The Sartorial Wisdom of Dan Levy

You'll remember I previously met up with Dan Levy over the summer for an interview, and here it is! I sat down with the witty, sarcastic, and impeccably stylish Levy to discuss all things sartorial for SHARP Magazine. You can read the interview on their website here, or below for more!

Canadians might be considered the underdogs when it comes to fashion. While our snow-capped, glistening nation may not be at the top of the list for fashion meccas, it certainly has produced a few heavy-hitters that have earned us a little street cred in the industry.  Levy, a homegrown and much-loved media personality, leads by example. For years, Canadians were able to witness and derive cruel satisfaction from Levy’s self-deprecation and witty banter with co-host, Jessie Cruickshank, on MTV’s The Aftershow. They were real, genuine, and, quite noticeably, fashion-forward. With his signature frames, Levy was able to carve out his own niche and become one of Canada’s sartorial leaders, providing style inspiration for audiences across the nation. Since The Aftershow’s end in 2010, Levy has been keeping himself busy, from flexing his thespian skills to being a regular contributor for FLARE magazine. We caught up with the media darling to discuss his views on style, Canadian fashion, and any sartorial words of wisdom he could share.

LC: What is more important to you, “style” or “fashion”?

DL: I think they go hand in hand. Often times, style and fashion can be misconstrued as something that has to cost a lot of money. I think if you look at all the great style icons – men and women – there are people who either take high fashion and make it look every day, or those who take high street things (like vintage pieces) and make them look like a million dollars. They are both important in their own ways. For me, style usually comes before fashion. You must always try to maintain a clear path. I never go too far in one direction or the other, but I like to play around with it. It’s interesting, especially now, because fashion has become a very trendy thing to pay attention to. You can spot a trend victim from a mile away. For me, it’s about figuring out what that trend is, how it works for you, and integrating a few pieces into your wardrobe in a way that makes sense. The only time that you’ll look weird is if you’re wearing clothes that are not comfortable.

LC: How would you describe your style then?

DL: A little bit preppy, a little bit messy. A little bit high, a little bit low. I like to mix it up, I like to have fun with my clothes.

LC: Who are some of your style icons?

DL: They’re not ever new. They’re like the Robert Redfords and Paul Newmans – men who set a very distinct style for years to come. We’re all sort of reusing their aesthetic. For men, that’s what works - a timeless aesthetic. It is key. At the end of the day, you just have to figure out what works for you. For me, that’s a play on basics.

LC: What’s your take on the Canadian fashion landscape?

DL: For our show, Jessie and I always covered fashion week, not because we felt obligated, but because we wanted to. There’s such a great design coming out of Canada, and I’ve been fortunate enough to call some of them my friends. Jeremy Laing is a good friend of mine and he was recently up for the *ANDAM (Association Nationale pour le Developpement des Arts de la Mode) Fashion awards, which is a huge thing! He didn’t win, but he was nominated. It’s a huge accomplishment. Our guys are doing great. We’ve got Pink Tartan, Joe Fresh, and more. Joe is an incredible Canadian success story when it comes to fashion.

LC: What are some Canadian menswear brands that you enjoy?

DL: I’m a big fan of Philip Sparks. I think he’s done some really great stuff. He embraces Canada. It’s a very heritage-based line – comfortable, fashionable, and easy. He’s great, and has a big future ahead of him.

LC: What about menswear designers overall?

DL: I have always been a big fan of Philip Lim. He works for me in the sense that he plays on basics too. Everything he does is a different take on a very simple idea. And then of course, there are people like Rick [Owens], which I can’t go too far into, but like to take little bits of.

LC: Often times, you’ll hear that fashion can’t be functional. Fact or Myth?

DL: Myth. Absolute myth. You have to be comfortable. I get that there are times where you won’t be, but I’ve never not been comfortable in my clothes. If you’re not comfortable, then you won’t look comfortable, and then that’s always weird. At the end of the day, if it doesn’t fit, it’s not for you. Don’t try to make it for you by pulling the belt tight, getting it taken in, etc. It’ll save you a lot of money if you don’t! Ever since I embraced that concept, I’ve been able to save a lot of money, because I was always the guy that said to himself, “does it fit? I’ll roll the sleeves, I’ll tweak it, etc.” If it doesn’t fit you properly, it’s not for you.

I get most of my suits from TopMan. They make the greatest, slim-fitting suits. I have a McQueen black suit and a TopMan black suit, and I’ve gotten way more compliments on the TopMan suit than I have with the McQueen one. So, it just goes to show you that if it fits well, it can look like a million bucks.

LC: We recently had a bout of some intense summer heat. For future reference, do you have any advice for dressing in the heat?

DL: Don’t wear grey. I learned that the hard way. That’s it. Don’t wear grey on the top, don’t wear grey on the bottom. And use summer cardigans to cover up those stains on the grey!

LC: Duly noted! What about some upcoming trends, what are you excited to wear?

DL: I’m a huge fan of Marni. That’s probably my favourite one right now. It’s clean, but it’s playful. For the past couple collections, they’ve been doing a lot with simple lines and playing with proportions. I like that. I also just got a sweater in an extra small that fits really big, by Alexander Wang, so that it fits slightly cropped. So, I’m gonna try and figure something out with that.

LC: What are some staples that every man should have in their wardrobe?

DL: A good pair of jeans, any kind. And never wash them. I mean, wash them. But don’t wash them. All of my favourite jeans are the ones that haven’t been washed. I’m the jeans and t-shirt kind of guy. Find something with some colour in it that you like, some great knits that you like, t-shirts, jeans, a great pair of shoes, and you’re golden! I was just with my dad [Eugene Levy] on a shopping trip in Miami and had no clothes. So we went shopping and I took him to Brooks Brothers, which has always been a staple go-to. We went and got him some pants, shirts, sweaters, and shoes. The intention was that everything we bought could be worn together. We came back with 3 pants, 4 shirts, 4 sweaters, and 3 pairs of shoes that could all be interchanged to create 12, or more, different looks! You must be able to buy within your wardrobe. The problem I had in the past was buying things without seeing how they could fit in with everything else. You don’t want to blow a couple hundred bucks on a sweater if you can’t pair it with anything, because then you have to buy more things to go with it. That’s what I mean about trends – don’t follow a trend too hard, because then you’ll have to buy everything that a trend entails. Find one thing and figure out how to make it work in the wardrobe that you already have.

*The ANDAM Fashion Award is a prestigious award given to one designer, with €220,000 prize money, a mentorship with former Chloe chief exec Ralph Toledano, and the chance to show at Paris Fashion Week. Past recipients include Giles Deacon, Jeremy Scott, Viktor & Rolf, Gareth Pugh, and more.