"There's a little bit of planning involved for the Fashion Week outfits. A little bit. But it's my job..." Dressed in a Tiger of Sweden suit, Dries Van Noten shoes and a Charvet shirt and tie, Selfridges Menswear Buying Manager Adam Kelly is patiently explaining just exactly how much effort goes into his much-photographed outfits. When he's not working it on street style blogs, Kelly is responsible for making sure that the Oxford Street department store keeps abreast of the key menswear trends. It's a full-time occupation that takes him to Milan, Paris and Florence - being shot by the likes of the Sartorialist and Tommy Ton, on the other hand, is really more of a hobby: "I'm very fortunate to do what I do, which allows me to get certain looks. But it's my love, my passion, so that comes through." Here he talks to GQ.com about Cary Grant, combining High Street with luxury and why his favourite suit is yet to come...
How many suits and jackets do I have? Oh God!Suits it's got to be over 70, with maybe 50 or 60 separate jackets. I've got quite a lot of clothes, it must be said. I have to be pretty meticulous in how I store them.You've got to go with wooden hangers and they're all covered in suit bags to keep them away from the dreaded moths.
There was a store in Bath that I grew up with called John Anthony. From the age of 14 or 15 I was always walking past and looking in the windows at the great D&G suits, Stone Island jackets or Armani jeans. I thought, "I'd love to work for them," but I didn't have a clue how - so I started to pester them. Eventually they took me on and I started for free. I was unpacking boxes in the warehouse as well as doing the buys, the windows, working on the shop floor, a bit of everything. It was an amazing schooling and grounding for me.
I enjoy all clothing. Whether it be a brand such as Uniqlo when you're driving big volume or a beautiful Anderson & Sheppard suit, something that's got amazing style. I'm not frightened of mixing the two. My most recent High Street purchases are a pair of shorts from Topman and a Reiss granddad shirt. Topman does an amazing job of fashion at accessible prices and Reiss does a good tailoring, smarter option - it has got a good handle on that. But you've got to get these amazing investment pieces - at least I have to sell them to myself as investment pieces...
My favourite jacket is a Junya Watanabe in ripstop fabric. It's old-school, maybe seven or eight years old, in khaki green and a tailored shape.
My favourite suit? Something from Tom Ford when we start stocking it in October. I'm always thinking about my favourite suit to come. Even just Tom Ford's basic peak lapel suit is an amazing piece and very signature to the brand. Probably a check separate jacket as well - Tom Ford's got a great one for autumn/winter.
I'm not sure how this is going to come across... I've probably got over 100 pairs of shoes at least. My favourites are Crockett & Jones, Church's and Dries Van Noten on a fashion level. Crockett's probably the No.1 at the moment. I've also got a vibram sole lightweight summer suede brogue that's great.- you can wear it with a pair of jeans or a separate jacket or a suit. My favourite trainer would be Superga: really classic, simple white plimsoll.
In summer you've got to go for the right fabrics. Cotton, linen, wool mohair. With a suit you've got the gauging of your wools right. I also do quite like a cotton suit in the summer, especially with a cotton-linen or knitted tie. That's a nice look.
I do like to show a bit of ankle. I have a certain length of trouser that I like to wear: I'm sure a lot of designers look at it as me butchering their clothes. But hopefully I'm refining them. I do adjust a lot. I use a guy on Savile Row called Khan. The first couple times he said, "Why do you want them so short? That doesn't work." But now we've found a happy balance. I like to adjust the clothes that I buy. I think it's important to take my own twist.
The biggest mistake that men make is wearing the wrong fit or size. There's not many guys who will wear the correct-fitting suit. They always like to go a size up from where they should be. But that can be worked on and you can take most guys back into looking really sharp. TV's allowed that to happen over the last few years with Mad Men and more recently with Boardwalk Empire: guys are looking a bit sharper and a bit more groomed.
You can't take any reference point outside of Cary Grant. Has to be No.1. The guy just was style personified. His films, the way he carried himself, how he looked and actually the detail he went into. If you read about him, he had a certain length of jacket and a certain length of sleeve because he had a slight shoulder imbalance.
Wall Street is amazing. So full-on and ballsy. It basically started a generation of these bankers grooming themselves and power dressing in an elegant, dandy way that was still very masculine. I haven't got any red braces, no, but I have got a few pinstripe suits and Bengal stripe shirts.
The best way to get shot by street style bloggers is actually not to go too far out there. Trying too hard is the worst thing. You can see a lot of guys there who are just waiting to be shot. Just have a bit of presence and style about you and let them do what they do. There are certain things that they pick up on: maybe detail and colour. But it's more about just enjoying what they're doing.
I really enjoy watches. I've got a Datejust Rolex but it's very unusual because it's got a black face and a white gold bezel. It was my 21st birthday present. Watch-wise, Patek Philippe is absolutely beautiful and an IWC Portofino is probably the next watch I would love to get my hands on. You can get heavily into watches but they're a hell of an asset to your wardrobe. It's a great hobby... but not a cheap hobby.
What's selling surprisingly well in Selfridges at the moment is colour. It's not men's leggings or meggings or jeggings or whatever. Guys are embracing colour, whether it be Dockers chinos or whatever - just that pop.
source: gq-magazine.co.uk ,GQ.com
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