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The Fashion Geek Podcast
Ethan Wong is a sartorial enthusiast and style influencer based in Southern California, known for his deep knowledge of vintage menswear and his transformative approach to contemporary fashion. Having evolved his own style journey from vintage tailoring to modern, four-season-appropriate ensembles, Ethan has become a respected voice in the vintage community, consistently sourcing standout pieces from thrift stores, flea markets, and vintage sellers. His dedication to fashion has also made him a regular presenter at various fashion events, including the renowned biannual Dapper Day.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- How to source unique vintage clothing from thrift stores, flea markets, and online platforms
- The importance of defining your personal style to make appropriate and intentional fashion purchases
- The role of good tailoring in transforming vintage pieces into contemporary, well-fitted outfits
Guest Links
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to Reg Ferguson, Fashion Geek
01:06 Guest Introduction: Ethan Wong
01:35 Weather Talk: East Coast vs. West Coast
05:38 Dapper Day: A Deep Dive
18:28 Sourcing Vintage Clothing
23:28 The Importance of a Good Tailor
30:28 The Tailor's Tale: A Close Call with COVID
32:16 Vintage Suit Collection: A Maximalist's Wardrobe
36:33 The Evolution of Style: From Vintage to Practical
41:01 The Pocket Debate: Hands In or Out?
50:43 Fashion Philosophy: Why It Matters
59:21 Always Be Fly: Confidence in Clothing
Transcript
Ethan Wong [00:00:00]:
I think guys get really get really, you know, scared by, like, okay. I gotta buy one suit. But if you think about it in the terms of just what you wanna look like, what does that mean to you? What does the Ethan who is wearing a suit? What does that guy look like? If you can answer that question, everything falls into place. It makes it so easy. It's it's a difficult question, but it's one that I always tell other people. And it and I tell it whenever they ask me for advice. Whether it's like, hey, Ethan. How do I dress better? To even, hey, Ethan.
Ethan Wong [00:00:31]:
Should I buy this sport coat? I go, okay. Well, does it fit the does it fit what you wanna look like? And it launches into a really deep conversation that at the end of the day, they'll still decide if that if that sport coat or if that suit or if the style is for them, but they still gotta answer that question. You know? So that's, I think, the biggest tip, just to think about what you want to look like, whatever that means. Could be specific, could be broad, but you gotta think about that.
Reginald Ferguson [00:00:58]:
I'm Reg Ferguson, and I'm a fashion consultant from New York City, born and raised. I've been helping men look fly for years. And, now, I want to help you learn more about menswear, the entrepreneurs, the brands, and top fashion tips on the Fashion Geek podcast.
Reginald Ferguson [00:01:19]:
I've been to LA once for business. It's a casual skis out there to say the least. Nothing like New York. I realized that my second day in. We're a fashion capital. They are not. But that doesn't mean there aren't people out there who don't care about style and fashion. Right? There has to be someone out there representing.
Reginald Ferguson [00:01:47]:
Who is it?
Reginald Ferguson [00:01:52]:
Yo. This is Reg Ferguson, fashion geek number 1. How are you? Welcome to the ride. Thank you so much for listening. I'm a men's fashion consultant here in New York City and I help fashion challenge men go from confused to confident. Consider me a personal trainer for fashion. If you ever found yourself staring at the closet and not knowing what to wear or if the idea of shopping for clothes makes you feel physically ill, then this is the show for you. My goal with every episode is to help make looking good feel easy.
Reginald Ferguson [00:02:27]:
If you ever want my help, email me at reg@nyfashiongeek.com for a consultation. If you have a friend who's looking to level up his fashion style wardrobe game, please share an episode with them. While you're at it, if you dig the show and haven't already left us a rating review, please consider doing so now. Your shares, ratings, and reviews help us grow the show and help us get the best possible guest and help more men dress their best. Today, we're gonna talk with Ethan Wong of the style and direction podcast and a little bit of rest blog. And he and I are gonna talk about something that the everyday man should be interested in. We're gonna talk about vintage clothing and classic menswear through a LA lens, Los Angeles. Let's find out what they're doing out there.
Reginald Ferguson [00:03:19]:
Ethan Wong in the building.
Ethan Wong [00:03:21]:
That's right. I'm right here, baby.
Reginald Ferguson [00:03:24]:
How are you, man?
Ethan Wong [00:03:25]:
I am doing well. It is cold in L. A, which I'm sure to you know, East Coast means
Reginald Ferguson [00:03:31]:
Oh, Ethan. Really? I got
Ethan Wong [00:03:35]:
a rep to LA. You know, it's it was raining. People can't fucking drive out here. You know, people don't wanna drive. It's it's the full LA experience. I'm gonna give all the listeners what it's like to be in Southern California. Okay. Cool.
Ethan Wong [00:03:48]:
And and 60 degrees. That's it.
Reginald Ferguson [00:03:50]:
Okay. It was right. What's cold? 60 degrees? Yeah. 60 degrees either.
Ethan Wong [00:03:54]:
It's fucking cold, man. It is I'm not used to this.
Reginald Ferguson [00:03:58]:
60 degrees.
Ethan Wong [00:03:59]:
It is you know? Hey. But the good thing is I get to wear tweed and I get to wear, you know, my vintage sweaters. So it's not all bad. You know?
Reginald Ferguson [00:04:07]:
Ethan, if you were a tweed at 60 degrees, you should be passed out on the freeway. Sorry, man.
Ethan Wong [00:04:16]:
Hey. I can say the opposite to you guys. Like, I remember, you know, you had Trevor on your on your podcast a while back, and and I think he posted something like, oh, 70 degrees time for linen. And I'm like, what the hell? Like, you're wearing linen 7 degrees, dude. I'd wear a sweater at 70 degrees, man. Like, linen is, like, 90 degrees.
Reginald Ferguson [00:04:34]:
I I don't disagree with you to be candid about 90 degrees in linen. However, in Trevor's defense, right, because you guys are really peers, and I'm in comparison to OG here. Yeah. For East Coast people, and I guess Trevor is like that, when we get a little bit of weather, people lose their minds and want to break out their gear. So that's what he did. He's like, it's degrees. Oh my god. It's time.
Ethan Wong [00:05:04]:
That's bliss. That's I mean, I guess that's me right now. I'm wearing turtlenecks under sweaters. I don't care if it's, you know, like
Reginald Ferguson [00:05:11]:
At 60 degrees.
Ethan Wong [00:05:12]:
At 60 degrees. That's right.
Reginald Ferguson [00:05:13]:
That's right. I'm just I can't let this go because, dude, it's 40 it's like 44 today, and I'm total casual. So I had on, like, a blue cotton top J. Crew and some old school, you know, faded light Uniqlo jeans. Okay. Classic red, white, and blue Cortez from when I was a kid. Nice. Rocking them again.
Reginald Ferguson [00:05:41]:
And, and a barney's iridescent blackish blue or bluish black down jacket
Ethan Wong [00:05:49]:
Okay.
Reginald Ferguson [00:05:50]:
And a Brooklyn Dodgers cap, which you'll appreciate that too. Take that, LA Dodgers. Take that. Take that. So so my point is, yeah, that's normal That's okay. Because it's in the forties.
Ethan Wong [00:06:04]:
I can't even fathom this. And okay. So just just to be clear, I did open up my my weather app on my phone. It's 55 degrees. Okay? So it's less than
Reginald Ferguson [00:06:12]:
60 my god. Just just put on the thermals.
Ethan Wong [00:06:18]:
I okay. And and in further defense, my house has bad insulation, so it's actually colder inside here. So maybe it's low 50, even lower fifties. Not not mid fifties. So
Reginald Ferguson [00:06:28]:
Listen. I think the classic menswear crew has much love for you about the tweed. But as a native New Yorker talking to a LA guy, we're doing a little east coast, west coast. That is just crazy, bro. That's crazy. You should be sweating your balls off. That's all I'm saying.
Ethan Wong [00:06:44]:
You know, well We don't have
Reginald Ferguson [00:06:46]:
good insulation, so maybe that's a little bit of a pass. But still, bro, you just gotta make trips to colder climbs. That's all.
Ethan Wong [00:06:53]:
Okay. I definitely do. I I wanna be in New York a little bit more often. I don't know if I'd live there, but I would definitely I wanna visit more often. You know?
Reginald Ferguson [00:07:00]:
Understood. Yeah. Well, we are we are the mecca.
