Bernhard Roetzel’s Menswear 10 Commandments
Today, Bernhard Roetzel is renowned the world over as a leading commentator in the field of classic men’s style. But Roetzel didn’t initially set out to forge a career in the sartorial sphere — in fact, he trained as a graphic designer, beginning his working life in the advertising industry.
As he explained to me during an Instagram Live interview last year (embedded below), dressing to the nines on a daily basis made Roetzel stand out like a sore thumb in the casual world of ad-land, where the Don Draper look has long been superseded by a uniform of jeans, sneakers and tees.
However, his visible passion for old-school tailoring worked to Roetzel’s advantage when he brought his passion project, a book on the elements of masculine dress with the working title of ‘International Style’, to a publisher in Germany in 1997. Though Roetzel had no background as an author or journalist, the strength of the concept and Roetzel’s evident grasp of and love for the subject matter gave the publisher sufficient confidence to offer the aspiring writer a deal.
More than two decades after its completion, the book that would be published as ‘Gentleman: A Timeless Fashion’ has cemented its position as one of the key texts in the classic men’s style canon, alongside works by Bruce Boyer, Alan Flusser et al. Now available in an astonishing 21 languages, Roetzel’s best-selling book has provided countless men around the world with invaluable advice on how to procure the finest garments and assemble flawless outfits. Here, the author sets out to continue this good work with a concise set of Menswear 10 Commandments.
10. “Don’t forget the old stuff you once loved so much, but do open your heart to new things.”
9. “It’s important to get rid of excess clothing regularly. However, don’t be too quick to discard things. The longer you’ve owned an item, the longer you should think over disposing of it.”
Read on for Bernhard’s counsel on colourful socks — and many other matters of good taste. (Photo: Jan Hemmerich)
8. “Good or bad, right or wrong and ‘sins’ of style only exist in context. It’s right to wear gym clothes at the gym or at home alone, but wrong at a cocktail reception. A suit can be equally wrong in some contexts.”
7. “Do you know the story ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ by Hans Christian Andersen? If you know it, you need not read further. Try not to act like the emperor. If you don’t know the story, read it. In says that you shouldn’t let your judgment be influenced by someone’s personality, friends or bystanders (in real life), or comments (on Instagram, for instance).”
6. “Most of the time, it’s best not to judge someone’s attire. If you do have to judge, try to base the judgment on the part you understand. ‘I find the stripes too loud for a business suit,’ might a good point. It’s more difficult to judge the fit of a bespoke suit. In most cases, it’s simply better not to judge. If someone asks your opinion about his clothes or style, be careful with your answer. The question is rarely meant as an invitation to give negative comments. In a private context, I prefer not to answer or to find something nice that I can say without being dishonest. The best time to give advice is before a decision is made.”
5. “It’s difficult to create rules that apply to everybody, because everybody is different. One of the few rules that seems to apply always is this one: Watch out for harmony of proportions, unless you deliberately want to create an effect based on disharmony. Here’s an example: When I wear a close-fitting suit I will complement it with narrow shoes with thin soles, a hat with a narrow brim and a close-fitting overcoat. When I wear a 1940s style double-breasted suit with pleats and wide trousers, I would pick a generously cut raincoat with Raglan sleeves and a hat with a higher crown and a wide brim.”
4. “I also apply the idea of harmony to the style I choose. I never mix English style with Italian style or middle European style. This doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t wear an English raincoat over an Italian bespoke suit because this would be a very Italian thing to do. It means that I wouldn’t wear a scruffy old Barbour jacket with a smart Italian suit, because it is very English to see an extremely worn out garment as more beautiful than a new garment.”
3. “Every outfit that you wear may contain one eccentric detail — but be careful if there are more than two. If you wear red socks with a dark blue suit and black shoes, you do not need a red pocket handkerchief.”
2. “I prefer my shirts to be of a lighter colour than my suit or jacket. A dark blue denim shirts need to be washed many times before I wear it with a tweed jacket. I feel that dark colours are ‘heavier’ than lighter colour. This is why I prefer to wear the darkest piece at the very bottom or as a basis and then let the colours get lighter towards the top. Example: Black shoes, dark grey flannels, mid blue blazer, light blue shirt. The only exception is the tie, which I like to choose in the same colour or ‘weight’ of colour as something from the basis of the outfit. Maybe socks in dark burgundy and and a tie in burgundy or with burgundy and navy stripes.
1. “Beginners tend to look too much for colours and patterns. The structure and surface of fabrics and other materials are at least of equal importance.”
Explore Bernhard Roetzel’s catalogue of books on style and its successful execution at his Amazon author page, or visit his Instagram profile for snapshots of Roetzel’s daily life and news on upcoming projects.
