The Garmsman dozen #3: Klaus from Germany

Welcome to the third instalment of the “Garmsman Dozen” question and answer session. The response to the first two weeks has been tremendous. Did you miss Jon or Shaun?

This week we welcome to the Garmsman Dozen Klaus from Germany!

Who are you, where do you live and what interests you?

Thinking back to your childhood, what were your most memorable or favourite clothes?

Some extremely coloured and self-tailored shirts form my grandma as well as sweatshirts with some typical motives for children.

How would you describe your style today, and what are your influences?

I would call it ‘urban21-independent’. I would say the influences of my style are denim, American and French workwear, the 20s and the early 30s of the last century, military wear, and ‘British land house’. I think it is interesting to combine these styles in the daily wear. I also combine these styles with some nice accessories like hats, bowties, watches, pocket watches or scarfs.

How do you think others would describe your style and garments, do you get any reaction from friends and random strangers?

Of course, I get reactions from my friends and beyond that from strangers as well. The reactions are consistently positive and some friends even call me a ‘style icon’. It’s really nice to hear and read all the positive things about your style but the most important thing is to feel comfortable with it. If someone feels comfortable with his style, his aura has a positive effect.

When looking for clothes, what factors play into your selections? (Actual need, style, brand name, popular, trendy, ethical production, price, discount, colour etc)

From my point of view two things are most important: are the clothes suitable for me and for my style? The price may, however, also play a role in the decision.

When putting together an outfit combination, do you spend a lot of time considering it?

I need all in all maximum five minutes for the daily outfit. Most of the time is spend in advance to actually find suitable clothing.

Most garmsmen will have a few “grail items” in their collection. Not to out you, but if your house is burning, which garments do you grab?

If all people, animals and my necessary documents are rescued and safe, I would grab my two Hansen suits, a bespoke-tailored jacket and a bespoke-tailored vest from my hometown designer and tailor, a brown coat that I got from a theatre and my old pocket watch, which I got from my paternal grandfather.

Having a large collection of clothes can lead to changing outfit on a daily basis, but if you were going to wear a single outfit the next two weeks, what would it be?

I guess I would wear a combination of the things I would have rescued from the fire. I reckon I would wear a white shirt, a brown three-piece suit from Hansen (somewhat in the ‘Peaky Blinders style’), my pocket watch, a coat in a brighter brown and dark brown boots.

What would you never wear?

I do have some no-go brands … but due to potential legal consequences, I won’t name them here. I would also never wear more than two different patterns in one outfit e.g. a striped shirt, a tie with points and a squared jacket. From my point of view, this would not only be a breach of style, but rather an absolute no go! Normally even two different patterns are too much I think. Naturally, I would never wear socks in sandals.

What are your best tips for buying?

One of my favourite platforms for shopping is Etsy. It’s an internet marketplace where you can find hundreds of small sellers and craftsmen. You need some time to find good things, but if you are willing to spend the time, you will find a lot of cool and truly unique stuff.

My advice is primarily to regularly check out the small boutiques of your hometown (as a proper fitting and palpation of the clothes may not be virtually compensated) with additional shopping on online platforms like ‘etsy’. In my hometown Aachen the boutique ‘Dreist’ can be very highly recommended.

But first of all, think about your own style and try to develop your own style.

Do you have a dream garment you’d love to own?

At the moment I really like the ‘Peaky Blinders style’. Therefore, I would prefer a garment that presents this style, like my bespoke and Hansen suits.

Anyone that buys clothes will have made mistakes, what is your most memorable bad buy?

A bright pink shirt, terrible!!! I really don’t know why I bought it.

Do you have any style icons, historic or current?

Not really.

Who are your favourite Instagram profiles?

yoshimitsu1125, dailynewsboy, inn8chiro, e_nucky, theheritagepost

Does your interest in clothes influence other aspects of your life?

No, rather the other way around e.g. films, theatre or culture.

Maybe little bit by Instagram.

If your clothes need repairs or alterations, do you do it yourself?

No, I know good tailors.

Do you make any of your own clothes?

No.

How do you see your style evolving going forwards?

If I was able to draw and/or to tailor something, I would combine styles from the 19th century in the US (e.g. wild west) with styles from the early 20th century (the 20s and early 30s) and some modern cutting patterns and a few steampunk elements. But I am unfortunately not able to do any of this due to my disability.

How do you think trends such as denim and heritage style will evolve and survive? What will be the next big thing?

From my point of view, the military style will have more influence on men’s fashion in the near future. The usually straight and slim fit cuttings, as well as the mostly muted colours, have a masculine effect. Some nice features like big large pockets etc. makes the style additionally interesting.