The Style Guy

ACL recently posted an interview with Glenn O'Brien, GQ's Style Guy. Glenn has been around the block and he knows what he's talking about. Personally, I'm a fan of his column and read it every month. In his interview with David Coggins, Mr. O'Brien talks about the evolution of his advice column, where he is finding good ties, and what he's working on now. I've highlighted a portion of the interview below:

DC: How long have you been writing Style Guy?

GO: I think it’s 10 years. And I was in Details for 6 or 8 years before that.

DC: Do you really get questions from readers or are they fed to you by editorial interns?

GO: They’re genuine.

DC: How have the questions changed over the years?

GO: The GQ readers are pretty young and they just want to know basic things—and it might not be such a good idea for them to listen to their father.

DC: Are there still pillars of wisdom that should be adhered to or are we at a point where anything goes and you make your own laws?

GO: I think it’s about common sense. A lot of people don’t have that. The rules are made to be broken but you have to know them to do it right. Supposedly you’re not supposed to wear black and brown together. It looks like you’re doing that right now.

DC: I’m a rule breaker.

GO: Vincent Gallo does that spectacularly, he wears black pants and brown shoes. Anybody who’s really stylish breaks the rules.

DC: Is giving advice different now?

GO: I think it’s gotten more sophisticated. In the beginning it was a lot about what color socks should I wear with a blue suit. Or should I wear black shoes with a blue suit. One of the funny things that happened as a result of it was that I was asked to write an advice column for Italian Vanity Fair, which I’ve done for a long time and write weekly.

DC: What about this new attention towards American craftsmanship and clothes made closer to home?

GO: Did you see that documentary on HBO called Schmatte? It’s really good. It’s about the collapse of the American garment industry. In 1960 90% of the clothes Americans wore were made in America and now it’s 10%.

You can read the full interview here.