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Reaching a Consensus: Style

We reach out to those in the know to get their thoughts on the concept of style

Andrew Alford
Interior designer & Chief Creative Officer of Graduate Hotels & AJ Capital 

What does the concept of style mean to you?
One word, freedom. Freedom is my ultimate currency, much more so than money.  That is a tough lesson to learn in life. So often style is associated with the cost of the garments, but in my mind true style means having the confidence to live a free life and wear whatever the hell you want regardless of trends or dollar signs.

How would you describe your own, personal style?  
I recently told someone that my style is the combination of eight year old me, seventeen year old me, and twenty-six year old me. When I was a child, I was very preppy.  Every day was khaki pants and Izod sweaters. When I was a teenager, my sense of rebellion kicked in and I began dressing in unusual combinations of thrift store finds. In my twenties, I moved to New York and became aware of the designers that would become my ultimate inspirations, Rei Kawakubo, Walter Van Beirendonck, Alexander McQueen, Christian Lacroix. What I have found in my forties is that I have cultivated my own sense of punk rock eccentric preppy that perfectly blends all the eras of my life and all of my inspirations. I think there is also something to be said for being an age where I’m not as worried about sex anymore. True story, most people don’t want to have sex with a clown [laughs].

How does style factor into what you do? 
I design interiors for hotels and restaurants for a living, so the obvious answer is style is everything. With that said, I try to localize all of my designs to be a stage or runway for the users of the space to show off their style, while still infusing my sensibilities, beliefs, and sense of humor. 

Do you have any style icons or key influences that spring to mind?  Pee Wee Herman, Ashley Longshore, John Waters, Bjork, Tierra Whack.

Is there a particular era in time that stands out for you in terms
of style?  
This is a broad answer, I love all fashion eras before social media. I love how open the modern era can be with sharing sources and imagery, however with that I think is a sense of permanence in everyone’s minds. In the more exuberant eras of fashion like the late 60s, 70s, and 80s, people didn’t worry about how time would judge them because they didn’t think about their pictures being in the public domain for eternity. Their pictures only lived in family photo albums. All too often now, I believe people self edit to the point of where their clothes are boring because they live in fear of someone coming across a photo on Instagram twenty years from now. I say f*ck it. I laugh at myself now and plan on laughing at myself twenty years from now.

Are there any elements of style that you’re glad to see the back of?  Urban lumberjacks, man buns, overly precious grooming, shit written on people’s asses, and the term ‘well made basics.’  Life is too short for basics.  

Are there any that you miss?  
Floral pirate shirts, clown harnesses, giant neon green mohawks, Farrah Fawcett bangs, candy underwear, and inflatable mens’ skirts. Not sure if some of those things ever existed, but I miss them.

Do you think there’s more to style than the way you dress?
Yes, there is of course an intangible element to style. For myself, I want life to be filled with mischievous laughter and people with a glint in their eye that says ‘Let’s throw a molotov cocktail of silliness and then have a little pee dribble out while we laugh.’  I try to have my style reflect that, both to entertain myself, as well as to attract that energy into my life. I think it is the energy of intent that defines style.

How do you think people will look back at this decade in terms of its predominant styles? What do you think will come to define it?  
I think we will look back and judge the “influencers” who somehow garnered thousands of hearts in red boxes with their boring ‘boho’ or ‘urban maker’ aesthetics. On the flip side, I think we will look back and love that social media opened the world up to true style voices from around the world who could be seen, heard and easily understood without the help of anyone but themselves.


Jamie Bartlett 
Co-founder of Banton Frameworks

What does the concept of style mean to you?
That’s a tough one because things can be designed from the inside out or the outside in. Purists argue that good design has functionality at its heart whilst others feel that aesthetics play a more important role. Personally, I feel that the best design fulfils a function in a way that that doesn’t overpromise its purpose. The style is what results from its function which is largely representative of the technology of a product’s era.

How would you describe your own, personal style?
Arriving at my late twenties, my style has changed over the past while. Given that I manufacture an ‘accessory’ myself, my choices have migrated towards evergreen/capsule items that have been made to last. I don’t buy new clothes very often because I’ve made the choice to make better, more ethical decisions about my clothing. This comes at a higher cost but my clothing style is now generally minimal, plain and quality-focused. Recently, I’ve become far more attentive to textiles and fabrics, especially denim as it wears-in so beautifully.  

How does style factor into what you do?
Because I work in a factory environment, I think it’s important to portray the values that we impart in our products. Whether I’m making glasses frames or in the studio, my style is probably a reflection of what I pursue in terms of timeless, well-established classic style.   

