Managing Your Message: Execution of Personal Style

You’ve heard it many times before, “details matter.” It’s true; details are the finishing touches of personal expression. They are often what separate average guys from truly interesting men. Whether big or small, exuberant or subtle, details drive the messages we use to define ourselves to others.

My fellow MensFlair contributor, Winston Chesterfield, recently posted an excellent essay on the core of personal style. His argument that style is akin to art, that an artist must paint or that a sculptor must liberate the form inside a block of granite, is particularly insightful. This is the kind of drive and attention to detail that marks a truly stylish man.

The execution of personal style, not surprisingly, varies from person to person and involves more than just clothes. You can manage this message if you want; building up a personal presence that reflects who you are, what you want and what you’re all about.

There are many examples of people who consciously developed their style around specific details. Tom Wolfe is one; with his trademark white suit and hat, the writer is instantly recognizable. Whether you like or loath his persona, Wolfe is a very smart man who understands the benefit of being unique and standing out in a crowded field.

Of course he backs up the stylish eccentricity with darn good writing. Details won’t get you too far if there is no substance behind the flash. There is one guy though, a big guy with a lot of substance who has fascinated me for quite a while.

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is a virtual tactician when it comes to designing and executing his own personal marketing plan. From the custom suits which both highlight his well known bulk – and by extension make his polished executive appearance all the more pronounced – to the custom cowboy boots emblazoned with his adopted home state’s seal. Schwarzenegger has always been meticulous about packaging himself for the task at hand.

By capitalizing on his early niche “Pumping Iron” fame, he launched himself into action hero celebrity and then made an even more remarkable transition to political powerhouse. Schwarzenegger always takes the time to manage his public persona and adjust his presentation when needed. Running through it though has been a consistent core image: a cigar smoking, Hummer driving, independent thinking, business minded big man with a toothy smile.

His sense of style alternates between refined outdoor rugged and polished corner office political leader. Mud smeared, machine gun toting on-screen persona aside, Schwarzenegger is in fact a connoisseur with excellent taste in design, clothes, watches and of course hand rolled cigars. He is well read and a virtual policy wonk when it comes to such complex issues as climate change and trade – both key issues in California. Although legally barred from running for president, he still oversees 12% of the American population. Not bad for a kid from a little town in Austria.

Using Arnold Schwarzenegger as example of how to manage your image through attention to detail and focus may seem a little outsized, but the governator is a brand and he knows it. You and I are no different. What is your brand? Who is your audience? What is your plan? What are the details that define you?

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The Commodity of Luxury

The shiny barrier of luxury that one clearly defined social and cultural classes has fallen by the wayside. Now, even the most average of incomes can support some level of Tiffany, Cartier, Hermes, Asprey, Gucci or Louis Vuitton. Only one generation ago any of these names would conjure up images of drivers waiting outside intimidatingly luxurious store fronts. Such places were exclusive. They were out of bounds for the ordinary consumer. You could walk in of course, but you didn’t really belong there.

How the world has changed. Though many of these companies took generations to become bastions of excellence and good breeding, it took a relatively short period of time to make their products and accessories available to the masses. When once only New York’s privileged scions browsed for the perfect diamond engagement ring, today every other teenage girl has a “Return to Tiffany” chocker wrapped around her neck.

Burberry, that giant of English brands had to hire a new CEO whose first act was to abolish the company’s signature tartan from hundreds of products. In Burberry’s case it was too much of a good thing – that plaid was everywhere and all at once. What had been a cipher for privilege and exclusivity was now the domain of high schoolers.

In their drive to reach the ultimate brass ring of market share, sobriety and tradition gave way to down market sales. Catch them young, the theory goes, let them afford a scarf or a bracelet with the coveted logo on it, and when they grow up and make more money they’ll come back to spend it on a sapphire necklace or an iconic trench coat. And it worked.

At least the first part worked. The problem of course, is that when you have a hot economy and lots of people with a desire for fame and spare cash, the more bling you can sport the better. What began as an effort to ensnare more customers and grown the bottom line quickly twisted into outright brand saturation.

The turning point for venerable Tiffany & Co., apparently came when hordes of cash flushed teens clogging up the “rear salon” – when the sterling silver jewelry and accessories are sold - started to turn off the customers who were coming in to buy the big stuff in the “front salon.” This is where the real action happens; where you might see some fellow drop $50,000 on a charming tennis bracelet for the wife.

These are the customers who really pay the bills and when they start feeling sidelined because Tiffany appears to be catering to a 13 year-old with mom’s credit card, well, watch out. The first half of the down market plan was a success. The problem was that so many people could now afford a piece of the dream and the demand was relentless. So were the sales.

But as this “affordable luxury” trend spread across the luxury market, from entry level Jaguars to entry level Zegna suits, the inevitable started to happen. The truly rich, the top level consumers started to feel not so special.

Because if everyone can be special, than, really, no one is special. And so as the bottom feeders snatched up their logoed iPod cases, key chains, and handbags-of-the-moment, the top feeders started looking for material fulfillment elsewhere. Coincidentally, the financial markets started to stumble around this point and that really didn’t help.