Ethan Wong [00:07:02]:
And True.
Reginald Ferguson [00:07:03]:
I think that's a wonderful segue because candidly, and we've already done it, we can go in a lot of directions here.
Ethan Wong [00:07:09]:
Yeah.
Reginald Ferguson [00:07:10]:
We really can. I mean, you know, if you so choose, probably need to come back. But the point is I did research. I do that of all my guests. Yeah. So I wanna start how I perceive you in the beginning. Sure.
Ethan Wong [00:07:28]:
Let's go.
Reginald Ferguson [00:07:29]:
What led you to get into vintage clothing?
Ethan Wong [00:07:34]:
You know, I'm I'm gonna preface this by saying I'm like a huge I'm a huge nerd, and I don't mean that in, like, a nice way. I mean, like, I was like a cringey ass guy. And with that comes a little bit of, you know, the drama kid and the theater kid energy, and the costuming goes along with that. So, basically, when I when I saw The Great Gatsby movie and and Gangster Squad, which came out, like, kinda close together in, like, 2013, I was like, oh, this is so cool. And I and I and having this eye for what makes everything different because I I love film score. I love, like, John Williams and everything like that and Hans Zimmer, all those guys. And True. You know, being able to, like, differentiate okay.
Ethan Wong [00:08:14]:
Well, here's John Williams in Star Wars mode versus John Williams in, like, you know, Schindler's List mode. Like, being able to differentiate that, I was able to go to look at these movies with, like, vintage clothing and be, okay. Well, that's not like a Hugo Boss suit. That's not like an h and m suit. There is something different there. And at at some point, you know, obviously, like, I try and, like, approximate it. You go you go to suit supply, get, like, a 3 piece. You get, like, a double breasted suit, whatever.
Ethan Wong [00:08:38]:
But eventually, I was like, you gotta get the vintage stuff. You got like, there's a there's, like, a real reason to why the vintage just looks so different. I got it to dapper day, which is like a whole, like, you know Yeah.
Reginald Ferguson [00:08:48]:
I wanna talk about that because I actually follow that on the gram.
Ethan Wong [00:08:52]:
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Reginald Ferguson [00:08:53]:
Yeah. And, obviously, I'm here in New York, and I don't know much about it, but I know you have participated in that in more ways than one.
Ethan Wong [00:09:01]:
Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. It's a really fun event. Like, I, as I don't know if New York people know this, but, like, in in Southern California, when you're a kid in college, one of the things to do is to get, like, a Disneyland pass. Because, like, what like, you know, you can't really drink. I didn't really drink until kind of fairly recently, so I didn't go to bars or anything. But what we did do is like, yeah, we saved our money, bought a Disneyland pass, and you would go, like, you know, once every, you know, week or 2 just to hang out.
Ethan Wong [00:09:30]:
And the more I went to Disney, I found out about this whole dapper day thing. Like, someone I got some men's wear around the same time or vintage menswear, and I got some random dude at Disneyland when I was wearing, like, a fedora to to the steelhead. He's like, you should check out the Stafford a thing. And I looked it up, and it was, you know, yeah, people getting dressed up to go to Disneyland. Doesn't have to be vintage. Oh. It had a little bit of, you know, like, the the, the founder, Justin Jorgensen, who is now kind of like a a friend of mine through going to dapper day so often. He's like some, like, art designer guy, and he, you know, was like looking at the old concept art and photographs of Disneyland where, like, they drew people, like, wearing suits and ties and bow ties and kids, you know, going to prod Disneyland.
Ethan Wong [00:10:12]:
So he's like, why don't we do that again? So it's not officially, like, a Disney thing. It's like a totally separate thing, but it's like you just go to Disneyland dressed up. Kind of inspired by I think they had, like, pirate day. They've had steampunk day. Again, all unofficial. So, like, this kind of, like, fell into that kind of theme day, and it became, like, an event organization business. So they they do stuff in, like, the, the convention, the the hotel convention center, like, which is, like, next to Disneyland. So they have, like, you know, swing dancing and people selling vintage and hairstyling, all that kind of stuff.
Ethan Wong [00:10:45]:
Dandy, Dandy Wellington in New York. You know, the the guy who the I know we you know, the musician. Yeah. Of him. Mhmm. Yeah. Yeah. He he's gone to to Dapper Day to perform, and so and even even that book, I am Dandy, with, Neddy Neddy Adams and Rose Callahan, all both, you know, used to be in New York.
Ethan Wong [00:11:03]:
They, like, did their launch of I am Dandy, one of the first Dapper Days I went to, which was kinda crazy. So, yeah, Dapper Day was kind of formative. Like, that was, like, you know, like, making friends through that kind of helped me find a community of sorts in dressing up. Like, I would meet a person there. They would hang out outside of Dapper Day, obviously. They'd just, like, dress up and hang out. And, my cohost, Spencer, also kind of went there independently of me, and then we became friends, not through it, but then we started to go together, and then we started to get into other fashion stuff together. So, yeah, it was a pretty wild time, like, you know, like, my college experience getting into it all happening all at once.
Reginald Ferguson [00:11:42]:
So it's unofficial. It's at Disneyland. Yeah. People from SoCal, like you said, of a certain age, you get the Disneyland pass, which, of course, this is just fascinating to me because my only experience is Disney World as a child and actually as an adult too on some business.
Ethan Wong [00:12:00]:
Sure.
Reginald Ferguson [00:12:00]:
So 2 epics of time. But my point is I've never lived in the vicinity of a theme park to go,
Ethan Wong [00:12:08]:
Hey, I
Reginald Ferguson [00:12:09]:
want to get a we're going to get a pass and we just go and hang. I mean, that's very interesting. And that's what I was seeking. I didn't know that was going to happen in you sharing. But again, I'm in New York. You're in Los Angeles. It is an East Coast, West Coast conversation. It's not exclusive to that.
Reginald Ferguson [00:12:26]:
Yeah. But it's a different world out there.
Ethan Wong [00:12:28]:
I I will say I so I went to a Christian university. I went to Christian education basically my entire life. You know, when you're a good Christian kid who doesn't do anything bad I mean, going to Disneyland once a week is like, yeah, you're going to, like, the bar. You know, like, you're gonna go to a place with all your friends to hang out. Like, that was kind of, like, our thing to do. So I think, oh, my at my Christian University, a lot of people had a Disneyland pass. So it might be more unique to me, but I've had friends who went to, like, other SoCal, you know, colleges who also had passes. So it's it's kinda like a SoCal thing.
Reginald Ferguson [00:13:01]:
Yeah. It's a no. It's clear. It's it's a thing.
Ethan Wong [00:13:04]:
Yeah. Mhmm.
Reginald Ferguson [00:13:04]:
So Dapper Day, is it a annual event?
Ethan Wong [00:13:08]:
It's so it used to be that it became biannual. They would have, like, a spring and, fall 1, which in LA or Southern California, it really doesn't mean anything because it's for some reason, it's hot both days. You know? Like, it's just it is. Like, they they've tried to, like, extend it to, like, okay, we'll do spring, like, later on. So it's like not like April or whatever. Like, more like May, and then they do fall in, like, November. But for some reason, it's just, like, basically the same weather. They can't, like, and they they won't do it in, like, December because, it'll just be too crowded, you know, because it's Christmas at Disneyland.
Ethan Wong [00:13:42]:
People still do that, which is kinda crazy to me. But, you know, like, it's actually kind of quote, unquote cold right now, but no one's gonna do dapper day today, obviously. So, yeah, twice a year, They've done stuff in, in Walt Disney World, and they've which my favorite thing that they've done is, like, do events at museums, which was cool. Like, they had something at the Natural History Museum, and they've had 2 events at LACMA, which I thought was really great. And there it's it's more fun to see who really likes to dress up, not to be like a not I guess it's not really gatekeeping, but, like, there's this whole idea about Disney bounding, which I'm not sure you know what that is.
Reginald Ferguson [00:14:20]:
No. I do not know what that means. So can you explain that?
Ethan Wong [00:14:23]:
Yeah. Disney bounding is this thing where you dress up as a Disney character, but in regular clothing. So easiest example, Mickey Mouse. You'd wear a black shirt and red pants. And you could and it it's not a dapper or anything. People would do this. I think it's on Tumblr and, you know, Tumblr nerd thing. But then for dapper day, if you want to be like a dapper bounding of, the a Mickey Mouse, you would wear, like, you know, a black sport coat or just a black shirt, yellow bow tie to echo his, like, the the yellow buttons he has on his pants, red pants, and, like, black dress shoes or something like that.
