20s Seven Bar, Leeds
Richard Jaques 26, lawyer: Shirt £30, TM Lewin, Shoes £50, Office, Watch Storm
Greg Morris, 24, artist: Shirt £10.75, Urban Outfitters in Philadelphia, Jeans
£65, Firetrap
Alex Morris, 26, health care executive: Blue “workman” shirt £6, Camden
market, Corduroy flares £40, Gap, Second-hand cowboy boots £120, Camden
market
Chris Kelly, 26, construction manager: Baseball cap £35, and T-shirt £30, both
Stussy, jeans £110, Evishu, trainers £45, Vans
Paul Smith, 26, surveyor: T-shirt £8, Jumbo Records, Jeans £30, Gap, Watch Tag
Heuer
Alex Morris: When you’re a teenager, you’re worried about wearing
anything out of the ordinary. But as I’ve got older, I’ve definitely tried
to make a few statements. I bought some leather trousers a while back – does
anyone remember them?
Chris Kelly: I liked that cut-off denim jacket you had…
Greg Morris: The Hells Angels one? It was horrendous!
AM: I’m into those Seventies rocker-type things, though. Like these
cowboy boots. I genuinely feel different in them. You know when women say
that when they wear nice underwear, it makes them feel a bit naughty? These
boots have that effect on me.
Richard Jaques: You could have walked straight out of an Appalachian
trailer park…
Paul Smith: I bought a pair of cowboy boots once, but they were the
worst things ever. It felt like fancy dress. When I was younger, I
identified more with the hip-hop crowd, but now I’ve got loads of clothes I
wish I’d never bought… shiny Nike tops and 70 pairs of trainers I’ll never
wear again. But just like your musical taste gets more varied as you get
older, I think the styles of clothes you wear become more varied, too.
AM: I really like Paul’s jacket. In fact, I’d wear anything he’s got on
tonight. But the colours Chris is wearing are too bright for me.
CK: I like bright colours; it’s a bit different. I’ve got a fine-art
degree, and I’ve always enjoyed things with a graphic element.
GM: I wouldn’t wear the cap…
CK: I’ve got a few of them, but they have to be Japanese and West Coast
labels like Stussy and Supreme. Stuff you can’t get hold of easily in
England.
RJ: I’m not sure about Alex’s hat. It reminds me of someone you’d see
on Brookside in the Eighties, driving a Transit van with a miscoloured front
wing-mirror.
AM: Really? I thought it was a bit New York gangster, Mean Streets sort
of thing…
PS: Actually, recently, I’ve tried to dress a bit more like Richard…
smarter; more conformist. My girlfriend has made me think more about
dressing like that.
GM: I see guys with Richard’s weird hybrid trainer/shoes on, and I
always think they want people to know they’re smart and sophisticated. Kind
of like, “You can laugh all you want, but at the end of the day, these are
actually very comfortable.”
CK: When I’ve got a bit more money, I’d like to buy things like John
Smedley sweaters. But at £90 a pop, I can only really afford the odd one.
RJ I’d like to be old enough to wear a suit all the time.
AM: I wouldn’t tuck my shirt in like Greg does. It’s obvious he’s
trying to show off his belt.
GM: It’s a great piece of artwork! Anyway, I wouldn’t wear your shirt.
That kitsch American style was done a long time ago.
30s The Living Room, Manchester
Michael Wainwright, 36, managing director of Unicon Properties: Jeans Around
£35, Next
Jason Nicholas, 35, entrepreneur: Jeans £40, Levi’s
David Khan, 33, senior general manager of the Living Room Bar: Shirt £195,
Gucci, suit £995, Kilgour,
John Askew, 30, management accountant: shirt £80, Ted Baker, jeans £120, Hugo
Boss, shoes £60, Jeffrey West
Alex Bayes, 32, GP: suit £800, Valentine, shirt £30, Zara,
David Khan: Because of my job managing a bar, I spend a lot of time
dressed like this, to the point that people don’t recognise me in casual
clothes. But I think that wearing a nice suit, you feel well looked after; a
bit special.
Alex Bayes: Yeah. I bought this suit for a friend’s wedding a couple of
years ago…
DK: Can I correct that? His wife bought it for him, and he cried when
he saw the price tag.
Michael Wainwright: I’ve started to spend more on suits, because I now
realise the cheap ones I had in my twenties looked crap. But you always end
up buying the cheapest suit from the most expensive room, don’t you? I
couldn’t wear a cravat like Dave. He can do it in a fun way, but because I’m
a very big white man, I’d just look like a fascist.
Jason Nicholas: I try to wear a suit as rarely as possible; I’m most
comfortable in jeans and T-shirts. As an Australian, that’s kind of what I’m
used to.
MW: Yeah, you look like you’re dressing out of a backpack.
JN: Well, you have to trust your instincts. We’ve been around long
enough to see some trends come and go, so you know what works for you. You
can’t pull off trying to dress too young, especially when you’re having to
shave your head as we are.
MW: I do sometimes worry that I dress too young. Because I’m from
Altrincham, you either have to go for the Land-Rovers-and-green-wellies
county look, or a more urban, Manchester style, which I do like.
