Member Focus: Anden

Anden, who has graciously agreed to be the first “Member Focus” of 2017, is a classic menswear poster who manages to bring a youthful slant to a world of men accused of dressing like grandpas. Of course, in his mind, that’s no bad thing.

I have always been interested in clothes, and I remember my grandfather always being well dressed – even when taking me to the playground. How I have dressed in the past has been a matter of context, so I haven’t always worn a coat and tie (even though I always loved my wine DB jacket from Givenchy – my 90’s Christmas jacket).

My employment for the last decade as a lawyer led me into the world of classic menswear. I work in a mid-sized firm and I have the freedom to dress as I like most days. There are days where the dark worsted suit, white shirt, and black shoes together with a soporific tie is the only available option, but the rest of the time I can dress in a variety of formal suits and less formal sport coat and odd trouser combos.

When I started working in the firm I got me a new blue suit. Having no real clue, I ended up with one that was too large all over and I wore it with an ugly pair of black shoes from Lloyds. Those shoes and the bad fit of the suit were’nt the worst part… I spent a summer in Chicago prior to graduation, and while there I picked up a pink tie from the Trump collection. I was so proud of this splash of color that I wore it a lot. When writing this I tried to find it, but it seems to have gone missing in my latest move.

What a pity.

When I was in law school I purchased a pair of cognac chukkas from PRL (the lower grade stuff) that I wore extensively for roughly a decade. They developed a great patina, and I decided to get something similar but in black. This was my first contact with Styleforum – researching which model from RM Williams to buy. After this purchase I decided to get a better dress shoe, and influenced by the current #menswear trends at the time I went for a double monk from Crockett & Jones. This pair has seen a lot wear, and is among my most comfortable shoes. This was in 2010-2011, which is when I feel my sartorial journey started, and without SF I wouldn’t have been able to acquire all the knowledge. Posting in the WAYWRN thread is the best way to get honest feedback on your fits.

After some purchases that I regretted, I decided to make a list of what I would like to have in my wardrobe, and my wardrobe-building started. I spent a lot of time looking for a perfect navy jacket, which I think is one of the first items to get. Well – I thought I got the perfect jacket but that has been revised since – and now I am in a place where I have almost everything on my initial list (and quite a lot more items too…).

What defines my style? I wear sports coats with an OCBD, wool or cashmere tie and flannel trousers almost every day during autumn, winter and early spring – and very rarely without a vest in wool or cashmere. I get to hear that I dress like an old man, and to me that is a compliment. I have done my experimenting and I know what I like and feel comfortable to wear.

I will be going to Pitti Uomo in a couple of weeks as a correspondent for SF so you will hear more from me soon. I’m looking forward to meeting those of you who will be going too.

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You can find Anden on Instagram at @flannels_and_tweed