“The designer on his personal style, which items all men should own, and why trying too hard is the worst thing you can do. I would describe my style as simple and not thought out. The most uninteresting thing for me is when somebody thinks too much about how they put themselves together. The clothes I wear myself are basically all shades of gray; it’s a uniform I wear every day. I’ve been dressing the same way all my life, except now it’s ‘mine.’ Sometimes I feel like I’m not really interested in fashion, but in doing what I do, and making really well-made clothes. To be really good at something, you don’t need to have studied it, just so long as you work with somebody really good.
If a designer just wants to start a ‘trend,’ they won’t have a very long life. But if you make something really well, there’s always going to be someone interested. That translates into the collection with Mr. Porter; it’s for guys who understand interesting design and appreciate quality. I get my haircut every week, same thing every time. I love order, uniform, and routine. Every man should own a navy cashmere jacket with gold buttons, a gray suit, black shoes shoes for the city, brown shoes for elsewhere.
Everything else should be simple and really well made. I wear running shoes every day, but I have to be honest, I hate them. I don’t understand the need for all the colors. I would love someone to design some red, white, and blue running shoes. Buying something timeless is more important than buying something on-trend, especially if it doesn’t look so good. People might think that I advocate wearing short trousers and jackets, but I don’t, because that doesn’t work for everyone.
Men shouldn’t try too hard, or think about what they wear too much. I like when there’s something about a look that throws it off a little—perfection is really imperfect. My style icon would be my father. He was well dressed, but it wasn’t too fancy or considered, just very classic, American-made suits (basically Brooks Brothers). He looked good all the time. My one rule for a stylish life? Just stay true to yourself.” – ( By Charlie Teasdale from Esquire.com – Note: version of this article was originally published by Esquire UK )