Ethan Wong [00:14:55]:
But at those at those museum events, you know, you'd get people wearing more regular dress up clothing because it's not a it's not a Disney event. Right? But occasionally, you do see some people who still would, dapper bound to those events. So it's kind of fun to see the mixture of, like, regular people in LA who wanna actually dress up, and then, like, the Disney, you know, converts who are kind of like, oh, they like the Aper Day, so they wanna go to something else. You know? But those are those are really fun, and I would bring my friends to them. So it's, you know, I I I'm not gonna say that we don't dress up for no reason, but we do try and find ways to wear clothing in a way that still makes sense, you know?
Reginald Ferguson [00:15:35]:
Sure. No. You're you're intentional with it.
Ethan Wong [00:15:38]:
Yeah.
Reginald Ferguson [00:15:38]:
How did it make you feel when you entered your first dapper day?
Ethan Wong [00:15:45]:
I was so scared because, like, I was at this point, I would only wear my clothing, like, my vintage clothing or vintage inspired, whatever it was at the time, to, like, to church. And I'm not really a devout Christian at all anymore. I would kind of go because that's where my friends were. I'd, my 1st year of college, I didn't drive. So, again, this is, like, it's all about seeing people. And when I convinced my friends to go to dapper day with me, we all had passes. Some of us had, like, what my my friend Scott, he was in the choir at some performance, so he actually got, like, a comp ticket. So he wasn't, you know, official.
Ethan Wong [00:16:18]:
Like, he didn't have a pass. But, you know, know, I was like, yeah. We're gonna go to Dapper, and we're all dressed up. And we got there, and, of course, it's a regular day, so we're still around regular people. And it just so happened that the tram we were on Didn't have anyone dressed up and they they were like ethan. I swear to God if you've like you're you're gonna embarrass us. I'm like, no. No.
Ethan Wong [00:16:35]:
I swear It's today. I double checked And, of course, when we got into the park, we did see some more people. But I was scared. I was like, you know, this is the first time I've gone somewhere where people don't know me, and I'm with friends who, you know, don't really dress up. And, yeah, it was it was kind of scary. But I think after the initial, you know, the initial visit and people being so positive, you know, obviously, not everyone's outfit is like a sartorial, you know, masterpiece or anything like that, but everyone was so happy. Like, people go, like, oh, happy dapper day or you look sharp. You know, you return the compliment.
Ethan Wong [00:17:06]:
It's like a fun time. And I think that was, like, personally super formative. Like, even though I have, like, initially, I had taste, like, I was more vintage than my friends, obviously. Like, it still felt nice to kind of just be around like minded people at least for a day. So that would yeah. I I try and continue that attitude ever since then.
Reginald Ferguson [00:17:28]:
How many years have you gone to a dapper day now?
Ethan Wong [00:17:32]:
I would say if it was 2013, that's the first one I went to. Maybe 2014 was the first full day. Like, I got like, I went to, like, the convention thing for for the I am Dandy book signing. Maybe maybe, like, at least 5 years at this point. Maybe 6. And I've gone to every single one except this year, unfortunately. I think they did one like, you know, COVID had, like, I think, died down earlier this year. Of course, it's it's back with a vengeance.
Ethan Wong [00:18:04]:
But I think, yeah, that that day I went, I think I just had something else to do. Like, it just randomly happened. And but I, yeah, have gone to each one. I've I've gone to almost every non Disneyland event as well. And so, yeah, it's like it's like a thing, you know? It's it's kind of fun. We don't we don't really go to into the park anymore. We kinda just do the downtown Disney convention hall thing Oh. Just because Disneyland is expensive.
Ethan Wong [00:18:27]:
So we still like we go we'll go see, like, the live music. We'll go say hi hi to Justin, and we'll go, you know, see the vintage shops and our friends who are maybe who are selling there or who are, you know, working at the event or something like that. And and then also you mentioned earlier, you know, taking, participating in in a in a major way. They used to have, like, talks about, like, like, they would have, like, programming at at Dapper Day. And one of, like before the podcast even launched, they asked Spencer and I to do, like, a presentation on vintage menswear. So I did that 1 year, which had, like, 20 people. And what was funny is that the presentation after me was, like, a hairstyling one. And when I left with like my laptop and everything, the line for that was so long.
Ethan Wong [00:19:08]:
Oh. It's so funny. Like I I like I like the 20 people that went were, like, 10 of my friends and then, like, 10 people who were, like, just randomly, like, they're, like, okay. We'll go check this thing out with these 2 random, like, 20 year old guys to talk about, like, vintage clothing.
Reginald Ferguson [00:19:23]:
I mean, that's that's how it starts, bro. Oh.
Ethan Wong [00:19:25]:
I mean, if you Absolutely.
Reginald Ferguson [00:19:26]:
Do it next time, you know, you'll have a line because you have really, you know, for what I've noticed and kudos to you. You started out, to me, in a complete Nathan Detroit steez. Yeah. That's how you started out, bro. I mean, you know, it was like you and George Raft, and you really kind of went from, like, a roaring twenties into the thirties, forties. Yeah. And that was your that was your thing.
Ethan Wong [00:19:56]:
Yeah. Yeah. It was.
Reginald Ferguson [00:19:58]:
But like any any person, and particularly in your age group, you know, you have changed. You have evolved with time. Mhmm. Because that's how it works. When you are trying to source and I'm not trying to have you give away your secret sauce, so to speak, but I think the listener would be intrigued. I certainly am. How are you sourcing these items of clothing?
Ethan Wong [00:20:25]:
That's a that's a really great question. I don't I actually don't think I have any secrets, honestly. Like, I feel like other people are better than than I am at this thing. So to be clear, I haven't bought, like, vintage tailoring in a while. I've kind of moved away from, like, you know, true vintage, like, sack suits and everything. I kind of have bought, like, more contemporary stuff just because my style has changed, but I still occasionally buy
Reginald Ferguson [00:20:45]:
know that. Like yeah.
Ethan Wong [00:20:46]:
Yeah. I I still occasionally buy, like, my workwear, my mill my mill millserp. But I I think the the one of the things about being in Southern California is that there's a lot of vintage out here. I I don't think it's just because, like, the movie studios are here and and therefore the costuming places are here. But a lot of people, like, live here that have kind of gotten rid of stuff. You know, like, there's a lot like this, like, you know, military bases here as well. You know, there's a lot of, like, reenacting guys. You know, there's guys there's a lot of heritage here for better or for worse.
Ethan Wong [00:21:21]:
But you just happen to find this shit. And if you go to the flea markets, it's not always like you know, I'm not gonna say that if you go to the Rose Bowl Flea Market, which is, like, my favorite place to go, and it's pretty big.
Reginald Ferguson [00:21:31]:
That thing seems incredible. I've read about that thing.
Ethan Wong [00:21:34]:
It is crazy. I'm not gonna say that if you go to it, it's like a a like, you'll find a grill every booth or vendor that you'll find. But to me, it's almost like that. Like, you might find, you know, you might might find, like, a crazy World War 2 deck jacket that's, like, now, like, you know, a $1,000 in resale, but you might find like, you know, like Vietnam era chinos or something like that. You might find like a work shirt for, like, 20.20 to $40. You know? Obviously, there are guys there who are more curated and who will upsell you just a little bit or maybe, you know, the fact that it's kind of hard to find. It's a fair price. But I've been able to find, luckily, things for, like, kind of like thrift store prices.
Ethan Wong [00:22:15]:
Like, I remember, like, being at the Pasadena City College Lee market, which unfortunately is no longer a thing just due to COVID. They've shut it down. But I was there, and this random lady, you know, who's selling, you know, 2,000 jeans on a rack, had World War 2 chinos just there. And my I was with my friend, and he was like, dude, these are like the little like the little legit thing. He's like a big mill sip collector, and I we we'd hang out, and he's like, you gotta get these. I asked him how much they were $35. And I'm like, sure. That's like a good price for Chinos.
