fbpx

A Nostalgic Look Back at the GQ I Grew Up With

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


After nearly a decade break, I recently resubscribed to GQ, hoping its fate would follow that of many in the fashion industry where seasons of constant misses lead to greatness on the other side.

Unfortunately, the publication had only receded further from grace, a shell of its previous glory from the GQ I grew up with in the early 00s, the GQ that “raised” me into the three-piece-loving, bon vivant that I aspire to be today.

Even now, two decades later, I still remember much of what I learned in those glossy pages of aspiration filled with beautiful people and even more beautiful clothing alongside practical style guidance and unparalleled content you couldn’t find anywhere else (this was obviously pre-social media and the ensuing saturation of menswear influencers).

And it started with the covers. On the polar opposite of my most recent GQ cover, the covers in the 00s were magnetic and arresting, showcasing how style and grooming could give you confidence and sex appeal. (It didn’t hurt that these covers featured celebrities in their prime like Ryan Gosling in a three-piece pinstripe suit or Jennifer Aniston in a tie… literally, just a tie.)

Those splashy covers, though, were grounded with articles like Spend Less to Look Your Best or The Low-Priced, High-Class Business Wardrobe where the magazine somehow deftly navigated featuring outfits that exceeded multiple thousands of dollars alongside pragmatic, easy-to-follow advice that even a teenager such as myself could walk away having learned something and feeling optimistic about my sartorial future (as well as perhaps not just a little motivated to get a very well-paying job).

I remember other articles like the one that taught me the enduring basics of how a suit should fit: a jacket length that covered your seat (but nothing more); sleeve lengths that show ½ to ¾ inches of shirt cuff (depending on one’s sprezzatura); the absolute necessity of jacket venting (either single or double); the guidance to never – ever – button the bottom jacket button (unless one’s wearing a single-button tuxedo); and the slight break in your trousers to reveal a hint of sock (or ankle) depending on the season.

And then there was one of my favorite columns, The Style Guy, where Glenn O’Brien would answer readers’ sartorial and etiquette questions ranging from the astute to the obtuse. The questions were all relatable – if some more valid than others – and O’Brien espoused stylistic advice in a distinctive, matter-of-fact way (with a dose of witty sass) that made the column both enjoyable and enlightening.

Suffice it to say I’m nostalgic for the GQ I grew up with. If only there were a publication in today’s digital era that offered a community of like-minded gents a beautiful curation of helpful advice and relevant articles on interesting topics…


Never miss a story – subscribe now to the Gents Cafe Newsletter, a bite-sized read about men’s lifestyle to enjoy over a coffee or a nice cocktail.