0 Men’s Style Icon: Dan Trepanier

Introduction

CEO and creative director of TSBmen (formerly thestyleblogger.com), Esquire’s ‘Best Dressed Real Man in America’ 2009 and graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York are just a few of the credentials taking up residence on Dan Trepanier’s CV.

Raised on a small farm in Canada and a former college athlete, it is Mr Trepanier’s largely traditional and masculine take on style that has helped aid his continued success. This notion is particularly ingrained into the content he puts out on his site to hundreds of thousands of readers: “Our goal remains the same: creating practical and inspiring content for real guys”.

Trepanier has also got somewhat of a fashion background behind him, with experience in buying with high-end clothing store Saks Fifth Avenue and collaborations with companies such as Gillette, Frank Clegg and Rich in Clothing. These fashion-based level experiences, combined with his everyman appeal, shape Trepanier’s style into something that men can easily draw inspiration from and aspire to.

Style Breakdown: Dan Trepanier

Dan’s dress sense is very much in the vein of what we here at FashionBeans often strive for – timeless but with the occasional twist. Individuality is essential to every well dressed, standout gent but behind that individuality is the perfected craft of timeless basics done justice – the blank canvas on which the art of accessories and detailing is applied.

From fit to flourish, ties to trouser breaks, Trepanier has the basics more than perfected. Equally, his ability to put together a classic outfit before adding something a little different for that standout quality is second-to-none.

Think vintage, chunky knit Cowichan cardigans layered over a perfectly curated shirt, tie and waistcoat combination or an old lightweight camo jacket worn over an oxford shirt, bow tie, indigo jeans and loafers. Both looks sound a little out there on paper to the average guy, yet Dan pulls them off and makes them look good; confidence we can all be inspired by.

Key Consideration: Suiting

A lot of the suiting featured on TSBmen is from Michael Andrews Bespoke, a brand which Trepanier serves as a Senior Advisor. A key element of Trepanier’s wardrobe, the plethora of suits shot on TSBmen are expertly tailored and accessorised to perfection in a variety of smart, casual and business-casual settings.

Dan also displays the full range of versatility the modern lounge suit possesses. Pairing them with everything from ties, pocket squares and silk scarves to jeans, tees and sneakers, our icon always makes them look sharp, no matter the setting.

Another admirable quality is Dan’s choice of suiting. Often stepping away from the everyday essentials of the navy, grey and black suits, Trepanier has been snapped in everything from deep green to the rapidly rising burgundy tailoring, while he has also demonstrated the forgotten art of the brown hued suit on more than one occasion.

Dressing Down & Dressing Well

Stepping away from tailoring and individual twists, what makes Dan’s style so on point is his ability to dress down and dress well; a topic of a fairly recent FashionBeans article.

Dan’s everyman appeal comes into its own here as he pulls together the simple looks that are often forgotten in the menswear community, yet they are the type of looks the average gent adheres and aspires to.

Regularly rocking outfits featuring hoodies, ruggers, worker style boots and the like, Dan demonstrates the other side of menswear; the side which most men are actually on and relate to.

                                 

Final Word

Dan’s grounded sensibility is definitely one of the stand out attributes that really sets him apart from the regular host of ‘successful’ men’s fashion bloggers and those who have ‘made it’ in the industry through that route.

With a personal style that every FashionBeans reader can surely admire and take inspiration from, he is a shining example of how mastering the basics allows you to then experiment and add unique touches to all your outfits – and pull them off with style.