‘I am 30 years old, and I work in the jewelry industry. Most of my work is concentrated in the operations/purchasing arena. I am involved in some sales through the eBay auctions I put up for our company, as well as some custom work, and luxury watch sales I have had done for friends and members of the Styleforum community.

Products from Pukimo Raivio

Sartoria Nervesa, navy suit, size 48 EU
Cesare Attolini, light tweed jacket, size 50 EU

I attended grade school through high school in Baltimore, MD. I attended a few years of post high school judaic studies in Philadelphia and Israel, and returned to Baltimore where I received my Bachelor’s degree.

Thank G-d, I have a lovely wife and 3 wonderful children ages 2, 6 and  9. I would say that my wife “puts up” with my style enthusiasm. She appreciates the importance of looking good and strives to do the same. However, she is more price-sensitive and less brand sensitive than I am, and is satisfied with fewer items to round out her wardrobe. She also does a lot of seasonal turnover, whereas when I purchase something, I hope to use it for many years. My oldest child, my 9-year-old daughter, seems to have picked up fully on my style enthusiasm.  She already enjoys shopping and is very brand and style-conscious. I enjoy that she is stylistically inclined, though I fear the impact it will have on my wallet.

My parents, while they do not quite share my interest in style regarding their own dress, both very much enjoy and appreciate the fact that I always do my utmost to look my best. At no time did they ever try to dissuade me from perusing my interest in style, though my father did do his best to teach me to be financially responsible. The jury is still out on how successful that was.

I am the eldest of 6 children, 5 of whom are boys. Three of my younger brothers have followed my lead and share my enthusiasm for style. Their personal styles all vary greatly, some more trendy, others more classically inclined. I often go shopping with them, and help them to develop their personal style, as well as pass along some of my clothing items when I feel it’s time to move on from them. It provides a great venue for us all to bond and share a common interest in something.

My interest in fashion and style began in 7th grade, and I clearly remember the first brand name items I bought — a pair of navy chinos and a plaid polo shirt from Structure (now Express for men). I think that interest was just something my eyes were naturally drawn to — an appreciation for the details in what makes something aesthetically pleasing, an understanding of where and what quality is, and wanting to understand and see more of it. My mother says I get it from her side of the family.

Both the high school and college I attended required dress trousers and button-down shirts daily, and SCs/suits and ties on occasion. That dress code certainly furthered my inclination toward classic style, though for a while a lot of fashion/trend items were in the mix. It took a while for my style to develop any real intention to it, and a sense of coherency, if it even has one. Without question, the final step in that process was Styleforum. I think that some, who are more conservative-minded in their dress, would say that I am still more fashion-inclined than classically-inclined in my dress, but I think that my overall look leans more toward classic dress than fashion dress.

How did I find Styleforum? I had found a Canali suit in Nordstrom rack for $800, and I was searching to see if it was considered a good find price wise. A quick Google search lead me to Styleforum, and I joined so I could ask about the suit. The general response was that is was an ok price for a NWT mainline, which it was. I ended up buying the suit and still have it, though I rarely wear it — the fit is off. Live and learn, I guess.

As many know, once you join SF, you are likely to stay. I stayed because I immediately recognized the forum as a place where I could continue to learn a great deal about tailored clothing, and I was not let down. I stay because there is always more to learn and because the forum is filled with great people who provide a fun and enjoyable place to hang out. I have met a number of people from the forum, and they are all, without exception, great guys. As has been famously said by the forum moderators, “people come for the style and stay for the conversation” or something like that.

Classic dress appeals more to me because I feel it has longevity and a proven track record. You don’t run the risk of looking at your closet in 6 months and realizing you hate everything you own. While there are things about the trends of today that I do enjoy, much of it will be yesterday’s news sooner than later. However, the general trend in increased interest in menswear is a great thing, and it helps men to head in a good direction. The fact that people are even interested in looking good at all is a huge step, even if sometimes it is toward a look that I may not always love. Not everyone is looking for the same goal in their dress, and that’s 100% cool with me.

I always try to keep an open mind in my dress and try to learn as much as I can. If I think an item or combination might look good, I will happily try it out and look for feedback to see if it is something that works. Whether it is a “fashion” item or classical item, if it looks good, I am game to try it. Rules are great guidelines, but if something looks good, that carries a lot of weight to me, even if it may seem to vary from some perceived classical ideals.

It’s hard to go all the way back and remember exactly where I first started learning about clothing and fashion, but if I recall correctly, in my early teens, it was mostly from print advertisements and some articles in regular men’s fashion magazines. After this, much of it was from talking to sales associates in the stores I shopped at, and talking with friends who had similar interests in fashion.

