Hmmm good Q. Some of this is subjective, and some of it is objective. If I know a piece of knitwear came from a mill in Shetland, Scotland, I'm prone to spending more money on it because of the quality of mills in that region of the world (the objective part), and the storytelling around products being good from that region (the subjective / preferential part). Ultimately I spend money on stuff I think is worth it that some of my friends or family would think I'm crazy for, and there's nothing wrong with that.
There's also a discussion around style vs fashion that plays into this too, separate from subjectivity. Some pieces are just worth the money if they're a staple, something you can mix and match with many different fits. Like a Barbour or Mackintosh, or a pair of Blundstones, etc etc. versus something that's only trendy and will pass when the next wave of hype comes. You know what I mean?
Ohhh, I used to go for Buck Mason a lot more (less so now), but KOTN is truly one of the better ones in the market. Uniqlo and J.Crew deliver at the mid-price point too. Imogene and Willie is great (though pricey $$$) for t-shirts.
Menswear is mostly fractured/more niche community led now vs years ago where a small number of brands led the way IMO, but if you had to choose a handful of brands setting the zeitgeist in 2023 and beyond, who would be your picks and why?
I've been sitting on this question for a few days because I'm not sure how to answer it from the perspective of specific brands. Some thoughts...
1) I think the rise of independent (or IYKYK) brands are becoming a thing. Niche is cool.
2) I think that what's setting the zeitgeist in general is this idea that clothing and irony belong together. That your fit or your style are a meme in and of themselves.
3) I think what's also setting the zeitgeist is that so much of menswear feels genreless right now. There isn't any one dominant genre/theme/style that's driving mainstream. Lots of folks are pulling from every aesthetic, and that's interesting to me.
If I HAD to choose for 2023 (maybe most borrowed from), I'd probably say ALD, Louis Vuitton, Carhartt...
But overall, I agree with your #3. Doesn't seem to be the same Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie, JCrew type brands that defined eras. JCrew was probably the closest of recent, but then fractured into a bunch of other brands (Buck Mason, Todd Snyder, etc) after they lost their way.
I think this comment on reddit r/malefashionadvice sums it up well:
"Millennials like me grew up when (in very sweeping terms) men didn’t care how they dressed, so we became obsessed with learning the rules—knowing what was right, better, classier, higher quality, more traditional, timeless, etc. The idea was, that getting dressed is a skill you can get better at—kind of like drinking beer, making coffee, eating out, managing time, watching prestige TV shows, and every other entertaining thing that millennials made into work.
It makes sense that after a decade of treating getting dressed like an engineering project, a lot of people are adopting new priorities: self expression, comfort, fun, originality, ease, currentness.
Fashion has put down its IPAs and picked up a hard Selzer, fruity cocktail, or something without alcohol at all. There’s no advice, and there’s no male—just fashion."
Currently travel with Away roller suitcases, Baboon 2 The Moon duffel/weekender bags, and a J.Stark tote bag. Next big purchase will be a Rimowa though :)
Any advice for how to add color to my wardrobe? I’ve a wardrobe that comprises largely of black, white, grey, and some earth tones. I’d like to add pieces that are a little louder, but I’ve been told in the past (by my wife) that when I do it generally looks like a unicorn threw up on me. Any ideas on how to incorporate color would be amazing
Haha I hear you. I think the trick is incorporating color in more subtle ways. So it's about finding the staple piece that can stand out. If you're wearing all black, maybe you throw on some yellow or red socks. Or if you're wearing khaki chinos with a grey/white top, you mix it up with a red beanie or a cobalt blue chore coat. The base layers are predictable and steady, and the supplemental pieces or the outerwear can stand out. Does that make more sense?
I'm looking to shift my pants style away from slim-fitting to something that's a little more loose-fitting and slightly tapered towards the legs. I was looking at some Stan Rays but inventory is low for my size. Any suggestions for other brands to check out for this fit and how to pull this off?
