How Has Grey Fox's Style Evolved Since He Started the Blog? by Sarah Gilfillan

I was discussing my series A Search for Style (link below) recently with menswear personal stylist, Sarah Gilfillan of Sartoria Lab and she suggested that we look at how my style has developed over the six years since I started the blog. As ever with Sarah, the idea was both brilliant and highly apposite to this series in which I try to analyse style to help those of us on a journey to find it.

FROW at a menswear show in Jermyn Street, 2017 wearing a New & Lingwood suit

In the image above I'm wearing a summer suit from New & Lingwood. I doubt I could have pulled off such a look a few years ago. How has the journey to style developed? Before I hand over to Sarah I want to acknowledge her help and experience on this blog over the years. If you are looking for a style makeover or wardrobe advice you couldn't do better than to obtain her help. See Sartorialab.

Grey Fox's journey to style by Sarah Gilfillan

'It wasn’t until I came across the image below picture recently that I realised how David’s look has subtly changed and improved. There’s nothing exactly wrong with this outfit, but he doesn’t look as groomed and put together as he does now.

So let’s take a closer look as to why this is. Firstly, while the colours he’s wearing don’t clash, there’s nothing that ties them together. Secondly, I personally prefer David in jackets that have a bit more structure to them: this one looks a little bit “sacky”. David is slim and I think a slightly unstructured boxy jacket like this is more suited to a body shape that is broader or stockier. Thirdly, I’m also not mad about these trousers. Although they’re more of a chino, because of the 5 pocket style they’re a little reminiscent of the sort of bright blue denim jeans that were worn in the 1970s, and generally it’s thought that if you were wearing something the first time round, you shouldn’t be wearing it again! 

There’s one other almost imperceptible change that’s since made a dramatic difference: his hairstyle. David’s hair is now shorter at the sides giving it a more stylised look. Grey hair has a tendency to dryness (I speak from experience!) and now David has taken to using products his hair looks sleeker, tidier and more groomed.

The one thing that stands out about the jacket (above) is the fact that the lapels are quite wide which in my opinion makes it look a little dated as recently lapels have been a lot slimmer. I understand that many men will want to stick to classics but even those will change shape a little over time. The other point is that David has quite a slender frame and long neck and the width of the lapels seems to enhance this and the look feels a little unbalanced.

This (above) is about half way through David’s search for style to date. The muted tones of blues and browns work well together, the tie has a nice dimple and the pocket square has a touch of blue in it bringing in the colour of the tie and also red, which goes with the lining of the jacket. There’s one thing I like to see on a waistcoat and that’s the bottom button undone. David has yet to update his hair style in this image.

I like this look (above) as it feels modern and fresh without being too trendy. The bold stripe of the shirt works well with the more subtle check of the jacket, the red pocket square adds a flash of colour and the glasses look up to date and modern. David is not scared to mix his patterns!

This (above) is one of my favourite pictures of David. Easy to look good in a suit you may think, but notice the details: the double breasted with very fitted jacket, the tab collar shirt, cufflinks, and flash of colour with the pocket square. The fit of the suit is great, the bold check and darker colour of the tie balance really well with the suit and there’s enough cuff showing, a detail which many men overlook [Grey Fox: it's worth noting that this suit was £200 from Hammond & Co. of Debenhams a couple of years ago; quality (the cloth was English-made) and fit are more important than price].

Even in just a simple shirt here (above), David manages to look stylish. What is it that sets this apart from other shirts? Here’s what I think it is; the shirt fits well on David. It’s chambray, which looks modern; the cutaway collar is flattering on David’s long neck, and he looks great in blue! Add to this the contemporary style of glasses and stylish hair and you have a great look.

Even when David’s wearing casual clothes now (image above), he manages to look modern and well put together. I love the layering and the neatly tied scarf which works well with the rest of the outfit in lightening it up. I like the underneath layers all being dark and then the outer layer in a lighter colour which stands out. Plenty of patch pockets are flattering to David’s slim physique. Note how the hair has improved too!

Three Ways to Dress Better as an Older Man:

Fit - this goes for any age, but I’ve noticed a tendency in older guys to always opt for the oversized and comfortable which, if you’re not careful, can look sloppy. Make sure things fit well.

Colour - you don’t have to match everything exactly (it's best not to), but having some sort of coherence between the colours in your outfit brings it together and improves your overall appearance, whether dressed formally or casually.

Accessories - by paying attention to the details, it shows you care about how you look. Opting for a few modern touches in your glasses, pocket squares etc keeps your look fresh. For example, try a denim or chambray shirt with jacket and tie.'

Grey Fox: I'd like to thank Sarah for her analysis here. We hope it helps others in their searches for style. Follow The Search for Style on this blog on this link.