SYLVANUS URBAN Sylvanus Urban - "The Details Issue" - Volume 2 | Page 30

Style Enlightenment The road to nirvana is paved with simplicity By: Matthew Wong Men who invest in style understand that clothing can give you a boost. We all thought it had to be shoes when Jordan took flight from the free throw line. The right outfit can literally lift you to new heights, making tasks such as jumping fifteen feet through the air to dunk a basketball feel achievable. For men whose style mantra leans more towards Michael Scott than Don Draper, getting dressed can feel like trying to figure out a 3000 piece jigsaw your ex gave you last Christmas. Does this shirt match my pants? What tie goes with this shirt? Why did anybody think a jigsaw was a great gift? From the outside looking in, these two groups of men might seem further apart than Repub- licans and Democrats. No matter which camp you belong to, is there a singular solution to mak- ing your mornings suck less? Yes: a style uniform. Mornings are, by nature, challenging. After grudgingly pulling ourselves out of bed we open up our closets to tackle our first (world) problem of the day: What are we going to wear? 29 The word "uniform" is met with a less than enthusiastic approval ratings calling to mind the starchy, coordinated outfits that may have characterized our elementary school years. More recently it calls to mind mock turtlenecks, dad jeans, New Bal- ance's, and grey t-shirts. There is nothing wrong with wearing the same thing every day, as many powerful people do (think Zuckerberg). The key is to make sure your uniform is done correctly. Command it so that it tells the story you want it to. When executed correctly, you will look as strong as Steve Job’s vision. From an immaculately tai- lored navy suit with crisp white sneakers, or going triple-black with a bomber, shirt, and jeans, today's "uniform" can involve a modern aesthetic. Fashion's MVP’s are consis- tently street-styled, donning ex- pensive designer duds and styl- ing them in a way that warrants repeated fire emoji comments on Instagram. While these clothes might equate to thousands of likes, looking perfect in front of an expensive DSLR lens is rarely (IF EVER) translatable into ev- eryday style. Unwavering dedication to consistency is an undervalued accessory in menswear. When you have it, hold on to it. When you don’t, search for it. Develop- ing a rock-solid set of clothing to wear day-in and day-out is the equivalent of putting your best foot forward on a daily basis. A wardrobe stocked full of flash-in-the-pan menswear trends fizzles out rather quickly. Firmly defining a style uni- form streamlines everything. It removes the clutter from your wardrobe. It leaves the drama and uncertainty and dressing behind. Buying into a uniform also allows you to double down on quality. Paycheques dedicated to fast-fashion replicas are a thing of the past. Investing in high-end brands with exceptional crafts- manship makes your accountant happy when you explain those Common Project sneakers are worn on a daily basis. A minimal wardrobe stocked only with the good stuff? Yes, it’s possible. For those looking to slowly dip a toe into the sartorial pond, the style uniform is your gate- way into the world of menswear. Mastered the minimalist look of a white t-shirt with black jeans? It's time to conquer suits and sneak- ers next. Being more sartorially inclined does not need to be as compli