Do you have any style icons or key influences that spring to mind?Funnily enough, I was working on an article the other day and was looking into Samuel L Jackson. That man has unbelievable dress style, mixing outrageous colours within sartorial dress. I couldn’t wear such vibrant colours but I think as a style icon, he defies his age (70) amazingly well through his attire. He always seems to wear very simple garments but to great effect. Simple is best.

Is there a particular era in time that stands out for you in terms of style?
1920’s. No question. It was that middle ground where utilitarian stuffiness met with liberal fashion and free thinking. It was still a very formal era but the clothes and style were simply superb. Especially the hats.

Are there any elements of style that you’re glad to see the back of?90’s baggy jeans with the frayed denim at the bottom of each leg. Wished that never happened and I’m sad to have been momentarily a part of it. Oh yea, and bucket hats.

Are there any that you miss?
I’m just glad to see corduroy again. Thought it was gone forever but it’s nice it’s back.

Do you think there’s more to style than the way you dress?
Definitely. I spent a lot of time around fashion/clothing designers at University. The way that garments fall or rest on the human body is so interesting. A person with really poor posture or even a lack of confidence can stifle the life from clothes. I think style comes from both what you wear and how you wear it.

How do you think people will look back at this decade in terms of its predominant styles? What do you think will come to define it?
I think this decade has shown a degree of polarisation in terms of style. I’m gutted about the 90’s trainspotting-look coming back, simply because it’s been less than two decades since it first reared its head. At the other end of the scale, I think there’s been an encouraging push towards ethical fashion. With factors such as veganism and climate change, I’d hope we could look back at the “teenies” as the beginning of a slow-down on fast fashion. Moving towards 2020, it’d be amazing to see more sustainable regulations on clothing manufacture.


Arran Cross & Fern Merrills 
Co-founders of Department Two Creative Projects

What does the concept of style mean to you?
A: I feel that style is absolutely individual. It’s the ability, or inability, to tell a story through your clothes. It’s putting things together in a way that’s individual but considered.

F: Being confident in how you look and what you’re wearing, but also being willing to change things up once in a while. It’s more than about your clothes.

How would you describe your own, personal style?A:
I wear a lot of vintage military stuff and also some modern takes on traditional workwear. So Apocalypse Now meets DIY SOS. Conversely, I also love tailoring so will try and pull green and khaki tones through when selecting cloth for suits.

F: Honestly? At the minute I think it’s lacking. I’m still finding it. But I aspire for simple and classic.

How does style factor into what you do?
A: I wear a lot of denim and chore jackets. I can’t live without pockets when I’m on a job. It’s functional but I do still like to look good. I’ll also wear relaxed tailoring for important meetings or at Pitti. I’ve been lucky enough to have a few suits made and would recommend it to anyone.

F: What I do has helped me find – and be comfortable in – my style, I think. I have to dress practically and comfortably, in ways I would have at one point thought of as too masculine. I’m quite tall and I used to compensate for what I thought was an ‘unfeminine’ feature by choosing super feminine clothes. I don’t feel like I need to do that anymore. I’m not dressing for other people. My job has been a big part of that.

Do you have any style icons or key influences that spring to mind?
A: The classics: Newman and McQueen. As a brand, Drake’s is a big influence on me too. They do everything right.

F: Villanelle from Killing Eve.

Is there a particular era in time that stands out for you in terms of style?
A: Definitely the 1960s and early 70s. That era saw military clothing, particularly the M65 jacket, leak in to civilian culture through returning troops and the anti-war movement. That influenced menswear for the next five decades.

F: I kind of love the flamboyance of the 80s. More to look at that imitate, though.

Are there any elements of style that you’re glad to see the back of?
A: I’ll be glad to see streetwear drop off a bit. I don’t get it.  

F: Low slung denim from the early 2000s

Are there any that you miss?
A: I guess it sounds a bit old-fashioned, but I miss people making an effort for travel like they used to. I’m not talking shirt and tie but I have seen things you wouldn’t believe in airport lounges.

F: Not really. There’s nothing to miss if you keep going with the trends you like.

Do you think there’s more to style than the way you dress?
A: Style is so much more – from the width of your lapel, to the books on your shelf to how you take your coffee. I feel like when you’re younger all these are conscious decisions you make to paint a picture of yourself. When you grow up a bit you become confident and get into your rhythm. Style is about confidence, I guess.

F: Definitely. It’s about the way you carry yourself and the way you engage with people. It’s about being comfortable and confident in who you are, and letting that shine through without trying to outshine anyone else.

How do you think people will look back at this decade in terms of its predominant styles? What do you think will come to define it?
A: I don’t think it’ll be revered like the some of the other decades. I think people will probably be quite confused by it. Things move so quickly and there’s so much going on it’s hard to define the decade’s style.

F: Performative minimalism. Also jumpsuits.