We recently caught up with leading men’s stylist and owner of Winslow Style Sydney, Ashan Winslow, to get the inside scoop on all things wedding formalwear related. Keep reading to discover Ashan’s expert tips for creating the perfect custom suit for your big day.
With 15+ years of experience in the fashion industry, Ashan Winslow creates impeccably tailored custom wedding suits at his men’s formal wear boutique in Sydney’s North Shore. You’ll love Winslow Style‘s personalised one-to-one experience, unwavering creativity, high-quality craftsmanship, and unique made-to-measure suits when working with them for your Sydney wedding.
“Styling is an art and is best mastered through knowledge and practice. Buying a suit is the first step, but when it comes to a custom made-to-measure experience, it’s the whole picture. It’s about the measurements, the proportions, the style, the fit, and the colour.”
Check Out Winslow StyleEasy Weddings: Hi, Ashan! Tell us, how and when did Winslow Style start, and what has it become since then?
My passion for fashion design was never something I could ignore. It kept calling out to me, so after much contemplation, I took the leap of faith and decided to quit my well-paying day job at the time as a retail buyer and follow my calling. With dreams in my heart, I decided to study fashion design. I completed my certification to be a designer in Sydney and devoted my days to learning the craft.
I was looking for more than just theory — I wanted practical experience, so I volunteered as an intern to work with a local fashion maker in Sydney. Unfortunately, it was not the sort of environment that would allow me to grow, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I used up my savings and decided to immerse myself in mastering the craft of pattern making and the complete design process. The journey gave me the knowledge and experience to create my first collection, I started a women’s label selling in the markets and to stores, which evolved to more of a made-to-measure high fashion label and soon I had some regular exclusive clients.
Whilst I was serving my clients, I had several of their male friends and partners ask for my advice and direction on how to style and find the best outfits for various occasions. I loved styling menswear outfits and giving my clients a sense of confidence through style. This journey allowed me to understand that there is a gap in the market for a qualified and experienced designer in the made-to-measure menswear market.
This was the beginning of my menswear business, now known as Winslow Style. Winslow Style is not simply a made-to-measure business; it brings in over 15 years of extensive fashion experience, knowledge, and creativity to assist our clients with honest and genuine advice on how to look good and feel great. We style and custom make all the items, the suit, shirt, men’s accessories and very soon the shoes as well. The made-to-measure process allows us to choose fabrics, colours, and style options. It gives us the freedom to create the perfect outfits for our customer’s special occasions whilst delivering a truly personalised service.
What sets you apart from other wedding formalwear businesses?
Our approach is all about bringing an aspect of style and creativity into each look; for over 15 years, I’ve been designing and styling men’s fashion and have extensive knowledge of fabrics, sourcing and manufacture and can assist our clients in achieving the best value for their spend. I am extremely passionate about what I do and take each assignment personally.
We focus on creating an experience for our customers that they will never forget. Every customer gets to have a personalised appointment with me at Winslow Style!
We are a small operator located in Sydney’s North Shore, and our primary objective is to deliver happiness to our customers with love and passion for what we do. What our clients get is not just clothes that fit well, but they also get a wealth of experience and the confidence to celebrate life’s special moments in style.
Please walk us through the process of purchasing a custom-tailored wedding suit from Winslow Style.
Step 1: The Consultation
After a customer reaches out to us, we’ll have an initial consultation and chat about their wedding plans, including the theme, colour, season, and overall vision. Next, we like to learn more about the groom and the groomsmen to understand how they fit into the story. From here, we create the vision with the couple to make sure the outfits complement each other, the bridesmaids and the rest of the theme. We style the outfits and agree on the colours and the looks for the groom and groomsmen.
Step 2: The Measurements
The next stage is getting measured. We take all the measurements to communicate to our makers what is needed to achieve the ultimate fit, depending on the body shape, height and body proportions. Technical knowledge of patternmaking and working with factories in the industry plays a valuable role in getting this spot on and achieving the desired pattern that looks good and feels amazing!
Step 3: The Fitting
Once everything arrives at our store, usually six to eight weeks after the order date, we arrange a fitting. This allows us to make any minor adjustments if needed. We sometimes notice that grooms and groomsmen lose a few kilos from the time of measurement closer to the wedding date, so any minor adjustments are made free of charge, with the ultimate goal of looking perfect in every detail for the wedding day.
Step 4: The Final Touches
Once the fitting is done, we professionally press everything and deliver it ready for the groom and groomsmen so that they are ready to wear on the wedding day with no worries or issues. We prefer to deliver everything at least two weeks before the wedding day to avoid any last-minute stress.
Aside from the suit, what other styling elements should the groom consider?
When styling grooms and groomsmen, the best advice is to make sure they are using a consistent approach when it comes to style. For example, when it comes to styling a suit, the shirt or accessories can make or break a look. There’s no point getting a tailored suit and a baggy shirt; it defeats the purpose as the silhouette will give the audience a mixed message.
A qualified men’s stylist can help bring all of the elements together, like the shirt, bow tie, tie, shoes, belt, and pocket square. At Winslow Style, we custom-make most of the accessories to complement the overall outfit and give it a consistent look and feel.
Skin tone and colour also play a vital role in choosing fabrics; not all colours work for all skin tones, some colours can wash you out, whilst others can give you a youthful glow. Understanding the colours that work best for your skin tone and what undertones reflect the best on your skin tone will ensure you look your best and capture beautiful photos.
We also need to consider body shape and the type of fit that best presents our unique body proportions and posture. For example, if we are styling a tall person, we need to make sure we balance the look so that we are not only highlighting the long legs or if someone has a bigger neck or upper torso, we need to balance lines with the outfit to make sure that the overall image is well proportioned, it’s about balance. There are several subtle adjustments that we can do to your outfit that would help us highlight body features and create an overall pleasing silhouette; this art is mastered through practice and having a creative eye.
How do you assist in coordinating the groomsmen for a wedding?
The starting point in coordinating groomsmen is understanding the overarching wedding theme and colour palette, as this will dictate the style of the outfits.
It can be challenging with groomsmen as we may have a varied set of body shapes and skin tones, and finding the balance to make sure each of the groomsmen looks great can take a little bit of creativity out of the equation. But it’s all about finding the right balance.
We also need to factor in the bridesmaids and look at the wide lens of the pictures of the whole bridal party standing together. Looking at this vision allows us to tie in the groomsmen and bridesmaids in such a way that they connect but are still distant apart to have their own stories of style and elegance.
Finally, the role of the groomsmen is to complement and enhance the groom, so we need to always make sure the groom is the highlight of the day, and finding the right style and colours that complement and bring forward the bride and groom is what we try to achieve.
Do you have any predictions for men’s formalwear trends in 2023 and beyond?
Great things are happening in men’s formalwear; some trends I am seeing are that people are loosening up a bit more and becoming more relaxed. When I say relaxed, I don’t mean board shorts and thongs — it’s more like bringing fun to the event! People are playing more with creative accessories, bringing more colour to weddings, and becoming a bit more adventurous.
It’s an exciting time for people like us who love self-expression, fashion, style and art as we are given more freedom from our customers to step outside the boundaries of conformity. It’s that blue ocean thinking, stepping out of the box; this is where art is created!
I’m super excited to see what the new year will bring!