As most economists will tell you, when consumers believe that their financial situation is threatened the first pull back will be in discretionary spending. While this has different meanings to different people, at some point getting that blue velvet Gucci suit just doesn’t seem like a good investment.

This is the conundrum facing a number of large luxury houses as we kick off the New Year: the market they have spent years trying to attract is no long in a spending mood. And the elite customers, who could, with just a few shopping trips set things right, no longer desire your brand because it has been watered down.

The result of this perfect retail storm is equally as fascinating. New designers and real craftsman are starting to make their mark. People both average and wealthy want something new. Those with the means to have pretty much anything they want something no one else has. Average consumers who have money but are now more selective want something unique.

Visionaries like Tom Ford and David Chu saw this coming and acted early. After founding and then selling Nautica for a tidy profit of $100 million, Chu renovated an entire Manhattan townhouse and turned it into a bespoke atelier from which he offers a full range of custom clothing. After leaving Gucci, Ford decided that New York needed a super high-end men’s clothier that felt like a private club.

Wealthier shoppers are moving way from brand name luxury because it simply too common; luxury itself has become a commodity. So, really this was a roundabout way of saying that I believe we will be seeing a shift in the definition of luxury. People will soon realize that the only way to in fact be unique is to disregard labels and logos altogether.

And to me that time cannot come soon enough. Real style is a personal thing and luxury items are the most extreme expression of personal style. So in a sense we are back at the beginning when true luxury did not have a label slapped on it, when a suit was handmade and the man wearing it was an ambassador of style, not the tag.

Personally, I think that those things most meaningful to you should be uncommon and rare; they should come with some sort of price beyond that of just money. Be it an irreplaceable family heirloom or an expensive and unusual watch that was a once-in-a-lifetime purchase. Even if it’s a favorite sweater bought at a discount store; if you cannot bear to lose it, well, then it’s just as valuable as one from some expensive boutique.

When you get down to it, those who have a real understanding of style don’t need labels. They don’t care if you recognize their bag or their tie or their coat. It’s not about impressing you; it’s about standards they set for themselves. That’s luxury.

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New Books on Men’s Style for the New Year

I love books. If my wife would let me line each room of the house them, I would. In my study, I have a wall of bookshelves stuffed with volumes ranging from physics to interior design, presidential biographies to etiquette guides, and poetry to world history. In this New Year, I have added a few titles to my menswear and clothing section so I have a few books to recommend.

Personally, I think every guy should have a few books that can help him get dressed for the day. As an information junky and writer, I have amassed a fairly large collection on menswear including books, guides, magazines and clippings. In fact, I just did a quick count and discovered that I have 37 menswear-specific books.

It’s not a collection just for the sake of having one. To me, each one of those books is a source of inspiration not a rulebook – though some authors seem to think theirs is the only way to dress. Don’t hold fast to any one recommendation or opinion. Take it all in, decide what you like and leave the rest.

With that disclaimer in place, here are some suggestions for your reading pleasure:

Men’s Style: The Thinking Man’s Guide to Dress
This has replaced G. Bruce Boyer’s “Elegance - A Guide to Quality in Menswear” as my hands down favorite menswear book. I never thought the day would come.

Russell Smith is perhaps one of the best menswear writers out there. If you only read the introduction, titled “why bother?” it is worth the purchase price. He succinctly and with great wit explains why you should want to dress well. If you read on, it only gets better.

Smith’s sense of style is classic and his opinions pointed – like how he eviscerated any thoughts I had of ever wearing a white suit a la Tom Wolfe. Oh well – I still have the white bucks.

Overall, it is an excellent book for someone who already has a pretty good handle on his own sense of style and is now ready for the advanced class. Not a lot of images, but the excellent writing takes care of that.

Details Men’s Style Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Making Your Clothes Work for You
One of the best all around resource books I’ve seen in a long time. If you need to figure out where to start – start here. This book is a production of the crew at Details Magazine and they’ve done a fine job. Lots of pictures and sidebars add to the constant flow of sartorial information.

This is good book when you are looking for an all-in-one resource. From suits to jeans, sweaters to formalwear, most every angle is touched on. Several chapter topics are paired with a celebrity style guru offering their personal “Rules of Style.”

Esquire’s Big Black Book
OK, so it’s not really a book, but it’s not really a magazine either. This is the second year that Esquire has produced this style guide and though much of the content is “of the moment” it is a wonderful look book from which to get ideas. It covers all aspects of men’s products and luxuries, from watches to suits, to snazzy hunting duds and essays like the making of cashmere.

Mark your calendar to pick up next year’s copy; it should hit the shelves sometime in early December.

Ralph Lauren
If you are a fan of Mr. Lauren you should get this book if for no other reason than its value as a novelty. It is massive. I am contemplating getting an iron frame stand made for it so that this volume can double as a coffee table.

