The Gentleman's

My Story

I grew up in the 1970s in East Bentleigh, then a tough working class suburb of

Melbourne about 18 kilometres south east of the central business district. The

men around me all made their living in factories, on building sites or working for

the Government. The standard uniform for both work and play in East Bentleigh

was flannelette shirts, blue singlets and Hard Yakka pants. From an early age it

was instilled in me that being a man and being interested in fashion were

completely contradictory. Attending secondary school at Moorabbin Tech meant

having dirt under our nails, greasy hair and battle scars from school fights. Any

interest in clothing, let alone any grooming routine consisting of more than

velvet soap and a cut-throat razor, was seen as sissy.

By my late teens, obsessed with girls and going out on Friday nights, I

quickly learned that the time I spent on my appearance through clothing and

grooming practices brought great rewards. I began to observe guys from

different suburbs who took the time and effort in their appearance. The clothes

they wore were different; their hairstyles crafted and styled, things never seen in

our neighborhood. Even the shops in their part of town were different; clothing

stores and window displays with mannequins wearing colorful, tailored and

modern attire. I remember riding my bike to these shops and discreetly looking

from every angle and viewpoint for hours. In these parts of town the guys would

wear a lemon-coloured jumper with a baby blue-coloured shirt coupled with

green cords. Girls admired their every move. These guys weren’t called

‘poofters’ for looking good and I wanted to be like them. I would happily catch

the train into the city and walk for hours to look at the stores and see what was

‘in’ and how outfits were put together. I would scour over every advertising

campaign on route and soak up as much visual information about men’s fashion

as possible.

As my interest in fashion grew, I observed people in movies, music videos

and magazines with great attention. I noticed men of status, respect and

popularity paid attention to their clothing, appearance and physique. The movie

Top g*n exposed me to leather bomber jackets and aviator sunglasses — two

items I still wear today. An Officer and a Gentleman showed me how to be cool

and comfortable around girls and to treat them with old-fashioned values and

respect. In music, Wham! showed me how styled hair, polished white teeth and a

suntan could also be a male thing. Duran Duran taught me how to experiment

with clothing for more formal events like weddings. On TV, Happy Days