When Chuck James, founding accomplice and chief motion account aptitude abettor at ICM Partners, started in the ball business in the aboriginal 2000s, aptitude agencies still accepted conformity. "If you were not in a aphotic suit, red tie, atramentous shoes and atramentous socks, you stood out like a abscessed thumb," he says. "It was about falling in band and actuality conservative." James, who began in the mailroom a little afterwards than best afterwards arena aggressive tennis, acclaimed himself by cutting items like a black-and-white houndstooth shirt ("I was able to cobble calm abundant to buy an Etro dress shirt," he says). "Now, over the aftermost decade, but added so the aftermost bristles years, Hollywood has opened the aperture for bodies to accept their own personality," says James, who reps Game of Thrones' Carice van Houton, Megan Fox and Linda Cardellini. "It's looked on as a additional and not a damage to your career."
Known for his advanced booty on fashion, James wears aggregate from the latest Gucci aerodrome couture shirt, to a linen clothing with tennis shoes (not sneakers, a holdover from his tennis days), to his mother's design pins on his cape accessory for the red carpet. "I don't alike like to angle abutting to the guy," jokes applicant Meredith Vieira. "He's the apotheosis of air-conditioned but doesn't attending like he is trying." Adds Westworld's Rodrigo Santoro, a client: "This guy stands out in a boondocks of beautiful bodies because he savors all the capacity - the abridged handkerchief will be the appropriate tone, the collar, the socks, the tie will aces up on article else. The chat is 'impeccable.'"
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Such ascendancy has led to James acceptable the de facto appearance coach to a bearing of ICM agents, trainees and mailroom interns. "What I accept abstruse from Chuck is: Bodies get a faculty of you back you airing into a room, so your appearance should say who you are and that you accept apparent up," says a "mentee," abettor Andrew Kurland, whose adolescent agenda includes American Horror Story's Taissa Farmiga. "It's become aggressive in aggravating to beat one addition in actuality aboriginal and artistic while still toeing the line," says James, as he capacity what goes into a acceptable attending on a account added entry-level than ability player.
Yes, Dressmaking Is Critical
"Suits that don't fit ruin your aboriginal impression," says James, who abstruse the accent of dressmaking from seeing the after-effects for amateur clients. "If a suit's not tailored properly, it makes you attending disheveled, backward and alert as abundant as you are." His clothier of best is Art Mark, the freeholder of Beverly Hills Dressmaking (9451 Charleville Blvd., Beverly Hills). "Art's the best clothier in L.A. - and reasonable. He can booty one of the $300 Grand Frank linen apparel I buy to augment my apparel and accomplish it attending like a $3,000 suit" (GrandFrank.com).
In the era of ankle-baring men's trousers and ashen Thom Browne clothing jackets, don't amplify it: "There's what I ability alarm 'extreme tailoring' - guys' apparel with pants so abbreviate or jackets so bound that they can't alike move," says James. "You accept to accomplish abiding you can sit and angle and not attending like you're aggravating too hard."
No Need to Try On Suits
For a ambagious booty on acceptable bespoke tailoring, James recommends both the attending and amount credibility of Articles of Style, an online banker founded by above appearance blogger Dan Trepanier. Alive alone with American manufacturers, the apparel are adapted via a sample apparel beatific to the chump and analyzed in photos afore they're subjected to a final algorithm (from $1,095; ArticlesofStyle.com). Per James' advice, "I actually threw out my added apparel and got nine of these," says abettor Kevin Hussey, who works with Katie Holmes and Jeff Goldblum amid added clients. "I alike got affiliated in one of their tuxedoes. There is no lining or accept pads in these suits, so it keeps you nice and comfortable."
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For inexpensive, ample button-downs, Charles Tyrwhitt, a British shirtmaker with a flagship on London's Jermyn Street, makes its offerings accessible to adjustment online. "I like the spread-collar dress shirt," says Hussey, which "comes a brace of days" afterwards ordering, absolute for red carpeting procrastinators (slim-fit dress shirt, from $69; CTShirts.com).
Bad Shoes & Belts: Career Killers
"If I were an artist, I wouldn't assurance with addition who had bad shoes," says James, bisected jokingly. "One of the macho species' affliction abridgement of abilities is affairs shoes. You still see those acute aboveboard toes that accept been 'out' for a decade on guys who accept somewhat of a acceptable clothing on."
The abettor is fractional to Gucci and Ferragamo for his own footwear, but there are abounding options for up-and-comers, from online banker Cobbler Union's abbot straps and lace-ups ($395; Cobbler-Union.com) to Allen Edmonds lace-ups, which abettor J.R. Ringer describes as "a abundant middle-of-the-week go-to" ($395; 10250 Santa Monica Blvd.). "Even if you can allow aloof one brace of amazing shoes and abrasion them every day, accomplish abiding that they're able and change out the laces. Bodies will anticipate you accept new shoes on every day," advises James.
As for belts, he says, "most guys catch them too tight, or alike worse, too loose. They're consistently too wide" and are not advised the advance acquirement that they should be. He suggests the handmade crocodile belts at Scully & Scully that retail for a atom of the amount of $2,500 models from top artist maestros ($265; ScullyandScully.com).
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Stand Out With Accessories
"Since we're cutting apparel and ties bristles canicule a week," says Ringer, "it's important not to abrasion shirts and ties from the aforementioned abundance or brand, or abatement into a rut and attending the aforementioned every day." (Charles Tyrwhitt has active ties from $49, a abundant ability because agencies are the aftermost breastwork of the binding tie in Hollywood.) The abettor who reps Lucy Hale, Jay Duplass and Lil Yachty will action a aerial tie with a added bright suit, or carnality versa.
California aggregation Garrett Leight makes eyeglasses that are a aberration on the archetypal 1950s Ivy League vibe (from $335; 165 S. La Brea Ave.). "Accessories should be beat in balance - they shouldn't backbite or accomplish you feel uneasy," says James, citation such fast-moving trends as "the advance of the analgesic annual accessory pins" during aftermost year's awards division or chunky, adventurous sneakers with suits, which "look like a assistant alive at a hospital."
No Big Meetings? Not a Clothing Day
"When bodies appear to California, it's actual ambagious and they tend to abrasion sweaters that are too hot or not balmy enough," says James, a Florida native. Naadam's cashmere bodice and cardigans, acceptable for an bureau retreat, "are the absolute weight and as acceptable a affection as I've apparent at the highest-end artist stores" (V-neck; $125, Naadam.co). Venice-based Buck Mason is recommended for T-shirts (curved hem tee; $28, BuckMason.com) and Kith, a berserk accepted NYC sneaker retailer, for "upscale bliss that additionally can attending abundant with suits," says James (from $135; Kith.com). For best aggregate else, Grand Frank, a Swedish online menswear company, delivers affection at affordable prices. Says James, 47, of a $290 anorak fabricated of handcrafted covering from Italy: "The suede bombers attending and feel like they amount 10 times that."
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This adventure aboriginal appeared in the Nov. 8 affair of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To accept the magazine, bang actuality to subscribe.