OK, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit, but it is an awfully large and expensive book. It’s all for good though, because it literally contains the entire visual history of Ralph Lauren the company. If you can think of a favorite advertising campaign, it’s in there.

I recommend this as style inspiration/resource guide because Lauren is a genius when it comes to tapping the emotional core of style and design. Just leafing through a few pages will give you style ideas to last a month.

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Short Coats for the Winter

With the winter’s wind and dropping temperatures marching across most of the northern hemisphere, it’s time to open up the closet and pull out a good coat. While there are many options – from ski parkas to quilted jean jackets – if you’re heading off to work it should be something a little dressier.

When it comes to men’s coats, there are a number of perfectly respectable options. Chesterfields, polo coats, camel hair, and coverts; and each have its place. But for something a little more modern and portable, try a short coat.

Short coats tend to end somewhere between the waist and mid-thigh area. As with their longer brethren, short coats can be put to use in formal and casual environments but they possess the additional benefit of comfort and variety.

Short coats have less fabric floating around and can be more comfortable for people who commute via public transportation. They also have a less formal feel about them even though many varieties are designed to the same level of detail as longer coats.

As a general category, Car Coats are classic and have a lightly formal design that can be worn over a suit or whenever you want to present a simple professional look. The clean lines, often with slash or patch pockets, make the traditional car coat versatile and useful.

Another classic option is the traditional Navy Pea Coat. This season, I have seen all sorts of takes on this truly timeless short coat. From leather to cashmere, a pea coat’s innate style translates well. And as long as you don’t choose some funky patterned version, it’s almost guaranteed never to go out of style.

Duffel or Toggle Coats are perfect for cold, windy days and those times when you look to project a casual and preppy sense of style. The coat’s toggle latches, patch pockets and cozy personality are a great way to inject some fun into your day.

The Barbour Jacket is an iconic choice that pretty much looks great on everyone. Barbour jackets speak of country houses, wealthy relatives, shooting weekends and galloping your favorite mount across the estate. In addition, they are a practical investment and one of those things that looks better the more it is abused. With its liner zipped in, you have a warm and waterproof outer layer that looks at home in the field or the concrete jungle.

Foul weather gear and technical jackets are a fun and functional alternative to “traditional” business oriented outerwear. As I mentioned in an earlier column, when done well, I am a fan of technical parkas worn over dress clothes. When wearing casual or weekend clothes, these jackets hit just the right note. They provide protection, are usually very comfortable and have an unmistakably rugged style.

As you can see, this is one of those subjects can literally fill a book. Cold weather coats come in myriad styles and sizes – bomber jackets, mackintoshes, raglan sleeved overcoats and wool lined barn coats. The list is endless. Try on different styles that appeal to you and go for what feels right.

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Icons of Classic Style: Martin Luther King Jr.

Monday of this week was Martin Luther King Day, a holiday filled with both pragmatic and intangible significance. Dr. King is without a doubt one of the most revered figures in modern American history. More than most public figures of the 20th Century, King is so intertwined with the times in which he lived that he has transcended his own personality. He has become a legend, but a very human one.

I chose Dr. King as an icon of classic style because more than anyone else I admire, the way in which he chose to present himself every day quite literally changed the world. When I think of Martin Luther King, Jr., I see a man who possessed incredible inner strength and a drive to make a tangible mark on the world. I see a man who forced others to see who he really was by sheer force of personality. And when I think of how he looked – I see him in a suit.

It was usually a simple but elegant suit; dark, sober and professional. It was a Sunday suit; fitting of course as he was a preacher. But it was also his armor during a time in my country’s history when bigotry was literally the law. Black citizens had little protection or recourse and even the most heinous act of murder was seen in a different legal light. The presumption was usually that the victim deserved it and all white juries usually concurred.

I bring up these rather depressing images because it is important to put King in the right context. As with his contemporary, Bobby Kennedy, King has become a somewhat remote and perfected image. But the dangers faced by Dr. King and those around him were very real and very personal. Every day he had to get up and accept that his work could – and probably would – lead to his death.

In addition to his landmark non-violent protests, King led another type of war. It was the war of perception. Dr. King presented black America in a way that tore down the flimsy veil of prejudice. Step by step his actions reshaped the image of what made someone an American and a human.

King understood the role of media and of perception. He made a point to always be well turned out, eloquent, knowledgeable and gentlemanly. He was daily fighting the ignorant and small-minded stereotypes that unfortunately persist to this day. By presenting a glaring counter argument in the form of an accomplished and elegant African American leader, King opened a new front in the war for equality.

By being perpetually well dressed King’s image, as well as his words, presented an unassailable message of strength, confidence, leadership and intelligence.

He was not the first in civil rights leader to harness the power of dress. Malcolm X, a fellow civil rights activist and leading figure in the Nation of Islam, lead legions of followers impeccably turned out in suits and bow ties.

While clothing does not in and of itself change the world, part of Dr. King’s legacy will always be the image of a polished leader and brilliant orator. King’s choice of clothing extended his reach and defined a leader.

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