Meet the fashion-mistas: four men on how they found their style

NAME Dan Rookwood
AGE 34
OCCUPATION Style director, Men's Health

When I was growing up it wasn't a cool thing for lads to be into style. It was the era of the lad mag. Guys didn't go shopping, talk about clothes or want to appear to have made an effort. In the past 10 years we've seen that culture shift.

I would describe my style as 'classic with a twist', to borrow a phrase from Paul Smith. When I worked in Sydney for four years I was called Dapper Dan. But it wasn't always so.

My first trainers were hand-me-downs. Unfortunately they were my sister's and they were pink. I grew up in Liverpool in the 1980s, so I mostly wore Liverpool football kits and shellies [shell suits].

Dan wears: Three-piece suit Thom Sweeney ( thomsweeney.co.uk ), shirt Smyth & Gibson ( smythandgibson.com ), shoes Bosideng ( bosidenglondon.com ), tie Favourbrook ( favourbrook.com ).

It wasn't a very stylish upbringing, initially. But my dad always wears a shirt and tie - even at weekends - and both my grandfathers were very resplendent.

I think that had an impact, making me want to dress smartly, although that didn't come until later on.

I really got into clothes at university. People at Cambridge were either stereotypically geeky or wore 'rah' stuff from White Stuff and Fat Face.

I made friends with the television presenter Rick Edwards principally because we were interested in Liverpool Football Club and nice clothes. He came up to speak to me because he liked a coat I was wearing.

We enjoyed squandering our student loans on clothes, so much so that we shared a wardrobe. We lived together in London for six years and had a shared wardrobe all that time, too. We would buy stuff together and wear it on a kind of time-share basis.

Rick is now a bit of a fashionista in his own right, and I do the job I do. But it's not like I studied fashion. I just like nice clothes and always have.

I take a panoptical view of what's out there by looking online first. I'll decide what I'm after - recent buys have included a bomber jacket and monk-strap shoes - and check out as many items as I can. That way I make fewer mistakes.

Dan's favourite things

Floris bespoke fragrance : I also love having things made for me - whether it be a shirt or pair of shoes or even a fragrance. I spent a very pleasant lunchtime at Floris on Jermyn Street last week working with a perfumer to blend my own scent.
Bremont watch: I love knowing how things are made and who has made them. Nick and Giles English, the founders of Bremont, are giving the Swiss a run for their money by bringing quality watchmaking back to Britain.
Cutler & Gross 0734 sunglasses: People have been wearing Wayfarers, Clubmasters and Aviators for a while now. I predict that rounded frames like these will be big this summer.

NAME Anders Thomsen
AGE 33
OCCUPATION Fashion director, Love magazine

I grew up in Denmark and first became aware of clothes at the age of six or seven. My grandmother used to make a lot for me and I wore it all with pride. It was nice to wear something that no one else was wearing.

As a teenager I was a bit of a hippie. At the age of 13 I grew my hair long, dyed all my clothes purple and joined Greenpeace. It came with a whole lifestyle thing, and I guess that's what I was drawn to.

After that I went through a punky phase. I think it's important that you try everything out as a teenager. It's not a time to be safe. I found out what suited me: military pants never look good on someone tall and skinny.

I came to London when I was 20. That changed my style, too. I fell into clubbing - lots of neon, lots of mistakes - and met the stylist [and founder of Love magazine] Katie Grand.

Anders wears: T-shirt Lanvin ( lanvin.com ), suit Jil Sander ( jilsander.com ), trainers Raf Simons ( rafsimons.com ).

It's fun to look back at the mistakes and ask, 'What I was I thinking?' But if it feels right at the time, who's to tell you not to wear it?

I work in fashion so it's a massive part of my life but I'm not obsessed. I'm not sitting at home watching haute couture shows from the 1980s. Having said that, I spend quite a large proportion of my income on clothes. More than 10 per cent. It's spread out over five or six brands.

I buy a lot of Jonathan Saunders. There's really nothing else like it: great shapes and colours and it really fits me. I'm also a big fan of Qasimi Homme and Prada. And I really like Cos, which is a kind of high-street version of Jil Sander.

I wouldn't want to be friends with someone who commented on my clothes and I would never tell another person what they should wear.

I actually prefer it when someone's just in jogging pants, a sweatshirt and trainers. If you do tell someone what to wear it never looks right because it doesn't come from them. You've got to make clothes your own, otherwise - it's a cliché but it's true - the clothes are wearing you.

Anders' favourite things

Nike Air Max Olympic 2012 Limited Edition trainers: I'm usually in trainers even when I'm wearing a suit. These were issued for the London Olympics. I wanted another pair but they have sold out.
Gold necklaces: I don't wear a lot of jewellery and I would never buy it for myself. Really important people in my life gave these to me, which is why I wear them.
San Francisco key-ring: I went on a road trip in America with my best friend at the time. At Lake Tahoe we talked about what we wanted to do in life. I wanted to be a stylist, she wanted to be a writer. We both ended up doing what we said. I bought this key-ring on the trip.

