Masters of Style 7: Bernhard Roetzel

I had the privilege of meeting Bernhard Roetzel in Florence at Pitti Uomo a few years ago. Bernhard had previously kindly invited me to appear, with many others, in his 2017 book A Gentleman's Look Book and he is well known as the author of several other books on menswear including Gentleman: A Timeless Guide to Fashion. Living in Germany, he is a fan of bespoke tailoring, as we will hear below:

Bernhard Roetzel

GF: Please introduce yourself, what’s your name, where are you based and what do you do?

BR: My name is Bernhard Roetzel, I live in the country outside of Berlin. I’ve worked as a self employed menswear writer since the late 1990s.

GF: When and how did you first become interested in style, in clothes and dressing well?

BR: I’ve been interested in clothes and costume since I was a child but I got seriously hooked in the late 1980s when I started travelling to London and researching classic menswear.

GF: How would you describe your style?

BR: Originally I tried to copy English style as I saw it in London and in books and films. Later I tried to look more Italian, especially in summer. In recent years I gave up copying and started wearing my personal mixture of Middle European influences, English and Italian style. When I now order a suit from a tailor it will look pretty much the same no matter if the tailor is from England, Spain or Poland.

Bernhard Roetzel

GF: What sort of clothes do you wear and where do you find them?

BR: My suits are mainly bespoke. The oldest ones were made in Savile Row by Tobias Tailors from the late 90s to early 2000s. After that I started using tailors from Italy, Germany, Austria and Middle Europe. London tailors are too expensive nowadays and the prices are not reflected in the quality. At home I usually wear shirt, sweater and some trousers that suit the season. I usually wear a jacket when I go out. Suits are for my business or formal occasions.

GF: Do you buy mainly ready to wear, tailored/couture or vintage?

BR: It’s a mix of everything with the exception of my suits. They are mainly bespoke.

GF: Please describe the main style influences in your life - past and present. 

BR: I was strongly influenced by English films and TV serials (eg 'All Creatures Great And Small' with Christopher Timothy and Robert Hardy) as a student and also by pictures of famous Englishmen in books and magazines. Nowadays I’m not consciously influenced by anyone with the exception of people or friends wearing pieces that I own too reminding me that I could wear them again too. 

Subconsciously I am probably being influenced by others but I never look at pictures thinking, 'Oh, that’s nice, I must do that too".

GF: What are your favourite brands and stores?

BR: I’m not much of a brand or store loyalist. Twenty five years ago I loved the style of Cordings and Hacketts although their fit never satisfied me with the exception of their trousers. The only brand that still love as much as I used to love it thirty years ago is Polo Ralph Lauren. But most of their pieces are either old because I bought them in the old days or because I found them on Ebay or in secondhand stores. I love their baggy and pleated chinos in summer for instance.

GF: What is/are your favourite individual item(s) of clothing?

BR: The bespoke tweed jacket made of an Alsport Russell check by Tobias Tailors of Savile Row in 1998.

Bernhard Roetzel

GF: Would you say that your style is still developing? If so, how?

BR: Of course it does. We all change all the time. My style develops in circles, I keep going back to styles that I’ve worn before. That’s probably the power of habit.

GF: What skills would you say that you have that help you in your search for style?

BR: My eye is trained by years and years of drawing.

GF: What are your top tips for others on a search for style?

BR: You can imitate or try to be original. Whatever you do, don’t forget that there is nothing new. Clothes and our style are part of the ego, they can be a terrible burden. So try not to take your clothes and your ego not seriously. Don’t let your freedom be taken away by other people’s expectations. Dress in whatever style you like or go naked. It’s your business alone.

GF: Where can you be found on Instagram and other media?

BR: On Instagram you can find my under my name bernhardroetzel, on FB my page is www.facebook.com/gentlemanbernhardroetzel

My English blog is www.feineherr.com

GF: Many thanks, Bernhard, for sharing your style journey with us.

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Bernhard Roetzel