“Something that has helped me when I’m in a styling rut and that I’ve also used with my clients is to seek out visual inspirations and references,” says Mr Chris Kim, a Los Angeles-based stylist who works with celebrities such as Mr Travis Barker, among others. “Whether that’s making a mood board or following your favourite style content creators, it helps you get an idea of new styles to try.” Consider creating a Pinterest board or save Instagram posts to a folder, so you can refer to them for inspiration next time you’re feeling stuck.

Stylist Ms Anna Berkeley says to change your style, you must first understand your current set-up. “Make a rack of all your favourite pieces,” she said. “Don't overthink this – grab everything that you know you wear a lot and stick it on a separate rail or clear a space in the closet to do this. Take a notebook or your phone out so you can jot down ideas as they occur to you.

“Then look for threads that bind this collection of clothes together: what colours are they? Is there an obvious theme to the colour mix and are you happy with that? What could you add that would enhance the current set? Next, look at the silhouette. Are they similar shapes and cuts? Why do you like these? Make notes on that, too.

“Once you have this you can begin to see where you are in your style journey right now, and it is a journey. Style evolves all the time and we respond to it usually when something changes in our life or in our lifestyle.”

“Another fun way to play around with this is to reverse some of your usual silhouettes,” Berkeley says. “If it’s always a V-neck sweater and slim pants then why not try a slouchy sweatshirt with a slim jean? Or a wide-leg tailored trouser with a slim-cut shirt. The options are endless.”

Every guy has that one item he loves and probably has more than a few versions of in his wardrobe. Start there. Say it’s a navy chore coat or a V-neck sweater—consider buying a version of that but in an unexpected colour with an interesting design detail or in a different cut. That will allow you to expand your options while staying in familiar territory.

In a lively discussion on a Reddit page dedicated to men’s fashion advice, many users suggested taking daily pictures of yourself and, more crucially, your outfits, for a month or even longer. “This helped me so much because I feel like taking a photo of an outfit gives me a more honest impression of how the clothing fits and looks on me versus a quick glance in my bedroom mirror every morning,” one commenter said. “I look back on some of my OOTD photos and it’s like looking at them with a new set of eyes.”

When trying to make a change in your life, it’s best to be specific – what, exactly, are you looking to achieve? To “shake up my style” or “get out of a style rut” is vague while “look more professional at the office” is more specific and can lead you to more actionable ideas. “I’ve always asked my clients: when you walk into a room, what do you want people to think about how you look (in no more than two or three words)?” says the stylist Ms Suzanne Delahunty. “It requires you to distil your style into only a few powerful adjectives, which should guide you on the clothes you buy and how you wear them.”

“Gradually incorporate new pieces into your current wardrobe,” says Mr Chris Kim. Going full steam ahead can be intimidating. “If you’re looking to try out the western trend, for instance, try incorporating cowboy boots into your current rotation of shoes, or go even smaller and try a belt.”

It might sound obvious, but a crucial step is testing items out on your body. “The only way you’ll really know if a new style works for you is to try it,” Kim says. “The next time you go shopping, pick out something that’s not currently in your closet and see how it looks on. You might see something on a hanger and think to yourself, ‘I can’t pull that off,’ but the only way to know is to actually put it on.”

A new look isn’t only about adding things to your repertoire – sometimes, quite the opposite. “One thing that has been helpful for me and my clients is to do a wardrobe cleanse,” Kim says. “Remove clothing that doesn’t work for you anymore. A plus side is that you may find something you’ve forgotten about, which you can incorporate back into your rotation.”

Many of us are guilty of having too many clothes – and wearing just a small fraction of our wardrobe. Before looking for new items, consider what you already have. “Giving new life to items that fit you well and that you already love is a great way to feel like you’re wearing a new item without spending money,” says Mr Jabari Sandifer, a Chicago-based stylist and content creator. Try extending the life of your favourite with FIT & FIX, MR PORTER’s repair and alteration service in partnership with The Seam.

Resist the urge to make some bold, out-there decision and, instead, reconsider more everyday items. “Refresh your basics,” Sandifer says. “We often neglect the small things like quality T-shirts, well-fitting denim, lightweight jackets or a versatile pair of trousers. They are the foundation of every outfit and will make incorporating those more interesting or hard-to-style pieces we love much easier.”

“Trends are fun and a lot of us want to try them out,” Sandifer says. “There's nothing wrong with seeing if you feel good in them and can make them work with what you already have.” Still, he suggests starting slowly, to avoid wasting time and money. “If my clients want to try one out, I suggest getting one piece and seeing how it works with your current wardrobe.”

Changing your look can be about so much more than just shirts, sweaters and trousers. “Accessories add so much and are an easy way to shake up an outfit when you don’t want to go out and actually get new items,” Sandifer says. “An interesting necklace, bracelet, scarf or hat can completely change a look.”

Don’t forget the outsized power of shoes. “Interesting footwear can easily liven up a boring look,” Sandifier says. “Change out a sneaker for a loafer, a work boot for a cowboy boot, a slide sandal for a fisherman sandal – that will take your look to an entirely new place.”

Take the items you love, but may be hidden in the back of your wardrobe or drawers, and put them front and centre. That way you see them more frequently and are encouraged to build your outfits around them instead of defaulting back to your familiar standbys.

It’s not just what you buy, but where and how you buy it. Take an afternoon to go shopping IRL and go only to stores you’ve never been to before.

