3 Menswear Insiders on What to Buy & Sell Now
Have you ever wished you could just reach into the closets of people whose style you admire and pick out a couple things for yourself? Us too. Now you can with our exclusive edit of pieces from the personal collections of three guys at the forefront of the menswear scene. Whether they’re styling celebrities in NYC or stocking LA’s latest cult men’s shop, they’re proving it’s an exciting time in the ever-changing landscape of men’s fashion, which is getting more and more attention in its own right. Not only did they let us invade their closets, they let us in on styling tips, their favorite designers of the moment, and how to know when it’s time to let go and sell certain pieces. Read on, and let them up your style quotient.
Matthew Henson
Celebrity Stylist & Fashion Director of AWGE, previously Fashion Editor at Complex
Dries Van Noten Carlton Camp Tropical Print Shirt, $295; Persol Foldable Sunglasses, $95
As a celebrity stylist and with your editorial work at Complex, you’ve seen several sides of the industry. What’s a styling tip you’ve picked up that all men can use?
One styling tip that I have learned along the way is that everything needs to be tailored. Everything you buy off of the rack should be taken to a trusted tailor, and altered to your body specifications. You don’t have to be as extreme as me and take even your sweatshirts in to be perfected, but surely every pair of pants, jeans, every suit, and every jacket, needs to be modified by a tailor.
You’ve described your work with some of your clients as collaborations. Are there designers that your clients have turned you onto or any other ways they have influenced your style?
I work with men, and two very stylish men at that. A lot of stylists have to dictate to their clients on what they should be wearing which is no fun at all. I love to disagree; I enjoy people who have a point of view because it challenges me and keeps it exciting. I never feel like I’m working (although the Met Ball was something else) I always feel that I’m creating and having fun doing it.
Rocky has brought me back amazing pieces from his trips to Japan, but that’s less of a gift thing, and more about bartering power to coerce things out of my archive. With Abel, he’s helped me rediscover my love for a lot of my favorite brands that I used to pull as a fashion editor. His style is so consistent.
Who are your favorite menswear designers right now?
I love Martini Rose, Balenciaga, I love Wales Bonner, and I love classics like Stussy. I have an archive full of clothes that I have been collecting for years from Raf Simons, Comme des Garçons and Prada.
What are some of your favorite pieces that you are consigning? How do you know when it’s time to let go of something?
My favorite pieces I’m consigning are the pieces from Dries Van Noten. I’m a huge fan of his work and I love all of the color and pattern he uses in every collection. You know it’s time to let go when you can’t get another storage unit and you already have converted a bedroom into a closet and are about to convert another one.
Josh Peskowitz
Former Men’s Fashion Director of Bloomingdale’s, Co-Founder of Magasin & Creative Consultant
Comme des Garçons Wool Fedora, $175
Magasin has a really unique sensibility — focusing on cult labels, mixing traditional tailoring with more experimental proportions — and you also moved from fashion capital NYC to open the store in LA. Do you think these speak to larger trends in menswear and the shifting influence of men’s fashion?
I think that the larger trend in menswear, and in fashion in general, is that we’ve entered an “anything goes” period. With so much access to information and the disassociation of images from meaning and context (due to social media) I think people, and men in particular, feel freer to write their own rules than ever before. And the web has provided such access to goods, that anywhere you live you can wear anything you want. So for us at Magasin, it’s very important that we have a specific point of view; we want things that are unique or hard to find, but we want them to feel like they can work into a man’s wardrobe and help it evolve over time. We believe in the longevity of garments that exhibit three characteristics: craftsmanship, innovation and rarity. There is no such thing as a “total look” anymore for most customers, so we want to provide interesting and essential pieces. That being said, we can outfit you head to toe if that’s what you prefer. LA seemed like the right place to open because there is a palpable creative energy here, that unfortunately feels rare in my home town at the moment.
Aside from the endless calendar of fashion shows, where do you look to for inspiration when you’re curating for the store? Is there a lifestyle element?
I look at everything when planning for the store: art, geopolitics, music, food … everything. This is how trends (such that they are) are synthesized. If you only look at one source material (the shows, for instance) you are missing what influences the designers. Nothing on earth happens in a vacuum so you have to pay attention to everything that is happening. And Japan. Japan is a big inspiration for how we merchandise the store and interact with our customers.
Who are your favorite menswear designers right now?
Dries Van Noten, Josh and Ant of Second/Layer, Daisuke Yokoyama of Sasquatchfabrix, Brendon Babenzien of NOAH and APRIX, and Massimo Alba.
What are some of your favorite pieces that you’re consigning? How do you know when it’s time to let go of something?
My mauve Michael Bastian suit was the hardest to let go of. I love, love, love the color of it and how subversive it is to have a full suit in that hue. I know it’s time to let go when I can envision someone else getting more satisfaction out of it than me. I won’t say I’m a hoarder, but I have a lot of clothes — it comes with the territory. I make sure I take care of my friends and family, but if something isn’t exactly right for them, then it’s time to let those things go.
Moti Ankari
Fashion Blogger, Co-Founder of Ankari Floruss and Former Fashion Editor at Bloomberg Pursuits
Coach Leather Baseball Jacket, $445; New Balance 577 Napes Sneakers, $195
