Every Guy Wants to Dress Like Aaron Levine
It’s impossible to say just how many men Aaron Levine has helped dress better. But if I had to guess, how about the better part of a generation? He’s like a menswear whisperer—the one you call when you need to breathe new life into a brand. You might know him for transforming Club Monaco’s men’s clothes into cool-guy essentials in the 2010s. Once he was finished, he took on Abercrombie & Fitch, dragging the brand back from the brink of cultural obscurity. And even more recently, he’s been working in the background on Madewell’s dust-off. Along the way, he’s been churning out impeccable fit pics on his Instagram while sharing insights into his own journey. He’s done it all by focusing on a credo that puts the person front and center. “Make sure the clothes always feel like you,” he says. “Be as weird as you want; just don’t be a gimmick.” Below, he answers a few of our burning style questions.
Esquire: Would you wear sneakers with a suit?
Aaron Levine: It depends on who you are. If it looks natural for you, I have no rules of what you can and can’t do.
Flip-flops?
[Laughs.] Maybe I do have a rule or two. That’s my answer.
Do you own fun socks?
I think once things are classified as a “fun” version of something, it takes all the actual fun out of it.
How much is too much to pay for a pair of socks?
Have you ever put your foot in a cashmere sock? That shit is for real, and it’s worth it. So, $150? But then, you work in the industry, someone slides you a pair of cashmere socks … so I would never. I’m cheap.
Is there a trend or style that you swore you’d never embrace but ended up giving in to eventually?
There is so much stuff that I swore I would never do that I ended up doing that I can’t even rifle off one. I remember the first time I got a pair of Belgian shoes—it was like 2005—and I worked for a tailored-clothing company. And I remember all of these old dudes walking around really natty, in like a beautiful gray flannel suit, a gingham shirt, a knit navy tie, and then they’d be wearing these Belgian shoes. And I’d be like, What is it with this delicate little shoe with a bow on it? And then this guy I worked with was like, “Come here, young man. Let me explain to you the tradition of this thing, and then you can determine if it’s for you.” And now I’m like ten pairs in. I’m a loquacious hypocrite.
Do you wear cologne?
I do. I’ve been wearing the same thing for 20 years, and it’s Santa Maria Novella Patchouli.
Do you have a dream watch you’d love to get?
I have a problem with watches. I have a bunch—and I hate myself for acquiring these things. I am a self-loathing stuff lover. But it changes constantly because I’m ADD. I don’t have grails! I could have a grail for a second but the attention span of a fruit fly, so 20 seconds later, it could be something different.
What’s your go-to summer shoe?
I wear three shoes in the summer. I wear a Belgian shoe. I wear a Birkenstock Gizeh that grosses everybody out when I’m in the city because my toes are out and they’re like, “You’re a disgusting troglodyte of a human.” And then I just wear the white Vans Eras.
What do you spend the most on in your wardrobe?
If I am in the right place at the right time and see something I love, I’ve been known to make terrible decisions. Let’s not put a price tag on it.
Photography: James Macari
Sittings Editor: Alfonso Fernandez Navas
Hair: Kevin Ryan using Unite
Grooming: Ryo Kuramoto for Nars
Design Director: Rockwell Harwood
Contributing Visual Director: James Morris
Executive Producer/Director: Dorenna Newton
Director of Photography: Elyssa Aquino
Camera: Derrick Saint-Pierre
Video Editor: Josh Archer
Associate Producer, Video: Janie Booth
Associate Producer, Video: Carly Bivona
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