The Closet Questions: Rediscovering your style mojo and quick wardrobe refresh tricks
All your burning style conundrums cleared up in your February 2025 edition of The Closet Questions
It’s been a while since the last installment of The Closet Questions, but I’m back - ready to tackle your burning style dilemmas and ensure you step out into the world looking as polished and confident as possible.
This month, we’ll tackle suits, rediscovering your style mojo, and tricks for a quick wardrobe refresh. Keep sending your questions via Instagram (@teovandenbroeke) and I will keep answering them. ONWARDS.
Question one: What’s the chicest suit style currently but that will also age well? @camillakerslake
Hi Camilla. When it comes to suits, I’d always advise against chasing trends. Yes, oversized tailoring is having a moment, but before long, the pendulum will swing back to skinny fits, leaving you with a wardrobe drowning in excess fabric.
Instead, invest in something classic and timeless. A well-cut suit with enough seam allowance to adjust over time is far more practical. I’d also recommend sticking to darker shades - navy, charcoal, or black - since they never go out of style.
Right now, Dunhill is leading the charge in contemporary-yet-classic tailoring. Under creative director Simon Holloway, the brand has mastered understated elegance with a masculine edge.
Dunhill’s made-to-measure service allows you to tweak a classic suit from the block to your frame and fabric preference, while the bespoke offering - though an investment - ensures you’ll end up with a suit entirely unique to you (finished in the refined house silhouette, of course).
For true Savile Row elegance, Anderson & Sheppard is unrivaled (see Manolo Blahnik wearing one of the Houses’s trademark drape-y suits, above), while Italian stalwarts like Canali and Zegna consistently deliver timeless sophistication - vintage pieces from both often require little alteration to look modern. Casely Hayford is one of my favourite brands for a contemporary silhouette (and few other tailors cut so well for tall men).
If you’re after something special, Adret on Clifford Street offers one-of-a-kind, handcrafted pieces that blend Indonesian tailoring artistry with a certain British precision - though their’s are not classic suits by any stretch of the tape measure.
With tailoring it’s far less about trend than it is about the fine details. As such, I’d opt for a subtly soft and textured fabric like a birdseye navy wool or charcoal flannel, as this will be more pleasurable to wear over a long period.
Other essentials include: A notch lapel between 3.2 and 3.5 inches (anything narrower or wider might look costume-y), a jacket that finishes just below the seat, and a slight nip at the waist without any pulling. Sleeves should hit the base of your palm, and trousers should break once at the shoe -giving you the flexibility to adjust the length as trends shift.
Question two: Any tips for refreshing your wardrobe for a nearly 47-year-old six-foot cyclist? @philip.askew.9
Hi Philip, judging by the fact that you’re a cyclist, I’m guessing you’re a tall, slim six-footer? If so, you’re in luck, as most garments tend to work beautifully on long, lean frames - whatever age.
First, consider investing in one of the new-wave leather jackets. I’m not talking about the stiff, boxy versions favored by Jeff Bezos and his “broligarch” cronies (which I recently critiqued in The Telegraph), but rather the current oversized, vintage-inspired styles that drape softly over knitwear and jeans. These jackets feel more refined than the shiny, boxy cuts of the noughties, which can veer into midlife crisis territory.
Next, rethink your approach to blazers. A great outfit can be made or broken by the jacket you throw on top, so leave that linen blazer from a 2006 christening - or worse, your office suit jacket - on the hanger. Instead, invest in a hybrid jacket: part tailoring, part casualwear, bridging the gap between polish and ease.
For the best options, look to Prada, where cropped, pre-creased blazers in lightweight silk blends bring a relaxed elegance; Séfr, where soft, candy-hued jackets feel as casual as denim but infinitely sharper; or Stoffa, whose “lounge jackets” blend the comfort of a shirt with the refinement of a blazer.
Finally, never underestimate the power of great trousers. Too many men do. Given your tall, slim frame, opt for high-waisted styles with a pleat and a soft drape - this will elongate your legs without making you look like a nicely-dressed garden hoe. Choose dense, structured fabrics for a clean hang, and aim for a gentle break at the shoe.
Question three: I’m heading towards 50 and lost my style mojo! Help!! @mickyb3112
Lately, Micky, I’ve been reading a lot about the drop in testosterone levels that hits men in middle age, and I imagine the resulting dip in energy and drive affects getting dressed just as much as it does, well, everything else.
But here’s the thing - any shift in life also requires a shift in mindset. Rather than retreating into safe, uninspired style choices, why not see this as an opportunity? A chance to redefine how you present yourself to the world and step into a version of middle-aged you that feels intentional, confident, and unique.
Just look at Brad Pitt, who has come into his OWN in the style stakes at the ripe old age 61 - and he’s done so by being and dressing entirely, unflinchingly himself.
Start by asking yourself: Who is the middle-aged man I want to be? Which men my age make me think, “Yes, you’ve got it right”? And what are the clothes that genuinely bring me joy?
Once you have those answers, use them to build your new mid-life wardrobe. And yes, new - because this isn’t just a continuation of what came before. It’s an evolution. You’re shedding the insecurities of youth and entering a bold new phase of self-definition - with testosterone or not.
For me, middle age is about discovering true elegance. And elegance isn’t just about wearing beautifully-cut garments in inky shades (though that certainly helps). It’s a mindset. It’s about knowing who you are and what you love just as much as it is about nailing a clean silhouette or choosing fabrics that look expensive, even if they aren’t.
When I picture my own future style, I think of Richard Gere in his forties and fifties -always immaculately tailored, never overdone. Keanu Reeves in middle age got it right, too - understated, effortless, never trying too hard. And when I hit my sixties and beyond? I want to look like Bill Nighy - a grand master of silhouette and precision.
As for the clothes that bring me the most joy? In recent years, my personal uniform has continued to revolve around unstructured grey blazers, high-waisted wide fit trousers, boxy navy blue jackets, collarless shirts, slim leather belts, and chestnut brown loafers. Simple pieces that I know look good on me.
So, when my own style evolution kicks in - which isn’t too far off - I’ll be stepping into an elevated version of that wardrobe, confident that I won’t look testosterone-depleted (even if I am).
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