Ethan Wong [00:22:44]:
And the best part, like, some military Chinos will have, like, stains, rust stains from, like, you know, being next to metal if the some guy started with his other stuff, whatever, but these are pretty clean So I I got them. I washed them dried them and they're great and they look like you know a pair of bills khakis or something from o'connell's, you know, they're just big wide and high wasted but they're great And so I've just I've just got, like, very lucky. I found, like, a down vest from, like, the eighties. I found, like, a boy scout jacket from the sixties for $20. You know, I think it's changed lately. Just, you know, I think COVID has, like, exacerbated a little bit of, like, the trends by which I'm talking about the whole, like, post pandemic, you know, the the big force into grail and and, archive style and and the big push into workwear lately. So I think prices and availability might have changed nowadays now that, like, you know, guys like my age are starting to buy, like, vintage Levi's truckers. But at least when I was doing it the past, like, 3 years, I've been able to find it, like, even at, like, just anywhere.
Ethan Wong [00:23:47]:
Vintage Polo Ralph Lauren flannels at your local Goodwill. You know, you can find sometimes you can find Southwick, like, Ivy, like, you know, California, Pasadena, for example, has had, like, an Ivy presence, you know, like West Coast ivy back in the day. A lot of rich people used to live around here. And sometimes you'll find, like, yes, sack jackets just here. You know, matter ties, brooks, but there's makers ties. Again, it's not like you'll find it all the time, but Right. Right. I'm not surprised that I found this kind of stuff.
Ethan Wong [00:24:16]:
So that's how I've, like, kinda built my wardrobe and as and as well as, like, going on eBay a lot, you know, and just I think being in the vintage community, I've been I've been lucky to, like, be friends with some of these vintage sellers. And sometimes they'll post stuff on, like, their Instagram or at least back in the day, more on Facebook or on the fedora lounge forums. And so, you know, you would just message them and go, hey. I want that tie that you got there or, you know, second from the left. Can you save that one for me? And, yeah. I just that's just how it's how it's been. And I have, like, no extra secrets. Like, I don't I don't have any special thrift stores.
Ethan Wong [00:24:49]:
I don't have any contacts out there. They're, like, searching for stuff for me. Yeah. It's just I've just been really lucky, I guess.
Reginald Ferguson [00:24:58]:
Yeah. No. It just sounds like you're focused, but it's been the luck of the draw. Meaning, you know the stores to go to. You know you know how to source. You know you know the places to go. You know, obviously, to do it on eBay. And I gotta tell you, you know, obviously, I'm referencing back, which will probably make you cringe.
Reginald Ferguson [00:25:15]:
But, again, I wanted to start from your essence. Who's your tailor, dawg? Because you have an amazing tailor.
Ethan Wong [00:25:25]:
I've okay. So yeah. Another great one. Yeah. I've had 3 fantastic tailors that I've gone to. And, yeah, if you're going back, you know, you'll see I've, like, transformed a lot of shit. Like, I've done a lot of crazy experimentations. I've, like, converted trousers to look like, you know, my best approximation for a bespoke style form of trousers would look like.
Ethan Wong [00:25:45]:
I've removed shoulder pads. I've shortened jackets, which I don't recommend anyone to do. But, yeah, my first tailor was this, Vietnamese guy called him, mister Tran. His his first name's Quang, back when I was in college in Riverside. I don't know if he's still practicing today because, unfortunately, all my tailors have been pretty old. So there's always this kind of fear that they will retire or, you know, pass away before, you know, before I'm able to find a new one. And they've been really been really great to me. They've been very kind.
Ethan Wong [00:26:12]:
I've always been pretty close to them. But the first one, mister Tran, I the story there was I had this friend Raj, who if you've looked at my blog, you've seen him there too. This Indian guy. Really short, really skinny. Yeah. And I remember he, he's from Maryland, and he didn't have any car here. And he goes, hey. I have to he was a, a a trombone player.
Ethan Wong [00:26:33]:
And he was like, hey. I gotta perform. I just got made it into the to the, university orchestra. I gotta get this suit tailored because they don't make, like, a fucking size 34 short or whatever. And so I I was like, sure. I'll drive you. So we went to this random tailor, and, you know, he he hemmed them. He did look the same day.
Ethan Wong [00:26:51]:
Of course, he he charged premium, but, you know, he was very kind about it. And Raj started going there. And so I started going there with him because he needed someone to drive him. And at at that point, I had always, like, just rolled up my, you know, my trousers, not in the cool cuffed way, but like a wool trouser. You don't really cuff a wool trouser with your hands like a like a genie. You don't do that. But I would do that, you know, and I'm sure if you find some pictures, you might see some of that happening. But I started going there and, you know, I just I fell in love with the fact, like, he was able to, like, turn these trousers into just really clean lines.
Ethan Wong [00:27:25]:
You know? Of course, I did make them skinny at the beginning, but then eventually I started to only hem them instead of tapering them. And it was great. And then, he started to get a little bit more busy, and I started working in Orange County because there's a really fancy mall out there in Orange County and I no offense to Riverside. It's not a great place for fashion and I didn't wanna work in that mall. I was like, okay, if I wanna work in a mall and I maybe wanna get into this whole fashion thing, I wanna work in a place that maybe you could have a stepping stone. It's like me working at, you know, Bloomingdale's and then maybe Ralph Lauren or something like that. And so I I worked at the Banana Republic at this really fancy mall that had a lot of luxury brands. And because I would be going over there a lot, I didn't have time to be around Riverside as much.
Ethan Wong [00:28:07]:
I found a new tailor, which is my which is, Spencer's tailor. And his his name, his name is escaping me right now. But, a couple of vintage guys in Orange County had used him. And so I went to him, and the difference that I found with all my tailors is that they've all been an actual suit tailor, like a maker of suits at some point. So it wasn't like a local dry cleaner who just hemming. Like, they knew, you know, how to, like, make a suit. So when I would ask them to do certain things, they they knew how to do it. So mister Tran was my first stepping stone, and then I with this new guy in in Orange County, you know, that's when I would start to, like, do some even crazy stuff.
Ethan Wong [00:28:46]:
Like, I would, like, I would take in the shoulder. You know? I would, you know, try and fix belt backs. You know? I've I started to buy, like, pant sizes that were just too big. Then just just taking, like, literally, like, the hips, the waist, everything to make it sit higher. Because back then, even then, high waist wasn't a thing. Suit supply still didn't have high waists. So there was no way I could do it other than, like, literally transforming, like, you know, buying a size 34 and then taking down to size 32 and having the excess fabric just, like, sit higher on your body. So I would do that.
Ethan Wong [00:29:15]:
And then I I moved back home. I work in LA now, and I found another tailor. His name is Noe Montoya. He's in Pasadena. And he's this, you know, again, old guy who back in his home country would make suits. And and a lot of vintage guys would also use him up here as well. So I've gone to him now for the past 3 years, maybe maybe 2 and a half. And he's also been my guy.
Ethan Wong [00:29:40]:
You know? Like, I've as I've, like, transitioned out of buying just vintage, I've, like, I've kept some modern stuff. I kept some vintage stuff, but I've transformed the vintage to become a little bit more contemporary. So for example, I've not only I've not only taken the shoulder pads out, but I've had, like, them taken in. I've, you know, let some stuff out. I've, like, I've done so much shit with with the Sky, and I'm there, like, once every couple of weeks. Like, even if I don't have anything to do, I'll I'll, like, edit something. Like, okay. Okay.
Ethan Wong [00:30:10]:
I've lost a bit of weight or I've gained a bit of weight. I gotta let this out. You know? I gotta get these sleeves shortened because when I first got them, I just dealt with the long sleeves. And now that I have some extra, you know, extra $40 lying around, I'll have him alter it. So that's yeah. One big secret there is having a good tailor, and it goes hand in hand with buying vintage. Right? Like, you gotta make it look good and fit your body. Right? So
Reginald Ferguson [00:30:33]:
Yeah. No. No. Absolutely. But I was just looking at your stuff, and I'm like, what the heck? Like, you
Ethan Wong [00:30:39]:
Yeah.
Reginald Ferguson [00:30:40]:
You know? I was like, okay. You obviously, it's a collaborative effort, but I but I said to myself immediately, I was like, this tailor, you know, didn't realize it was more than one as you transition the time. I'm like, jeez Louise. These guys are they're the real deal.
Ethan Wong [00:30:55]:
Absolutely, man. I feel so bad. I mean, like, yeah, people will DM me asking about vintage, asking about, like, you know, what to ask a tailor. And I'm like, first off, I don't have any secrets with vintage. I just go to places. I go on eBay. And then by Taylor, at this point, I go there and they know what I want. Right.
