From free to affordable finds, these techniques, tools, and picks will make better style more effortless.
Special thanks to Slick Collar for supporting Primer’s mission and sponsoring this article.
Dressing better isn’t just about buying different clothes or learning esoteric fashion rules—it’s about transforming how you approach getting dressed.
The goal is to create a system that makes the act of dressing smooth, enjoyable, and sustainable, even on the toughest days.
A good style system reduces friction in your day-to-day routine, creating a better relationship with what you already own and making it easy to put together outfits that work. Below are a number of easy techniques, tools, and picks that have made my own system infinitely easier.
A Great Way to Intake and Organize Inspiration
Free – $10
Any good designer, filmmaker, photographer, architect, or interior designer knows the importance of cataloging inspiration. No great artist works from memory or starts from scratch with every project.
Putting outfits together and honing your style is just as much of a visual and artistic endeavor as any of those creative fields. If you’re still figuring out your personal style, why force yourself to stand in front of a closet, staring blankly and trying to decide what to wear?
You need a way to save clothing, style, and outfit ideas as you come across them. Whether it’s on Primer, while browsing a retailer’s website, walking through the mall, or scrolling on social media, having a system to capture and organize inspiration is invaluable.
How you do this comes down to personal preference:
- Create a Pinterest board.
- Take screenshots on your phone and save them into an album.
- Use tools like Notion or Evernote for a more elaborate system.
There’s no wrong way to do it, but it’s essential to do something. You’ll be surprised how often you forget about an outfit idea. Months later, you’ll scroll through your saved inspiration and rediscover a look you can recreate.
It saves time, reduces stress, and makes getting dressed for events or daily life significantly easier. I can’t emphasize it enough.
A Movable Shoe Rack to Be Near Your Clothing
$25+
Having my shoes clearly visible while I choose my clothes is incredibly important. Building an outfit isn’t a linear process; it’s about experimenting, holding items next to each other, and seeing how they align for the occasion and look on you.
An outfit is a cohesive look; having all items visible helps create that cohesion, rather than just seeing them as separate pieces. It all works together to become something more. For instance, suede loafers change the feel of a shirt and jeans differently than white sneakers do.
When I can see my shoes alongside my clothing, I often pick shoes I wouldn’t have chosen if I had already decided on the top and bottoms first. Being able to audition different pairs while putting together an outfit makes a big difference.
Slick Collar
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A structured collar can make all the difference between looking sharp and looking sloppy. This is true whether you’re buying shirts on the affordable end of the spectrum or investing in more expensive pieces.
With button-up shirts that lack structure, the collar often flops over, making your look feel unkempt. This is especially an issue for smart casual looks where even casual pieces should be as refined as possible.
Enter the Slick Collar: a simple invention that immediately proves its worth. Affordable, effective, and perfectly designed for its purpose, the Slick Collar is essentially the collar+placket equivalent of collar stays. It provides structure not only to the collar tips but also to the front button placket, holding them in place and preventing them from collapsing or folding under the fabric’s weight.
This keeps the collar upright, ensuring it doesn’t slide open due to the fabric’s weight. Created by a small business out of Canada, the Slick Collar is adjustable for different neck and shirt sizes, with each order including three collar lengths. This versatility means it works for everything—from knit polos and golf shirts to more formal dress shirts.
Best of all, you can easily move them between shirts, meaning no alterations are needed.
At around $20 for 3 with the code, the Slick Collar is a small investment that delivers big returns across nearly all of your collared shirts. It’s a solid, reliable tool, and once you have it, you’re set. Easy buy.
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An Apple Watch Strap That Helps Balance the Tech-y and Athletic Nature
$10+
In social media fashion bubbles, there’s a bit of a pretentious, almost Luddite view on smartwatches—that they can’t be stylish. Sure, they lack the heritage of a dive watch or the elegance of a gold dress watch, but that mindset ignores the reality of living in 2024.
For many, smartwatches are essential—whether for lifestyle, work, or responsibilities. Personally, my Apple Watch helps me stay focused without the distraction of my phone. I still get texts and calls but avoid time-killer apps, which makes it a must-have for me.
