Our August 2021 Style Column features the dapper male Aimua Idehen. Aimua’s knowledge on fashion earned him a spot on the blog as our Style Focus for the week. He takes the tiniest details into consideration when putting an outfit together. On this Interview, he shared light on his fashion philosophy. We asked him a couple of questions on fashion and he had this to say…………
What are you wearing at the moment?
My glasses are recommended however, the frames were made by Tom Ford. My undershirt and Polo Shirt are by Ralph Lauren. My trousers were custom made in Chicago by Agriculture, socks by Banana Republic, sneakers by Giuseppe Zanotti, watch and bracelet by RADO and belt by Tom Ford.
What is fashion to you?
Fashion encompasses a couple of areas. There’s the more obvious like clothing, shoes and accessories. Besides that, it is a lifestyle like your choice of restaurant, mannerism, etiquette, style of speech and pastimes.
How would you describe your style?
Classy, Avant Garde and Versatile.
Do you go with trends?
Rarely…. I have never considered myself as a bandwagon person. I take a second look at trends and If it incidentally aligns with my style, then fine!. Otherwise I stick with what I like.
When did you start dressing this way?
It’s been kind of an evolution. As a young man, I watched my father, who is an Attorney coordinate his pieces of clothing and observed how he selected and combined his ensemble. That experience first peaked my interest in fashion.
While at the University of Benin, I had a good idea of fashion. However, fashion in Nigeria was simple as layering was rarely required.
Whereas, in the Chicago where I have been domiciled for the past 2 decades there are different weather patterns. That entails being knowledgeable in fashion vis a vis differences in seasons.
What are the 5 types of footwear every man should own?
Ordinarily, I would choose certain types of shoes. However, I think it depends on the man’s lifestyle and profession. For example, for someone in the corporate field, three of those shoes might be dressy shoes which are work appropriate.
Generally, you should consider a pair of casual sneakers, sport sneakers, two pairs of dress shoes and a pair of sandals. For colors, start with universal colors like black and brown.
If you had 10,000 naira what would you purchase?
A pair of socks, pocket squares or tie.
What are your first date tips for men in their 30’s to 40’s looking to make a good first impression?
What he’s going to have on could be heavily influenced by where he’s going. If he decides to take his lady to a fine upscale restaurant he should have on a blazer or sport coat, a button down shirt and a pair of slacks or jeans.
The jeans should be dressier, not baggy, washed or faded. The color should be uniform. The shoes could be a pair of sneakers or dressy shoes.
In terms of Seasons, does the same principle apply?
The same principle applies however, seasons would influence the weight and color of the clothes. In Summer or in a tropical country, he could be in linen, a linen blend jacket, light cotton jacket, light wool jacket or sport coat.
The shirt could be cotton or linen blend. The shirt and jacket should typically be light colored although in the evening, it might be a darker colour. The undershirt could also be a T-shirt.
I expect to see him in pocket squares made of linen or cotton in the Summer. Slacks should also be in same fabric.
The shoes could be dressy or casual. The idea is how you’re dressing up the entire ensemble. So you could have on a pair of fashionable shoes like the sneakers I’m wearing.
It’s not going to be like you have on a pair of gym shoes and faded or ripped jeans with oversized T-shirt. That would be a totally different look. But if you pick one of any of those items I mentioned, you could dress them up to suppress that look. You could be on ripped jeans, navy blazer and monk strap shoes and nobody is going to say you’re looking too rough.
In the winter season you could have on a tweed jacket or flannel (heavy wool jacket), sweater or wool vest. You could wear a shirt with a tie and pocket square made of heavy fabric like wool. You might have on a felt hat, bottoms could be a pair of jeans or corduroy pants and shoes could be made of Suede (suede boots or regular low top suede’s), socks might be thicker.
For spring, wear colorful clothes in lighter weight. In Fall which is not as cold as winter, your layers might not be as many as that of winter. You might be able to get away with a V-neck sweater with a sport coat or leather jacket.
In what ways would you style a forest green shirt without using the color black?
Forest green obviously means I’m dressing for Fall or Winter. The sport coat could be a darker brown, navy or wine. But wine is typically for festive periods around late December or after Thanksgiving in the U.S up until the first week in January.
My pants could be light grey but then the fabric would be heavy. So even though it’s light grey which might suggest almost summer/spring, the fabric shows it’s for winter season.
The shoes might be suede green or wine. Otherwise you could go all the way and do something in a totally different color in a fabric that is suggestive of the festive period.
What are your key accessories?
It’s pretty much right from my Sunglasses. I’m bespectacled so I’m always going to have on prescribed glasses but sometimes I might be on a holiday and have someone chauffeur me around then I have the luxury of using Sunglasses.
Also, the style of the glasses could be dictated by where I’m going and my ensemble. If I have on a pair of glasses which are flashy, I would avoid clothing which are also flashy.
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These days, socks are accessories. Some years ago, most men wore socks which were mostly brown, black or once in a while with stripes and then the rule was the color of your pants would dictate the color of your socks.
But now, it’s different.The color of your socks could pop and be totally different from your outfit. Just as you might do with pocket squares. That’s another accessory I utilize a lot.
For accessories like neck chain, if you know that your clothes are adventurous or obvious you might want to simplify your neck chain.
