There’s just something about a man in plaid. While some guys have trouble rocking the rugged look, Max Wastler embodies the essence of the classic pattern — charming, relaxed and a little bit old-fashioned.
The Midwesterner muses over fashion, food, family and friends on his much-adored blog, All Plaidout. Below, Mr. Wastler unpacks his style sense and explains why plaid is here to stay.
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Barneys New York: What inspired you to start All Plaidout? What is the story behind the blog?
Max Wastler: While working in New York as an assistant editor at a fashion books company, I was encouraged by a co-worker to start a blog where I talked about clothing in a real, personal way. Approaching the makers of the things we wear every day, I wanted to tell their stories. The name is an intentionally difficult double (or triple, or quadruple) entendre.
BNY: Have you always been clad in plaid?
MW: Looking at old photos, I’ve always worn plaid. Since I was born, it’s maintained an esteemed presence in my closet. I intended to write about classic men’s dress, things that are “played out” rather than the latest trends. For the blog’s signature tartan, I chose Black Watch, because I loved its origin story. It was the first tartan developed by the Scottish government for a special police task force meant to guard the valuable black cows. Hence, the Black Watch.
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3 Wardrobe Essentials Every Man Should Own
by Max Wastler
1. A flannel button-down 2. A pair of Levi’s 3. Alden Tassel Mocs
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BNY: How would you describe your personal style?
MW: I like to juxtapose classic American archetypes. The Rugged Professor. The Preppy Hipster. The Citified Cowpoke. The Well-traveled Midwesterner. My style is most influenced by my parents, who are both salespeople. They taught their kids the value of quality over quantity. Buy once, buy right. I remember in a Charlie Rose interview with Tom Ford, when asked why the ’70s machismo makes its way into many of his designs, he explained that it was what first attracted him to clothing. Sitting on the floor, looking up at the world, all these images surrounding him had a significant, subconscious impact. Similarly, growing up, I thought my parents were very with it. My dad, rarely without a collar, has had a moustache for thirty-nine of the last forty years. His clothes, even his sweatshirts, have always been neatly pressed. My mother has her flourishes, but for the most part, she dresses very classically.
BNY: Do you have a fashion role model or muse?
MW: Robert Redford and Paul Newman. In that order. Since my dad sat me down and said, “This is Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. It was my favorite movie in high school, and it’s going to be yours.” I’ve emulated them as American actors, as arbiters of American style and as conscientious American men. From their first buddy flick to The Sting, from Hud to Three Days of the Condor, from Cool Hand Luke to The Electric Cowboy, from The Color of Money to All the President’s Men, and all the photos from their private lives, they dressed like guys I wanted to be like. They dressed like guys, period.
Max's many muses
BNY: What is the most coveted item in your closet?
MW: My dad’s jean jacket. He wore the thing out. Purchased in high school, it looks like he got in a fight with a pack of wolves. The wolves won. It’s been repaired a number of times.
Wastler's father and his beloved denim jacket today.
BNY: If you were accidentally locked in Barneys overnight, what would we find you wearing in the morning?
MW: A blue oxford cloth button-down from Thom Browne, a necktie from Alexander Olch, a pair of Incotex khakis, Alden‘s Indiana Jones Boots, a blazer from Band of Outsiders, a pair of Garrett Leight‘s frames, Frederic Malle‘s Bois D’Orage and a Filson duffel, stuffed to the brim with Ralph Lauren black label suits and shoes from Superga.
BNY: What haven’t we asked you that every man should know?
MW: With all this talk of clothing, I feel terribly materialistic. I am as much an advocate for investing in quality things as I am in quality people. At the end of your life, would you rather say, “I loved and was loved,” or “I loved my stuff?” Pour as much of yourself as possible into your relationships.
- Kim Anderson
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