Yes! Huge fan of looser fitting trousers. Some brands that do a good job (but aren't US based) are FOLK Clothing, Frizmworks, and Universal Works. If you want more options for this style, HIP Store in the UK is the best at curating looser fit pants. So many good brands and products you can find there. LMK if you need more direction!
Daniel, I am on the same boat. Folk assembly pant is great (I got two pairs of their moleskin version). Also take a look at Kestin, I don't have a pair from them but I might try them next.
Throw in some colorful socks (red, yellow, green) from American Trench and that'll do it. Same with a baseball cap (47 brand). Keeps the color subtle and fun without being too loud.
Oh my gosh I WISH I got to be in Montreal for that. I just had a buddy photograph the brand there but planning on a trip this fall. Saint Woods is a staple in Montreal imo, some really good work they're doing as well. A Care Label is great or basics. Can't skip out on a visit to SSENSE either! So many good emerging brands you can discovery that SSENSE pushes in their stores and online.
SSENSE is definitely a staple! I'm from Montreal, but newer to the fashion scene so just wanted to know which brands I should keep my eye on that are in my backyard haha. Thanks for sharing!
Also follow-up question if ever you have time. Favourite fashion content creators? Ideally Twitter, but any platform works!
- There's a ton of waste in the swag and merch space.
- Most people just want cheap / lame shit and that makes me kinda sad.
- The supply logistics involved in a product getting manufactured, then shipped int'l to a decorator (by boat or air), then getting shipped to a warehouse to be packed and sent to someone, is a lot more complicated than you think
- The merch / promotional world in general is just so fragmented and old school
Lost my Barbour after 8 years of wearing it in to develop a beautiful patina and broken-in look (I'm heartbroken). Where do I go from here? Start the process all over again? Buy a vintage one?
Damn! Sorry to hear that, that would be tough. Where do you live? Getting a well-worn vintage is not a bad idea at all. I bought my first vintage Barbour in London (one from the 70s) and it's been fantastic. Haven't re-waxed it in a while but need to. If you're up for the journey, starting over isn't a bad idea either haha
Live in Washington, D.C., so pickings aren't the strongest. I'm going to Paris in March so any recommendations on where to look for one there (from you or the Sprezza community!) would be greatly appreciated.
Ohhhh man Paris is the spot. So much great vintage there. Kiliwatch, BRUT, and Kilo Shop are all great places to look for something like this. Not sure about Munich.
Are you concerned with having too much stuff? How do you edit and cull the herd of your wardrobe, so to speak? I find as I get older I want fewer pieces but more quality...but I’m not great at the editing part so items that I can’t bring myself to get rid of just sit in my closet.
Oh yeah. I hate having too much product. I used to care more about having individual stand-out pieces and now I'm more focused on finding pieces and styles that overlap with each other, and that's really fucking hard to learn. My sense of what's quality vs what's shit has also changed over the years, so I'm more rigid about what makes the cut for my closet or not.
A reset could be good for you though. Find pieces that feel evergreen (based on seasonality and color) and strip away all the other items in your closet. If you keep the evergreen ones you can build a new set of quality pieces around those staples. Does that make sense? Also, when you're left with fewer pieces to wear and choose from, it opens to the door to help you know what you need to fill in the gaps with
How do you determine whether the price of an item is worth it?
Similarly, do you have an annual budget for clothing? If so, how do you think about that?
Hmmm good Q. Some of this is subjective, and some of it is objective. If I know a piece of knitwear came from a mill in Shetland, Scotland, I'm prone to spending more money on it because of the quality of mills in that region of the world (the objective part), and the storytelling around products being good from that region (the subjective / preferential part). Ultimately I spend money on stuff I think is worth it that some of my friends or family would think I'm crazy for, and there's nothing wrong with that.
There's also a discussion around style vs fashion that plays into this too, separate from subjectivity. Some pieces are just worth the money if they're a staple, something you can mix and match with many different fits. Like a Barbour or Mackintosh, or a pair of Blundstones, etc etc. versus something that's only trendy and will pass when the next wave of hype comes. You know what I mean?
What's your go-to for high-quality basics (pants, shirts, sweaters) for skinnier men?
