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The ultimate men’s guide to organising your wardrobe
Stephen Doig talks to three men about how they organise their stylish clothes
Esteemed readers, I have a grubby little secret to confess. Despite looking after all things men’s style-related at this venerable institution, my own sartorial set-up is shamefully lacking. Thanks to the job and almost 20 years in the fashion industry, I have more clothes than most – umpteen suits, approximately 20 coats, a vast amount of eveningwear and – my own personal vice – upwards of perhaps 60 pairs of evening slippers. “I imagine your wardrobes are all categorised and gleaming,” one colleague speculated recently when I mentioned embarking on an extensive clear-out. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Thanks to the space constraints of a flat near central London and the sheer volume of clothing involved, my collection now mushrooms and spills out of wardrobes and piles into overhead shelving, cresting in a fountain of extraneous overmatter in the cellar. The shoe pile is now quite literally hitting the ceiling, as is my partner. Marie Kondo would need to be sedated.
So how best to streamline and sort out this chaotic situation? If you’re like David Beckham (and aren’t we all, eh?), who detailed in his recent documentary his need for meticulous organisation in his expansive, sprawling wardrobe, you won’t need our space-saving tips. But how do us mere mortals – or at least stylish men who care about their clothes – manage it?
We can’t all have a Jeeves to our Wooster, nor our own personal counterpart to the valet who famously applied King Charles’s toothpaste every morning. There’s something wonderfully ceremonial about the upper echelons of men’s dress and the splendid sense of rightness to having your shirts just so, your shoes perfectly aligned. Most of us don’t have a set-up that’s quite so grand, but it doesn’t matter – I have fond memories of my father polishing his Oxfords; the potency of the aroma, the lethal blackness of the polish itself. The fact that men’s wardrobes generally consist of more structured clothes than women’s means a degree of thought should go into the organisation of them.
Hardy Amies, the esteemed couturier who dressed the late Queen Elizabeth and published his ABC of Men’s Fashion in 1964, had some of-the-era and not entirely politically correct thoughts on the rigours of how a man dresses himself; “everybody knows that trousers have to be kept well-pressed and nearly everyone knows how to do it. If you haven’t been in the services, then get a wife and train her.”
Amies, consider yourself cancelled. But – as my own wardrobe situation reaches breaking point, what’s to be learned from well-dressed men who’ve got the process nailed?
“It was when I entered the legal profession as a young man that I really discovered the joy of good suiting,” says Philip Stott, 53, founder and executive director of the estate investment management company Caisson. Refreshingly, even after many Magic Circle law firms have relaxed their dress codes and many in his profession have eased into blended working, and the casual approach therein, Stott relishes the ceremony and splendour of proper formal attire.
“What’s encouraging is that today there’s a whole pocket of social media devoted to men’s style – I like the Instagram account Grey Fox Style (@greyfoxstyle) – and all things related to tailoring that’s great to take inspiration from,” says Stott. He favours a sartorial approach: “Proper shirts with cuff studs, ties, shoes made in Northampton. And I love scarves,” he says. Given the formality of his profession, it’s only good manners to make an effort; “showing up to a meeting in jeans and trainers would not make the right impression.”
Stott’s solution for storage – particularly for those weighty suits and formal coats – is to do away with the chunky hangers that often come with suits when they are purchased. These are designed to fill out the shoulders of a jacket, they are rather unhelpful for the spatially-challenged. Instead, Stott buys classic wooden hangers in bulk.
His other particularly stylish touch is to mock-up his outfits on an old tailor’s dummy in his dressing area, before actually putting them on.
“A nice scarf can really make an outfit, so I’ll often put a certain jacket with a shirt, tie and scarf to see if it all works together.” Suits are stashed in protective covers, with smaller items in watch and trinket trays. Stott even has an antique collar box in which to stash precious accessories.
Gen Zs entering the City in their slouchy attire, kindly take note.
The palette for 2024 is getting earthy. All the warm shades, from burgundy and damson to burnt orange, terracotta and ochre, are coming back, and not in a 70s revival way; even brown (bear with us) is getting its moment in the sun. “There’s a move towards indulgent, cocooning interiors that deliver a soothing power; richer neutrals are overtaking whites in popularity, bringing with them a cosy and inviting atmosphere,” says Ruth Mottershead, creative director of paint brand Little Greene, whose latest collection features honeyed tones such as Muscovado, Affogato and Ganache.
Mottershead calls them “earthy yet refined”, a quality that makes them “the perfect backdrop to the natural materials currently being incorporated in contemporary interiors – wicker, rattan, warm woods and stone finishes.”
What may appear old-fashioned colours get a fresh new look when paired with paler tones, such as blush pink or pale blue, or with brighter accents. Designer Kit Kemp concurs that “the warmth of umber tones” will be bringing joy in 2024, alongside
“pops of fresh green and dashes of zesty orange detailing on accessories or piping to outline furniture and add another layer of character.”
Trend forecasters Pantone and WGSN predict warm, peachy tones will be big. Although Peach Fuzz, the shade that Pantone is pushing, might suggest “teenage bedroom 1989” rather than sophisticated living space, again, there are ways to use peach tones stylishly: Colefax and Fowler’s Squiggle wallpaper and fabric, for example, or Soho Home’s Antique Rose upholstery.
Unlike bolder colours, earthy tones are easier to pair with others, so will have more longevity, says interior designer Ashley Kruger of Studio Morey: “Natural colours such as olive green, forest brown, burgundy and creamy whites have a timeless quality, so you can invest in earthy-coloured furnishings and know they will not become outdated.”