I recently had a great lunch meeting with a friend who wanted to overhaul his wardrobe from the ground up. He had picked up on what I was doing, and wanted to get into a tailored look with custom suits, classic dress shirts and good shoes. To start, he wanted to keep things very simple and then expand his sartorial horizons once he got his sea legs. I was extremely flattered that he saw me as a good source for counsel. Not only was I happy to help, but I saw this as a personal opportunity to refresh my perspective on solid foundational essentials, dialing it back to the very basics.

In today’s men’s wear culture, it’s so easy to get caught up in what’s hot and so very right now while ignoring the ever-important basics. One might have the wardrobe to look super fantastic in a nightclub, at a fashion show, at Pitti Uomo or at a selvedge denim flea market packed with bearded bros, but put some of those guys at a wedding, an important business meeting or at the occasional black tie affair and they often look like they’re in the wrong room. At funerals, such sartorial illiteracy even looks disrespectful. It’s like having a collection of unique ornaments, glittering tinsel garland and flashing lights but no tree. It goes back to having the basics, which starts with shoes.