Ohhh, I used to go for Buck Mason a lot more (less so now), but KOTN is truly one of the better ones in the market. Uniqlo and J.Crew deliver at the mid-price point too. Imogene and Willie is great (though pricey $$$) for t-shirts.
Menswear is mostly fractured/more niche community led now vs years ago where a small number of brands led the way IMO, but if you had to choose a handful of brands setting the zeitgeist in 2023 and beyond, who would be your picks and why?
I've been sitting on this question for a few days because I'm not sure how to answer it from the perspective of specific brands. Some thoughts...
1) I think the rise of independent (or IYKYK) brands are becoming a thing. Niche is cool.
2) I think that what's setting the zeitgeist in general is this idea that clothing and irony belong together. That your fit or your style are a meme in and of themselves.
3) I think what's also setting the zeitgeist is that so much of menswear feels genreless right now. There isn't any one dominant genre/theme/style that's driving mainstream. Lots of folks are pulling from every aesthetic, and that's interesting to me.
What do you think?
If I HAD to choose for 2023 (maybe most borrowed from), I'd probably say ALD, Louis Vuitton, Carhartt...
But overall, I agree with your #3. Doesn't seem to be the same Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie, JCrew type brands that defined eras. JCrew was probably the closest of recent, but then fractured into a bunch of other brands (Buck Mason, Todd Snyder, etc) after they lost their way.
I think this comment on reddit r/malefashionadvice sums it up well:
"Millennials like me grew up when (in very sweeping terms) men didn’t care how they dressed, so we became obsessed with learning the rules—knowing what was right, better, classier, higher quality, more traditional, timeless, etc. The idea was, that getting dressed is a skill you can get better at—kind of like drinking beer, making coffee, eating out, managing time, watching prestige TV shows, and every other entertaining thing that millennials made into work.
It makes sense that after a decade of treating getting dressed like an engineering project, a lot of people are adopting new priorities: self expression, comfort, fun, originality, ease, currentness.
Fashion has put down its IPAs and picked up a hard Selzer, fruity cocktail, or something without alcohol at all. There’s no advice, and there’s no male—just fashion."
What luggage do you travel with?
Currently travel with Away roller suitcases, Baboon 2 The Moon duffel/weekender bags, and a J.Stark tote bag. Next big purchase will be a Rimowa though :)
How about I send you one of our new carry-on suitcases and you provide the SPREZZA community with a fair and honest review.
www.portableporter.com
Maybe :) haha I'll check it out now!
Any advice on how a clothing hobbyist/amateur designer grow their knowledge of fashion, design, silhouettes, etc? (Other than here, of course haha)
A subscription to L'etiquette Magazine is a great place to start. I like how they curate information in a digestible way. Go order a copy!
Any advice for how to add color to my wardrobe? I’ve a wardrobe that comprises largely of black, white, grey, and some earth tones. I’d like to add pieces that are a little louder, but I’ve been told in the past (by my wife) that when I do it generally looks like a unicorn threw up on me. Any ideas on how to incorporate color would be amazing
Haha I hear you. I think the trick is incorporating color in more subtle ways. So it's about finding the staple piece that can stand out. If you're wearing all black, maybe you throw on some yellow or red socks. Or if you're wearing khaki chinos with a grey/white top, you mix it up with a red beanie or a cobalt blue chore coat. The base layers are predictable and steady, and the supplemental pieces or the outerwear can stand out. Does that make more sense?
What brands do the best job for spring/summer wear in your opinion?
So many! But a few off hand I'm liking right now... Drake's, J.Crew, A Kind of Guise, Kestin, Folk, and Satta
What are some of your favorite examples of you “stealing” looks or items of clothing that you’ve seen out in the wild?
As in, me taking inspiration from someone else and copying that look as part of my own style?
Yes exactly!
Thanks for doing this.
I'm looking to shift my pants style away from slim-fitting to something that's a little more loose-fitting and slightly tapered towards the legs. I was looking at some Stan Rays but inventory is low for my size. Any suggestions for other brands to check out for this fit and how to pull this off?