Ethan Wong [00:31:11]:
And, you know, it's just a matter of, like, okay. They'll wanna they'll make it shorter, longer. And, like, that's it. And it's just it just worked out. And I know that everyone has that, so I do feel bad. Like, some people have tailoring horror stories where they've, like, fucked up on their stuff, and I'm like, oh, I'm it sucks. I don't know. Like, I don't know what to tell you, man.
Ethan Wong [00:31:27]:
It's just I've been blessed to have to be around such great people who, you know and I'm not I'm not gonna say that I haven't had some tailored horror stories where, like, I've made something too skinny or, you know, I I definitely had to go back sometimes where, like, I've, you know, hemmed something, and then I wore it with my shoes that I, you know, I wore a couple times. Like, maybe I'd made this a little too short or maybe it's still a little bit too long. And, And of course, I'm happy to pay if, you know, because if I wasn't too clear on anything, but they're happy to do it with me. And it's it's been great. And, you know, if you find a great tailor, you know, hold on to them. Again, I'm still scared. Noe is like he's old, man. And he he he got COVID.
Ethan Wong [00:32:05]:
And like you were. I remember I dropped something off and I went there and it was like it said it was open, but it was locked, like the lights are off and everything. And I was like, oh, my God. Like, maybe he forgot waited 1 week, went back. Nothing. And I called. It only the the phone only goes to his, his store, so I could hear it calling and they're like, so, you know, he's obviously not home. And I waited, like, a month.
Ethan Wong [00:32:30]:
I was, like, trying to find something. I went on, like, Yelp to see if anyone had found anything out. Nothing. Nothing at all. And I went, yeah, a month later, and he's there working. I'm like, hey, what's going on? Like, how are you? And he goes like, oh, yeah, I had covid and I almost died. I'm like, holy shit. You know? I'm like, are you okay? You know? And he's like, yeah.
Ethan Wong [00:32:46]:
You know, this COVID thing is real. You know? And I'm like, yeah. It is. And so I'm glad he's okay now. You know, obviously, it's been a year later. He's still doing stuff. But that's always been a fear. Yeah, because I guess thinking back, I had a tailor when I was, like, in high school that my mom had used.
Ethan Wong [00:33:04]:
Like, you know, my mom grew up in, in East LA in Montebello, and she had, like, this local woman. I think she was Greek or Armenian or something like that, but she was a tailor. You know, she smoked a lot. And I remember one day, I think she was altering one of my first ever suit supply jackets. This is, like, senior year of high school or the freshman year of college. And it I found out she died. And and I it was so sad, but, like, she had a lot of stuff and it took, like, a month before, like, someone had updated on Yelp that the the kids who are not tailors, like they opened the shop up and you could go back and pick up your stuff. So that's kind of like in my head of like the like, you know, like, yeah, to avoid, you know, because it it almost happened.
Ethan Wong [00:33:44]:
I think one one of my friends actually had a story where the tailor died and, you know, that he didn't know anyone else, and apparently the kids or his next of kin had just closed up the shop and maybe gave everything away because, you know so, yeah, just, be careful about that. There's I don't I don't know any young Taylors, so it's a little scary.
Reginald Ferguson [00:34:04]:
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Ethan Wong [00:34:46]:
55. I will say 55. You know, I I do have a lot. I think, I actually don't think I have my vintage suits anymore because I've, you know, I've kind of moved away from it. But at the at the height of it, man, I had, you know, I had a couple of ivy flannel suits. I had, like, an an ivy summer weight, like, tropical wool suit. I have in my wardrobe right now, I still own a flannel double breasted jacket that is I'm pretty sure is a costuming piece because I don't see any, like, labels, like a union label in there. I don't see any, like, anything like that, but it's made you know? And I got it from a costuming no.
Ethan Wong [00:35:20]:
I got it from a vintage shop, but that shop had also had a lot of costuming that had come through there. So there's a big chance it could be something from, like, you know, a big warehouse, you know, Paramount or whatever. But that's still in my closet. It's got, you know, it's it's it's navy blue. It's heavy, which is probably why I should get rid of it. But it's yeah. It's got, like, these wide bellied peak lapels, strong shoulders, which I don't really, I'm not really into strong shoulders anymore, but that's still there. What I do have a lot of is vintage sport coats.
Ethan Wong [00:35:51]:
That's where the tweed still exists. So I have, like, I still have, like, 19 thirties forties tweed jackets. I've got I've got 2 of them. I got, like, 1 in a camel hair. It's not camel hair, but it's like a camel colored, you know, herringbone tweed. I've got this houndstooth, like fuzzy tweed, sport coat from the forties. I've got, like, a couple jackets from the sixties. One of them is like a a seventies tweed that's a little bit more rougher than I've got, like, a spongy sixties tweed.
Ethan Wong [00:36:18]:
Both plaid. One's brown. One's gray blue. And that's yeah. That's kind of I've kind of paired it down over these. But, like, you know, if you look through, I've had, like, a lot. I've had, like, double breasted odd jackets. You know, I've had double breasted suits with, like, red windowpane on it.
Ethan Wong [00:36:35]:
I've had, like, a brown 3 piece. I've had, like, a brown 2 piece. You know, I've had navy suits that I I wore as early or as, recently as like, you know, 2 years ago. And it's because when you're into vintage man, you just gotta buy it because otherwise someone's gonna buy it from you, you know, or take it from you. You know? When you're on eBay. Right?
Reginald Ferguson [00:36:55]:
Let's just see. This is the methodology. You're like, well, Air.
Ethan Wong [00:36:58]:
You gotta you gotta say
Reginald Ferguson [00:36:59]:
Someone will. Yeah. Yeah, Ethan. Because it's a marketplace. That's how it works.
Ethan Wong [00:37:03]:
Yeah. It is. Yeah. You know? Because I think that's why, you know, I've always been so intentional with, like, what you buy. Because with vintage, you know, there's no seasons. Right? Like, you could find a tweed in summer. Right? You could find a Palm Beach fabric in wintertime. So So the the only thing stopping you is your willingness to buy it and, of course, your wallet.
Ethan Wong [00:37:21]:
And so it's just independent of, like, of sales. It's independent of seasons of of, like, drops. You know? So I've just been conditioned to be like, okay. If you if you see it and you really want it, you buy it. Otherwise, that's it. It's gonna be lost to the aether. You know? And so over the years, I've, like, just, like, bought exactly what I've wanted, and I just avoid whatever I don't want. The thing is, I just like a lot of things, so I bought a lot of shit.
Reginald Ferguson [00:37:46]:
Yeah. No. No. No. I feel I feel the same way. I was you, and I still am that way. So I understand that in terms of, you know, being a maximalist. I totally understand that.
Reginald Ferguson [00:37:57]:
My clothes have clothes. So why did you give away the suits?
Ethan Wong [00:38:03]:
I just you know, as I as I said, I'm a very intentional person. So at the end of the day, if I wasn't intentional about wearing these clothes anymore, I just I didn't feel good owning them. And to be fair, I did give them to other, you know, vintage clothing enthusiasts who I knew would wear it in good health. I gave them to vintage stores who I knew would at least, you know, make some money off of it. And I had and I'm I'm the kind of guy where once I give something away, like that's it. It's kind of like relationships with me where it's like, you know, if things are over, it's over. I don't go back to x's. That's like a big notorious thing for me.
Ethan Wong [00:38:37]:
I I also don't repeat outfits because it's like after I'm done with them, it's like done. And it's not like a thing where I'm like throwing over the past. It's more of, like, I'm excited by what's, like, what's next and what next excites me. And so I was also conscious being in LA, having all of these clothes and honestly being like, I can't wear it. You know? Like, yeah. Like, 70 is my threshold for, like, winter clothing. If it's, like, mid to high seventies, I'm not gonna wear tweed. I'll I'll be smart.
Ethan Wong [00:39:02]:
I'm not gonna do that shit.
Reginald Ferguson [00:39:03]:
Good.
Ethan Wong [00:39:03]:
But but it's like, yeah, I started to have all of these clothes, especially, you know, basically winter weight stuff for LA that I just couldn't get away with wearing. And as I wanted to push this, you know, narrative of being and not narrative, but, like like, this this idea, like, being a regular guy who can be into clothing, who you know? I'm not a swing dancer. I don't watch old movies. I just like the clothes. You know? But, like, it started to feel a bit cost of y to me or at the very least inauthentic. And so I just thought it would be better to give it to someone who would just wear it.
