Can You Feel it?
Chasing Down the Style That Speaks to Your Soul
Imagine scrolling and you come across an image of a guy in a suit and it looks… fine.
You take a quick second to check. It’s compositionally balanced; hangs right; hugs the neck. It’s got the correct sleeve pitch, good jacket length.
And ok, it probably took skill and acuity to pull the shirt, tie, and pocket square combination together. The look is responsible and formally coherent.
In an instant, the image registers in your head as well put-together. Check, check, check.
Yet you keep scrolling… because there was no pull, no resonance.
In other words you can't feel it.
But…
But then once in a while, you’ll see another image of a guy in a suit that strikes differently. It speak to you: "Wear me; become this." You feel a pull. You want to inhabit the vibe it evokes.
So there’s this key difference between competent looks and looks that capture the energy you want. A difference between playing the game and playing your particular game.
It’s this personal category that is the one worth spending your time on. When you feel it, it’s a signal to take a moment to stop, think and take it in. The image is trying to say something to you.
You might not even know exactly why it’s working. It could be a combination of any of dozens of design gestures such as the silhouette, shapes or the proportions, or it could be how the fabric falls. It could be how it’s styled with the right watch, the right shoes, the right eyewear. It could be the vibe of the wearer.
But whatever it is, it’s a cue to ‘listen’ and observe.
The 1%
If the men’s style world could be represented as a sprawling mosaic of genres, trends, history, rules and details on a broad wall canvas, my interest would be contained within just a square inch of that canvas.
The thing is, I’m extremely interested in that particular square inch. The rest of it — avant-garde, prep, workwear, streetwear, mainstream, gorp, luxury designer, the latest collabs, limited drops, red carpet, denimhead culture — doesn’t mean much to me. I just don’t care. What I love is a particular slice of style from 50 years ago.
So let’s say it’s 1% of the style landscape that motivates me. Classic fabrics, tailored jackets with strong shoulders, wide lapels, high vents; high-rise flares with a strong crease; deep-heeled shoes; shirts with dagger collars and big cuffs.
Why? Because of the energy and the vibe these gestures convey: elegance, glide, elongation. They’re designed to express flow and an attitude of comfort with one’s presence. Wearing these garments feels like a personal and quiet rejection of the cozy urban zeitgeist of utility & ease. It’s distinct, the opposite of generic.
That’s what I want. That’s how I want to feel. That’s how I want to look. I have no interest in dressing outside of this style. Why would I?
So, I go deep into that 1%. I work up designs with my tailor, I sketch them out, I shop vintage jeans, I commission custom shirts. I recently bought a 1970s DB blazer in great condition and had my tailor take it in and adjust the sleeves.
I’m chasing a specific energy. And I aggressively ignore the rest of the field.
Tunnel vision? Blind spots? Yeah, maybe. I might miss some things out there. That’s the cost. But so what, I’m not trying to be a style generalist.
But what I’m also not… is confused about what’s right for me.
If you’re not wearing what you love, you’re working at odds with your soul. If you’re not loving what you wear, you’re dressing for other reasons such as reassurance, status or just habit.
The thing is, if the external and internal are in conflict, the result is identity compression, a smaller life.
But you want fulfilment, non?
So then, what grips you?
Look at suit pics. Some will speak to you. Let them talk. If you listen long enough, they’ll tell you why.