48 JUNE 2017
Style
MICHAEL KORS SUIT,
ETON SHIRT AND TIE,
THE TIE BAR POCKET
SQUARE AND TIE BAR.
SUITSUPPLY SUIT,
THE TIE BAR SHIRT,
ETON POCKET SQUARE.
EMPORIO ARMANI SUIT,
MICHAEL KORS HOODIE,
ARMANI EXCHANGE SHIRT,
KOIO COLLECTIVE SHOES.The 35-year-old Brit, who plays
Shadow Moon in the new TV series
American Gods, says sharp dressing
was instilled in him with military
precision from an early age. Whittle
and his siblings were taught by their
father, who was in the Royal Air
Force, to never leave home unless
they met the “Whittle Standards” –
nice clothes, neat hair. Whittle was
told that the better he looked, the
better he’d be treated. “I don’t spend
a lot on clothes,” he says, “but I’ll
splurge on a suit.”
That attention to detail has paid
off. Whittle has gone from British
soap operas to Yankee prime time.
The American Gods role took five
months and 16 auditions for him to
land; it was then followed by intense
mental and physical preparations.
He put on 16kg of muscle and spent
months researching the themes of
the Neil Gaiman novel on which the
show is based. “It’s the biggest show
I’ve been in,” he says.
And that pricey Versace suit?
Whittle wondered what became
of it and wrote to his friend to ask.
Sure enough, it was still in his
friend’s closet. Whittle laughs it off:
“Everyone needs a good suit,” he says,
calling it a great leveler. “When you
walk into a room of suits, everyone is
on equal footing.”
KNOCKOUT
COMBOSMatch these
shirt-tie
pairings to the
occasion.Business Meeting Date Night
VAN HEUSEN SHIRT,
THE TIE BAR TIE.TOMMY
HILFIGER SHIRT,
THE TIE BAR TIE.Job Interview
MICHAEL MICHAEL
KORS SHIRT,
ETON TIE.PREVIOUS PAGE
THIS SPREAD
BONOBOS SUIT,
PERRY ELLIS SWEATER.
1231http://www.mens-health.com.my 49The whole idea of a suit is to wear the uniform of a
grown-up. If you want to make a statement but
aren’t up for red pinstripes, don’t worry – you still
have options, Maccari says. Texture is one. “We
play a lot with cross weaves – two different
colours woven together,” he says. “At a distance, it
reads as neutral. But up close, people see all the
colours weaving through the fabric.” There are
also less traditional colour options, such as
burgundy and shades of brown. Just avoid
overdoing it: “Wearing too many conflicting details
is when it goes wrong,” Maccari says.Fine-Tune Your Look
FOUR TAILOR-MADE
CONFIDENCE
BOOSTERSFocus on Fit Be TimelessDressing well tends to make men feel more
powerful, according to findings from a Cal State
Northridge University study. But fit is the ticket –
nothing undermines your self-image faster than
an ill-fitting suit. Beware of stress areas, warns
image consultant Mack Mozé. If the chest is tight,
the jacket will pull open at the lapels instead of
sitting flat. Mozé recommends a minimal break on
trousers, unless they’re a wider, more traditional
cut – then you want the back of the trouser to hit
the top of your shoe heel. “Ask your tailor to hem
the trouser bottoms on a slant,” he says.You no longer need a grey suit to appear
authoritative. A suit can be as comfortable as
jeans and a T-shirt but still command respect. The
options are endless, from stretch wool or cotton to
unlined, unstructured jackets that still hold their
shape. We like the form-fitting options from
Tommy Hilfiger, L.B.M. 1911, and Bonobos.
“Stretch blends are essential for wearing your suit
with comfort and confidence,” says Michael
Maccari, creative director for Perry Ellis. He also
suggests a knit suit as an alternative to
conventional fabrics: “Put it on and feel amazing.”Done right, a classic power suit can serve
you for more than 10 years. Two things to keep in
mind: first, choose a neutral colour. Blue, for
example, looks good on everyone and works in
almost every situation, Mozé says. “You can wear
that suit five days a week and no one would
notice.” Shades of grey are equally timeless.
Second, opt for a notch lapel, which provides
more flexibility to dress up or down. Maccari
advises against lapels that are too wide or too
narrow; if you stick to about 2½ inches (or about
6cm), you’ll be able to wear the suit for years.1
2
3
4
No.No.No.No.Be Comfortable Go Bold2 3
STYLINGBRIAN BOYÉ AND SANDRA NYGAARDTAILORINGMACKENSY MOZE/MOZE-ROGUE TAILORGROOMINGSCOTT MCMAHAN/KATE RYAN INC.LOCATIONOVERTHROWNYC.COMILLUSTRATIONSJOE MCKENDRYPREVIOUS PAGE:MITCH MANDEL(SHIRTS)STYLINGWILLIAM LAUGHLIN/MARK EDWARD INC.