Fashion Tips (What to wear for your shoot)

Before our shoot together, I do recommend carefully picking out your outfits. During our session, you will get three outfit changes, and it’s often a good idea to get buy a couple of new shirts or a new outfit for the occasion.

There are two types of people when it comes to fashion: those who care and those who don’t. This article is for those who don’t really care about “expressing themselves through their dress” and see clothes more as a functional part of day to day life. 

Now for most intents and purposes, that approach is completely fine.

But here’s the truth: unless you’re Brad Pitt, the UT shirt you bought at the Co-Op or the golf shirt that everyone else has is not cutting it. In that critical moment when a would-be romantic partner first looks at your profile, you want everything working in your favor to

I’m not saying you need to change who you are. Instead, refine your image some to better show who you are. Fashion is an important part of making a good first impression in new social spheres, business connections, and especially romantic relationships. 

Success in dating apps is primarily based on the images used in a person’s profile, and so it is extremely important to get that part right when crafting your profile. You need to optimize every aspect of your photos in order to stand out from the rest of the pack.

Now I know, fashion can be tedious, seem superficial, and potentially be expensive. It can feel almost a bit embarrassing and feminine to be thinking about your looks to that degree. But putting extra work on the front end into getting this right can make a major impact on increasing the tier of woman who sees you as a potential partner. 

The reason for this is because fashion sense communicates a variety of important pieces of information:

  1. Firstly and most obviously, good fashion just simply makes you look better. Clothes that are flattering to your body shape and a haircut that matches your face shape can add a significant margin to your perceived level of attractiveness. 

  2. The second piece of information is that fashion acts as a quick heuristic to communicate your level of status, the types of places you go, and the types of people you hang out with. This information is something women take greatly into account as they are looking for someone to match their vibe.

  3. The next thing that good fashion does that is probably more important that point number one is that it communicates social awareness and being in touch with social trends and attitudes. A massively important thing for women when choosing a man is that he’s socially adept, and someone who is socially adept dresses well and appropriate to the context. A man who wears t-shirts he got for free, wears the same dirty shoes he’s had for 4 years, or wears gym shorts to nice restaurants is NOT someone that an attractive woman is going to be thrilled to bring around her friends, to show off on her social media, and to meet her parents. She wants a man who will be impressive and like it or not, part of that includes fashion.

This alludes to a main idea of attracting a high value woman which is that it has to make sense. This may be the most overlooked aspect of male-female dynamics. It would be bizarre for that Instagram model with ten, a hundred, or even a million followers to be dating a middle manager at Sears who wears tennis shoes with jeans and cuts his hair at sports clips. It makes much more sense for her to be with a guy with style and is in a position in life where he has a lot of status, because she has both of those things. 

Where to go to update your closet:

The best place to get find a lot of cool clothes for relatively cheap are department stores like H&M and Zara. H&M has more streetwear while Zara is a bit more on the classy side. You basically can’t go wrong shopping at one of these stores; they’re cheap, in fashion, and they have basically everything you need from shoes to shirts to accessories. You can get out of there with several new outfits for under $200. 

Depending on your preference, it could also be a good idea to go to what I call “thrift row” on the corner of Guadalupe and 29th Street. Here you’ll find a variety of second-hand stores with a curated selection of fashionable second hand clothes. On Sundays, they usually have a market where many more sellers come with new collections of the most fashionable second-hand clothes around. These will run you a similar price to the aforementioned department stores but with an added uniqueness—though it’ll take more work and fashion sensibility.

But FINALLY — here are 5 EASY and ACTIONABLE guidelines to help level up your style for people who HATE thinking about fashion:

  1. Shirts:

    Maybe the easiest way to look instantly more fashionable and cool is to simply buy a well-fitting black t-shirt. Black has a slimming effect, and also is the highest contrast color and literally looks good on everybody. Black clothes have a bold and assertive presence to them that makes you seem more masculine. Other colors that are great are white shirts and I’m also a fan of beige or tan colors. Another in style and great option is vertical striped button ups. They’re trendy right now and look good on basically everyone.

  2. Pants:

    Pants are easy in that 20% effort gets you about 80% of the style. Right now slim (but not skinny) jeans are in and choosing pants with tears in the fabric adds a bit of character to your outfit. My favorite colors right now are black, light blue and some brown/tan colors. You can get much more into the specific style, going with a corduroy baggy cut or wearing slacks, but for simplicity’s sake, denim jeans that fits will do. American Eagle has great jeans that are comfortable and in-style at an affordable price, so that’s a good place to start. Also be sure to experiment with different lengths, like try seeing how the pants look with the bottom cuffs rolled up a couple inches.

  3. Layers:

    Incorporating layering into your outfit adds a level of complexity to your style. This can be as simple as wearing a shirt under an open button up, but it can go a long way in making your style look immediately more deliberate. I also recommend for my photography sessions that people bring a couple of jackets to complete each outfit so we can take photos of you in and out of the jacket, giving you a greater variety of looks.

  4. Shoes:

    Shoes say an incredible amount about a person, so much so that’s it’s almost alarming. With intentionally torn shirts and pants stained with paint being “in” these days, the line between looking stylish and looking homeless has become increasingly blurred. Your shoes are sometimes the only indicator of on which side of the isle you fall.

    1. Leather white sneakers, like Air Force 1’s or Reebock Club-C’s

    2. Fabric sneakers (budget option):

      • Vans: I’ve loved Vans my whole life, and they have essentially any combination of colors you can imagine, usually for only about $60. Can’t miss.

      • Converse: I never have gotten more compliments on any pair of shoes I’ve owned than on the Converse high tops I have. They’re white with different colors around the heel and they were only like $25 (I got them on sale). You can wash these in the washing machine and they come out almost good as new.

  5. Accessories:

    Accessories such as watches and jewelry are a great way to add a classy touch on your outfit and communicate a developed sense of taste. These items are going to cost you a bit more but I would suggest getting a chain or pearl necklace (if you’re feeling adventurous) as those add a nice distinguished touch to your whole look. A nice $60-$100 watch can also add a refined classiness to your look, and brands like Fossil are a great place to start.

There you have it, an incredibly brief overview of what to wear for your shoot for people who don’t like thinking about fashion. If you grab my Platinum Package, I’ll personally help you with all of these things for each outfit, but I wanted to provide some guidance for those who chose my other products. Fashion doesn’t have to be complicated, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. Hopefully this article has given you a bit of guidance.