Ditch the suit

I go shopping about once a month. I read magazines like GQ to see stuff that I like the look of, then I try to find something similar. I like how Justin Timberlake wears a suit and tie. David Gandy always looks good too.

Outside of work I have my own standard style, but it would be very different from my office-wear. It might be a shirt and chinos, but I wouldn’t ever wear a suit on a night out – for me, there just isn’t much call for it outside of the work week.

Tony Callaly

Managing director, Cashmere Media, 30

I formed Cashmere Media with director Conor Maloney after we graduated from Coláiste Dhúlaigh almost 10 years ago. People think it’s such a glamourous industry, but it’s definitely not. At all. But it is its own reward.

There’s two different typical days for us. If we’re going out shooting, that’s about dressing in a very practical way. Hiking boots, North Face jackets, heavy fleeces, thermal tops and rain bottoms, because you could be filming out in the elements. Clothing that you can get dirty. Then, when you’re in the office, going to meetings, you have a chance to express yourself through your clothes.

I like a mish-mash of styles, between the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. I love Chelsea boots and winkle-pickers. Flared jeans or skinny jeans. I’m a bit of a rock’n’roller and I like a check shirt, Rory Gallagher-style. The media can be so focused on appearances, but we never try to go with the cool crowd. We always try to keep our own identity, and clothes are such a big part of that.

Nick Appleby

Sales, Appleby Jewellers, 24

I have to wear a suit every day at work, but I don’t mind it. When you’re showing people very expensive stuff, you want people to think you’ve made an effort. I have three I wear for work, from Louis Copeland, and they have a cut that suits me. I buy handmade shoes, too.

I like Crockett Jones, but I spend too much money on them.

I play in two bands. In The Pacifics we have a uniform, not quite suits, but shirts and ties.

I put an emphasis on dressing sharply in the bands I’m in. I was in a band called The Wild Ones when I was 17 and we played old rock’n’roll standards. We thought, well, what did they wear back then? Everyone wore suits. So we did too. It’s hot and uncomfortable, playing fast rock’n’roll for two hours, but it’s worth it. When you’re at a gig it’s nicer if the band has made an effort. Same with my day job: you want the customer to feel like you have made an effort for them.