A few months ago, there was a discussion on the Male Fashion Advice Discord (now a separate entity from the subreddit) about whether or not I was considered “trad” (as in ivy-trad). I’m not sure how it even started but I only saw it when I was eventually tagged. I told people that while I may have a more “vintage” take on menswear that isn’t always conservative, I don’t consider myself trad. Some users got my POV while others disagreed lightly. The discussion eventually moved on but the question did stick with me. Was I trad? What even is “Ethan Style”?
As someone whose entire clothing philosophy leverages elements of genres, subcultures, and coded-garments (that can be played into or subverted) across the history of men’s fashion, it is admittedly quite difficult for me to put myself into a fashion-box. Most boxes people ascribe to are related to their lifestyle which includes their hobbies, locale, or their job. For example, Spencer dresses like a journalist by way of ivy-trad meets milsurp/workwear because he is a journalist. But what about me? My job and hobbies don’t have a specific look. What happens when you have the freedom to wear almost anything you want?
The result is “Ethan Style”. If I had to distill it down, it is really just being a fan of slouchy menswear, specifically ones that are largely “classic and vintage” (whatever that means). The aesthetics, details, and silhouette are rooted in the past, but the mindset behind putting fits together is contemporary. It is that reason why “Ethan Style ” isn’t exactly a specific genre like ivy-trad or business casual or period-accuracy; it’s also different from dressing like a journalist or like a lawyer, even if I may take cues from both of those things. It’s a philosophy and way of life.
And as much as I’d like to believe that this has been consistent or executed to the best degree during the past decade, it’s clear that this isn’t the case. I’ve gotten more confident as well as more aware of my expressions when I interact with the world (both online and IRL). There are nuances and subtle changes shown when you compare how I dressed in 2017 to now, even if some of the pieces are the same. I’ve also canonized new moves that feel as natural to me as spearpoint collars and foulard ties yet are transformative and a bit novel.
There is a reason why I don’t get called “dapper” as much anymore, even if I am largely more dressed up (a more nebulous term) on the daily. Something has clearly changed. Some of it is me and some of it is the world– it all plays together.
All of it is quite fascinating in how it applies to the box I may or may not be in and especially plays into this blog’s goal in canonizing my clothing philosophy. So after my interviews with MJ and Spencer on their respective approaches, it just made sense for us to flip the switch and have them interview me on my style.
It’s less about specific pieces I buy or wear but about how my philosophy has changed (especially through making connections to art and music) and where I see myself going from there. It’s honestly one of the best conversations I’ve had because we’re able to get deep and ask more insightful questions that could only come from guys who have been my best friends for decades.
The interview is also inspired by Dan’s article on Communication Through Clothing, which was specifically about how I view my own expression and how concerned I am with if people get it or not; I told him that even if I don’t really care how people perceive me, I am pretty positive that they get my vibe (at least by thinking I’m not trying to be dapper, formal, or corporate). It’s a good article that certainly set the stage for my conversation with my podcast compatriots.
Listening to the interview is probably the best way for you guys to get my actual take on menswear and how I wear it. It’s probably more efficient than reading the 500+ articles posted during the past eight years. It’s also much more interesting than an AMA about where I get my clothes because it’s been the same source for a long time. But here’s one anyway in case you get miffed from not having this section in the pod.
- Jackets: Vintage Brooks, Ring Jacket (AMJ or American) from consignment shops/ebay
- Suits: Atelier Fugue
- OCBDs and button down collar shirts: Vintage Brooks
- Ties: True vintage 1930s-1940s with a splatter of 60s-90s as well as RL, Drake’s sample or secondhand
- Spearpoints: Custom, but I’ve been thrifting point collars that don’t spread out much. Try checking out 100% cotton, non-slim Calvin Klein shirts on eBay
- Shoes: Alden for leather. Deck shoes for casual wear. Vintage wallabees.
- Shorts: Uniqlo U whenever they do their “gurkhas” or vintage Polo RL (the andrew, I think?)
- Sportshirts: Vintage first, then repro (but make sure its 100% rayon)
- Socks: Dapper Classics for OTC and then uniqlo for the rest.
- Fedoras: Go custom from Cody Wellema or Joyride. Find a vintage silverbelly stetson.
