Should You Strive For Style Perfection? | Is Anyone “Perfect” At Being Stylish? | 5 Reasons To Keep Working On Your Look

The perfect tie…

The perfect collar…

Perfect shoes…

Perfect fitting pants…

Hold on – is there a perfect anything?

Can a guy get his look 100% right?

No – ask your wife or girlfriend.

Style perfection isn’t reachable. Neither is any kind of perfection.

And yet I’m telling you: KEEP GOING AFTER IT!

It’s a wonderful habit – especially for your style.

Read on to find out why.

1. It’s Always Good To Set Some Goals

In life there is no achievement without goals. You’ve got to aim for something. You need to focus on some target in place.

When you shoot for the sky, you never shoot yourself in the foot. Pursuing goals without conquering them still beats having none at all.

Nobody’s perfect – that’s something we can all agree on. But successful people like to have goals that are set to that unattainable degree of perfection.

It’s not about striking the bull’s eye of perfection but somewhere in its vicinity. So when it comes to any goal, shoot for the sky – as you’re likely to land among the stars.

2. Experience Excellence – It’s A Powerful Thing

Pushing yourself towards your goals, towards success and this so-called perfection – that’s the heart and soul of excellence.

Take it from the late Vince Lombardi, who served as head coach for the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s: “Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”

And the Back To The Future star Michael J. Fox shares that same point of view: “I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God’s business.”

We can all gear ourselves towards excellence. It takes perseverance, patience and accepting mistakes we make along the way. It’s about practicing more and more – constantly improving oneself.

An improved style is an improved you. It makes a positive impact on your work environment, your professional and personal relationships, and your self-esteem. Don’t you want to present the most excellent version of yourself to everyone around?

Forget the saying that practice makes perfect… Practice makes excellence. Live the one life you have and do everything with excellence – and no what ifs will come back to haunt you.

3. You Learn Something From Each Trial And Error

There’s this saying in the Marine Corps: “If you’re not falling down, you’re not running fast enough.”

So that reminds us that a lot of times, it’s good to take risks. If they don’t pay off… at least you end up learning something. They tell you exactly what works and what doesn’t.

Go ahead and experiment with your style. Don’t be reluctant to try on something you’d normally avoid.

It could be just a pocket square fold or a different tie knot. It might be that button-down embroidered with artsy patterns which you saw at the thrift store.

Who’s to say you would’ve never rocked the quiff cut? Or those skinny jeans were never going to suit you?

You may try something out and “fail” on the basis of how people react. But for every point of failure, you realize something more about yourself. You start filling out that checklist of items that either (A) highlight who you are, (B) have no business being on you or (C) lie within the neutral zone.

Without trying… you will never know. That in itself is the only kind of failure you should be afraid of.

4. You Appreciate Effort Whenever You See It

The more you actively try to better your style, the more you start seeing others do the same.

And some of the best-dressed men out there just happen to make it look so easy. Sure, Hollywood’s A-listers have their stylists go through the daily grind of fetching them red-carpet ensembles. But other fashion icons have exhausted time and effort into their own signature looks.

A good example would be the Italia Independent’s cofounder Lapo Elkann. He’s known for dressing with sprezzatura, an Italian term for calculated nonchalance (being cool, calm and collected).

Sprezzatura was originally used to describe courtiers whenever they performed in front of royalty. They had to show that they fully mastered whatever role they played (sport, dance etc.) as part of the job.

Like courtiers, men who appear to own their wardrobe and act like themselves – without nerves or anxiety – deserve a lot of praise. To have that level of self-confidence means they have really mastered their styles.

Those men have tried and failed before reaching as close as they now are to perfection. They are the ones who walk into a room and get you and the other guys thinking, “I want to be like that.” Just remember that they used to be in your shoes.

5. There’s An Opportunity To Develop Confidence

While we tell you to aim for style perfection all the time… what matters the most is confidence. Self-confidence, to be specific.

Do you feel like that orange checkered shirt is paying off today? Great! But if not, don’t beat yourself up for it. You’ve put all that effort into looking your best. It’s now about moving forward and taking action.

Smile and laugh off any unflattering comments you may receive. Don’t assume everybody means what they say. This is when you stand your ground and use body language to express: “This shirt may not look so fly, but I’m still hot stuff!”

Former President Jimmy Carter’s wife Rosalynn puts it best: “Once you accept the fact that you’re not perfect, then you develop some confidence.” Imperfect moments shouldn’t take a toll on your self-confidence. They should only build it up even more.

Rise above your critics. Brush off any failures. Wear nothing but self-confidence over every article of clothing on you. This is the attitude of a real man with real style.