Styleforum has a lot of “favorite” brands. They wax and wane in popularity over the course of months or years, and because of the diversity of our members these brands range from the rigidly conservative to the breathtakingly avant garde. Although this isn’t a complete list, it does capture a snapshot of some up-and-comers alongside a number of old standbys. Let’s take a look at Styleforum’s favorite brands, and what they say about us – the people who love to wear them.
Photo: Epaulet
The Dream: You’re a globe-trotting gentleman-explorer, and your footwear reflects that. No matter the occasion, you’re always well put-together – but you never stick out. Several people have referred to you as “dashing.”
The Reality: You spend more time applying leather-care product to your massive collection of Alden shoes than you do wearing them.
Photo: Brooks Brothers
The Dream: Your life is a perfect blend of work and play. You roll up your chinos and play tag football on the lawn. You are happy and content, your collar roll is always immaculate, and you spend your summers vacationing on the Vineyard. You know it’s gotten crowded but you just can’t imagine going anywhere else – you’ve made such meaningful connections.
The Reality: You have recently discovered that penny loafers don’t go with everything. You constantly talk about how “real men wear pink,” but you’re uncomfortable and fidgety every time you do. Recently, you have begun to fear that people find you boring.
The Dream: You curate a minimalist gallery in a European city. Or if not a gallery, you curate a hugely popular photo-slash-contemporary philosophy website with descriptions of each photo posted in all caps. You curate something. People admire your taste.
The Reality: Upwards of five people owned your “collection” before you. You rarely wear any of it, and when you do, you remember why you don’t. You think about selling all of it constantly, but worry that you won’t be able to make back what you paid. You wonder why you don’t just start curating sweatpants instead. You have begun to suspect that no one cares about your moody photography.
Photo: Christian Kimber
The Dream: You’re a free spirit, the kind of guy who spends weekends at destination flea markets looking for antiques to furnish the quirky studio apartment you keep in a neat, artsy neighborhood. You ride your skateboard to the coffee shop every morning; not to work, but to read several Very Interesting Books every week. Your signature touch is a giant scarf. You eat a lot of noodles.
The Reality: You’re an internet hobbyist who spends his days browsing web-stores.
Photo: Eidos
The Dream: You are an Italian bon vivant who has excellent hair and rides a scooter through the hills of Tuscany.
The Reality: You got the suit 40% off at Bloomingdales. Sometimes, guys at work ask if you have an interview. Now you mostly wear it for your Instagram. You have 200 followers.
Photo: Stitched and Stitched
The Dream: You make a living as a travel correspondent, and spend your days fishing, surfing, and hiking with your group of friends and photogenic dogs. All of you carry vintage film cameras – even the dogs. You routinely get your fancy clothing very dirty, but you don’t care. Sometimes candid photos of you appear in Japanese style magazines, with captions like “How to live a care-free life.”
The Reality: Your apartment doesn’t allow dogs, and people wonder why you’re always wearing the same jacket and carrying a camera around.
Photo: Kapital
The Dream: You are a carefree artistic type, a creative director at an independent magazine. You are well-read and your friends are regularly featured in iD magazine.
The Reality: On the street, people wonder if you are homeless. You tell your friends you got it all on sale so that they won’t ridicule you for the prices you paid. You secretly wish you lived in Japan and owned an Indigo dye-house.
Photo: Barney’s
The Dream: You spend your time drinking ironic beer on urban rooftops around the world with your friends, all of whom are models, photographers, and graphic designers. You just launched a fashion magazine that has disrupted the industry and brought you several publisher’s accolades.
The Reality: You have three bomber jackets in your closet. You never know what to wear with any of them.
Photo: Suit Supply
The Dream: You are a successful young entrepreneur. You are stylish and always up-to-date on the latest New Yorker. You have respected opinions on everything from art to the economy to the state of the Great Barrier Reef.
The Reality: People wonder why your pants are so tight, and most women you meet find you just creepy enough to avoid. Your boss thinks you spend too much time looking in the mirror.
Photo: Antik Boutik
The Dream: You drive a vintage Defender, and all of your most precious belongings can fit into a single well-worn duffle bag. You live authentically. You eat interesting street food all over the world. You laugh constantly. Visvim is the only brand in your closet.
The Reality: You talk about hating John Mayer because he’s not authentic but deep down you burn with unbearable jealousy.
