Puma Classics Men’s Lookbook

How does each one of these looks express a person’s individuality?

I wanted three looks that spoke to summer, but also could be worn out. I’m big on styling things for things that matter. When I work with my clients, I want every look to be a moment, every look to matter—every time you step out of the house, not that we’re over-dressing, but the look can almost transition to something that matters.

How did you come up with your collared shirt-shorts combo?

I went to private school growing up and I had to wear a polo shirt or button shirt every day. And so, what I loved about this polo knit top was that it has that classic preppy feel, but it also has a little bit of edge to it. I love the colors of the cream, the black with a little bit of blue at the hem of the polo with some black shorts. The shorts have a bit of frame to them or are distressing to them at the hem. So, it’s preppy but it’s also fashionable. It’s unique in a lot of ways, especially with the addition of the shorts. And then just tying it down, I like a chunky sock once again. A chunky sock flows into the sneaker. I think it’s just a preppy look with attitude.

For one of your looks, you went with the larger shorts and stuck with the long sleeves, but you went with the larger shorts here.

What’s really in right now is a little bit more of an oversized silhouette. And so, the idea behind this was I wanted a longer sleeve. I love the colors on this top. And I like the cut of the top, how it draped. So, it really lends itself to the summer attitude and the summer colors that I love. Then to complement it and the draping of the sweater, I added these baggier, longer shorts. And the shorts have a belting loop that drapes or decorates the side of the shorts and just gives it this almost skater, hipster vibe. These are some very long shorts that go below the knee. I chose the navy Suede so that it lends itself back to the different colors in the sweater. This whole look was more oversized. So, if you look at all three, the first look is a more oversized silhouette. The second look is more preppy and more form-fitting. And the third look is, for lack of better words, this Bohemian-chic effortlessly “I’m running around, but I’m still fashionable,” then a pop of red with the footwear.

So, it’s colorful up top with the shirt, then the darker colors toward the bottom along with the shoe. What’s the thought process there?

It’s important not to match everything perfectly. That feels a little elementary, but at the same time sometimes it works. So, it’s about feeling. But a lot of times, it’s about making colors work, playing off each other and working well together, and doing it in a way that isn’t forced. Flow is important, so you want things to not feel forced. I think the most beautiful thing a lot of times is when people will see an outfit put together with a shoe that they’ve seen on the racks and say: ‘I didn’t expect that to go with that.’

How do materials such as suede factor into how you make decisions overall with the fit?

Suede is probably my go-to as far as elevated fabric. It still gives me more of a luxury play rather than, a lot of times, people will lean more towards leather. But I’m very big on texture. I get the texture with suede, but I also get this indescribable sheen that I think really gets overlooked. And that’s what I’ve always loved about suede.

Which one of these looks would capture 16-year-old Allen’s attention?

Sixteen-year-old Allen? Honestly, it’d be the collared shirt with shorts look. Like I said, I grew up with a prep-school background. It’ll be that one, and it’ll also be the oversized shorts look because our era was the JNCOs and all that. We wore everything big back then.

What do you see PUMA doing great in today’s footwear landscape?

Well, I think it’s two things: It’s tapping into the heritage and the classic-ness of and the staples of the brand, but also tapping into the youth. And I think PUMA’s doing a very good job at both. They’re never losing sight of the foundation, but they’re tapping in and creating products that the youth can align themselves with and entertainers that the youth are into. Yeah. And I think that’s the key. You never want to lose sight of what got you here, but you also still have to evolve. So, you take the old customers on a journey as they ride through and evolve, but you take the new customers, you take them, you give them something fresh, but you also give them a peek into the history. And I think PUMA’s doing a great job of that.