Jake Mueser Is the Tailor to Menswear's Most Stylish Guys
Jake Mueser will inspire you to wear a suit. And a tie. The dude wears the hell out of both. He makes it look easy and elegant—a difficult thing to pull off. No surprise there. Mueser is a master tailor with a shop in New York’s West Village (J. Mueser)that’s become a mecca for if-you-know-you-know fans of tailoring. His deeply informed opinions of menswear are a master class in how to think about getting dressed, because, as he says, he aims to create clothes for his clients that feel iconic and stand the test of time.
“So much of my job is working closely and intimately with people, almost like a personal stylist,” he says. “It’s being there to help talk about what’s happening, what makes sense, and how to contextualize that without it being so seasonal.” Here we give him the third degree on his personal style.
Esquire: Which is worse, trying hard or zero effort?
Jake Mueser: Always zero effort. You can never try too hard.
Would you go sockless with a suit?
Yeah, absolutely. Depends on the season, the weight, the style of suit.
What about wearing sneakers with a suit?
I’m not opposed to it. I very rarely do it.
What about wearing flip-flops in general?
No.
Hybrid dress shoes?
I’m not a hundred percent sure what that is. I don’t know if that means...
Like a dress shoe that’s maybe not a traditional dress shoe.
Probably not.
Do you pair navy and black?
Definitely.
Black and brown?
Definitely.
How do you feel about fun socks?
Not for me.
Stretch denim?
Not for me.
What’s one trend you love right now?
People embracing that throwback to the ’70s: fuller proportions, boot-cut trousers, that kind of thing.
And one trend you don’t like right now?
Things so oversized they just don’t fit.
Do you have a grail watch?
A Cartier Ceinture.
Is there a correct length of shorts?
Personally, four and a half inches.
What’s your favorite social follow in the menswear space?
Aaron Levine is always a favorite.
Is there a trend or style that you swore you’d never embrace but is now part of your personal style?
I’ve made lots of proclamations over my life and dressed in a lot of different ways, so I’m sure that what I’m wearing today is at total odds with things that I’ve said in the past. I’m okay with that.
What never goes out of style?
A finely tailored suit.
What’s something that you never wear that’s in your wardrobe and you refuse to part with?
Motorcycle jackets. I grew up as a punk-rock kid. I wore a motorcycle jacket from the time I was 14 to 25, and now I have lots of them. But in my 40s, with two kids, I feel like I’m being disingenuous.
How much is too much to pay for pair of socks?
I’m probably the wrong person to answer this question. I would say that over $150 is too much.
Is there an under-the-radar brand you’re loving right now?
I love what my friends at Wythe are doing.
What is the one thing you buy over and over again?
Getting into clothing is like getting into wine. To the untrained eye or taster, things seem almost identical. When you get that refined palate, you see a huge variance. So for me, it’s a navy blazer—dozens of them in every weight, every shade, every feel.
What is the best thing to buy vintage?
Leather and denim. It takes so much time to get a leather jacket or pair of jeans perfect. Sometimes you have to buy jeans that were made before you were born. Over 40 or 50 years, they’ve really hit perfection. The same goes for a leather jacket. A perfect leather jacket could take 50, 60 years to really get it looking just right.
What’s your one go-to style rule?
There are no rules.
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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