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Mr. Tom Howard

This story originally appeared on the Gents Cafe Newsletter. You can subscribe here.


Meet Mr. Tom Howard (@tr_howard) from Northamptonshire, United Kingdom,  Founder and CEO of The Gentleman Racer Ltd – part of the Clubhouse 400 Group.

Tom, how do you define your style?

British-Modern. Taking the art of Great British bespoke and adding a seasoning of Western culture to the recipe.

What does it mean for you to be a Modern Gentleman?

I’d like to think that by now, Gentlemen’s etiquette is a known commonplace throughout society – certainly in person at least, but being a modern Gentleman is far more than just being courteous and polite in public. We now have the internet to contend with as part of our daily routine. Endless hours scrolling, unkind comments to deal with, and this can easily become all-encompassing. Therefore, a modern gentleman needs to remember to know his boundaries, to live in the moment and enjoy being present, whilst most importantly leaving enough time in their day to show full attention to the people closest to him.

When it comes to style, where do you mostly get your inspiration from?

I used to work with Ralph Lauren, and therefore a lot of my personal style inspiration comes from that man. Layering is his forté, and I’ve seen a lot of these learnings come through my personal wardrobe styling habits. I also take large amounts of inspiration from 50’s and 60’s movies, as I love looking back at a time I never knew, long before the on-demand world in which we now live. It all just seemed so much simpler, with one or two key pieces being layered and styled together.

What’s your personal style signifier?

I’m almost never seen without sunglasses! I feel they’re a great way to shape an entire outfit, and such a simple piece to make a large statement. I’d also say that a wristwatch has the ability to become a conversation starter, be a united passion, and to provide a platform to take discussions into a new space – and so I nearly always wear one that compliments my outfit choices, with a preferred nod to a Bremont.

What are your favorite wardrobe essentials?

I have an unhealthy obsession with lightweight jackets. Whether it’s a Summer evening’s linen field jacket over a tee, a layered Autumn moleskin bomber, or something a little more substantial for Ski Season, I’ve got a real penchant for well-made outerwear garments – and nobody does it better than British-made heroes, Private White V.C.

What are your main passions and how do you cultivate them?

I’m super-creative, and love bringing my ideas to life through our media and content business. I’m fortunate we have our creative outlet (The Gentleman Racer Ltd) within the Clubhouse 400 portfolio and an incredible client base that allows our creativity to flow relatively untamed, but to see a vision come to life and benefit others is a truly remarkable thing to witness.

What does your ideal Sunday look like?

If you’d have asked me before my children came along, it would have been an early wake-up, keys to a two-seater, and an empty-road drive out to a nice Cotswold brasserie for brunch. It still sounds pretty ideal actually, although spending the weekends with the kids is far more rewarding for me now, and so after eggs in the morning it’s all about long walks, washing the Range Rover, and encouraging our pre-school-aged kids to do what they love.

Describe an interesting trip you have taken and tell us what’s the next destination on your bucket list.

One trip that sticks in my mind more than most is when two colleagues and I did our own ’Italian Job’, driving from London to Turin with full Mini factory support. Taking three iconic Mini’s (in red, white, and blue) we drove roughly 1.800km through France, crossing into Switzerland and over the Alps into Italy, before heading down to Turin, where with local authorities on board, we replicated some of the scenes from the movie before heading up onto the legendary Lingotto rooftop for one last drive ahead of its closure. The camaraderie, the food en route, and the resulting film are something that will stick with me for a long time.

I’m currently busy planning a Ferrari launch event on a top-secret frozen lake known more for its galloping Polo ponies during Snow Polo Season! Have I given too much away?!

Tell us what can never be missing in your liquor cabinet.

You should always be able to offer your guests a well-made Negroni, and so for the last few years, I’ve been scouring the globe on our travels, for the perfect Gin, Vermouth, and Campari. It’s very nearly perfect.

What are your three favorite books?

I really don’t read as much as the entrepreneur circles tell you to read. Instead, I find myself reading well-presented coffee table books and thick quarterly magazines. A couple of my favorites though would be the Volumes of Type 7 – a look at architecture surrounding Porsche Culture, and Magneto Magazine – a superb quarterly focussing on the very best writing and imagery.

What are your three favorite movies?

There’s a great story about Pierce Brosnan’s Omega Seamaster and his debut as 007 in Goldeneye (which I’ll tell you about another time) but that would be up there for me.

The Thomas Crown Affair, from the soundtrack to the production is one of the greatest storylines in film. And, The Dark Knight – James Cameron’s masterpiece trilogy in telling the Gotham City story in such a dark and adult manner.


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