After two years of toiling from home, propped up by Zoom calls, people are heading back into the office, many of them happy to do so. Your personal style branding needs to meet any new challenges, not only in the work environment but on the social scene as well.
Style is ever evolving, but for the man who understands the importance of it, and the statement it makes, there still are a few basic tenets to fall back on this summer. That’s according to Marlon Durrant, owner of Md Bespoke, a men’s clothing atelier in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood.
Related: The architecture of personal style
“After Covid, comfort based on fit and fabric became very important,” he says. “We were living comfort almost every day [during lockdowns]. People want to remain comfortable but dressy at the same time, now that we’re in summer. So lightweight stretch cottons for jackets are huge. A tapered look you can get away with, depending on your size, is where it is at.”
Stretch knit jacket, made in Italy, single breasted two button, notch lapel, double vented, price available upon request (info@mdbespoke.ca)
Summer style: Going sockless
As has been said in the past, at Md Bespoke there are no fashion trends. That’s of course the true definition of “bespoke”: Fine clothing, in this case, that’s custom fit for the individual, meeting their needs, personality and lifestyle.
“Jeans, or pants, you are wearing them just above the top of your shoe. You can go sockless but you show a little bit of skin, just an inch or two from the shoe,” he says. “Being able to wear a deconstructed blazer, no padding in the shoulders, no padding in the chest, with a nice pair of comfortable runners, nice silk cotton jeans, and a very breathable bespoke shirt or quality t-shirt is the way to go right now.”
The art of the sew
If you are a businessman and you have a meeting, you still need to represent the company with a nice quality shirt, with a nice quality collar that fits the shape of your face. Not everyone wears a tie anymore.
But that’s where bespoke comes in: Staying focused on a gentlemen’s lifestyle. One man’s lifestyle might not be the same as another man’s lifestyle. You need a little bit of formality, a level of style that flows with the company’s brand. A lot of energy and talent goes into making a custom suit or shirt.
At Md Bespoke, it takes a team of six people working on shirts and eight on the suit side to get these articles of clothing to customers. Skilled craftspeople, all of whom live locally, include pattern makers. That is a specialty on its own, cutters, which is an art within itself, as well as “the art of the sew”. Even pressing the final product is separate skill, when all the working parts have been united into the whole.
“A lot of people don’t understand or care about the details and there has been a flood of fast fashion,” says Durrant. “But when people understand quiet luxury, they understand the quality that is going into their garments. Bespoke is investing in your lifestyle and these pieces.”
Image up top: Italian-made shoes, butter soft leather, made for walking, casual style, price available upon request (info@mdbespoke.ca)
100 per cent cotton jeans, featherweight, price available upon request (info@mdbespoke.ca)
I am a 50-something Torontonian who loves everything about my city. It’s been my home, my playground, for my entire life. I went to school here. I met my wife here. I own real estate here. I love writing about the transformation of my city on the world stage, which hasn’t been anything short of dramatic. That continues on, as I write this. I write on the real estate scene. I write on travel and fashion. I like following the world of luxury watches.
But I love writing about cars – check that, luxury cars, a level of superior, engineering sophistication, high performance and style, that transports you not just from one destination to another but also out of whatever you are going through on a particular day, whatever mood you are in, all to another head space. It’s complete and total exhilaration, head to toe.
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