The Modern Gent: Behind Every Stylish Man is a Story

On any street, in any city of the world, you might come across a Modern Gent. He may not be wearing a flashy suit, may not even appear to have much money. He is probably not scaling the heights of fashion. But he possesses that indefinable ‘something.’ Somehow, he is separate from the crowd. It’s evident in the way he stands, walks, looks, talks. Mainly though, it’s there in the way he dresses, in how he presents himself to the world. With his own unique style, he displays his life experience without apology or fear of judgement, and with a quiet pride. And in every single thread of his attire, there lies a story.

Steve G. Mileham is an Australian writer who seeks out such gents. His purpose is to extract the substance from the gentleman clothing style, the story from the look. Since The Modern Gent’s inception in mid-2015, its popularity has grown in leaps and bounds, among men and women alike. Readers praise the casual, concise tone of its writing, and its subjects’ lack of pretension, despite their inherent uniqueness. They like how depth can be achieved in only a few words.

Without exception, these Modern Gents are different combinations of humble, creative, sensitive, curious, thoughtful, left-of-centre. Steve stumbles upon his gents in all kinds of places; kids’ parties, cafes, waiting rooms, bus stops, the park, the pub. Sometimes they are friends of friends, but mostly they are complete strangers. And with just a little prompting, they open up in the most wonderful of ways.

One such gent was found during an interstate trip to Adelaide, at a fresh food market. At first, Steve tried to attract the fellow’s attention, but he shyly scurried by. Undeterred, Steve attempted to speak to him again in the next aisle, not wanting to let this one get away. He simply looked too interesting. As expected, David was a lovely bloke, gentle and philosophical. Here is what he said: "I never used to dress well, but now that I'm not trying to impress anyone I feel the freedom to express my own style. My pop, a real gentleman, used to wear a cap like this, and I always liked his look. I bought the jacket last week from a friend who was leaving for Canada. It goes with everything I wear, and is easily mixed and matched. I found the vest at the Salvos seven years ago for Business Day in Year 10. I used to buy clothes straight from mannequin in the Salvation Army window. It was my perfect shape and size. Whoever dressed that mannequin had great taste!"

Taking pride in one’s appearance can go so much deeper than mere superfice, and style is always so much more interesting when it contains a story. Here at last is a nexus between philosophy and fashion. Modern Gents are everywhere. We just need to celebrate them. themoderngent.net does precisely this.