My Style: Danny Keeling
Photo: Fran Hales for The Industry
What are the most treasured items in your wardrobe?
It would more than likely be my clutch from Want Les Essentiels de la Vie. It’s made out of brown leather with two compartments and has a print inside. I use it for everything as it is the perfect size. Other than that it would be my embroidered bags that I made as I draw using the sewing machine. The models on these bags took hours to make and hold sentimental value.
Please describe your style in three words.
Print, tailoring, and colour.
What is the biggest mistake one can make when getting dressed?
Thinking a hat will complete an outfit. Make the most of your hair. It will fall out one day.
Do you believe in role models?
I believe in role models but not for dress sense. I believe they can influence peoples' work and aspirations and usually style comes with the latter.
What are your favourite fabrics?
It has got to be mesh. It is the only fabric that can be inappropriate to wear alone in situations but amongst friends it’s 100 percent fine. It makes me feel nude but not so much so that I feel bare.
Are there any style combinations that you object to?
I hate the onesie in public and also tracksuits (unless you're exercising). I don't think there is any excuse to wear either of these items in public, it is pure laziness.
Which city has the best-dressed men?
This has to be London. We are at the forefront of fashion here and really pushing the boundaries. The young people of London really embrace the fact that London is making an impact and you can see this from the West End all the way to the East End.
Would you say that you are conservative or bold?
I would like to say I am somewhere in between. I wear suits often, but I often like to play them down with a print-based T-shirt. I think sometimes it depends on how I feel on the day. I may wake up and decide that day I wish to wear something far more fun.
What are the rules in the way you dress?
Number one: It needs to be comfortable. If I’m at events or multiple meetings all day then I need to be comfortable in what I am wearing. Number two: The outfit has to be suitable for many social and business situations — no one has time to get changed in between events.
Celebrities and style...
Are endorsed and advertised.
Name one garment/accessory that you can never have enough of?
Bowties and blazers. It’s always great to mix things up and add colour into your dress sense.
A man should always look
However he wishes to and however he feels. There should never be restraints and if a man feels the outfit is too feminine, he shouldn’t worry at all.
Who taught you what you know about style?
Dazed & Confused Magazine as a teenager and then London Collections: Men, when reporting for Candid magazine.
How do you select your clothing every morning?
I’m not the kind of person who plans an outfit. I hate saving things for events, too. If I want to wear it and I feel it is appropriate, then I will put it on.
What is your biggest regret?
I don’t like to have regrets. I think opportunities and events happen for a reason and no one should regret the negative in their life, as you would never learn from situations.
The three essential things a man should know about style are…
Be free. Your dress sense should be comfortable for you and only you. Don’t wear something because everyone else is. Don’t buy into trends. They will only last a season. Ask yourself about what you’re wearing and question: Does it reflect on who you are?
Do you have any shopping rituals?
It is very rare that I shop. I usually end up finding four items a season that I like and I refuse to purchase fads or trends because I want something that I can wear for a while if I am investing in a garment. If I’m shopping online, I will always go to ASOS first and my favourite luxury department store has to be Liberty of London.
We will never see you wearing...
Black. This happens rarely. I own possibly two black garments and they are rarely worn. I just think it is so boring to wear black and in fact slightly lazy. Maybe it complements the body, but I don’t think people wear it for that reason. I think everyone wants to be able to wear something that is easy to put on every morning and black seems to be that easy option. I just don’t want to end up looking like your local hairdresser every day in all black. It’s so mournful.
The most stylish person you have ever seen...
Possibly Gilbert and George. I love their artwork and as a team they encapsulate a fashion sense and style that simultaneously works for them through every season, driving their performance art.
What is the first thing you notice on a man?
Their shoes or their hair. You can tell a lot about a person from these items, and of course their height.
Which new designers do you follow and why?
J.W. Anderson without a doubt. He is forever pushing boundaries between wearability and sexuality in clothing and design with the use of the garment’s finish. Anderson was the designer who inspired me to work in the fashion industry. My newest admiration would have to be Nicomede Talavera who was in the MAN show this past London Collections: Men. His last two seasons have been epic and I love the layering in his garments and the use of different fabrics and textiles.
The only article of clothing that a man needs to pay close attention to is…
Accessory X. You can wear anything (within reason) as long as you accessorise well with it.
Is comfort an enemy of style?
I don’t think it has to be. I think if it’s not comfortable the designer hasn’t thought about the said garment well enough for the consumer.
Which designer never fails to impress you?
Other than J.W. Anderson and Nicomede Talavera, it would be either Sibling, Christopher Shannon or Carven Homme. They all use colour in a well-thought-out manner and make me smile when I see their collections. I just feel that they consider the constraints of the consumer but don’t let it restrain them in concept.
Who would you like to recommend for My Style?
It would be my long-term friend and fashion illustrator, Joshua Osborn. He has a simple dress sense that always works.
The best words of advice you have ever heard?
"Always dress how you wish to be perceived. You may meet someone new today and that would be their first impression".
