I've followed Islamabad-based Ahmed Sajeel on Instagram (link below) for some time and we have occasionally exchanged messages. From these contacts I can safely say that he is the archetypal gentleman: both polite and courteous as well as being beautifully dressed.
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| Ahmed Sajeel @iam_sajeel |
It's a privilege to bring you a glimpse of Ahmed Sajeel's diverse styles, from besuited to more casual:
GF: Please introduce yourself, what’s your name, where are you based and what do you do?
AS: I am Ahmed Sajeel, based in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. My entire professional journey has pretty much been with the automotive industry, and I am the Regional Head for the North of Pakistan, for BMW operations.
GF: When and how did you first become interested in style, in clothes and dressing well?
AS: For as far back as my memory serves me, I have been aesthetically inclined!
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| Ahmed Sajeel in summerweight suit |
The first person I must have laid eyes on, was extremely handsome and debonair; my father. My mother met him toe to toe, as both of them were exceptionally elegant, eloquent and interested in leading full lives of kindness, beauty and style. And that went on till their twilight days. So a keen interest in all-encompassing style was only a natural outcome.
From a very early age, my mother would encourage me to select my own clothes and in so develop my own taste, while building upon the aesthetic and philosophic foundations that they had already laid out. So while other children in the 80’s would be content with their jeans and sneakers, I would insist on putting on a tie and jacket, every time we would go out to socialize.
GF: How would you describe your style?
AS: Let us just say more old-world aristocracy / sportsmanship, than the modern boardroom.
Tailored clothing for me is an expression of self. I am a dreamer by disposition and always telling a story, or painting a picture with the day’s ensemble. One is deeply steeped in the classic menswear ideals, intertwined with less expected, personal nuances; and a strong affinity for themes and colours. For that, one draws from the nature itself, where colours, patterns and textures are strewn about in a nonchalant, fetching harmony.
The themes one alluded to, include but are not limited to nautical, hunting, cricket and other leisurely, gentlemanly pursuits, that subtly manifest themselves in ties, pocket squares, cufflinks and so on. It presents my all-encompassing outlook towards life at large; to LIVE life and revel in its beauty; and not to take clothing, myself or life too seriously.
The themes one alluded to, include but are not limited to nautical, hunting, cricket and other leisurely, gentlemanly pursuits, that subtly manifest themselves in ties, pocket squares, cufflinks and so on. It presents my all-encompassing outlook towards life at large; to LIVE life and revel in its beauty; and not to take clothing, myself or life too seriously.
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| Ahmed Sajeel in Fair Isle and cords |
GF: What sort of clothes do you wear and where do you find them?
AS: I have a particular fondness for combining odd jackets and trousers in seasonal fabrics. Tweeds and flannels for fall and winter, after the British country gent, while linens, cottons and seersucker for the warmer months much in the Southern Italian or Southern American way. Thus hues and textures play a pivotal role. The attire would always be accompanied by a tie, or another suitable neckwear in less formal settings, such as a silk or wool scarf; and always with a pocket square that echoes the elements. Another idiosyncrasy involves insisting on French cuff shirt with cufflinks or cuff knots.
When the occasion does not call for wearing a suit / jacket and tie, one favours polo shirts in cotton pique, or button-down configuration and classic knitwear such as of cable-knit or Fair Isle variety. The informal clothing is complemented with trousers in cotton, linen, corduroy or denim, and often in colours that pick up the spirit of the season.
Clothes and shoes are predominantly bespoke and locally sourced through my trusted tailor of 22 years and shoe-maker of 15 years.
And whatever is less feasible as a bespoke article, such as ties, accessories and casual clothing; one can always and blindly trust Ralph Lauren to tie it all tastefully together.
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| Ahmed Sajeel in pinstripes |
GF: Do you buy mainly ready to wear, tailored or vintage?
AS: Whatever can be tailored, one takes the bespoke route; for casualwear Ralph Lauren.
The objective of tailored clothing remains simple enough; every article is created to best compliment and complement, one’s form.
The objective of tailored clothing remains simple enough; every article is created to best compliment and complement, one’s form.
GF: Please describe the main style influences in your life – past and present.
AS: As I waxed lyrical earlier, my father was, and remains my primary inspiration. A very well read and travelled gentleman, he would always be elegant; and tirelessly meticulous about the fit of every article of clothing he owned. While suits and jackets would be in conservative shades, there would always be a flourish, expressed through the pattern and colour in his ties and pocket squares.
Beyond that, one is particularly influenced by golden era Hollywood, specifically Mr. Cary Grant and Mr. Fred Astaire, and Sir Sean Connery’s James Bond. While Mr. Michael Douglas is notorious for the “Wall Street” wardrobe, his minimalist and immaculately tailored and carried wardrobe in “A Perfect Murder”, deserves honourable mention.
Amongst real-life style heroes, Mr. Gianni Agnelli, Mr. Luca DiMontezemolo, Mr. Luciano Barbera, Mr. G. Bruce Boyer as well as Mr. Mark Cho, Mr. Wei Koh and Mr. Luca Rubinacci cover many a spectrums of influences.
In a nutshell though, one completely identifies with Mr. Ralph Lauren’s imagery of style, and how it has remained so fresh and relevant over the decades. So achingly beautifully!
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| Relaxed in knitwear and cords |
GF: What are your favourite brands and stores?
AS: Having wafted through many well-respected style houses, one has settled down with most all things Ralph Lauren. It’s a place where one can find everything from Rick’s Cream, Shawl-collared dinner jacket to the perfect Fair Isle sweater à la Mr. David Evans.
GF: Thank you; yes, I do love a Fair Isle! What is/are your favourite individual items of clothing?
AS: Jackets and suits. Tweeds for their rustic interplay of hues and textures, flannels for their luscious hand, linen for its textures and rakish coarseness and seersucker for its effortless charm.
GF: Would you say that your style is still developing? If so, how?
AS: One’s style evolution is very much a reflection of one’s own journey as an individual. A lived in disposition … time, stories and finding and absorbing emotion every step of the way.
GF: What skills would you say that you have that help you in your search for style?
AS: If I could be so vain as to credit myself with one stylistic skill; it would be an eye for creating visual balance in putting together an ensemble through thematic and colour-driven harmony.
And relishing dressing up every single day … purely for the joy it imparts to my person.
And relishing dressing up every single day … purely for the joy it imparts to my person.
GF: What are your top tips for others on a search for style?
AS: Have a good time with what you decide to wear. That of course does not mean that one can sacrifice elegance at the altar of perceived comfort. Athleisure is best suited to what the name itself suggests. If anything, the relaxed fit seems to have an opposite effect of what most patrons expect to achieve. Therefore bespoke clothing is the simplest answer, as it ensures comfort through being uniquely created for one’s body and in so flatters the form.
While it is oft said that dressing well is a display of respect for those around us, to me it is as much a matter of self-respect. To quote Oscar Wilde from The Picture of Dorian Grey, “It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible”.
GF: Where can you be found on Instagram and other media
AS: Instagram: iam_sajeel Facebook: https://ift.tt/ju5zZsS
GF: Thank you, Sajeel, so much for this brilliant exposition of your style journey. I particularly agree with your drawing inspiration from nature and with your comment on not taking things too seriously!
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