- Belts: Thin, western. Find old RL. Vintage Brighton belts are also good (eBay or thrifting)
Now I’m not going to recap the entire interview but I want to make sure I address a few things that I discussed on the pod. This is because there are certain beliefs that inform my overall philosophy that I haven’t I’ve stated outright before (which also applies to a few things from my manifesto). I just want to be able to reference these ideas later without linking a nearly two-hour pod.
The first thing to note is my stage of life. I am no longer the college student who started the blog. I am also not the guy who worked in the menswear industry. I am now a late twenties man who works in a different industry, gets to be remote, and has a long-term partner. I have and have made plenty of friends in and out of fashion who accept and appreciate my mode of dress.
In other words, I am largely secure and stable in my social context which naturally leads to confidence in my style identity to Stand Out. With this privilege, I get to opt out from trying to min-max the system and instead get to focus on my expressive goals. I have proof that people understand what I’m going for when I dress, even if it’s in a general sense. Even people who meet me for the first time know that there is more of an artful approach (and appearance even) to my attire. And if they’re wrong, it doesn’t really affect me on the day-to-day. And if they are someone who does matter, they tend to understand it through repeated interactions.
If I was still finding what I was doing in my life, actively dating, or trying to make headway into a new crowd, perhaps outfits would certainly be different. But that’s not the case, so here we are.
Thank God it all worked out (for my outfits)!
The other important thing we discuss is what I have termed “cultural patina”.
The phrase is just about showing how we’ve been consistent about the cultural things we like (as in taste in clothes or music) and how that has aged and evolved with us. This is not unlike patching a well worn jacket or shoe and continuing to wear it across a variety of different outfits, showing and gaining patina with each wear. I apply this practice to philosophies and approaches as well, which makes the goal of developing Patina in service of continually defining our own personal taste. Suffice to say, I want whatever “Ethan Style” is to have age, history, and precedent. I want to have Cultural Patina.
I believe this has always been my goal, to canonize the garments and ideas that are the tenets of my approach to menswear. For most of my tenure as a menswear enthusiast, my blog posts have been about discovering those garments, exploring why I have a connection to them, and how they will stick with me, whether they were trending in the zeitgeist or not. This discovery phase is largely over now, with the most recent canonization being Safincore (which honestly isn’t all that wild to begin with). Now it is about uncovering those guiding philosophies which have either always been there or just need a bit more thought to put to words.
Ultimately, this is because I want to be like those old guys in the wild that people document in their IG stories. This isn’t because old people are just the best nor is this a search of truly “timeless style”. Instead, this is my pursuit of some semblance of consistency or theme; I like the latter because themes can be developed as I don’t want people to think that being static is the goal. Perhaps this really is about finding that box and hoping that people recognize it. After all, humans just want to be understood! Might as well make it easier for others by sticking to our guns, provided it is a direction you want to go with.
I know that this sounds silly because I like and own a variety of clothes, as well as how I tend to wear [slightly] different things everyday (simply due to never ending inspiration). I know I deliberate for long time on my clothes before buying but that’s because I want to keep them for as long as possible. I want to have the “one thing” that sticks with me forever (physical size depending). But that doesn’t mean my outfits are the exactly the same. I want this one thing to be worn with everything I own expressed not only through formality levels but different aesthetics as well. This action of owning something because you like it and you make it work with other things you like and already own) is a form of Forced Versatility and only contributes to Cultural Patina.
This approach is a bit of a contrast to the conventional way of dressing. Most people tend to have a specific mode of dress that sticks largely to specific boxes rather than a vibe. So when they move to a new phase of their fashion journey, it often is quite transformative in that it distinctly moves away from what they had before. As a result, things are not easily brought along with them.
Like I said, I try my absolute best to keep what I own and wear them as I see fit, across whatever vibe I feel like (forced versatility). And in almost every case, it works! A chore coat, kimono style coat and a suit jacket are interchangeable as are military chinos, gurkha shorts, or grey pleated trousers (generally speaking). It’s not for everyone, but that approach is something I’ve come into the past couple of years.
As I look back over my recent purchases, it’s mainly been about foundational pieces and replacements (as I change sizes) instead of being radically new things. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of menswear (which tends to happen when you look at the wild stuff that classic menswear has produced over the eons) and I know the differences between what I appreciate and the garments that actually have the potential for Forced Versatility and Cultural Patina.