You don’t – and shouldn’t! – go shopping alone. Ask your most opinionated, brutal and best-dressed friend to go with you one day. Tell them what you hope to achieve and then get to work. Let their feedback and counsel help guide you.

Like any behavioural change, trying out a new look requires practice. Studies show that it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to create a new habit – or an average of 66 days. Which may sound discouraging or overwhelming, but is really just a way to say: it’s not going to happen overnight, or by magic. So, it pays to mentally prepare for a test run. Or several. Start with low stakes trials, such running a small errand, walking the dog or even just wearing a new outfit around the house. All in service of just getting used to it.

“I often set style challenges, whether it’s for my clients or for myself,” Delahunty says. “I started to do this when I realised the value in looking at clothes from a new perspective, whether it’s combining colour, creating new silhouettes or creating looks based on one specific item.”

An example, she said, is to wear a combination of clothes you’ve never paired together before. “Many of my clients have an abundance of blue items in their wardrobe, so their challenge might be to wear outfits for three days running without any blue pieces. The point of the challenge is to start thinking more creatively about how you combine your clothes.”

“I often recommend to get casual items tailored,” Delahunty says. “They are the hardest working pieces in your wardrobe so it’s worth getting them tailored to fit you perfectly. It’s worth paying close attention to the detail of tailoring and proportion, especially on casual pieces. Look at where the T-shirt hits the waist of the jeans. Where the joggers hit the ankle. The length of the sweater compared to the length of the casual jacket worn over it. The fit of the jeans on the waist and hips. It’s these small details that make all the difference.”

Trying out a new style should be fun and exciting – not a chore or, worse, a source of anxiety. Don’t take it too seriously. You may look ridiculous, you may put something on and feel like a fool, or find out that you were wrong. Guess what? That’s OK. Enjoy the process and don’t freak out if things don’t go your way.

“Thinking about ways to tease out different looks while still retaining your sense of style and taste should be enjoyable,” Berkeley says. “If you find all of this too exhausting, then you aren’t ready to do it yet.”

Leave room to take a big swing. “Sometimes I get a little burned out from wearing suits everyday,” says the menswear writer Mr Ethan M Wong. “In those instances, I like to change up the vibes and go casual to encourage myself to make time for my jeans, sneakers, tees and casual jackets. Shaking up the formality helps me get connected to my wider wardrobe and inspires me to express other facets of my style.

“The flip side works, too,” he adds. “If you’re mainly a casual guy, challenge yourself to get a bit more formal.”

Seek inspiration outside of the obvious places. “Following celebrities, designers or content creators can be overstimulating,” Wong says. “Instead, I love to look at movies. So much thought and intention goes behind each of the looks you see on screen and I find that quite inspiring.”

That doesn’t mean that have to be literal with it. “What matters is the ideas and themes behind it – you can try to recreate a fit using things you already own in your closet.”

Sometimes, the best inspiration lay behind us. “Try looking at the past,” Wong says. “Old magazines, illustrations, photos of celebs and people on the street, comics, art. The past is full of ideas. The best part is that it’s a world without social media – people were just getting dressed wearing what they had and what they liked. As a result, there are a lot of style moves that you may not see today.”

“It can be daunting to live in a world where we have no dress codes,” Wong says. “But I don’t see this as a bad thing. In fact, quite the opposite. This gives us the opportunity to give ourselves the prompt. It’s not about cosplay, but about giving yourself a theme or starting point to put things together in a cohesive way.”

In other words, create a persona or dress around an idea. “You just follow the narrative of the ‘character’ you are for that day,” Wong says. “The prompts don’t have to be random or out of place from your regular life, they can all be based on who we already are. Or at least who we would like to be, giving you a more determined starting point than just deciding if you want to be ‘formal’ or ‘casual’.”

Adding new hues is an easy way to shake things up. “I've always been a fan of adding hints of colour to my outfits, typically a bright pop,” says Mr Hamza Abou Ammo, a Los Angeles-based content creator. He suggests starting with smaller items, like a bright pink cap, orange tote or even colourful socks.

“A rule of thumb for me is when putting on a basic outfit – like a black tee, Levi's and sneakers – I make sure every item fits in a way that keeps the outfit interesting,” Ammo says. Maybe it’s looser trousers, a cropped shirt or chunky shoes, but taking an everyday item with a fresh shape – whether it’s the silhouette itself, the fit or the proportions of the whole outfit – can work wonders.”

Don’t be shy to experiment. Think about “balancing” an outfit by pairing an oversized item with a slimmer one.

If your look feels a bit tired, consider getting a new haircut or upping your grooming game. Something as simple as trying a new cologne or, for the daring, painting your nails can drastically shift your look.

Try swapping clothes with a friend whose style you admire. “Swapping clothes or accessories with a friend or family member is a great risk-free way to step out of your comfort zone and mix things up – and even get to know some new-to-you brands,” says the organising expert Ms Shira Gill.

If you’re looking for something with character and history, dip into your local thrift shops and vintage stores. There you’re more likely to offer distinctive, special pieces – and even offer up some unexpected inspiration.

For the Type A folks out there, there’s no harm in trying a closet organising app, such as Stylebook. It’ll help document all your wardrobe items, track and build outfits, see how often you wear items, plan outfits out and plan packing lists and more.

Stylists aren’t just for celebrities. Plenty of “normal” people have one, or use personal shoppers. A professional can help identify the gaps in your wardrobe and suggest ways to add some pizzazz to your look.