Cillian O'Connor, student and blogger

MY STYLE: Describe what you're wearingA midnight blue blazer with navy pants from Zara. The suede boots are from River Island and the striped B-Store shirt is from Circus.

You’re a high-street shopper? Definitely. I’m a student, but I like to shop when I have money and I have to shop quite smartly.

When did you start your blog?

I started male-mode.com in September 2007, but it has changed a lot since then. It started as a hobby and then I realised that fashion was a big thing in me and an ambition set in to get some role in the industry.

Were you always interested in fashion?

Not always, but Christopher Bailey (of Burberry) said when he was in Trinity College recently that he was interested in aesthetics, and I always say that to people because I was never interested in fashion until my sister studied it at college. After seeing how many sleepless nights she had, I decided on film studies instead.

What are your favourite shops?

Zara really speaks to me because I am not very ostentatious and I try to pick understated colours such as grey, black and navy. Zara offers good quality at affordable prices. River Island is very under-rated for shoes, Nu Shu is its footwear brand. Topman is one of the best at analysing what is happening on the runway and translating that to the street.

But you write about fashion?

I enjoy fashion writing – I always think of myself as more critical than creative.

Who are your favourite designers?

I love the theatricality of Thom Browne’s clothes. He takes a mundane item such as a conventional grey suit, and dramatises it. His shows are spectacular. I like a lot of young New York designers such as Robert Geller and Patrik Ervell. New York is not as OTT as London and not as bound up with convention as Milan.

What about Irish men and style?

Irish men have been slow to catch on. My generation is very interested in fashion because of the internet, and people are more cine-literate. Irish men aren’t as well versed about being aware of how to purchase clothes – to know what is bad or good quality, and value for money, and are probably a little bit sensitive about taking an interest in it.

What sort of clothes do you like?

I like tailored pieces. Blazers are a big part of my wardrobe and I like straight-leg jeans and pants because I think skinny jeans – and I don’t like them because they don’t flatter me – have had their moment. I don’t like the silhouette that a wide leg gives. I don’t like things that are too feminine.

What is the most you’ve ever spent?

Probably €140, on a navy blue wool reefer from Monsoon. I also spent £100 in London on a Dexter Wong for Topman coat.

What about your hair?

I go to Bowlers Barbers above the Bleeding Horse in Dublin, probably every six weeks.

Do you have any dislikes?

I don’t like Missoni. I look for a signature style that is reinvented constantly. I don’t wear a lot of wool or even a lot of knitwear. I’ve looked at Asos a number of times, but then pulled back.

Do you have a favourite blog?

The English blogger, stylesalvage.com. Fashion has become much more democratised, but it is still moving too fast. The digital era has allowed that to happen. I’d love to look at women’s collections too, but there is no time.

What do your clothes say about you?

That I take an interest in fashion. I would like to think that I am confident about what I am wearing and I wear the clothes, rather than the other way around.

Cillian O’Connor blogs at male-mode.com