Each week, we quiz a prominent person about their style and the inspiration behind it. Ahead, entrepreneur and founder of Flamingo Estate, Richard Christiansen.
“I don’t buy often and I almost always buy heritage brands that honour craftsmanship.”Credit: Christian Hogstedt
How would you describe your style? Classic and functional most days, hopefully elegant on the right occasions.
What’s the oldest thing in your wardrobe? A blue pilot’s trench coat from the mid-80s, when Yves Saint Laurent designed the uniforms for Qantas. I wear it every chance I get; being mistaken for a pilot is always at the top of my sartorial wish list.
And the most recent addition? A gardening jacket from Sassafras in Kyoto. It has wide pockets and useful hooks, lots of places to hide gardening scissors and apples for the goats.
Richard Gere style in American Gigolo are in inspiration for Christiansen.
Do you have a favourite item of clothing? A Patagonia jacket I wear every day. I wore it up Everest and trekking through the Congo jungle to see the work of my friend Jane Goodall. It has patches from the places I’ve visited, so it’s a bit of a postcard –and proof of my curiosity.
What are three essential items in your wardrobe? Hand-knitted socks by The Elder Statesman, a Charvet white shirt and a Sesame Street x Flamingo Estate jumper.
What would you wear …
… on a first date? I wear a Patagonia T-shirt and cargo pants every day at work, so when I’m not working I like a tailored, double-breasted suit.
… on a plane? Usually a suit.
… on the red carpet? Again, a suit. My dad introduced me to a tailor in Hong Kong who’s been making shirts and suits for me for 25 years.
What’s your favourite fashion era? I love the elegance and lines of Richard Gere’s slouchy business suits in the 1980 film American Gigolo. Also, utility work uniforms of the 1950s, from French garbage men to British kitchen hands. I love Irving Penn: Small Trades, a book of portraits of skilled tradespeople dressed in their work clothes. He captures the humble coal heaver and the crisply dressed waiter with equal directness.
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