I wear it often at home with the default strap but it’s tough to wear in a more smart casual, evening look. Thankfully, Apple Watch bands are easy to swap thanks to their sliding mechanism. A leather or metal band, which you can find affordably in off brands, and can be swapped in during the times the regular strap doesn’t work, makes all the difference.
Designate an Outfit Workstation
One of the most stress-reducing changes I’ve made is setting up a dedicated “workstation” near where I hang my outfits. Having all tools in one place makes it much easier to get everything ready efficiently, especially when running late. It’s a small shelf where I keep my steamer (with plug access), a clothing brush, and any other tools I might need.
It’s a kind of “workbench” for your clothes, where you move items from closet storage into the staging area, and have all the tools you need to get them looking their best.
A Place to Hang Outfits
This might seem simple, but it will change how you approach your clothing and style.
Picking out your outfit the night before drastically reduces morning stress—especially if you’re not a morning person and feel half asleep or foggy. It’s a total game changer to just wake up and know exactly what you’re wearing.
For me, I hung a hook in my closet to stage my outfit for the next day. It keeps everything neat and separate, acting as a staging area while assembling different combinations. Instead of trying to picture a combined look in my head, I pull out key pieces and hang them, trying different combos until I find the perfect match.
A Clothing Brush Instead of a Lint Roller
$15+
Before the sticky paper-based lint rollers you’re familiar with, people used special clothing brushes to wipe away dust and hair. Originating in the 19th century, clothing brushes were essential clothing care tools for men who wore suits regularly. Since suits can’t be washed easily, it was important to have a brushing routine.
I’ve lived with dogs that shed for 15 years and the sticky lint roller has always felt annoying and wasteful to use just due to the sheer amount of peeling and rolling I’d have to do each time. Recently, I finally picked up some clothing brushes. They come in different coarseness and stiffness levels, with softer brushes designed for more delicate garments made of cashmere, for example, and stiffer ones to handle denim more directly.
While they’re not perfect, and sometimes require multiple passes to finally get that one piece of hair, it is less annoying to use. Clothing brushes can be found starting around $15 and you can upgrade to the gentleman standard, English-made brand Kent which start around $40. The double-sided Kent CC20 which is often discussed as a go-to due to versatility eeks passed the article budget and is around $60.
A Clothing Steamer
$15+
I don’t know how that’s possible, but for me, ironing seems to add wrinkles rather than remove them. Plus, my usual schedule for getting ready is always tighter than I’d like, so I’m often rushing when it’s time to get dressed. The last thing I want is to plan on wearing something, only to find it’s too wrinkled and feel like I don’t have the time to deal with it.
That’s where a steamer saves the day.
I have two steamers: a budget-friendly model around $20 I’ve had for years and a larger Conair model. Both work well—just run the steam over the fabric, and most wrinkles disappear easily.
Honestly, I’d be in a tough spot without a clothing steamer. It’s one of those tools that makes getting ready so much simpler, and I can’t recommend it enough.
The Plain Ball Cap
James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, has famously said, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fail at the level of your systems.” If you are a person trying to dress intentionally in your life—especially if this is a newer endeavor for you or doesn’t come naturally—you can’t expect your natural habits and routines to brute force more conscientious style 100% of the time.
It’s just not going to happen. There are going to be days where you don’t wash your hair. There are going to be days where you’ve got to throw something on and still want to look good but don’t have time to do the whole thing.
For those days, a plain black baseball cap has been amazing. There’s nothing wrong with wearing a cool hat with the right sports team logo or some sort of vintage design. But it does require some visual balancing with the other items. The plain black cap takes it from being a completely utilitarian thing (like a free hat from a corporate giveaway) to an intentional part of your outfit.
A Hoodie or Quarter-zip Alternative That You’ll Want to Wear
$20+
Hoodies are popular for two reasons: they’re comfortable and easy to wear. There’s nothing wrong with hoodies; I like them too.
However, there’s a difference between wearing hoodies as part of your style, and relying on them because you panic about what else to wear. For those slightly less casual settings—like a date, family event, or after-hours work function—having something that feels as comfortable as a hoodie but looks more appropriate will make your life easier.
There are many options:
These are easy swaps on days where you don’t have the brainpower to think beyond a hoodie that elevate your style while maintaining comfort.
