Category Archives: Ask Me

I saw you on Tommy Ton Street Style wearing a green vest and an awesome turtleneck. Where was it from? – Jakob
Thanks a lot.  The turtleneck and sunglasses are from Thom Browne, the green down vest was from Ralph Lauren Black Label and the backpack was vintage.

I have a tweed jacket and I’m looking for a waistcoat to wear with it. Does the waistcoat have to have the exact same color and pattern as the jacket or do you think it can be a different color ? The jacket is tan-colored. – Micheal
The waistcoat does not need to be the exact color of the jacket, but I believe that it should be the same type of material. If you find a vest that is the exact fabric of your jacket, I would purchase it.   Usually, manufacturers do not make a matching vest to their suits and pants.

I am 5’6 and have pretty strong and short legs. Cuffing my pants seemed to make my legs look shorter and even bulkier than I want them to be. Since then, I have been trying to find pants that will give the illusion of longer, slender limbs. What pants do you suggest I buy to give off that illusion? – Daniel
The secret is high-rise pants. I have noticed I look taller in pictures when wearing pants with a higher rise. Try to hem the pants without a break, don’t make them too short but short enough so that the fabric does not stack at the bottom.  Also, try to find pants that are a little baggy so that you have enough fabric to taper them comfortably.  You don’t want pants that are too tight.  With regards to the cuff, I personally think you need to end the pants somewhere and recommend you to keep the cuff.

Hi, I think about investing in a Thom Browne suit but am unsure about the sizing. Do you usually try out different TB sizes before buying? Have you experienced different fits for different suit fabrics? Do you (need to) have your TB suits or jackets tailored? Thanks and congrats on the nice blog! – Karl
I have been buying Thom Browne suits for a very long time and am a size 0. The sizing is nearly identical every season and I have not experienced much change since the production moved to Japan. My body type gives me some flexibility when buying clothes as I am quite slight and have large shoulders. The size 0 is usually a tad small on my shoulders but the body fits me rather fine and I would usually wear it as is.  I can wear a size 1 and get away with it due to my shoulders, but I would need to take in the rest of the body.

Hi, I’m a college student and my friend’s having a dinner next week. I don’t know what to wear but I’ve an Aztec pocket button down shirt, some stripe shirts, black pants, khaki and black jeans, a pea coat and one brown moccasins. I just want something simple and classy. Thanks – Toby
To be honest, you do not have that many options and I would wear an outfit you are comfortable in. If I were you, I would wear the Aztec shirt, khakis and moccasins. If you are living somewhere were its cold, put on the peacoat. The one thing that makes me cringe is seeing people wearing one layer in the dead of winter. I really have no idea why you would do such a thing.

Over the past year I have learned a lot about personal branding, and have thus become much more conscious of what I wear. A few basic things like buying fitted clothes and becoming more willing to spend money for quality have done wonders for me. But now I’m not sure what’s the best way to improve my basic and limited knowledge of fashion. There are so many brands and blogs out there that I don’t know how I can possible keep up. Any advice on where to go from here? – Lukas
I am glad that you are starting to buy better clothing.  Like anything else, developing your personal style and wardrobe takes practice.  Experiment with pieces that you like and figure out what looks good together.  As I said before, you can look through stores and conduct further research with the brands and pieces you like.

Thinking about picking up one of the classic Black Fleece suits in the standard grey (just dropped the 2013 Spring on their website), I’m just a bit nervous as they are a sack/non-darted suit. I know they’re fully canvassed, but won’t that make it difficult to add darts if I choose to do so? I’m 5’6″ and like 130 lbs, so I’d definitely be a BB0, but I may need some waist suppression. This blog is an absolute god-send by the way, definitely turned me toward some great looks already, keep it up man! – Gregory
Adding darts to a suit is tough job and I do not recommend it. The suit was produced without darts for a reason and adding darts could mess up the whole proportion of the jacket.  I hardly even noticed the lack of darts when I first started buying Black Fleece. Try and get comfortable with the jacket, it is not as boxy as it looks and with proper tailoring it can fit phenomenally.

Recently I started to wear t-shirts with blazers for my ‘street’ outfit (I normally prefer to dress quite classic). The only problem is that living in UK is quite difficult to wear this outfit without a ‘jacket/coat’ above. And here’s the problem: all my coats, even the ‘cheaper’ ones, look often far too classic. Advice? – Alessandro 
I do not think the jacket and tee-shirt thing can look great with traditional jackets. Personally, most of my more traditional clothing is a bit roomier.  T-shirts are generally very light and do not have full length sleeves.  This will create more space between your arm and your jacket; making the jacket look bigger that it actually is. You should look into taking in some of your more casual jackets (especially the sleeves) or investing in a “weekend” wardrobe.

