This section is about clothes… I always preferred the word menswear to fashion, which never quite fit how I think about it. Fashion, to me, means one of two things: high-fashion runway work which I’ve not been that close to, or fast fashion & trends, which sits badly with me given the conditions behind making clothes so cheap and on such a mass scale.
Tecnichally, menswear is different. It’s less cyclical, and more interested in things built to last – a classic that gets better with wear rather than a trend that’s over by next season.
Done right, clothes are a form of self-expression, the same as music or art. There’s a practical, almost obsessive side to that too – how different fabrics, cuts and construction genuinely change how a garment sits and moves, which is where I think the “science” of it lives. But mostly it comes down to how clothes make you feel. When you’ve put thought into what you’re wearing and it’s really ‘you’, you carry yourself differently. That doesn’t have to mean dressed up – a good t-shirt and a well cut jacket can do the same job as a suit.
And I love this idea of how it can make people feel. To me, it can be a powerful tool. And has been the driving force behind this obsession of mine that has developed over the years. It started many moons ago, with, like many other clothes lovers – vintage. My friends and I would make trips over to Manchester and get lost in Afflecks Palace, coming out with all sorts of cool bits, combining that with my Dad’s interest in Armani & Hugo Boss, you get an interesting outcome…
But my interest in it has really come into a world of it’s own over the past few years. I made friends with a couple of independent London designers such as Scott Fraser of Scott Fraser Collection (the absolute GOAT of mid century inspired menswear) and was driven to bring some of that style inspiration into my own. I also discovered the sample sale’s at Drakes – the hot shop in vintage inspired luxury menswear across varying styles, from preppy to western to outdoor and incredible suiting.
Talking of suiting, my Dad & I had some made for his wedding last year, and to see how this process works was incredible and just made my hunger to be close to clothes even stronger! Kindly, they invited us to be a part of a shoot for their Made To Order website – which was a great opportunity to be on set with the creative directors and photographers for such a prominent brand in this world – not to mention it was just super sweet to be up there with the old man! He says he’s created a monster…
Over the years I’ve got close to the guys in the shop there now, and have recently been asked back to be shot for their Autumn Winter 27 Lookbook, as seen on their instagram below (wild!).
I now have a really good insight into what goes into the styling and creative direction that I’m taking forward with me into my own practice.
I’ve spent years, like most people, worrying what others might think of how I dress. I’ve taken some stick for it more than once. But I’ve come to think the only thing that actually matters is whether you feel like yourself in it – and that if something doesn’t work, you learn from it and move on. As Oscar Wilde put it, you can never be overdressed or overeducated.
Elliott