Yes! Huge fan of looser fitting trousers. Some brands that do a good job (but aren't US based) are FOLK Clothing, Frizmworks, and Universal Works. If you want more options for this style, HIP Store in the UK is the best at curating looser fit pants. So many good brands and products you can find there. LMK if you need more direction!
Daniel, I am on the same boat. Folk assembly pant is great (I got two pairs of their moleskin version). Also take a look at Kestin, I don't have a pair from them but I might try them next.
What are your favorite ways to spruce up an otherwise all-black look?
Throw in some colorful socks (red, yellow, green) from American Trench and that'll do it. Same with a baseball cap (47 brand). Keeps the color subtle and fun without being too loud.
Loved that you enjoyed your trip to Montreal! Top 3 brands or stores you went/saw (a part form Ostrya)?
Appreciate you doing this.
Oh my gosh I WISH I got to be in Montreal for that. I just had a buddy photograph the brand there but planning on a trip this fall. Saint Woods is a staple in Montreal imo, some really good work they're doing as well. A Care Label is great or basics. Can't skip out on a visit to SSENSE either! So many good emerging brands you can discovery that SSENSE pushes in their stores and online.
SSENSE is definitely a staple! I'm from Montreal, but newer to the fashion scene so just wanted to know which brands I should keep my eye on that are in my backyard haha. Thanks for sharing!
Also follow-up question if ever you have time. Favourite fashion content creators? Ideally Twitter, but any platform works!
What was your biggest takeaway or learning from your most recent role working in B2B merch/swag? Rory
Mmmmm interesting question. I learned so much:
- There's a ton of waste in the swag and merch space.
- Most people just want cheap / lame shit and that makes me kinda sad.
- The supply logistics involved in a product getting manufactured, then shipped int'l to a decorator (by boat or air), then getting shipped to a warehouse to be packed and sent to someone, is a lot more complicated than you think
- The merch / promotional world in general is just so fragmented and old school
Lost my Barbour after 8 years of wearing it in to develop a beautiful patina and broken-in look (I'm heartbroken). Where do I go from here? Start the process all over again? Buy a vintage one?
Damn! Sorry to hear that, that would be tough. Where do you live? Getting a well-worn vintage is not a bad idea at all. I bought my first vintage Barbour in London (one from the 70s) and it's been fantastic. Haven't re-waxed it in a while but need to. If you're up for the journey, starting over isn't a bad idea either haha
Live in Washington, D.C., so pickings aren't the strongest. I'm going to Paris in March so any recommendations on where to look for one there (from you or the Sprezza community!) would be greatly appreciated.
Ohhhh man Paris is the spot. So much great vintage there. Kiliwatch, BRUT, and Kilo Shop are all great places to look for something like this. Not sure about Munich.
Can't wait to check them out. Will report back. Appreciate it!
Co-sign on Brut, Le Vif is also great for vintage but out of the way. Les Puces on the weekend could be good to check out too!
Are you concerned with having too much stuff? How do you edit and cull the herd of your wardrobe, so to speak? I find as I get older I want fewer pieces but more quality...but I’m not great at the editing part so items that I can’t bring myself to get rid of just sit in my closet.
Oh yeah. I hate having too much product. I used to care more about having individual stand-out pieces and now I'm more focused on finding pieces and styles that overlap with each other, and that's really fucking hard to learn. My sense of what's quality vs what's shit has also changed over the years, so I'm more rigid about what makes the cut for my closet or not.
A reset could be good for you though. Find pieces that feel evergreen (based on seasonality and color) and strip away all the other items in your closet. If you keep the evergreen ones you can build a new set of quality pieces around those staples. Does that make sense? Also, when you're left with fewer pieces to wear and choose from, it opens to the door to help you know what you need to fill in the gaps with
Any tips on where to shop in Milan?
Sadly nothing good comes top of mind, it's been years. I will think on it! What's your style/vibe?
Do need someone to help you in editing and writing some articles on the newsletter? It'll be an honor for me! Let's talk it ;)
possibly! email me clayton@sprezza.xyz
Sent!