I've started to dress better for others (for me). And since I deliberate and iterate¹ so intensely, I've also started to listen to a podcast about clothes.

In the episode “How To Dress” of Articles of Interest, the founder of Tibi lays out principles for how to dress, an enticing framing for a mind afflicted with Engineers’ Disease (ED).

After visiting Tibi's flagship store in SoHo to read The Creative Pragmatist, the book behind the episode, I'd claim very few principles for dress generalize well across people and time. However, I've found these principles generalize pretty well, from most to least generalizable:

1. Choose a simple set of values to motivate your wardrobe
2. Procure solid basics, including “the right jeans, the right tee, the right blazer, the right dress pant, and the right sweat pant” to build up your wardrobe
3. Pick “one, ton, or none” pops of color (and/or texture) for a harmonious outfit
4. Mix loosely and tightly proportioned pieces for a more interesting outfit

Though, as the episode emphasizes, treat these as guidelines, not hard and fast rules.