One of the nicest things about the age we live in, with the technology we have, is being able to connect with people we’d never in a thousand years prior have made connections with. Not only that, but to learn and find common interests with those people. In Florence at Pitti last month, I met all kinds of people I instantly had a camaraderie with simply because we were both Styleforum members, or followed each on Instagram. It’s something truly wonderful that’s somehow easy to take for granted.
One man the miracle of the Internet has connected me with is Ahmed from Qatar, who goes by the handle _a_1970 on Instagram. I’ve been following him for about a year, ever since the guys at Anglo-Italian posted a photo of him (cropping his head, as he often does) in their shop. Besides Anglo-Italian, he posts photos wearing clothes from bespoke tailors like Dalcuore and Zizolfi.
His style is compelling to me for its easiness and simplicity. Sometimes I feel like I need a bit more in my outfits: another accessory, or another layer, or something to make it stand out. But seeing Ahmed’s fits reminds me that finding your uniform and nailing the basics is about as radical act as you can do.
You’ll typically see him wearing a sportcoat, open-collared shirt (or polo or turtleneck) and odd trousers. He doesn’t usually wear colors outside the menswear pantheon of navy, forest and olive greens, maroons, tans, browns, and grays. But what I like in particular is how he combines those colors in a way that I wouldn’t think to do, making it look natural and effortless. Often I’m too afraid to wear more than one dominant color, so I tend to go subdued or tonal with everything else. You’ll see Ahmed combining two or sometimes three colors with ease, naturally pairing complementary or tertiary colors, and it doesn’t look busy nor do the undertones clash.
I also think part of the appeal of his style to me is that he subtly subverts expectations one might have for someone his age. Pairing a polo shirt or washed denim button-up with a jacket isn’t something you see every day on an older man; on him, it adds a little youthful energy to his tailoring (as he says below, 1940s/50s elegance with a modern twist).
I also think he’s a poster child for soft Italian tailoring. Even devoid of personal context, I can tell he is comfortable. Once again, one might think someone his age should be wearing strong-shouldered, structured jackets to compensate for his rounded, slightly droopy shoulders. The subversion of that expectation makes his style appealing as well. Basically I want to dress like Ahmed when I grow up.
I reached out to him to find out a bit more about him, what got him interested in clothing and what some of his favorite pieces are.
Mitchell: Where do you live?
Ahmed Khalifa: Qatar
M: What do you do for work?
A: I am a developer, in the property business.
M: Have you always dressed in tailored clothing, or only recently?
A: Dressing up for work is a personal choice because I work privately. It depends on the occasion—sometimes I dress up for meetings. I have always been interested in tailored clothing, but I only found my proper style in 2016. Before, I was interested in classic menswear, but it was more about buying certain brands, not necessarily quality and fit like from a bespoke tailor.
M: What caused you to move from buying simply based on brands into choosing classic tailoring in bespoke?
A: Firstly is the fit, especially the back and the collar around the neck. It is more comfortable when it fits better. Secondly is the uniqueness of getting to choose your own fabrics and colors; I love that it’s specially made for me.
M: Who is your style icon?
A: I don’t have a particular style icon, but more of an era, which is the ‘40 and ‘50s for the classical style of people like Clark Gable and Cary Grant; I also love Steve McQueen’s casual wear. If I did have to choose an icon I would say Gianni Agnelli or Prince Charles, though honestly I get inspired by any well dressed gentlemen.
M: How would you describe your style?
A: I would consider my style a classic style with a modern twist. Like I said I have an interest in the look of the ‘50s, so I like to wear something like pleated high rise trousers with a turn up, but bring in a bit of a twist with modern colors and texture of fabrics.
M: What are your favorite shops, tailors and/or brands?
A: It’s very difficult to chose between tailors as they each have their own style, like how Neapolitan design differs from Florentine. As you can see on my Instagram I mention a lot of tailors, brands and stores. Some of my favorite brands include Anglo Italian, Spier and Mackay, Drake’s, No Man Walks Alone and Ring Jacket.
M: What are your 5 favorite pieces of clothing, and why?
A: To be honest I love everything I own! But if I had to choose I would say:
- Pomella Napoli trousers in Fox Brothers cavalry twill
- Polo camel coat by Anglo Italian (made to measure)
- Palazi flannel suit by Giannluca X Fox Brothers, trouser by Pomello, jacket by Sartoria Ciro Zizolfi.
- Raglan coat also by Sartoria Ciro Zizolfi
- VBC double breasted suit by Sartoria Dalcoure.
M: What’s on your wish list of clothing that you want to acquire next?
A: Next I’d like to get:
- A double breasted made to measure suit in midnight chalk stripe flannel by Fox Brothers heritage
- A double breasted linen summer suit
- A summer safari jacket
M: What’s your go-to outfit, the one you tend to put on over and over again whenever you want to look your best?
A: Mid-grey Anglo-Italian flannel trousers (or any of my Pomella trousers) with a Luca Avitabile “Friday polo” (or maybe a nice Davino shirt) and a Ciro Zizolfi jacket.
M: Your bio mentions you love watches. Of the ones you own, which are your favorites?
A: My favorite watches include Vacheron Constantin 1955 ultra thin, the Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso (1930’s), and my A.Lange Söhne Saxonia
M: And what watches would you still like to acquire?
A: I would like to acquire the Patek Philippe 5140P and a JLC ultra thin.
M: Do you pick your watch based on your outfit, or pick a watch first and choose what else to wear?
A: I don’t exactly chose my watch based on my outfit. Since I tend to dress classically, I wear classic watches rather than sporty ones.
M: What about shoes, which you also mention in your bio? Which are your favorites?
A: One of my all-time favorites are the Edward Green Dover on the 606 last in brown suede. They are my go to. I also love the Saint Crispin Oxford on the classic last in snuff suede.
M: Do you pick your shoes first, or your outfit first, when getting dressed?
A: It depends on my mood—sometimes it starts with the shoes, and other times it starts with the shirt or even the trousers.
Many thanks to Ahmed for taking the timehs to answer my questions, and to Charlie for letting me use his outstanding photos of Ahmed from Pitti!
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