Reginald Ferguson [00:39:36]:
Yeah. Who would appreciate it.
Ethan Wong [00:39:37]:
Often that yeah. Who will appreciate it. And the other thing is too, it's like, okay. Well, I kind of like this stuff, but if I could just make it in summer or at least 4 season appropriate cloth, that's probably the smarter move. And even if I don't get what I paid for it back, that's at least a a something. You know? So and at the very least also, it's it's based in the closet. You know? And that's why today, you know, I've I've held I've held on to these vintage clothing that I know I'm gonna continue wearing until I literally outgrow it. But what I've invested in is a lot of, like, 4 seas and stuff.
Ethan Wong [00:40:10]:
I'm very proud that I can now I have, like, you know, hops, more hopsacks. For a while, I didn't even own a hopsack jacket just because my navy jacket was flannel or at the very least, it was, like, just like a very heavy, like, worsted wool from, like, the fifties or something like that. That yeah. It's a navy jacket that could go with everything, but it it couldn't because it was so heavy. No. Why? Yeah. You just
Reginald Ferguson [00:40:32]:
I mean, to be to be in New York. Exactly. And,
Ethan Wong [00:40:36]:
you know, I I love New York. I love visiting. I the energy there is unparalleled to anything else, but I'm a I'm an LA guy. Yeah. And I just I if I'm gonna stay here, or at least for the foreseeable future, I had to be smart. So I just I ended up transitioning, which was, you know, not just a process of giving things away, but kind of my style kinda changed a little bit. You know? Oh, it totally did.
Reginald Ferguson [00:40:59]:
I've seen that.
Ethan Wong [00:41:00]:
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. If you're going through the beginning, yeah, obviously. I mean, they're still I still wear my spear point collars, you know, with the collar bars. I still wear Mhmm. My vintage abstract ties, you know, that's selling silly. But Mhmm.
Ethan Wong [00:41:11]:
There's a little bit of a difference in the in the in the construction. You know? It's it's softer now. You know? There's still the extended shoulder that I like from the vintage, but it's, yeah, it's softer. It's a little bit. The attitude is a little bit different. You know? I'm I don't you know? I I wear more like berets. It's a little bit of of a more like bohemian aspect to it. I incorporate a lot of, like, vintage military wear into it now.
Ethan Wong [00:41:32]:
So it's it's like the same but different. You know? I I can see the through line over the years, but it's certainly not the exact same style as I did, you know, going to Dapper Day.
Reginald Ferguson [00:41:41]:
No. Of course not. No. I mean, you're evolving. Yes. That's what's happening. Right? From a guy who's older than you. I mean, that's how this works.
Reginald Ferguson [00:41:51]:
So you go through phases. You tweak, you experiment, you learn, you understand. So, you know, as I've said repeatedly in this pod, I intentionally started at your beginnings because I wanted to see what that was like. And I knew that if I had tried to go from then till now, I mean, you'd be totally a multipart episode. So which, you know, maybe one day we'll explore that.
Ethan Wong [00:42:22]:
Yeah, maybe.
Reginald Ferguson [00:42:23]:
You know, but for right now and it's funny. I still can't let this suit thing go, Ethan. I gotta ask you. What is the deal with you putting your hands in your jacket pockets?
Ethan Wong [00:42:36]:
Oh, man. Oh, I love this. This is this is so great. I'm so glad you're asking these questions. People don't people don't ask these stuff, which is it's so funny. I I don't okay. No. I'm not gonna lie.
Ethan Wong [00:42:49]:
I do know exactly why I do it. There is this guy, Jake Grantham of Anglo Italian who, before you know, this is year years ago, when I was on Tumblr, this guy, Jake, used to work at the armory. And he's just, you know, his if you guys if your listeners haven't seen him, he's, like, this really tall British ginger guy who has repeatedly said, like, you know, he likes to dress like Prince Charles that Prince Charles got his boots from Italy. And he, just like Prince Charles, would put his hands in his pockets. And for some reason, me, as I was scrolling through Tumblr, you know, as this guy this is, like, theater kid guy who was, like, super into vintage, back, you know, back in college. Trust me. And I'm going to and and I'm starting to see the whole hashtag mentor movement, the armory being Taylor, you know, pity, you know, the sartorius, whatever. And seeing this guy, Jake Grantham, putting his hands in his pockets being photographed to pity Womoe, and I'm like, there's something there, man.
Ethan Wong [00:43:41]:
Like, it's it was like the like, that was, I think, like, the new version of, like, the whole Great Gatsby gangster squad thing for me. Like, it was that was, like, the the next phase. And it was, like, why is he wearing such an immaculate double breasted suit? Probably bespoke, probably 1,000 of dollars made by hand at some point, you know, Japan, Italy, whatever. And he's putting his hands in his pockets. You know? I and this was a time where I was already pretty skeptical of, like, the YouTuber, you know, men's wear guys, you know, the self improvement who was like, oh, stand straight. Testosterone. Don't put your hands in your pockets. Don't be a beta male.
Ethan Wong [00:44:13]:
And seeing, like, all these guys who are, you know, they weren't super feminine by any by any means, but they were still doing something that was perceived to be not as manly, you know, a little bit a little bit sloppy. And I was like, this is pretty cool. And as I started to look you know, having that in my mind and then looking at the vintage photographs that I would see on my Tumblr as well, I would see you know, if you looked past the whole glamour shots of Jimmy Stewart and Humphrey Bogart, regular guys would do that too. You know, you feel like those, like, street style photography. I mean, not really street style, just street photography back in, like, the depression. You know, these traveling photographers going around just photographing guys going to work, guys hanging out on the sidewalk, you know, people in France, guys who put their hands in their pockets because it was like a jacket to them. It was just you just it's cold. I mean, not in LA, but, you know, it's cold other places.
Ethan Wong [00:45:03]:
You gotta put your hand somewhere. And that kind of, like, stood out to me. And I started doing it as a way to kind of feel more comfortable in my clothes. Like, I felt like, okay. I own this thing now. I'm not this is not a precious garment. And the funny thing is that people did notice. And that's where it occurred to me that, you know, even for all this nuance, you know, people maybe don't realize that, you know, your lapels are are are wider than this.
Ethan Wong [00:45:30]:
Your button point is here. Your pants maybe have pleats. But people did notice the way that you were wearing your clothes. And the fact that I had gotten so much shit from it, not just from, like, random people, like, you know, like, on Facebook or even, like, my family who would, like, eat the ticket out of your your pockets for this photo over the family. Like, vintage people would start to get mad. But I was, like, guys, people do this all over the world. Like, people like, random people do this. Like, if you see a guy wearing, like, a denim jacket or a pea coat or, like, or something or hoodie, you put your hands in your pocket.
Ethan Wong [00:46:00]:
What makes the suit so different there? What makes the sport coat different? And, you know, they would say, oh, well, it's fancy. It's like a cation black. Okay. Well, what if I'm wearing it every day? It's not it's not fancy anymore. It's just a jacket that happens to have pockets and lapels in this configuration. Why can't I do this? And so now I just do it. And now, yeah, it's kind of like a fun meme where, like, yeah, I'm pocketfisting all the time. You know? And people, yeah, at the upper day who maybe saw me who are familiar with me or even, like, when I met up with some friends of mine or people who read the blog in New York, people would take pictures of me putting their hands in their pocket, which is so funny because I don't I'm I'm not the first person to do it, but I guess I've made it kind of like a thing where I just I've I made a point to, like, point it out for so long.
Ethan Wong [00:46:44]:
I even wrote a blog post about it because of all the comments I would get even early on on Reddit when I started to post on Reddit on male fashion advice, people would get so angry for some reason. I don't understand why people get so triggered about putting your hands in your pockets, but it kind of like like, galvanized me to keep doing it. And now it's just it's like second nature. And I think people who really understand the whole, like, slouch mentality of just kind of living in your clothes, I think people will just naturally do it. So it's like a thing, I guess.
Reginald Ferguson [00:47:16]:
Do you ever put anything in the pockets outside of your hands?
Ethan Wong [00:47:19]:
I do. I do. I will say I do. Okay. That's that's a big thing. I I I do put my wallet in there and You bet. I yes. Okay.
