Conservative cool
You don't have to don stripes or pink shirts to look stylish, says New Zealand's best dressed businessman
Wednesday, June 02 2010 || Features || BY Caitlin Sykes
New Zealand’s best dressed businessman, Ben Ford, is not afraid to look to the past for inspiration. But the PricewaterhouseCoopers corporate finance analyst, at 26 the youngest winner of the annual Working Style Best Dressed Businessman Awards yet, says just because you wear a suit every day, it doesn’t mean you can’t dress your age
How would you describe your style?
It’s fairly conservative. I appreciate well made products and I’d rather have quality products that last longer; if you have good shoes they’ll last for 20 years. I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily conservative outside the office but it’s what the job requires.
Where do you get your clothes?
I’ve been getting most of my suits through Paul Doran [at Wunderkammer]. I’m quite excited to see what the next suit he makes me looks like. It’s in traditional colours but a modern fit — that’s what I like.
How many suits do you own?
I have four that I wear to work and I got a tux made. I’ve got a three button, a one-button navy, a Prince of Wales check three piece and a flannel double-breasted suit.
What inspires your suit choices?
I bounce ideas off Paul, but I’m quite influenced by what was around in the 60s. That’s the music I tend to listen to and I’m influenced by that. I like simple designs and keeping everything quite narrow and sleek. It probably ties into what people are wearing in the music industry and just wanting to dress your age. You’re going to be wearing suits for 40 years so you may as well wear something that befits your age. I tend to like the suits of Miles Davis and there are a couple of designers at the moment that are doing a pretty good job: Carlo Brandelli who used to be at Kilgour, and Hedi Slimane who was at Dior. They are touchstones.
What do you wear when you’re not working?
Like most people I wear jeans quite a lot. I tend to wear leather jackets because I ride a motorcycle, so that’s a practicality.
What advice would you give businessmen wanting to improve their look?
I think most people look better in plain colours, whether it’s just a plain suit or a shirt. For example, you don’t have to get a blue pinstriped suit; you can just get a blue suit, or a blue shirt rather than a check. If you’re not particularly interested in fashion it’s probably best to keep it simple.
Also, dress for your body type and don’t forget comfort. You have to feel comfortable in what you’re wearing and you don’t necessarily have to dress like the shop assistants, because they’re going to follow the fashions more than you’re able to in business.
The Working Style Best Dressed Businessman Awards 2010 were held in association with Mercedes-Benz and Unlimited
Has the boy never heard of shoe trees? And as for that button-down Oxford, well!
Posted by Satorial Jim from Wellington at 04:05 on June 3, 2010
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