How’d your passion for menswear start?

Weight loss. I lost about 80 pounds out of college and discovered I could fit into clothes from department stores and the like. I have always enjoyed wearing “nice” clothes and throwing on a tie, but never felt good in them before. Now, I can run into a store and find a clearance jacket or a perfect pair of pants without the fear of not finding my size. The bow tie came about after wearing a few of my dad’s old “long” ties at work towards the end of 2013, with the intent of 2014 being the year of the tie. I didn’t care for it at all. A drinking buddy of mine had been showing up to the bar in bow ties recently so I thought I would give it a shot. I bought one, spent 45 minutes trying to tie it, and got a wink from the hot bartender later that night. 2014 became the year of the bow tie and I have only grown from there.

What are your goals as an influencer?

I want to spread the good word about the bow tie. It can be a daunting proposition for anybody, from a certified classy dude to a complete novice who just followed a few Instagram accounts, but it really shouldn’t be viewed that way. I think a lot of people stop in their tracks because of the aura of difficulty that has been built around tying one (and please learn to tie one. People can tell fairly easily if you are wearing a pre-tied bow tie). If you step back and dissect the different steps of the knot you’ll see that it is actually the same knot you tie up your shoe laces with. It is very straight forward, just a thicker material than a shoe string. My best advice though when learning to tie one is to find a real-live person who can stand with you and walk you through it. There is no image on this earth that will properly convey step 6 to you, so don’t even bother. If you can’t find someone to help you then turn to the internet. Find 3 or 4 different videos and watch them all. Watch them multiple times if you can and then practice. You’ll eventually never forget, just like tying your shoe.

How would you describe your personal style? Explain your outfit:

This outfit pretty much represents everything I love about menswear. I like wearing navy because it is easy to pair many different colors with like the yellow and the green in my bow tie and pocket square. I throw on a lapel pin every day because it is the easiest way to show off your personality. I top it with a brown porkpie hat and ground the look with brown and grey boots to give it some vertical symmetry. The confidence is strong with this one.

Random fun fact:

I am a pretty avid birder or bird watcher. We have a ton of gorgeous birds in the south and a lot that just pass through during migration. Nothing relaxes me like a hike through the woods on a cool morning in the spring or fall.