NAME William Gilchrist
AGE 4 7
OCCUPATION Stylist to Benicio Del Toro and Jude Law

Punk was prevalent when I was young and that was when I saw people do things differently, making a statement with clothing.

At boarding-school our objective was to take our uniform and destroy it. The more it appeared like a hand-me-down, the better. I saw that clothing could question conformity. Rebelling through what you wear doesn't get you very far but it can be a great journey.

There were some humorous moments. I managed to get hold of some Seditionaries clothes [the label produced by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren in the 1970s] and my housemaster said he'd found some rags in my wardrobe during half-term and burnt them. The fact that Vivienne Westwood designed them didn't mean much to him.

William wears: Shirt and trousers Oliver Spencer ( oliverspencer.co.uk ), jacket Favourbrook ( favourbrook.com ), slippers Handmade.

As I grew up, I discovered more about proportion and design. I learnt that a centimetre is a very long way in menswear. I have an enjoyment but not reverence of quality. I certainly appreciate the artisan side and the knowledge that goes into the making of a good piece, but I won't put it on a pedestal. I'll put it on and wear it.

All good design should retain an element of being functional, particularly in menswear. We don't gild lilies; we wear clothes.

Fashion is something we have to reinvent continually to shift units. But once you get to know yourself and what you appreciate, it is irrelevant, frankly. You develop your own opinions and idiosyncrasies.

Fashion is a kind of herd mentality that doesn't interest me. Always be self-aware; don't don an outfit to be something you're not.

I'm lucky to own some Savile Row suits, but I'm quite happy to wear them with something I found in a thrift shop or in Mombasa. There isn't a uniform. Uniforms are for inmates and up until now I haven't been banged up. People should be different. And everyone should come to a different conclusion.

William's favourite things

Venetian gondolier slippers: During rationing they didn't have enough leather for the soles so they made them out of car-tyre rubber. They're called friulane in Italian and are a kind of Venetian equivalent to the espadrille.
New & Lingwood scarf: I spent a bit of time in Kenya as a child and this reminds me of a kikoy, which is a type of Kenyan scarf.
Lock & Co hat: I'm going bald and this keeps my head warm. Lock & Co is a great hat-maker.

NAME Bayode Oduwole
AGE 41
OCCUPATION Designer and founder of Pokit boutique

I think I went to the most stylish school in England. Other boys used to say, 'Yeah mate, you boys from Clifton [College, Bristol], you got styles.' It was the era of Ray Petri and Buffalo.

I was born in Nigeria and lived there until I was 10. It's a very clothing-oriented culture, so I was always aware of the power of style.

I learnt how to dress by being on the scene. I was just lucky. In terms of style, the 1980s in London will never be repeated.

Everyone's aware of image now but they don't really like clothes. Back then, if you were into clothes, it was really intense.

Bayode wears: Hat Stetson ( stetson.com ), all other clothes Pokit ( pokit.co.uk ).

When I was a teenager my older cousins and I were influenced by American soul style. It was very slick and tailored - jheri curls and all that. We called it 'GQ Smooth'. I departed from that when we lived on the King's Road. I spent a lot of time in the Vivienne Westwood shop.

But my fashion epiphany came when I moved to Ealing. I used to see a man walking round in wraparound shades and a grey flannel suit. Salim and I got talking and became friends. I found a jacket hanging on his wall. It was black nylon and the label said Comme des Garçons. My whole world opened up.

The jacket was £400 and this was back in 1986. I thought, 'Wow, there's a different side to fashion'.

I dress for myself - who cares what everyone else thinks? Aesthetes have always been highly prized by women. They denote culture and confidence. The style game is really about charisma - that's what women are attracted to.

Everyone has all these rules, but it boils down to nonchalance and being able to carry it off.

My wife Clare and I were always quite critical of everything around us. We couldn't find what we wanted, so we started Pokit, an oufitters for both men and women. Now I only buy something when it needs replacing. My stuff just doesn't wear out. I've got everything I need.

Bayode's favourite things

Velvet and silk rugby cap
It's my First XV rugby cap. Ever since I first saw them at aged 13, I wanted one. It's a beautiful object to look at and completely ludicrous. And you had to earn the right to wear it.
Gucci loafers
These are vintage 1960s Gucci - never to be worn. They're just a beautiful design. The proportions are spot-on, and they're a deep, rich white. They say Peter Sellers, the 1960s, the perfect Italian shoe.
Buffalo ring
Buffalo was the rugged look created by the stylist Ray Petri in the early 1980s. I found this ring on eBay and it seemed to me to have the ruggedness of Buffalo.

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