Tell us about man bags. If someone stole yours what items would they find in it?
For the smaller ones, I typically do not use them unless I’m travelling. I use it to hold essentials like money otherwise a larger one like what I have now is quite functional and versatile. It’s large and fashionable.
It could contain a laptop, business related files, sunglasses, toothpaste, fragrance, face towel, face mask and magazines I subscribe to like Time magazine, National Geographic and The Economist.
What’s your favorite fragrance?
Aventus Cologne by Creed. It’s actually a perfume. I also like acqua de essenziale by Salvatore Ferragamo which is a Cologne.
I prefer the softer fragrances. Some people erroneously think that perfumes are exclusively for females. Fragrances come in different degrees of concentration and different bases in relation to what’s more appropriate for weather, occasion and time of the day.
From strongest to weakest: perfume > eau de perfume, toilet, eau de toilet, cologne, eau fraiche. The softer fragrances are more so for the tropical climate; more for day time and more for business.
The heavier ones are more so for the cold weather, in the evenings and more casual occasions. Of course, this approach is tainted by personal preferences. From my experience, fragrances in darker bottles are usually more intense and those in lighter bottles are typically softer.
Where is your favorite place to shop and who is your favorite designer?
Favorite designer is a tricky question but if I have to say whom I might patronize more often, I would say Ralph Lauren because he is quite versatile. With Polo there are 4 different cuts (from extra slim fit, slim fit, slender fit, and classic fit).
Sometimes he offers little alterations with a minimal fee and he also makes good quality. He’s one of the best and world class. I would say I patronize him more than others but I don’t have a specific ‘’go to” designer.
A man who is a fashion purist would not say he totally patronizes one person. I might like your clothes but I may not go to you for shoes or belts.
What is the most expensive fashion item you own?
A suit.
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What advice would you give to someone buying a Suit for the first time?
Go for a navy suit. It might be solid (plain) or with pin stripes. The weight should be year round regardless of the climate you live. It could be like a light wool.
I would say you should go for the super 100’s. A lot of people may not understand some of those terminologies. The more expensive suits are the super 160’s and 180’s. It means that there are 160 or 180 threads per square inch respectively.
The consequence for the number of threads is that the threads would be thinner, finer and more expensive as they increase in number because they use more craftsmanship.
On the other hand, those suits would rip earlier than cheaper ones. Finer suits with more threads are not meant to be worn weekly. They should be worn like six times a year. They are not work suits because they are not always durable.
Have you ever regretted a decision you made concerning an outfit?
Yeah, I have, probably more than once or twice. The source of regret was pretty much being overdressed to an occasion. You’re invited somewhere and sometimes people don’t seem to understand what they are doing or most of the guests don’t seem to read the memo. So it’s like you’re looking out of place (but in a positive way).
Also sometimes you might dress and go out only to realize that you wore few layers and you’re freezing or too many layers and it’s hot.
What’s your take on African fashion?
It’s evolving but I don’t think it’s making much progress as it should. African fashion should have been more universal by now.
When I see outfits produced by African fashion houses, something as simple as the composition of the fabric and care is missing. The composition of the fabric should be explicitly stated so that prospective customers would know how to care for the fabric.
For Nigerian fashion (i.e. with individuals and fashion house) I see the ways they use colors. I think they should be a bit more mindful with colors in relation to tropical climate. I would like to see people do more lighter fabrics and colors.
Sometimes the traditional attires are too heavy and decorative. There should be a way to even it out. All of these could be heavily influenced by fashion houses.
Any advice on wardrobe staples?
A grown man who is 25 and above should have a pair of tuxedo in black. As you go higher, you can acquire more in colors like cream or white or even black but the lapel could be another color. The key is that your lapel should be the same color as your tie.
Other things to consider include a pair of jeans, a suit in a lighter weight fabric, a white or blue button down shirt and a pair of black or brown shoes. It is advisable to match the color of your shoes with the color of your belt.
What are your thoughts on homosexuality and fashion?
As an individual, I am thoroughly heterosexual and I love fashion so that pretty much answers the question.
At what point in your life did you realize that you were somewhat stylish?
It was from feedback. Sometimes I go out and a lady might ask to take a picture of the ensemble I have on and tell me that’s how they have been trying to get their man to dress but it doesn’t seem to work.
A lot of people like to be typical. They are scared to challenge the norm. They want to blend in and plain safe.
Give an all-round fashion advice for men in the following categories (plus size, short and tall).
- Plus size men – If you are a plus size man, you may not be able to go for what you like but what would enhance your look. If you have a big stomach, you should go for clothes which are more generously cut. You have to wear what is more consistent with your body.
- Short Men – You don’t want to wear jackets which are too long. You should wear short jackets. Typically in suits/jackets there’s something called the “Rule of thumb”. It means that if you’re standing upright, your jacket should not go lower than the tip of your thumb. So even when it’s shorter, it makes you look taller. A short man who doesn’t want his height to be accentuated should go for a shorter jacket.
- For colors, white makes you look bigger and black makes you look slimmer. Horizontal stripes make you look wider.
- A man on the shorter side wearing baggy pants might make him look shorter. A trim pair of pants might be better on him.
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