I’m looking for a pair of affordable all weather shoes for everyday wear. I have a pair of sneakers, and dress shoes, and I’m looking for something in between, but still fairly casual. Since I live up North, something in leather would be great. If you have any suggestions, or could even recommend a style, I’d appreciate it. Great blog. – Nick
I think the best choice would be a brown wingtip with a rubber sole. I wingtip is a fairly casual shoe and it will look great in a variety of outfits. Dress it up with a suit or down with jeans.

Love the blog. I was wondering if you could help me out. I like the style of Clarks Desert Boots, I’m just worried that they look a little flimsy. Are there any quality alternatives? Is it not worth the price? Would a cheaper shoe be just as good and just as stylish? Here is the link to the Amazon listing. Do you recommend other stores? – Charley
It is hard to find quality shoes at the $100 price-point. Clarks are the entry-level desert boot and it is almost impossible to find a cheaper version. If you want a quality pair of chukka or desert boots, I would get some from Alden.  I have a cordovan chukka that is on its second resole and it still looks great. If you are really deadset on the Clarks, try and experiment with the color and texture. I only see untreated Clarks and I think they would look great with a shine.

Hi! Gotta say I really enjoy your blog! Been looking for a men’s fashion blog for a long time, before I found yours! I am currently in New York, and I am looking for a nice coat – I have been looking at one from Burberry Brit, but I want to be sure if I am going to use that amount of money. So I thought, who better to ask, then you? What om looking for is sort of like this, but I am open for options of course! I am only in New York for a couple of days now, so I really hope you can get back to me! – Sindre
I would get it if I were you. Not many people make leather trench coats these days. If you really want something special, I would hunt down a WWII German Leather Officer Coat and get it altered. I have been looking for the right one for years but never seem to find one in good condition or in the right size. I hope that helps.

Hey Austin, nice blog and style you got there ! I myself starting to wear Thom Browne, brooks brothers and more formal wear these days, tucking my shirt etc. But since Im living between Indonesia and Australia, sometimes the heat is too much to wear shirt & outwear (even its a light jacket or some sort), while on the other hand if I tucked my shirt, I prefer to combine it with outerwear. So just want to know your suggestion for daily wear during summer since I noticed that NY can be pretty hot these days as well. Thanks ! Keep up the good work .. – Mark
A few years ago, I lived in Singapore and found it very hard to wear a jacket in such a climate. During the summers in New York, I dress very casually and tend to only wear a shirt with shorts, cargo pants or khakis. I always tuck in the shirt and roll up the sleeves. I like the pants to be made out of cotton because they look better than wool pants without a jacket. If the occasion arises, I would wear a very light suit and often a shorts suit.

You used to live in Singapore! I would love to know what you like about Singapore. We need more tourists here. – Singaporean
Yes, for a few years. I really like the food there.  Back in the day, I ate a lot of chicken rice.  Singapore has plenty of tourists.

Hi! I found your blog very recently, and I must say I have visited it quite a lot since. I saw that you used to sell those alligator elbow patches, but I am not able to find a site where I can order them?  I am going to New York in a couple of weeks – is there anywhere I can buy them there?  If you have any tips for “must visit” stores, I would really appreciate it!  Great blog, keep it up! – Nash
The elbow patches sold out quite quickly and there is a chance I will make more of them.  I do not think you can find crocodile elbow patches anywhere else.  Check out Bergdorf Goodman, Barney’s and the Brooks Brothers Black Fleece, there are some of my favorite stores in New York.

Hi! Im a big fan! What size do you wear in that Moncler Gamma Bleu padded blazer? – Jate
Thanks a lot. I wear a size 0.

let me first say i love how you dress! my question is…I am trying to purchase Thom Browne cashmere cardigan from official website (since i live in LA, no store around me that sells TBs), and was wondering if you can help me with getting right size. I am 6’1″ about 180lbs, not too slim but not definitely thick..thanks in advance! – Young
There are two stores in Los Angeles that I know carry Thom Browne, Barneys and Union.  I would check out these stores first and if they do not have the cardigan you are looking for, I would purchase it online in a size 2 or 3.