As a guy, it’s less common to be in fashion. I played a lot of video games and watched a lot of anime growing up, so I was exposed to all kinds of fashion expressed in these mediums.
I started early with picking up on what my favorite characters were wearing. It also helps that I was a James Bond fan as a kid, he always dresses sharp. Kyo Kusanagi from King of Fighters was also another influence. If you look at a lot of the King of Fighters artwork, you’ll see all kinds of outfits the characters wear. I really enjoyed the whole idea of how what you wear can be expressive and you form your own identity in a way by doing that.
When I was in college, my sister and I would go to the malls almost every weekend just to window shop. I definitely would not say I follow ‘fashion rules’, whatever that is. I believe you’re free to do what you like. You think it looks good, someone else likely does too! When people tell me I am fashionable, I get a bit nervous because I just choose what I like. I imagine I am bound to ‘break rules’ or wear something that doesn’t really ‘work’.
I’m also a big fan of “You look good. You FEEL good.”