SF’s well-dressed men come out of hiding

Well-dressed men have been outnumbered in San Francisco by the “comfortable clothing and ugly sneakers” crowd for years. But there have always been menswear aficionados here, geeking out about pocket squares among friends or in online forums. 

Nowadays, the city’s dapper gentlemen, the kind who have a closetful of knit suits for a range of weather, have a new place to meet up, talk fashion, and find fits: Patina Studies, a recurring pop-up flea market that held its second edition Saturday in North Beach. Founded by tailor Daryn Hon and brand consultant Tim Marvin, the event is just as much a social gathering as a shop.

Hon — GM of Tailors’ Keep, an atelier on Washington Street, just steps away from the site of the pop-up — has witnessed men get fitted for a suit they adore, only to lament that they’d be ashamed to wear it to a San Francisco office. Though heading to work looking like a zhlub would once have made you the black sheep, nowadays it’s de rigueur.

“The person that wants to look good is pressured not to do that anymore,” Hon said. But increasingly, he sees more men chafing at the ultra-casualness of modern office attire.

The hundreds of well-dressed men who showed up to the Patina Studies pop-up were a testament. In that crowd, a tech bro donning Lululemon and Allbirds would have been the exception, not the rule. Luckily, there were none in attendance.

“People are sick of the tech vest,” said Marvin. “[Tech] heroes all wear hoodies and shit. Our heroes are Ralph Lauren — people that have a lot of swag.”

Inside the historic Colombo building across the street from the Transamerica Pyramid, Bay Area-based merchants and buyers mingled with clothing traders hawking their collections. They bantered about what they were wearing, jockeying for position through the aisles. Each merchant had a station on one of two floors, with shelves and dressers to display goods. Derek Guy, an influencer known as much for his spicy political takes about fashion as for his fits, had a small assortment of his own clothing available for purchase at the busiest stand, run by Peter Zottolo (opens in new tab), his cohost on the podcast “Die, Workwear.”

At times, there were dozens waiting to cram into the event space, which, through tasteful curation, had been transformed into something of a gallery, with both the worn outfits and the merchandise contributing to an interwoven tapestry.

Mason Ritchie, a 26-year-old security guard in a Ralph Lauren tweed suit from the ’70s, said he came because he trusted the point of view of the merchants: He knew they’d bring stuff he’d want. Like other attendees, Ritchien, who usually buys clothes from eBay, couldn’t recall any local event over the past few years with the same vibe and offerings as Patina Studies.

“When this happens, everybody knows,” he said of the city’s menswear nerds. He was among his people.

Justin Ling, a 35-year-old hairdresser, was there to check out military-style apparel, which is having a moment. Ling arrived wearing a vintage German military jacket, as well as a military thermal sweater, trousers, and boots from Big Rock Candy Mountaineering (opens in new tab).

He likes the style because it is comfortable but also holds up well. “You don’t have to baby it,” he said.

Some of the merchants first attended Patina Studies as shoppers last time around, in September. Menswear influencer Brian Chan, with 130,000 followers on TikTok (opens in new tab), was one such client-turned-seller. As he watched over his handpicked assortment of merchandise, he mused about the city’s rising interest in men’s fashion, which he sees as part of the renewal after Covid.

He noted that tech CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg have started to care about their presentation. “People are outside and maturing,” Chan said. “They are thinking about how to feel good.”

To meet this moment, a crop of menswear-focused brands is emerging from the city, among them Presidio Post, Rising Star Laundry, and Evan Kinori, as well as smaller designers like Keith Hanlon and Rix Cannell.

Calvin Hom, one of SF’s chicest septuagenarians, was in attendance. He noted that it’s impossible to engage wholly in the world of fashion without relying on the inspiration and work of others.

“It’s all about community and connection,” said Hom. 

San Francisco is still relatively small. Unlike in New York or Los Angeles, you could easily run into your boss while out on the town. Marvin believes this is all the more reason to dress authentically.

“People get into trouble when they start wearing things that aren’t who they are — it starts to be phony,” Marvin said. “In this world of AI, if you’re listening to the bot tell you what to do, that’s not you anymore.”