It was one of those e-mails that seemed like a joke, except it wasn’t.
A site called Lookvine, which I believe was originally based in India, asked me if I was interested in being featured in a special collection they were putting together of male style influencers.
Um, yes, I was interested. And rather flattered, especially when I saw the story come out and found myself next to guys at least half my age.
Sadly, Lookvine.com appears to be no more, but they had only used one of the answers I’d given them, so I thought I’d share the full interview here for the first time.
1. What is One fashion rule you never break?
“When in doubt, dress up.” There are too many people who just don’t seem to care enough to respect the person they’re meeting or the event they’re attending by looking their best. I’d rather be the only guy wearing a suit than the only one wearing a ratty T-shirt and jeans.
A perfect fashion look is comfortable and draws attention to the attitude and the personality of the person wearing it, rather than distracting or focusing the attention just on the clothes themselves. I often look back to classic actors like Alain Delon for inspiration.
2. What interests you in Fashion?
I used to love acting and putting on costumes, and in some ways my interest in fashion as an adult is similar. I love the way wearing certain clothes can make me feel more confident, more relaxed or more celebratory. The big difference is that when you’re playing dress-up as an adult you’re not trying to disappear into a character — you’re trying to become your best possible self.
3. What styling advice would you give to your younger self??
I would tell my younger self not to try so hard. I used to be pretty flamboyant, wearing lots of crazy patterns and colours to try and draw attention to myself. As I’ve gotten older I still occasionally wear something pretty bold, but more often than not I can feel just as good wearing something classic and understated that fits well.
4. How would you describe a perfect Fashion look and is there a person who is an inspiration to you for this?
A perfect fashion look is comfortable and draws attention to the attitude and the personality of the person wearing it, rather than distracting or focusing the attention just on the clothes themselves. I often look back to classic actors like Alain Delon for inspiration.
5. One tip you would like to give to our readers?
Always be experimenting. There are things I used to say I would never wear, like sweat pants, but now there are really sleek-looking sweat pants made from great materials. When you get too caught up in maintaining a single, unified look all the time I think you begin to miss out on the fun that expressing yourself through fashion can bring.