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.
You can find Anden on Instagram at @flannels_and_tweed