DK: Urban? He normally wears sandals with white socks…
MW: Have you tried it? It’s very comfortable. But look at John’s shoes,
they’re far too pointy – where do your toes go?
John Askew: I really like them! I think you know, deep down, if you’re
wearing something that you’re not totally confident in.
AB: I won’t spend money on designer casual clothes any more, though.
I’ll buy jeans and T-shirts I like the look of, not because I’m seduced by
the label.
DK: What about that awful yellow and brown Armani shirt you were going
to wear on that first date with your missus? I made him not wear it. When I
showed it to her, she said she wouldn’t have married him if he’d worn it.
MW: The reason we don’t go for labels now is because we have mortgages,
wives, cars, children, insurance, holidays… You can’t spend £150 on one
shirt. But sometimes you’ll still spend so much money on something that you
have to keep quiet about it, and sneak it through the back door when your
wife’s asleep. I’ve found a good independent shop for tall blokes that’ll
order everything in for me...
DK: Asda’s great, isn’t it?
MW: You like Harvey Nicks, don’t you Dave?
DK: Well, they’ve got everything you need under one roof.
MW: Yeah. For a girl.
40s Boisdale, London SW1
Stuart Duggan, 49, antiques dealer: jacket, Primark, shirt Marks &
Spencer, socks Paul Smith, shoes Church’s, ring, once his grandmother’s, a
15th birthday present made, according to family lore, from two 22ct gold
coins, melted down
Nick Griffiths, 43, writer: jacket £20, Brighton Indoor Market, combats
Bloomingdale’s, Storm watch £130, ring made by a jeweller friend, Kerry
September
Nick Finch, 44, auctioneer: shirt £50, Thomas Pink, socks John Lewis, shoes,
Loake’s, tie, Daniel Hechter
Jim Taylor, 44, picture editor, Zoo magazine: Nicole Farhi shirt £30, Dickins &
Jones sale, jeans £45, and shoes £90, both Paul Smith Sale Shop, socks Maybe
£6, Richard James
Nick Finch: Your larger gentleman can’t wear a leather jacket. If
you’re a biker, maybe…
Stuart Duggan: I can’t wear one.
NF: Stuart and I see the belly as an accessory. Have any of you changed
the way you dress since you were 17?
SD: I haven’t. My dress code is not to wear what everyone says I
should.
Nick Griffiths: My mother-in-law says I wear this T-shirt to seem
attractive in comparison.
SD: (to NF) Bit of a dresser you are, aren’t you?
NF: (to Stuart) I was with you when you bought those socks.
Jim Taylor: It’s one of life’s great pleasures, putting on a new pair
of socks.
NF: I always buy a great load of them. Twenty pairs.
SD: But you still lose them.
NF: That’s why you buy a load.
NG: I’m not mad on socks.
NF: The great thing about being 40 is that nobody says you look s***.
Or perhaps they do and you don’t take any notice.
JT: There’s a fine line, though, because you don’t want to dress like a
teenager, but you don’t want to dress like Jeremy Clarkson either.
NF: If somebody said you looked s***, you’d say, “OK, what of it? Like
I care.”
SD: That’s true.
JT: I don’t know. I think you want to avoid criticism most of the time.
SD: I’ve never really worn suits. I’ve bought three or four, for
weddings. But my dad was such a smart dresser. He was so refined. His
Crombie overcoats were such good quality.
NF: People who drink in the Chequers Tavern in St James’s, they wear
old Savile Row coats that have been passed down from generation to
generation.
JT: “This was made for my great- grandfather; now I’m wearing it.”
NF: I don’t buy cufflinks. Day-to-day I would wear one of my
grandfather’s cufflinks, although these are Gucci… Gift.
SD: My dad said, “Wear good clothes and you don’t stand out in the
crowd.” In his day, everyone had scarves, gloves, hats… Cars have ruined it.
Cars have killed clobber.
NF: Ties are difficult. You want to be different, but you don’t want to
be stupid.
JT: I think a hat suits me.
NF: What you worry about is what you wear at the weekend.
SD: A suit at the weekend makes you look like a bit of a w*****. If you
go to a christening on the bus, you look like you should be handing out
leaflets.
JT: If we all had clobber made, it would be fine. But we’re all stuck
with TK Maxx and you get what you’re given.
NF: What about accessories?
JT: Tag Heuer F1, 1990 version.
NF: I have a range of Rolexes. I don’t wear them in public.
SD: Mont Blanc from Italy, £50.
NG: I was walking past this shop in Stoke Newington. Saw this watch and
I went, “How does it work?” And he said, “You just press that.” [He presses
it and a huge digital read-out appears] I said, “Right, I’ll have it.”
JT: I’ve got a Paul Smith wallet. A Christmas present.
SD: My old man said you should always put your wallet in your
right-hand pocket. You don’t get left-handed dips.
JT: Sandals and socks are good.
NF: I can’t wear sandals. I’ve never worn sandals in my life.
SD: I don’t know what it is, but I can’t sit in the house naked, even
alone. It doesn’t feel right.
JT: I love shorts. Shorts and a big sweater indoors. Perfect.
Nick Griffiths’ book, Who Goes There?, a tour of Doctor Who locations, is
published by Legend Press on October 25, price £7.99
