In Conversation with Yousaf Shahbaz about Personal Style
Originally appeared on Siddy Says on 16th June 2015, linked here. This is the unedited version
I recently got a chance to talk to Yousaf Shahbaz of Strata about personal style and where it lies in a person's life. I have been a huge fan of Yousaf's bold approach to clothing and his eclectic wardrobe that makes him stand out. So I talked to him about the first look of his that got me loving his personal style; a short suit that he wore to the PFDC L'Oreal Bridal Week last year. He told me that he's been wearing been wearing the short suit since the past two years. "it's the atmosphere of my office where everything is very casual and fun. So I wear shorts a lot. About the short suit, I make sure that whenever there are meetings or something formal, I carry around a blazer or a jacket with me that makes it all look formal. Which is why I love the short suit a lot. It's the summer staple at the office."
[caption id="attachment_6677" align="aligncenter" width="800"]
the short suit[/caption]
When I asked him about how he thinks his job as an architect plays into his personal style, he says just like his work, it is about the mood, inspiration and the requirement of the occasion that defines what he wears. Usually he's wearing shorts, since he has a job that requires him to be outside a lot. "As an architect, there's not one specific label I want to be defined as," he says "and I think that is the same way I dress up. It's a mix of everything I am feeling at that moment that defines what I have in my wardrobe. I've been doing a lot of minimal monochrome lately, so my recent purchases have all been grey, white and black." He says that he doesn't like to direct himself in one specific direction and that plays into his wardrobe as well. It's a mix of eclectic and basics.
I was interested in how his style has been received by the people he encounters and he tells me that everyone has been in awe of whatever he wears and they love it. I told him that he experiments without ending up looking like a mess, and people in Pakistan usually can't do that. He told me that it's all about knowing where you want to see yourself. Just like his out of the box work, his clothing is a defining point of who he is as a person; and artist who thinks differently and knows what the requirements are.
Talking about staples of a man's wardrobe, Yousaf said "I've got a lot of white tees. In all styles and sleeves and cuts. So a white tee is a must." But he also emphasized on not restricting to just one thing in your wardrobe to save you. It usually comes to the mood at that moment that defines what ends up being worn and bought.
[caption id="attachment_6683" align="aligncenter" width="1001"]
via TheCityAlive[/caption]
He buys most of his clothing items from when he goes on vacations because he says that that is the only time he gets when he gets to shut off his laptop, his whatsapp, and his phone and spend time with himself. But when he has no time time to shop, "My friends send me all kinds of cool clothes when I'm busy. I've got great friends with great finds. And Zain Aziz is one of them." Asking him about what brands he likes in Pakistan, he said he loves Bareeze Man and REPUBLIC by Omar Farooq. He thinks that Bareeze Man has great waist coats and REPUBLIC produces the kind of clothes that are on par with any international designer's work. He recently did a shoot with REPUBLIC and he said it was great getting to work with Omar.
[caption id="attachment_6682" align="aligncenter" width="720"]
The REPUBLIC shoot BTS[/caption]
I always wondered what other people think when it comes to defining how Pakistani men dress and yousaf answered that for me. "They all dress the same." When I asked him what is it that he despises when it comes to Pakistani mens' dressing, he said, "Despise is a very strong word. No offense, but everything here is so generic with everyone wearing the same LV shirts, Gucci loafers and DnG suits. It's just Generic." Which is not good, and I think that you can see Yousaf straying away from this image himself.
Speaking of personal style, when I asked him what do you think personal style means to him, he said "It is all about confidence. The most surreal outfit can look drab when not worn with confidence. And the most basic look can come out strong when carried with confidence. It is all about not limiting yourself to what you wear. It's about trying what you think is right and wearing it with confidence. Style comes from within. Style cannot be forced. Keep yourself open to possibilities."
I recently got a chance to talk to Yousaf Shahbaz of Strata about personal style and where it lies in a person's life. I have been a huge fan of Yousaf's bold approach to clothing and his eclectic wardrobe that makes him stand out. So I talked to him about the first look of his that got me loving his personal style; a short suit that he wore to the PFDC L'Oreal Bridal Week last year. He told me that he's been wearing been wearing the short suit since the past two years. "it's the atmosphere of my office where everything is very casual and fun. So I wear shorts a lot. About the short suit, I make sure that whenever there are meetings or something formal, I carry around a blazer or a jacket with me that makes it all look formal. Which is why I love the short suit a lot. It's the summer staple at the office."
[caption id="attachment_6677" align="aligncenter" width="800"]
the short suit[/caption]When I asked him about how he thinks his job as an architect plays into his personal style, he says just like his work, it is about the mood, inspiration and the requirement of the occasion that defines what he wears. Usually he's wearing shorts, since he has a job that requires him to be outside a lot. "As an architect, there's not one specific label I want to be defined as," he says "and I think that is the same way I dress up. It's a mix of everything I am feeling at that moment that defines what I have in my wardrobe. I've been doing a lot of minimal monochrome lately, so my recent purchases have all been grey, white and black." He says that he doesn't like to direct himself in one specific direction and that plays into his wardrobe as well. It's a mix of eclectic and basics.
I was interested in how his style has been received by the people he encounters and he tells me that everyone has been in awe of whatever he wears and they love it. I told him that he experiments without ending up looking like a mess, and people in Pakistan usually can't do that. He told me that it's all about knowing where you want to see yourself. Just like his out of the box work, his clothing is a defining point of who he is as a person; and artist who thinks differently and knows what the requirements are.
Talking about staples of a man's wardrobe, Yousaf said "I've got a lot of white tees. In all styles and sleeves and cuts. So a white tee is a must." But he also emphasized on not restricting to just one thing in your wardrobe to save you. It usually comes to the mood at that moment that defines what ends up being worn and bought.
[caption id="attachment_6683" align="aligncenter" width="1001"]
via TheCityAlive[/caption]He buys most of his clothing items from when he goes on vacations because he says that that is the only time he gets when he gets to shut off his laptop, his whatsapp, and his phone and spend time with himself. But when he has no time time to shop, "My friends send me all kinds of cool clothes when I'm busy. I've got great friends with great finds. And Zain Aziz is one of them." Asking him about what brands he likes in Pakistan, he said he loves Bareeze Man and REPUBLIC by Omar Farooq. He thinks that Bareeze Man has great waist coats and REPUBLIC produces the kind of clothes that are on par with any international designer's work. He recently did a shoot with REPUBLIC and he said it was great getting to work with Omar.
[caption id="attachment_6682" align="aligncenter" width="720"]
The REPUBLIC shoot BTS[/caption]I always wondered what other people think when it comes to defining how Pakistani men dress and yousaf answered that for me. "They all dress the same." When I asked him what is it that he despises when it comes to Pakistani mens' dressing, he said, "Despise is a very strong word. No offense, but everything here is so generic with everyone wearing the same LV shirts, Gucci loafers and DnG suits. It's just Generic." Which is not good, and I think that you can see Yousaf straying away from this image himself.
Speaking of personal style, when I asked him what do you think personal style means to him, he said "It is all about confidence. The most surreal outfit can look drab when not worn with confidence. And the most basic look can come out strong when carried with confidence. It is all about not limiting yourself to what you wear. It's about trying what you think is right and wearing it with confidence. Style comes from within. Style cannot be forced. Keep yourself open to possibilities."