Wooden Hangers
$4.99+
If your closet feels chaotic, switching to wooden hangers can provide the needed structure and organization. Rainbow-hued plastic hangers add visual clutter when your mind is trying to figure out what to wear, and they don’t give your clothes the support they need. In a packed closet, shirts and pants get compressed, causing wrinkles, creased shoulders, and crushed collars.
Wooden hangers solve these problems. They provide structure to keep your clothes ready to wear and give your closet a cleaner, more organized appearance.
The best part? Wooden hangers don’t have to be expensive, and you don’t need to replace them all at once. I transitioned my closet over a couple of years, and the difference is night and day. IKEA and Amazon have affordable options, and once you make the switch, you’re set for good.
Closet Space Savers like Tiered Hangers
$15+
Tiered hangers are great for grouping similar items together, reducing visual clutter. If you have six identical white T-shirts, hang one visibly and keep the rest on a tiered hanger. The same goes for workout clothes you wear in no particular order. This setup saves space and minimizes visual clutter, making it easier to focus on key items when putting outfits together.
Levi’s 501
$35+
If you’re a Primer regular, you’ve heard me talk about 501s as styles have shifted toward straighter/looser fits over the past few years. The 501s, with their classic straight fit, were the first place I turned. Initially I thought, “These are way too wide; I’ll never wear them.” But they quickly became my go-to, no-thought-required pair. I wear them dressed up, dressed down, and everywhere in between.
Here’s the thing about straight fit jeans: If you haven’t worn them since the ’90s, it’s easy to judge them too quickly. When they’re new, they look crisp, pressed flat, cuasing the side seams to flare out awkwardly. But after washing, drying, and breaking them in, the drape changes completely. Now, they follow my body’s contours without feeling too wide, loose, or blocky.
They’re easy to wear with chunky boots or suede loafers for that faded preppy look you see at places like J.Crew, Buck Mason, and Taylor Stitch. They’re comfortable, soft, have a bit of stretch, and they’re affordable. You can snag a pair for under $50, especially during upcoming sales.
A Great Plain T-Shirt
Having a soft, good-looking t-shirt that you love the way it fits—I cannot overemphasize how valuable that is. You will wear it all the time. You will layer it underneath leather jackets, sweaters, and button-ups. You will wear it by itself with jeans. You will wear it tucked into chinos for a modern look.
A t-shirt that drapes well with a soft visual texture can exude sophistication just as well as a button-up shirt. Between a guy wearing a cheap, unkempt button-up and a guy wearing a really solid, soft, well-fitting t-shirt with some details in the collar, hem, texture, or wash—I choose the t-shirt every time.
Staples and basics are called that because they are universal and can look amazing on anyone when the details are dialed in. There’s a tendency to dismiss them as less important or boring, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Stop Wearing (and Get Rid of) Things You Hate Wearing
This is a big one for me. I lie to myself about things that are a smidge too small or don’t fit quite right. I’ll try them on, then end up choosing something else, but I don’t say to myself, “I should just get rid of this.”
Keeping those items makes getting dressed harder because they create visual clutter in your closet. It’s also wasted time if you try them on only to reject them again.
Another surprising side effect that I discovered is, I would never consider buying things “I already had” but never wore simply because they didn’t fit right or weren’t comfortable, even if the proper version of the item would have gotten worn all the time.
Outside of extreme utilitarian cases—like a blazer or suit you don’t enjoy wearing but occasionally need—there’s no point in keeping items you dislike. Use the trick where you hang those items with the hook facing outward and after six or so months, if the hanger hasn’t been turned around (indicating you’ve worn the item), donate or sell it. This method clears up space and helps you recognize what you actually need.
Dark Gray Jeans
$25+
If you want a single answer to what is one thing you can buy to make outfit-building easier, it’s a pair of dark gray slim or straight jeans with a quarter or half break.
You’ll be able to dress them up, wear them super casually, style them rugged, or pair them with preppy or streetwear looks. They’ll work with brown boots, black sneakers, and almost anything else. The versatility is endless.
If a friend who was just starting out asked me for one recommendation, it would be this. You can find plenty of options under $50 from places like Levi’s or Amazon Essentials, especially during sales that are coming up.
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2024-11-26 11:08:02
