In partnership with YOOX.

That thirst for sartorial discomfort is precisely what led me to volunteer to style myself for the first of a three-part series with YOOX, wherein Man Repeller will attempt to reimagine popular style profiles through an individual lens. Up first was “classic” — and who better to redefine that than an antsy maximalist like myself? I decided to treat the endeavor like any other sartorial challenge and find a way to make it mine. However, to rein in my penchant for serial over-accessorizing, pattern-clashing and color-obsessing, I established the following “classic dressing” guidelines:
1) No jewelry except a simple pair of gold hoops
2) Only one pattern per outfit
3) Only neutral colors (navy, white, gray, black, etc.)

The final outfits weren’t necessarily the epitome of my personal style, but because of that, they felt like an iteration I was previously afraid to tap into, an iteration in which my clothes weren’t a distraction or a shield, but a mirror instead — a mirror held up to reflect me, just as I am.
Is there anything more classic?
Photos by Edith Young.