Again, Safincore is probably the most transformative thing I’ve stepped into, but it played quite easily with everything else I normally wear. It came about with only one or two new purchases. The other stuff I’ve bought in 2023 was a grey fedoras, thrifting striped point collar shirts (since I can’t really afford custom shirts all the time), and getting plain navy, brown, and grey suits. I think it’s safe to say that I’ve settled into my groove. I don’t find myself discovering radically new things as much as I am simply buying (or replacing) more of what I like.
Both of these points (which factor heavily into my interviews with Spencer and MJ) are why my blog’s content has shifted over the past few years. I used to think it was just about the pandemic revealing just how arbitrary this all is. Working from home and being able to create our own context by making everything we do into an Occasion is a great activity to help us figure out our own taste and our methods of expression. But this is still quite shallow.
A lot of this rhetoric already exists and is unfortunately used on Tiktok and the new age of fashion mfers to justify switching up your aesthetic on a whim and actually not be connected to your clothes. They have traded pragmatism in the workplace for pragmatism in the social zeitgeist. This is clearly seen when certain influencers like Drew Joiner talk a lot about finding tenets of their style while sharing that it’s also their job to keep up with the trends and remain relevant; I don’t think that approach should be defended.
Instead, what this reveals to me is the freedom that comes from security. The pandemic helped me get into a stable career, one that not only gives me the privilege of working from home but one that has nice colleagues who are good with how I dress. It also showed the importance of spending time with loved ones who do not simply put up with my antics but who understand it and even share the same mindset even if it is expressed differently. All of this has not only assisted me with finding the foundations of Ethan Style but the understanding the philosophy behind it.
The themes of Leisure and the pursuit Expressive Life are so central to that freedom. Being free from pragmatism allows us to introspect and be ourselves. It is no wonder that at this point, getting dressed is closer than it ever has been to higher forms of expression like art and music. When fashion is no longer a bloodsport or a decision of life or death (jobs, dating), it just becomes a fun activity to look forward to each day. Unless you’re me and you end up making outfits ad nauseum because the inspiration keeps coming.
I realize that I am still very young and there is a high chance that something may happen that makes me do a complete 180. But I don’t actually think I’m that naive. A lot of adults dress the same way they did when they were in their late 20s and early 30s because that’s when they were the most confident and themselves. I actually want that for myself mainly because I like the way I dress and think it’s cool. And I’m pretty sure I will always think what I like is cool.
Feel free to hold me to that—I bet I’ll have the Patina to prove it!
Anyway, be sure to listen to my interview with Spencer and MJ below. I really had a fun time especially because at the time of writing/recording, it was the first time I’ve been asked questions like that. And no, I did not write their questions for them 
PS: People gotta stop getting on my case about Outfit Repeating. In the pod, I came up with an epiphany. It’s not about how I never like an outfit enough to repeat it but it’s that I am continually fascinated and inspired by the Forced Versatility of my garments. I love being able to wear the same pieces I’ve had for a long time across a variety of outfits. It just so happens that I haven’t repeated them….at least not yet.
PSS: I also just realized that this seems like it’s the end of the blog and pod. I’m not going to lie– I have thought about it. But there are a few more things I have yet to discuss, both directly in menswear (What’s my shoe philosophy? Does hairstyle play into my outfits?) and about wearing it (how did being single affect my clothing choices). So don’t worry, the guys and I still have plenty of topics to cover before the site becomes a book report/view blog and the pod shifts to just being about movies.
Podcast Outline
- 14:39 – Beginning of Interview/Categorizing Ethan’s Look
- 28:08 – Vintage Influence
- 31:59 – Connection with Social Media
- 44:00 – Ethan’s Expression
- 54:57 – Relationship with Trends
- 59:02 – THE FUTURE
- 1:03:21 – Is Ethan an Artist?
- 1:10:39 – Community
- 1:16:19 – Ethan’s Influencer Status
- 1:22:08 – Effect with Other Hobbies
- 1:32:38 – Ethan’s Wrap-up
Recommended Reading:
I’ve linked a lot of my favorite pieces throughout this article but here’s a list that help informs this:
- On Getting Dressed
- Expression
- Wearing It IRL
- On Acquiring Clothes
- Connotations to Art
- Spreading the Gospel
Thanks for listening and reading along! Don’t forget to support us on Patreon to get some extra content and access to our exclusive Discord.
The Podcast is produced by MJ.
Always a pleasure,
Big thank you to our top tier Patrons (the SaDCast Fanatics), Philip, Shane, Henrik, and Alexander.