Interview with Andre Churchwell

March 18, 2013 by Ville Raivio

“[I’m] 59years old and serve as Associate dean for Diversity for Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and a practicing cardiologist (Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology). High School: East Nashville High School in Nashville, TN (graduated with Oprah Winfrey!) College: Vanderbilt University in Biomedical Engineering (B.S., Magna Cum Laude). Medical School: Harvard Medical School. Residency and Cardiology training: Emory University School of Medicine Affiliated Training Program. I have 2 children and my daughter has worked in fashion in NYC post college as an intern. and is currently finishing the Owen Business School at Vanderbilt; my spouse is tolerant of my style interests (for 30 years!); I helped her develop her own personal style interests; I initially bought 80+% of her clothes and helped her understand what designer’s clothes flatter her.

Products from Pukimo Raivio

Kiton, grey sports jacket, size 50EU
Ralph Lauren, Black Label suit, size 52EU

My father was the defining force in my life on many things and men’s dress was no exception; he helped my 3 brothers and I understand the power, importance, and fun of dress. My brothers have developed their own sense of style/dress. He felt that your dress served as your personal “armor” that allowed you to stand the challenges and “arrows” sent your way. As he dressed us as kids and young men I began to see the effect of well-cut clothing on the seeing masses. As I finished my training and had a little money, I began buying reference books to expand my knowledge: Elegance by B. Boyer; Clothes and the Man by Flusser; etc… I was fortunate to meet Bruce Boyer through a series of contacts in the late 1980’s and Bruce began my “graduate and post-graduate education in Men’s dress”—introducing me to Leonard Logsdail (Savile Row Tailor Transplant in NYC), Robert Gillotte of Turnbull and Asser who educated me on Custom Shirts; Edward Green and Cleverly shoes.

Over the years, I have met through Bruce many luminaries in men’s dress. I began TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF SYMMETRY AND BALANCE IN CONSTRUCTING YOUR PERSONAL WARDROBE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF DEFINING YOUR OWN PERMANENT CLASSIC STYLE. Fashion is for the moment and NOT about permanence. [My knowledge comes] from studying style icons like Gianni Agnelli, Fred Astaire, Doug Fairbanks JR and others (Cary Grant). It was apparent they were about defining what worked for them and sticking to it for a lifetime. Bruce, and other friends who had and intense view on personal style: The late Peter Rauch, Robert Gillotte, Avery Lucas, Sean Crowley (of Polo) Anthony T. Kirby, and many other “men of the cloth” who share a common vision and passion in dressing well and choosing the classics.

I have learned from meeting and using many tailors/designers on what determines great bespoke and made-to-measure tailoring. This journey can be a bit expensive as you drop the banal, average and fair tailors off the list. It makes me appreciate the phenomenal work of Leonard Logsdail — he is a gift! [My style is] very English-oriented, but with the American sense of individual style. I have come to understand what works best if you are 6’3” and between 185-190 pounds — the kinds of Patterns, the placement of buttons on a SB jacket; DB jackets—button the top of the 6 on 2. Trousers should barely touch the top of the shoes (just a “shiver”, or what Luciano Barbera calls the mid-atlantic break!) I favor fall/winter because of the ability to wear flannels and tweeds; one also has a wider palette to choose from with colors; lastly, I like 13-14oz weight cloths that one can wear in colder weather, it drapes better. This list is a partial one. Having spent a lot of time on this I work exclusively on bespoke-suiting with Leonard Logsdail (NYC/Savile Row); RTW is hard to say, but Polo Ralph Lauren has worked for years and for jackets Pal Zileri, but by and large I have trouble finding jackets that work.

[My journey on ASW] I think started with the Trumpet Award of 2011. My brothers and I won the medical award and it was featured on television, and had a black tie runway where we were featured, and Will showed this pic on his website and the rest, as they say, is history. I would recommend to the readers to spend a little time reading the key reference books (some I cited) and watching classic films of the 1930’s and 1940’s — these films show men’s dress at its pea,k and reveal all the styles that are available — 2-button SB; 3-button SB that rolls to the middle button; nonvented; single vented and side-vented jackets, etc. There are very few current men’s dress icons in the public’s eye that you can recommend the beginner to study, eg, George Hamilton, Prince Charles, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Chuck Scarborough of WNBC in NYC, Bruce Boyer, Luciano Barbera…that is about it. Also work with a good/great tailor or a brilliant designer (like Avery Lucas of Anthony T Kirby—both in NYC) who understand cut, balance, drape, etc.

Most of my other passions are very right-brain determined — drawing/sketching (note studying: Jack Kirby, Leonardo da Vinci,,etc) and writing prose/poetry. Music (Nat Cole, Torme’, Johnny Hartman, Sinatra, Bennett, Ella, Sarah Vaughn, Louis Armstrong, ,Beethoven, Mozart, early Bing Crosby (before 1936), Count Basie, and anything played by the Nashville Symphony…there is more but I’ll stop here!)

I think one thing that young men interested in dress should know a little secret. Women love guys in a well-cut and flattering suit with great shoes. Also how you dress presents you to the world, and future employers DO pay attention to how you dress and the quality of your clothing. The first thing that people see as you approach them is what you look like, and what you wear is the opening message. Make it good!”