Style Profile: Sam Saunders

My Personal Style

Lately, I’ve been dressing in fairly muted colors and letting my shoes pop a bit more. I’m lucky enough to have my own stylist, Hyela Makoujy, at the Schuyler 4 Showroom. She styles me in not-too-slim jeans of blacks and blues, sharp shirts and casual blazers. It’s more of a European look I’d say. What I love most about Hyela’s styling is that I’m no longer just putting together a bunch of random pieces and hoping for the best. I’ve learned to actually put a look together in a way that makes more sense.

1st Jacket by Carl Gross / 2nd Jacket by Haupt / Pants by Alberto / Sweaters by Codice

My Fashion Must Haves

Vintage dress shoes and boots. Especially Bally, Allen Edmonds and Florsheim (back when they were made in Italy). I love how high-end shoes wear over time and you really see their quality shine. Buying vintage allows me to have dozens of pairs that you’ll scarcely see anyone else wearing.

A nice watch. I’m a firm believer in the halo effect of a watch. In the advertising industry, perception is everything. As a (former) ad agency owner, I’ve often been up against the big boys in pitches, so I have to play at their level. A nice watch, as wanky as this sounds, gives a client a sense of reassurance that despite your size, you know what you’re doing.

My Beard

It all started in 1999 when I discovered that shaving my neck was giving me a bloody rash every morning. I decided immediately to fix the problem by letting it grow. For many years I kept it quite short and I’ve made all the schoolboy errors when it comes to ‘bearding’: shaving along the jawline, shaving a pinstripe mustache, impulsively trimming with scissors…

Today, I have a much fuller beard. I’ve never considered myself part of a trend, since I’ve had it for so long, but accept that people might think I’m a lemming. I think (most) beards look pretty damn distinguished and quite gentlemanly, two characteristics of my dad and both grandfathers, who were all completely shaven. It’s a beast though, and I’m still learning how to maintain, clean and trim it.

Connect with Sam on Twitter via @samboo73