ZALORA Style Icon 2017: Up Close and Personal with Darren Ho
He tends to dress more conservatively. He prefers pulling off trends that are already established in the fashion scene rather than those arriving fresh from the runway. He thinks that younger men want to dress older to show authority, while older men want to dress younger to highlight their boldness. To him, style is all about comfort and fit — something beyond label or store. He is Darren Ho.
Darren Ho lives in a wonderful world where there are no strict rules on what he wears to work. His outfits range from broken suit, sweatshirt and jeans, over-sized shirts with chinos and even sleeping robes.
ZALORA: Jeans or chinos? Why?
Darren Ho: Chinos because I’m quite fussy about denim. I’ve only two pairs of jeans, both are super lightweight selvedge and they aren’t expensive, just hard to find. Jeans are all about fit, whereas chinos are a lot more straightforward.
ZALORA: What is one wardrobe staple you always turn to when in doubt and how do you style it?
Darren Ho: A navy blue suit that I’ve owned since a dozen years ago. It was tailored quite particularly and the gentleman who made the suit for me has since gone into retirement, but it’s still in great condition after all these years. And it still fits me well. Whenever I have no idea what I ought to wear on a particular day, I automatically reach for it. It’s easy, I tend to wear the jacket with a pair of grey dress pants, white button down shirt, my old vintage Ermenegildo Zegna tie with a tie clip or a knit tie, pocket square and either slip-ons or loafers. Or I might do the whole suit.
ZALORA: What do you look for in a ZALORA Icon?
Darren Ho: I think the word icon is something that’s difficult to define. It’s about having an attitude and opinion of your own, and one that’s not just imitating whatever everyone else is saying out there. There are plenty of people who are great at duplicating other peoples’ work and thoughts, but not as many have their own opinions. I think an icon is someone who should be able to speak out about his or her own opinion, and who can back it up. Never mind that it doesn’t conform or invites criticism.
ZALORA: Name three of your style icons.
Darren Ho: That’s tough. I think Cary Grant is an easy example of a man who was always perfectly dressed. I think Bill Blass was an American fashion designer who perfectly comprehended the concept of sports wear and carried it through in his work. My fashion editor Wei Choong, is someone I definitely consider an icon and a great example to live by, when it comes to his dressing and how he styles fashion.
ZALORA: What is one evergreen menswear trend that will always remain in vogue?
Darren Ho: It would be so convenient to just throw in men’s suiting but I think it goes beyond that. I think the whole preppy look never fails. It might look out of place sometimes, or people might think you’re being a fashion snob, but no one can deny the whole Ivy League, prep look is a stylish and elegant one. But then again, there’s also the James Dean, leather jacket and tee with jeans. That’s always a win.
