Bringing back that old time elegance

Today’s conservative dressing represents a reinvention of a by-gone era.

Conservative dressing and Brisbane boys don’t go hand in hand. With loud print t-shirts and ripped jeans wardrobe staples; bringing old time elegance to our laid back lifestyle may take time to catch on.
Hyped as being ‘ahead of the pack’ co-owner of Brisbane’s Cloakroom, Andrew Byrne, hopes not to see any more of the ‘ridiculous attire’ he came across at recent music festival, Parklife.“Boys need to start ditching the tight denim shorts and deep V-neck shirts they’ve been getting around in lately. It was the same last season... but guys can wear nice tailored shorts and a nice shirt without being too hot and stuffy in our Brisbane weather,” he says.

Sydney Designer of Le Noeud Papillon Bow ties, Nick Atgemis, noticed a definite increase in interest over this forgotten silk neckwear. “It’s very much a segmented market of the people that wear the bow tie, and it’s very much open for interpretation to the wearer,” he says.
Atgemis acknowledges there are many different ways to wear the bow tie, and not just in a formal sense. While not everyone will want one, it’s worth finding out if the saying is true, ‘a girl can’t resist the charms of a boy in a bowtie.’
Atgemis also notices a transition in dress. “There is a definite move to more classical and conservative dressing. Not everyone is going to go for the full Cary Grant look, but there will definitely be elements of these classic styles that will make its way back in with the fashion conscious,” he says.
For the style savvy man, looking to fashion abroad might serve as inspiration for preppy dressing with an edge. The Sartorialist’s keen style eye is unlikely to fail. It might take some time for bow ties to win over board shorts, but classic will always be cool.

Stylist: Lucy Slater
Assistant Stylist: Brett Bevege
Photographer: Felicity Cooney
Assistant Photographer: Peter Cooney
Model: Samuel Vucko
Hair and Makeup: Isabelle Slater