It really came to a head once I happened upon Styleforum. A lot of what I have learned came from reading the vast amount of sartorial knowledge that has been shared there. Much of what I learned that went beyond just general book knowledge of clothing, and really was applicable to my personal style, came from advice and tips that the many members of the forum were kind enough to share with me via Private Message, email, or other forms of communication. There are a lot of people out there who have a great wealth of knowledge and are kind enough to share it with others who are truly trying to learn and develop their own personal style. While it is dangerous to mention any names for fear of leaving anyone out, members Spoopoker, DerekS and dcg all provided me with a lot of very useful and practical help.

For RTW, I have a long list of makers I favor, but at the top I have a strong affinity for Isaia, Luciano Barbera, Zegna, Borrelli, Barba Napoli, Gaziano and Girling, Kiton, E. Marinella, and much of what RL puts out in his many lines. The one brand that I have not had the chance to own, but really would like to, because I love what they make and really relate to their style, is Brunello Cucinelli. Unfortunately, I have not come across very much of their items where I shop. If Iwould ever win the lottery, I could definitely see myself with a closet full of Cucinelli wares.

I have not had a lot of experience with bespoke, but I have used Panta Clothing for a pair of custom pants, and hope to be working on a jacket from them as well. Styleforum member edmorel, owner of Panta Clothing, has been great to work with, and has provided me with a great deal of general help in my understanding of classical mens clothing. I have had Sam Hober and Cordone 1956 make me a handful of bespoke ties, and I could not be happier with them. I would highly recommend all these makers to anyone looking for custom work.

I use a local tailor for the regular day-to-day things, like hems and jacket cuffs, but for anything that needs “serious surgery”, so to speak, I use Fields English tailor in Washington DC. I could not speak highly enough of Will Field’s work and professionalism.

I have a hard time pinning down exactly how I would describe my personal style. I think “open to new ideas” is possibly a good way to describe it in short. Most days I wear a sport coat and trousers, usually with a tie, and a suit/tie rig about every other week, but that is simply because I have far more SCs than suits. Within that, I would classify my dress more toward traditional/classic men’s dress. Not really CBD, but certainly more traditional than #menswear. Most of what I wear is more sedate and muted, with a lot of solids or small patterns, but I certainly have some fun pieces that I wear as well, whether that be in pattern type or brighter colors. On occasion I do dress on the casual side as well — usually chinos, a more casual shirt and sweater, and more rounded, heavier shoes, like suede bucks or a pair of Tricker’s. Again, I am always open to new possibilities and change, and am willing try new looks if I think it will look good.

Unfortunately, I don’t have much time between work and family for other hobbies, but I have always enjoyed sports. It has mostly become watching these days, as I have not had a chance to get out and play in a while — something I hope to remedy.

There are many things that I wish more men would know about fashion, but the thing that stands out most is that men shouldn’t take everything they read or see about fashion at face value. Learning is great, but take a step back and think if it’s something that makes sense to you and if it’s something that will look good on you. What works for one guy, doesn’t always work for the next. Looking good is not about imitation, it’s about understanding yourself and what you want to look like. I wish more men would be more conscious of proper fit and coherent clothing matching. I’m no expert, and I am certainly trying to improve as each day passes, but these are things I try and keep in mind. Just because an item is great doesn’t mean it will look good on you if the fit is off, and even if it does fit great, wearing it with conflicting items will only detract from it.

For those starting to build a wardrobe, as was told to me on Styleforum, think before you buy. Start with items that will be versatile and won’t make you stand out as the guy wearing the same thing every day. Mid-gray trousers, navy SCs, suits in both those colors, browns are great too. Sedate, solid and small neat pattern ties, classic brown and black shoes like cap toes and simple oxford brogues…things like that. Once you have a foundation, go ahead and add fun pieces that you feel reflect your personal style and make you excited about what you have in your closet. I ended up doing it the other way around, only because the advice I received was given as a result of my habit to buy odd items that weren’t easy to combine in more than a few applications, but it would have been much easier had I not done it backwards.

I recently passed on a great Kiton denim-ish blue dress shirt I saw in Neiman Marcus Last Call because I had no idea what would wear well with it. It would be a cool item to have, but would never look as good on me as it did on the hanger.  It was just not my style. As well, I have returned many items I thought were fantastic because they did not fit right and would have just ended up sitting in my closet, taking up space. Some of my biggest purchase regrets are great items that I had to sell or are still sitting in my closet because they don’t look right on me for one reason or another.

Lastly, if you are not sure, ask someone who you trust and you know has a solid sense of style. You would be amazed at how much help is out there. All you have to do is ask. This is all of course, based on my experiences in how I have learned what I have, but I think these are things that can in some way or another apply to most people trying to learn and improve upon their sense of style.’

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Pictures: © in-stitches