17 Questions to a well-dressed man: Eric Twardzik
Photo credit: Melissa Ostrow
Eric Twardzik is a young and promising journalist who was introduced to me by our mutual friend G. Bruce Boyer. As he describes himself he is a journalist with an emphasis on food, drink, travel and men’s lifestyle. Clothing is an important part of that for him and naturally we can always see him dressing well in quality garments. He is a fellow customer of The Andover Shop which is a legendary Ivy Style outfitter that probably most of you have heard about before. If you are curious to his knowledge on tailoring and menswear I strongly advise to read some of his articles he wrote for the beautiful magazine Robb Report. For now I’m extremely honoured that Eric wanted to answer the ‘’17 questions to a well-dressed man’’.
What are you wearing today?
Today I’m very simple: a blue OCBD from Sid Mashburn, a pair of high-rise khakis from The Andover Shop, and my Alden Leisure Handsewn in Color 8 cordovan.
If you had to choose to spend money either on a suit or on a watch, what would you choose?
A suit. I feel like I was born without whatever part of the brain appreciates and understands mechanical objects—from cars to computers, hardware is lost on me. But I’m always thinking of another suit. Right now, it’s a single-breasted, navy seersucker for a wedding next summer.
What jewellery could a man wear?
Male jewellery is tough without a proper occasion. I wear a simple gold wedding band that I really enjoy. If I went to a school that prized class rings or had a signet ring passed down in the family, I’d love to wear either—but neither exists in my case.
Tie or a bowtie?
Tie. But I Love both.
Do you remember your first jacket?
When I was very young, I had a double-breasted seersucker suit that I can remember wearing to picture day on Kindergarten. I insisted that my mother allow me to wear it to the playground, even if I got upset when it was dirty. This should have been a warning sign.
What is your favourite watch?
Despite my earlier comments, I own one watch and I absolutely love it. It’s an old, cold-war era PRIM with a lovely mid-century design and size that a friend found in a Prague antique shop and gifted to me. At the very bottom, just below a noticeable crack, the word “Czechoslovakia” is spelled out in miniscule letters. There’s something I enjoy about checking the time and seeing the name of a country that no longer exists.
Fountain pen or ballpoint?
Ballpoint, for now. I admire fountain pens and actually own one but have not yet figured out how it works. Plus, I’m also wary of ink stains.
Have you found the perfect garment yet?
My Barbour. As someone who’s much too anxious about stains and the state of their clothing, the unmatched ability of a Barbour jacket to take all the abuse in the world and only come out looking better for it is a great gift.
Explain your biggest passion in one sentence?
Re-arranging words so that the least number are used to the greatest effect.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Miller High Life beer.
Who is the best dressed man in the world for you?
My friend Bruce Boyer. At a restaurant, he’s the best-dressed man in the room, but achieves this status without drawing attention to himself. There’s a sense that the whole setting has been elevated because of his dress, even if not all the bystanders can identify the source. In my mind, that’s true elegance.
The best book you ever read?
All That Is by James Salter. It’s the type of book where you experience an entire life between its pages and recall its scenes years later as if they were memories of your own.
Which city should one go shopping?
Tokyo. It doesn’t matter if nothing fits: the multi-level department stores and underground vintage shops are like museum exhibitions. And the United Arrows Men’s Store in Harajuku has an incredible bar in the very middle of it.
Tweed or flannel?
Tough, but tweed. For the pattern possibilities.
The most elegant restaurant in the world for you?
Is it cheating if I name a bar? Bar Cocktail Book in Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood. It’s a narrow, rectangular space manned by a single bartender-owner named Akira who wears a black bow tie with a white shirt and does everything perfectly. You get to the point where you just want to order more drinks to watch his precise movements. When you walk in, you’re greeted formally and presented with a hot towel to refresh your hands or face. There is no ornamentation other than a beautiful wood bar and a set of wooden speakers projecting the sounds of a single record player spinning beautiful old jazz. There’s no menu, but non-Japanese speakers can say omakase and be delighted with the results.
Describe your style in three words?
Timeless. Traditional. American.
Best purchase you did in the last 6 months?
A tweed houndstooth jacket from The Andover Shop’s made-to-measure program, with a natural shoulder, a 3/2 roll, a ticket pocket, and lovely hand-sewn buttonholes. It’s that type of bittersweet purchase that heightens your own sense of quality—and renders other jackets hanging in your closet obsolete.