Some Time Ago I Found Myself Sitting In A Diner With A Couple Of Friends...

Daily Fashion Illustration 187. Friday, May 23. 2014

Story submitted by Wale Soluade. -instagram @acuratedman, twitter @acuratedman ACuratedMan.com

'When I first really got focused on my style, I tried to follow what I thought was "the formula" by co-opting bits and pieces of things I saw online or on folks around but for some reason I couldn't place. I never really got comfortable. One day it finally dawned on me - Style is a boring thing done in an interesting way, but it had to be my way.

Ultimately I believe Gianluca Isaia said it best; "The key, I think, to be elegant: you have to find your own style. Sometimes they ask me how should I [wear a] shirt, how long [the pants should be]. They are looking for rules, and I don’t think there are rules anymore in the clothing business. I always say I have my rules, but don’t follow my rules—look for your rules."

Quite some time ago, I found myself sitting in a diner with a couple of friends at 2am and the conversation turned to what men wear and why. I live in the Mid-West which already isn't considered a stylish part of the country and in St. Louis specifically where its glaring that the vast majority of men aren't particularly interested in their personal style.  I realized that I had in the couple of months leading up to this late night conversation, found myself caring more and more about what I put on in the morning.  Matter of fact, I had somehow gotten to the point where I was actually "getting dressed" versus "throwing on clothes" as my friends described it.

The next morning, I sat in front of my computer and started this journey, wanting to learn the basics of fit, tailoring, what made style so very different from fashion. Since then I've found that no, its not always true that "it ain't the brother that's in the suit, it's the suit that's on the brother." Quite the opposite in many  regards. Three-piece suit or jumpsuit, our outward appearance as men speaks solidly to our brand, to what kind of man we are.

Everything I know has been self taught, through much trial and error.  In the two years since, I spent and continue to spend what my wife considers an obscene amount of time on the internet poring through various websites - everything from Style Forum to Trashness, talking to tailors, reading any book I can get my hands on (I keep a copy of Bernhard Roetzel's "A
Guy's Guide to Style" on my nightstand), talking to sales associates at stores I frequent, you name it. I started my blog to share what I've learned with men who are coming from the same place that I did, as I define my personal style and encourage others to do the same.'