Men about town

Gary Langsford from Gow Langsford Gallery. Photo / Babiche Martens

Put some of Auckland's most stylish and high-profile men in a room together and what do you get? An exclusive "men only" event that will celebrate men's style and showcase highlights from the new Gucci menswear classic fall 2009-2010 collection. The party, on September 10, will also see the introduction of Gucci's new made-to-order tailoring service into the Auckland boutique, which allows customers to choose a silhouette from a range of existing suit and shirt designs and have them cut in a fabric of their choice and custom made in Italy.

Gucci opened their first New Zealand boutique in Auckland only last year, but the Queen St store has quickly developed a strong following says Helen Koo, managing director of Gucci Australia and New Zealand. And though New Zealand men may seemingly dress far more casually than their European counterparts, Koo thinks that the differences aren't as great as they seem.

"Style is universal and I'm pleased to say our local clientele are extremely style conscious and fashion savvy. They are well travelled and share the same appreciation for quality and craftsmanship as the European men." She says iconic pieces that are "recognisably Gucci" are bestsellers with men here.

"The classic Gucci moccasin has been a staple since it was introduced in the 50s, and it is still popular today, representing modern style and luxury."

What else are stylish Auckland men into? We talk to three men on Gucci's guest list and find out more about their style.

GARY LANGSFORD
Gary Langsford likes black. The prominent art dealer, director of the Gow Langsford and John Leech Galleries, has been a fan of the sombre hue for years, since his early days as an art school student. "If you look at old photos of me when I was in art school in the 70s, I'm in jeans and a black T-shirt all the time. And now, I'm in jeans and a black T-shirt - it's just that the labels have changed," laughs Langsford. "At art school the jeans were blue and they were patched, and now they're a nice pair of black Juicy Couture."

He acknowledges the stereotype of those in the art world only wearing the dark shade."We describe it [black] as the Gow Langsford uniform." But this penchant for black isn't necessarily for reasons that are pretentious or highbrow - it's simply because it's easier. "I'm in the gallery surrounded by paintings and colour; it just makes a lot of sense," says Langsford, who also owns Newton design store Design 55 with partner Vicki. "[My style] is not too formal. I tend to wear a lot of T-shirts, and I don't like collars very much. I never wear a tie anymore. I've got quite a nice collection of ties, but I never wear them, I just don't like to. What I like to wear is a suit with a nice T-shirt."

As well as black and a collection of ties, good shoes are another area of sartorial weakness for Langsford, who says that he's conscious of shoes more than anything. "I've got a bad, bad shoe fetish. I probably have 35 to 40 pairs." Of course, they must be black. "Every now and then I'll splash out and buy a brown pair but then I'll never wear them."

Some shoes he even treats as small pieces of art. "I've got a beautiful pair of Jil Sander silk black shoes that I bought about seven years ago, and I've never worn them. They're just too beautiful to wear."

It's this connection to art and things of beauty that largely informs Langsford's style, which he says is less about "fashion" and more about "something that will last. I try to buy things that are slightly unusual.

"To me, style isn't just about what you wear - it's which restaurants you go to, what artwork you have in your house, it's everything. It permeates every aspect of your life. Style is all-encompassing."

ALEX BRANDON
Trelise Cooper, suits and motorbikes may seem an odd combination, but it's this unlikely trio of influences that has helped shape the style of Trelise Cooper CEO Alex Brandon.

Brandon has been in the job for more than two years, concentrating on the business side of the mammoth fashion brand. "Trelise does the glam stuff and I do the boring stuff!" jokes Brandon, who previously worked at a surf company in Melbourne and Victoria's Secret in New York. Each job has had a big influence on the evolution of his style.

"In New York, it was very much suits; never ties, just cool suits. And because it was New York, it was incredibly expensive, everyone was wearing Prada and Gucci. I was on a really low salary so it was really difficult; you had to mix really cool stuff with cheaper stuff - so that was quite a good lesson." His time in the surf business was obviously a stark contrast to the sharp style of New York. "My leaving party in America was themed 'From suits to wetsuits'. The girls would come in and wear bikinis in the office and the guys would wear board shorts, it was amazing... I didn't wear a suit for three years."

In the Trelise Cooper offices Brandon will most often be seen wearing a suit, but have the label's signature femininity and theatrical flourishes permeated into his own style at all? Not really, says Brandon, but the style of those around him has encouraged a little more sartorial effort. "The interesting thing is that the girls here dress up every day, and they love Trelise; it's quite nice. There are only a few boys here in the office, but it does make us all dress up a little bit more."

He also acknowledges the high-low fashion mix of some of the younger members of the Trelise Cooper team. "I love fashion. I don't think that means having to spend tons of money on it, and having to go over to the expensive labels. I love mixing Prada with Cotton On, I think it's much cooler than going to one store and doing an outfit. It's much cooler to do a $10 T-shirt with a $500 blazer. That's what I like and that's what I think is the interesting thing about fashion. It doesn't have to be about money."

Brandon's out of work style is far more casual - jeans, T-shirts, blazers - and often influenced by his penchant for motorbikes; he raves about new Auckland boutique Deus ex Machina, and plans to buy a bike from there. He rates the style of Brad Pitt, Jude Law and Daniel Craig as James Bond, and though he says they may not so much influence his style - "because I just wear whatever I want" - he does notice and respect how they dress. "I just don't know how some guys can be so badly dressed when they can just copy people like that. There you go, fashion tip number one: if in doubt, copy what Bond does."

MARK WALLBANK
"I've always spent money on clothes; it's probably one of my biggest downfalls. I could have bought a couple of houses with the amount I've spent on clothes. I do believe in looking good." So says restaurateur Mark Wallbank, co-owner of Rocco and Ponsonby Road Bistro.

"We're not a fine dining restaurant; I hate fine dining. I think Kiwis are quite casual. As soon as you move into that realm of fine dining, the average New Zealander doesn't feel comfortable in it; they want to relax and enjoy it."

The relaxed feel of Wallbank's restaurants mirrors his own sartorial style, which is mostly made up of well-made, classic pieces, and plenty of New Zealand made.

"I'm not a suit man, I'm much more smart-casual. I like good leather, and good beautiful NZ-made clothes. The quality here is fantastic. My favourite brand at the moment is Standard Issue, and I like Simon Miller jeans.

"I do always buy my shoes in England. I find it very difficult to buy men's shoes here, just because you can't find them.

"But I do think shopping here is great. I remember going over to Melbourne last time and thinking 'you know what, all the stuff here is in New Zealand', and it's cheaper here because of the exchange rate," says Wallbank, who looks up to Tom Ford ("the guru") as a style influencer. Though his style may now be casual and classic, it was once far more extravagant. "In the 80s, I was sort of New Wave. It's funny now, I look at the style that's back in and I think 'oh my God, I used to wear that back in the 80s!' The whole emo thing; that was my look; I just can't do that again!"

At work in either of his restaurants you'll usually find Wallbank in black jeans, comfortable shoes and a well-made shirt, an outfit that reflects that of his team. "You can't be too crazy; I'm a working boss, I'm not one who sits back, so I've got to dress appropriately. The darker colours suit me because you're flying around with food. I have my own style but I don't like to wear an outfit too different to the rest of the staff, because we're a team."

You have to respect such a sensible and casual approach to style. "I think as I've gotten older I've gotten smarter; I don't buy so frivolously. Probably 10 years ago I would have gone out every week and bought something, worn it once and never worn it again. Now I'd probably buy a good thing once a month and I'll have that for a few years."