Yasuto Kamoshita and the Joy of Tailoring

Not enough people have fun getting dressed. Especially with tailoring, many men opt for staid, conservative ensembles instead of breaking the mold. Instead of wearing the suit, the suit wears them. Thus, they become “suits,” a pejorative term worth avoiding. No wonder men act as if everyday were casual Friday.

Yasuto Kamoshita, United Arrows’ creative director, makes a case for the suit as a modern and creative garment better than anyone else. Rarely is he not wearing a full ensemble or separates. Yet Kamoshita always looks relaxed, flashing his signature smile for the camera whenever the lens is pointed his way. His debonair nonchalance also comes across in United Arrows’ handsome Camoshita line, filled with refined designs that will make you want to buy a suit again.

For one, Kamoshita is unafraid of color. He wears plenty of blue and gray in his tailoring, but he’s also helped bring back less common suiting colors — like tobacco brown and burgundy — into the men’s style fray. Kamoshita has also been shot in everything from large-check green plaid blazers to baby blue suits to black-and-white striped trousers, all of which he wears with confidence. For Kamoshita, these sartorial choices aren’t moves into left field, but an acknowledgment that sticking with navy and gray gets dull after a while.

Kamoshita also understands the importance of pattern and fabric. Whenever he’s wearing solid-colored suits and separates, he chooses interesting fabrics like heavy wool, corduroy or the much-maligned cotton. In terms of pattern, checks and dominate Kamoshita’s wardrobe, and many of his blazers feature a subtle grid plaid that relies on a mix of olive, ochre, tans and blues. These garments' colors often connote the tweedy, fusty professorial look, but Kamoshita trims these pieces down to a tapered yet classic silhouette, and pairs them with contrasting patterns or turtlenecks to make them all his own. This creativity in color and pattern manifests at Camoshita, and its most compelling suits — like this beautiful dark gray double-breasted number — look like they came straight from Kamoshita-san’s closet.

While Kamoshita has received more acknowledgment as a living style legend in the past year, he’s still overlooked beyond the fashion community. That’s a shame, because he brings pure, unbridled joy and creativity to wearing suits and separates. He makes tailoring look attainable and fun, rather than prohibitive and joyless, as it’s so often portrayed in relation to the American workplace. So take a cue from Kamoshita: Don’t be a suit but don a suit — or even a jacket — with flair and greet each day with the joy that comes from looking good and dressing well.