Ethan Wong [00:47:28]:
So here's the thing. This is I you know, I get you know, exposed me for being extra here, but I, like, a year or 2 ago, I ended up thrifting this, like, 19 forties, like, trifold wallet. So not like the billfold, you know, the the, you know, the little one. This is like the one you would put in, like, your jacket pocket. Right? Like, the your inside breast pocket. The one that, like, snaps together. And I found it for $20. I think there's a label inside it.
Ethan Wong [00:47:53]:
It's made of, like, glove leather, and it's it's amazing. And so it's hue the thing is fucking huge. Yeah. It's a trifold. Yeah. The good thing is that my my my, ID doesn't fall out. The thing with the billfold is because it there's no cover to it. Right? My cards would just fly out of it.
Ethan Wong [00:48:08]:
I maybe I've just had like a shitty cheap wallet And but the trifold one it's so secure. I I can keep receipts in there. I'm the I'm the friend who will pay for everything, and I'll just Venmo request people. So I'm used to always having my stuff out and saving the receipts and making sure everyone, you know, gets the right share. So I'm I'm kinda used to it. So but that goes in my jacket hip pockets, those patch pockets. So it kind of goes hand in hand with, with my hands, my pockets. You know, I also keep you know, I I bring my film camera with me a lot.
Ethan Wong [00:48:38]:
So that goes in there. Not not the big one, but, like, you know, the kind of handheld ones. Sure. I have my keys because, you know, we're in LA. We gotta we gotta drive everywhere. Right? So my keys are in my pocket. And I I I'm no stranger to, you know, putting a notepad in there if I'm, like, you know, going out to talk to somebody, or, you know, having stick a, you know, like, a packet of gum in there. So I'm I'm pretty used to now just having shit on me.
Ethan Wong [00:49:05]:
And so it kind of it it kind of was related to having your hands in in your pockets. I I remember at dapper day, one of my friends, was wearing a vintage double breasted suit, and he had, a newspaper in his pocket or a magazine, something like that. And he's he was a guy who went to Dapper Day who went to just get dressed up. He wasn't really a big Disneyland ride kind of a guy, so he was just going around. And he had a magazine in his pocket. And he also had a glasses case, you know, because he had sunglasses, you know, and he put it in there because he didn't wanna wear it all the time. But, like, that that was before pocket the pocket fishing thing. And so, like, the fact that he was using his pockets practically was, like, such a a big thing to me too.
Ethan Wong [00:49:45]:
So I I I always remember that and Jake Grantham, and that's kind of helped me get into that mindset of, like, just using your pockets. So I'm I'm all for it, man. If if people do it Yeah. Yeah.
Reginald Ferguson [00:49:57]:
Teach his own. Teach his own.
Ethan Wong [00:49:58]:
Yeah. Yeah.
Reginald Ferguson [00:49:59]:
Yeah. I mean, I'm old school. The way I was taught is, hey, you know, it's breaking up, you know, the form and the line of the jacket. Sure. Sure. I never do. However, it's funny because I've done a few made to measure commissions.
Ethan Wong [00:50:16]:
Uh-huh.
Reginald Ferguson [00:50:17]:
And I'm very specific lately of having a ticket patch pocket. Ah, okay. Yeah. But I'm doing that because I don't have any garments that have that. Right? So I wanna, you know, I wanna zig instead of zag. But the irony is those pockets will never be utilized.
Ethan Wong [00:50:36]:
Come on, man. You gotta I mean No. No.
Reginald Ferguson [00:50:39]:
That's what pants pockets of no. I'll tell you. That's what pants pockets of No.
Ethan Wong [00:50:43]:
I can't. Okay. I think the reason there is I have I'm I'm very self conscious about my thighs for some reason. I don't know what it is. I think it's because, I wore I wore, you know, skinny jeans when I was younger. And back Christian schools, Christian kids are so behind the curve. Maybe now it's different. But, you know, in the early 2000 to late 2000, you know, there's that whole idea that Christian kids are, like, 10 years behind everything.
Ethan Wong [00:51:07]:
You know? And so I was wearing skinny jeans, and I don't have skinny legs. I'm kinda I got thick leg I have thick legs. I got thick thighs. And I was made fun. I got it's like like called, like, thigh like, oh, Ethan, we're wearing those thigh huggers, you know? And I feel so self conscious about it.
Reginald Ferguson [00:51:22]:
And I
Ethan Wong [00:51:22]:
didn't want to overemphasize it by putting, like, my cell phone in my pocket or whatever. And so now maybe that's it. Maybe that's it. I don't use my pants pockets at all, basically. I I think I'll use my back pants pocket, for, like, my wallet if I'm not wearing a sport coat or if I'm, like, you know, summertime where I'm wearing a good t shirt, there's really nothing to do. I'm not as I know the whole LA hipster with a tote bag trend is a thing. I don't bring my tote bag with me all the time. I bring with me in the car.
Ethan Wong [00:51:50]:
But if I'm, like, walking somewhere, I'll just have my hand, you know, I'll just I'll put my I'll put my phone in my pocket. I'll put my wallet in my back pocket. But that's always jeans and usually summertime. If I'm wearing a sport coat, I will use my jacket pockets. So that's that's it. Maybe my thought my big thighs are why I do that.
Reginald Ferguson [00:52:11]:
So, Ethan.
Ethan Wong [00:52:12]:
Yeah.
Reginald Ferguson [00:52:13]:
Why is fashion important?
Ethan Wong [00:52:17]:
I I think, you know, it goes back to that whole, like, theater kid men character energy where it's like, you you have this control over what you look like. And at least my experience has gone where the way you do it can actually have an impact to how others perceive you, not in a professional sense. But, like, for example, pocketfisting where people noticed that I was being intentionally sloppy with it. So I feel like fashion, if you want to have control over people's perceptions to an extent, fashion plays a big part into that. I always say that, you know, I think the beginning part when people get into fashion, it's like, okay. Don't like, you know, you're you care what people think. Right? Like, you know, you you you want maybe the trends. You're right.
Ethan Wong [00:53:02]:
You wanna follow trends. You wanna look stylish, whatever. Whatever. See, it's more of like a you're you're absorbing what other people are taking. Then at some point, you stop caring what other people think. Right? Like, okay. I'm gonna be my I'm gonna be my own thing. I'm gonna I'm gonna do you know, I don't care.
Ethan Wong [00:53:13]:
I'm gonna wear this fedora or I'm gonna wear these military pants, whatever. And then eventually becomes, okay. How do I influence that? How do I how do I, you know, exude a vibe? You know? Obviously, people are still gonna get it wrong. People are still gonna call people still call me something. You know? Oh, you go on a date. You're going out to go on a prom or something. It'll happen. But, you know, it's fun to kind of if people are gonna do that anyway, might as well play into it with some with some little nuance, some detail so you can signal to the people who might be able to catch on to it a little bonus.
Ethan Wong [00:53:41]:
You know? Some people might go, okay. Well, hey. Are you an English professor as opposed to going to prom? Like, that's, I think, a positive one. So now you don't look like a high school student going to, yeah, going to prom, going to a wedding. Now you look now you have, like, a a a Ivy trad angle added to you with this whole English professor thing. And so fashion is so important in that aspect of of, like, projecting that idea of of finding a way to kind of show something a little bit about yourself. I'm gonna say it's hard to do with menswear because of how people view menswear, but the fact that people can say prom versus professor means that some of those details are important. Could be the tweed that you're wearing.
Ethan Wong [00:54:21]:
Right? Could be the bow tie that you decided to wear versus like a I know white dinner jacket or something. I don't know. But that's I I I think that's why fashion is important. It's got a little bit of, like, a cosplay factor. Not costuming, like, or, like, you know, like a Halloween costume, but just a an idea that you're dressing for some kind of character. Could be you. Could be a version of you. You know? But that's why, yeah, that's why I think fashion is kind of important.
Ethan Wong [00:54:46]:
You know? I don't I yeah.
Reginald Ferguson [00:54:49]:
No. It makes sense. And I wish that'll be for another another pod talking about fashion as cosplay and your whole business thing. You know, that's really why I approached you, and we didn't even get to talk about that because I have strong opinions about that.
