Martijn van Herwijnen is co-owner of bespoke suits store Sarto Undici. In his column, he offers tips and discusses the latest trends in men’s fashion.
Dandy or Denim? Once upon a time, things were so easy: a dark-grey or blue suit, worn with a blue or red tie. This used to be a winning combination, but not anymore.
When I’m walking around the Zuidas, I see three stereotypes. First, the classic three-piece suit, preferably grey, worn by men of a certain age with important jobs.
Then there is the ‘dandy’, wearing a nice jacket, chinos, matching shirt and the right accessories: a colourful pocket square, nice watch, leather briefcase. He’s a man of taste who likes to look good.
But there’s also a third category and their numbers are growing: men who used to wear a normal suit but switched to jeans and a white or blue shirt they previously wore with their now-discarded suit. Maybe I’m wrong but my guess is that this type of man considers ‘dandy’ an offensive word.
To me, as co-owner of bespoke suits store Sarto Undici, the word dandy has no bad connotation at all. Originally, it signified a man who cared about his appearance but did not take himself too seriously.
The way we dress keeps changing and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. What is bad, however, is not caring how you look, wearing your suit like a bus driver: too long, too big, too wide, lacking colour and imagination. Or simply going for the trusted jeans and jacket combo, the so-called “modern uniform”. With a bit of effort we can all look so much better and more stylish. Isn’t it pretty easy to look a lot better?
My tip for all men is straightforward: challenge yourself, throw out the jeans and release your inner dandy.
Martijn van Herwijnen
Sarto Undici