my life. When I was a cadet, having a clean and pressed uniform was of paramount importance. I tell many people that this is when I first gained my appreciation of quality clothing, and this has stuck with me in the years as they've passed. I have a real affinity for military clothing. I like how durable it is and that you can really take it into anything. Tying that into this look that I'm building, I'm going to be looking for some military silhouettes like cargo pants, chinos, etc and implementing military colour schemes or themes into this look to reference my time spent as a cadet.

After I graduated from highschool, my life was focused on two different passions: the outdoors and racing cars. I worked in an outdoors gear supply store after highschool and bought a lot of equipment for camping and other outdoors activities. Shortly after I bought an old Toyota Supra and started working on it's engine to turn it into more of a sports car. My Friday and Saturday nights were spent hanging out with my car buddies and driving around town getting into trouble. While I've grown up a lot since those times, I still want to capture that past in the way that I look. I love the vintage racing jackets and mechanic's shirts associated with those days, and I was always inspired by my backpacking magazines even if they weren't particularly fashion-forward (quite the opposite, really). Those days will always be a part of me, and I'm going to bring them forward into this look I'm creating.

As my Grandmother recently passed away I also gained insight into my family's style history through old photos of her and my grandfather. I want to implement some aspects of those vintage looks into this style to help bring it all the way back through my family history.

The blending of these various themes into one look is what is going to make the look intensely personal and unique. I'm not tapping into every part of my past, but selectively curating it to form the basis for my look.

Your personal style doesn't just fit an occasion. Sometimes it won't, but it should fit you. It is more than just looking good or looking presentable. It is about telling a story where you are the hero. Creating your style in this way gives you confidence, makes you feel comfortable and represents who you really are in the best way possible, which will help you to succeed and attract like

In the next article in this series, I'm going to delve into masculine archetypes represented in the parts of my personal history I want to tap. Like any good story, there needs to be some myth and some legend. By identifying these archetypes I will help cement my personal story in the broader story of man.

Til next time.

- Mr. S