Ethan Wong [00:55:03]:
Oh, man. I mean, I I think everyone everyone does. You know? It's such an important part of of of clothing that I think we can't escape. And I will say, I I think, one reason why which I don't think I've ever gotten to into a pod, but if you're young and dating, you do think about this a lot. You know? You you have to wonder what people are thinking about you with the clothes that you're wearing, not just, you know, going on a date, but, you know, what what looks like on, like, a dating app. So maybe, like, that's and I'm notoriously I I'm I'm taken now, but, you know, for a while, I was I was single and I was dating. And so I was pretty conscious of the vibes that, you know, I was putting out there and and balancing that between my authentic self and, you know, how to, you know, how to appeal to certain people, how to appeal to the person that I want to attract. And so I I I I think the good thing is I found that people can still see that.
Ethan Wong [00:55:58]:
My girlfriend was able to kind of tell my whole approach to fashion as opposed to, like, you know, just a a guy trying to be dapper or a finance bro. So I know that's a topic for another time, but I will say, as a young guy dating dating, like, that was a big that was a big factor also. So True. That is important there too.
Reginald Ferguson [00:56:16]:
No. That makes sense. What difference has fashion made in your life then?
Ethan Wong [00:56:21]:
I will say it has made a huge impact on my confidence level. I I will say to tease that to tease that dating thing, you know, I did at first try and dress very plainly. You know, I would tone down what I wore, and then eventually, I just became more confident, and I would I would wear what I wear now to a date. Obviously, it's a little bit better now than it was during the Genki Squad era. But, you know, like, I wouldn't have been able to do that if I didn't have my men's wear experience, just like how I probably wouldn't have gotten into photography without men's wear. So fashion has been just this kind of springboard for me being aware of aesthetics of the differences and nuances between art forms and what it means to project certain things, what it means to play into things, to subvert things. And so, you know, obviously, maybe if I had gone further with my whole music thing or I had gone further with photography or filmmaking, maybe I would have still gotten to this point. But fashion was the easy way to to get into this whole self expression thing.
Ethan Wong [00:57:25]:
And, it's, yeah, it's been it's been crazy. I mean, I I've met friends through this. I met, like, kind of like my girlfriend a little bit because of fashion. So it's it's it's been all encompassing. I'm a big fan of making everything holistic. You know? I I obviously I don't work in the industry, but I used to wanna work in the menswear industry. And, you know, obviously, my biggest hobbies, you know, me streaming, me doing the podcast, me writing a blog have been because of fashion. It's not not to say that I I didn't blog before.
Ethan Wong [00:57:53]:
I had a Tumblr where I would talk about, you know, my cringey high school life and when I thought about Star Wars and Doctor Who and everything like that and and and Sherlock. But, you know, fashion became this this kind of theme for self expression that I think is unparalleled and has led to so many things. I think for a lot of my friends too, it was also the same way, you know, where they've gotten to other things. They've gotten more confident in their lives, and not because of the clothes that they're wearing, like, you know, a suit is empowering, but because of the power they had over what suit to wear, what military chuno, what type of loafer. Is it a penny versus tassel? And just being aware of all of the decisions and knowing that, you know, it's important for self expression has just been so it's just been so enriching. And so, like, you know, fashion has represented all of that for me, and I'm sure for other people too.
Reginald Ferguson [00:58:46]:
Certainly. What's the top fashion tip you would give the everyday man so he could look his best?
Ethan Wong [00:58:54]:
Oh, I sound like a broken record, but I would say that it's just knowing what you want to look like. I I know it's not really a fashion tip, but it's good to think about when you're getting into fashion because, you know, putting it putting what you want to wear or what you wanna look like into into a certain context is probably the really the most important thing you can do just because everyone has such a different life. Like, I'm so the fact that I've, like, grown up in a very nuanced way of, you know, knowing what the difference between film scores, the difference between photographers, the difference between suit types. It's like that's the first real step, and it and it defines everything else. Because, like, a suit that you wear to a creative job is different than the suit you wear to a corporate job, which is different than the suit you would wear to a school teaching job. You know? It's different than the suit you wear to a wedding. And so all of those things, like, I think guys get really get really, you know, scared by, like, okay. I gotta buy 1 suit.
Ethan Wong [00:59:53]:
But if you think about it in the terms of just what you wanna look like, what does that mean to you? What does the Ethan who is wearing a suit? What does that guy look like? If you can answer that question, everything falls into place. It makes it so easy. It's it's a difficult question, but it's one that I always tell other people. And it and I tell it whenever they ask me for advice. Whether it's like, hey, Ethan. How do I dress better? To even, hey, Ethan. Should I buy this sport coat? I go, okay. Well, does it fit the does it fit what you wanna look like? And it launches into a really deep conversation that at the end of the day, they'll still decide if that if that sport coat or if that suit or if the style is for them, but they still gotta answer that question.
Ethan Wong [01:00:38]:
You know? So that's, I think, the biggest tip is to think about what you want to look like, whatever that means. Could be specific, could be broad, but you gotta think about that.
Reginald Ferguson [01:00:48]:
Makes sense. Yeah. So, Ethan, what does always be fly mean to you?
Ethan Wong [01:00:58]:
I think that being fly always being fly, I should say, is always being intentional and happy in what you're wearing. I think that those are 2 very important parts to me. Because, like, you can be intentional what you wanna wear. You know? Obviously, if you have a job or whatever that requires a certain thing, you got you got to you gotta wear it. But being happy, being confident, and sometimes that means, like, knowing that you had the choices, that you had power over the choices you made is is a big factor, or it could just be something that you just you just love wearing. It could be your favorite piece. And if you can walk out the door having both of those things, I think I think you look pretty fly. I think you'll look I think people will notice it.
Ethan Wong [01:01:40]:
People will people will say that you look great. I think I they are having a good attitude and loving what you're wearing. Like, that's that's what that means. It could be anything. I I I feel happy and confident when I'm wearing sweatpants. But I gotta I gotta it's gotta be the right sweatpants look. It's gotta be the look that I had in my head of me wearing sweatpants. You know, it can't be pajamas.
Ethan Wong [01:02:03]:
It's gotta be, like, sweatpants with, you know, a casual sport coat or something like that. Just, you know, when you're doing errands to make it to make it practical and wearing sweatpants with, like, a vintage hoodie and, you know, a pair of panty loafers because those are easy to slip on. You know, this I I it doesn't have to be a look at all times, but it has to be something that you're proud of. And being proud of everything that you wear, every outfit is that's what that means to me. It's hard, but, you know, once you get there, it's like it's so easy. Everything just kinda gels.
Reginald Ferguson [01:02:34]:
Sweatpants.
Ethan Wong [01:02:36]:
I know. It's a hot take. I, I got into it, over the pandemic because of the pandemic. I was like, I, and I've always had these sweatpants. I don't know if I've said this, but, like, I have Abercrombie and Fitch sweatpants that I got the week before I started college because I knew that that's what college guys wear in 2012. And the best part is that there's no branding on them and they have, like, a retro stripe. They look almost like a rowing blade in sweatpants except probably not not nearly as nice. But I still own them, and, I I can't knock them.
Ethan Wong [01:03:13]:
I I got I was I I mean, I was able to, like, breathe them out of my closet and wear them with confidence. So can't knock sweatpants. That's my Ethan that's my Ethan thing right there.
Reginald Ferguson [01:03:24]:
Fine, Ethan. Fine.
Reginald Ferguson [01:03:29]:
Ethan, by dent of his age, is undergoing expiration of his style. He went from being inspired by Hollywood, delving immediately into vintage, especially suits. Now he's working and experimenting with a style that is more relaxed, but still incorporating his vintage roots. He's in his twenties. What will his thirties be like? His forties. I don't know where I will be, but I hope to see it. Enjoy the Sartorial journey, Ethan. This is Howard Williams.
Reginald Ferguson [01:04:12]:
Well, that's a wrap. Thank you so much for listening. We hope you had fun and are down for another one. Please tell a friend who could use some fashion help about the podcast or share an episode with them directly. If you enjoy the show, please give us a rating and review on Apple Podcast. Lastly, if you constantly struggle putting an outfit together and are looking to turn that confusion into confidence, I'd love to talk about how we can improve your work. Check me out at nyfashiongreek.com and email me at reg@nyfashion.com for a consultation. A special shout out to our producer, Serge, and everyone down with the Fashion Geek Podcast.
Reginald Ferguson [01:04:54]:
If you have a story suggestion, you can email me at podcast@
dotcom, or hit me up on the insta@newyorkfashiongeek. And remember, always be fly.
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