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Hi there,

I recently published two new videos about my wardrobe — one walking through my full suit wardrobe, one through my sports jacket wardrobe. I'll link both below. Today, I want to share the idea behind why I built these wardrobes the way I did, even though I don't necessarily need to be wearing suits these days — and perhaps many of you find yourself in a very similar situation.

I recently asked you: when do you feel most stylish? 63% said: suited up. Only 6% said weekend casual. So clearly, many of you feel it too — and yet most of us aren't wearing tailored clothes most days. Why is that?

Most men wear tailored clothes when the occasion demands it. A wedding, a job interview — something external creates the permission to dress up. Outside those occasions, a suit or even a blazer doesn't find much wear.

My reasoning for still wearing suits and sports jackets, even if I don't have to, is as simple as it gets: I want to be well-dressed. It makes me feel better, more motivated. And I feel that by dressing nicely, I show a certain attitude to the day, to the people I'll talk to. So why should I need a special occasion, if every day isn't already special? And by the way, most people will even compliment you — which is a nice byproduct.

What building a well-rounded wardrobe means to men with this sensibility is that they appreciate the details of a well-made jacket, a suit in an interesting fabric, the beautiful drape of it, a texture that changes in different light — these are genuinely beautiful things. I enjoy them the way I'd enjoy a well-crafted piece of furniture or a painting, or a cup of freshly brewed coffee. The pleasure doesn't depend on having somewhere "important" to be all the time.

Japan's well-known fashion consultant Akamine Yukio has said something that resonated with me in this context. He describes elderly Italian men gathering in village squares on Sundays in their finest linen suits — worn for decades, slightly yellowed with age — and his reaction is simply: "When I see that, I've lost." What he means is not losing a competition, but being humbled by something more complete than anything he could articulate. Men who dress beautifully not because the occasion demands it, but because they want to honour their Sunday. Clothes alone don't change anything — but the gesture of underlining it with their best shows their intent. And this is exactly the feeling I described above: dressing "special" for an ordinary day.

A comment I came across on the menswear journal Permanent Style put the confidence side of this plainly: "If a bold jacket makes someone uncomfortable, they've got bigger things to worry about." While a certain restraint is always sophisticated, the heart of the matter is this: dressing classic is not arrogance among those who dress otherwise — it's simply about not making your style hostage to what others think you ought to wear outside dress codes.

Of course, my more casual sports jackets get more daily wear than my formal suits. But I don't hesitate to wear my navy double-breasted jacket, a dress shirt, smart wool trousers, and leather shoes on a weekend day. And that's what I'd invite you to explore in classic menswear: not what you're supposed to wear — whether that's pressure toward ultra-casual or an impersonal dark suit, white shirt, dark tie uniform — but what you actually enjoy wearing. So whether that's your double-breasted jacket or your single-breasted suit, styled appropriately on a day out. Wear your best clothes on an ordinary day — and make that the occasion. It's a way to show appreciation for the ordinary.

Here are the videos I mentioned. If you haven't already, check them out!

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Best regards,

Lukas from Thoughtful Style