
I was an intern on Wall Street when it really hit me.
The people wearing suits commanded the most respect. And the more elegant the suit, the more respect they commanded.
This really got me thinking. In fact, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. To the point where my mentor in the internship program sat me down and said; “Dan, I think you should explore this passion for clothing”. It was the summer of 2008 (the height of the financial crisis) so I wasn't getting this Wall Street job anyway.
My mentor introduced me to his tailor - a man named Michael Andrews who had a tiny shop in a basement on the lower east side. I went there, asked every question I could, and spent all the money I earned that summer on (*the first half deposit) of four bespoke suits. Michael was incredibly kind, took me under his wing and allowed me to “work off” the remaining balance that Fall and Winter.
I swept the floors, got lunch for the tailors, and helped anyway I could. I also started a blog to document my experience going from “Columbia basketball player to tailor in training”. On the blog I shared everything I learned; information about fabrics, fittings, craftsmanship, etc. I was one of the first menswear bloggers and grew to have millions of readers worldwide. I became a trusted authority in online menswear - in part because I was named “America’s Best Dressed Real Man” by Esquire magazine (while wearing those four bespoke suits I hadn’t paid off yet!).
I worked for Michael - and blogged about it - for more than five years. I became the head stylist, then the head fitter, then attended FIT to learn the actual crafts of pattern-making, sewing and hand tailoring. My thesis collection was featured in the FIT museum.
I continued to share everything I was learning on my blog, and started showcasing some of the garments I was making myself. Soon readers from all over the world were traveling to NYC to meet with me at the tailor shop and commission my designs. I would perform their bespoke fittings and help them contextualize the garment within a versatile wardrobe.
I met so many amazing customers but every day I would receive messages from people that wanted to purchase my garments, but couldn’t fly to NYC for multiple fittings. This demand - combined with the fact that I hated the monetization model of blogs (ads and sponsored content from big box brands) - made it clear that developing my own product was the key to preserving my audience, my voice and my point of view.
So I tested every “online custom suit” company in the world at that time. There were seven or eight of them. Every company made me measure myself (something I had years of training doing) but delivered a cheap, ill-fitting garment that was completely uninspired. I never wore one of them.
It was clear: the “online custom” experience was nothing like the in-person bespoke experience. There was no expertise. No stylist to help you. No tailor to fit you. Nobody to make sure your garment felt good or even looked good. In many ways, it was the opposite of what bespoke tailoring represents; personalized service and handmade quality.
This was the “AHA” moment which began the transition from “blog” to “online tailor shop”. The goal: how can we do everything a traditional bespoke tailor shop does, but do it online for anyone anywhere.
So we started looking for manufacturing partners.
I started by visiting the factories that made the garments for the companies I tested (as it turns out, most custom menswear brands/specialists use one of two factories in China). I watched as they sewed “made in Italy” tags, used counterfeit fabrics, fused things that they marketed to be hand-sewn…and a whole bunch of other unethical practices I couldn’t get behind. They also hated when I tried to take photos and videos, so documenting these trips (let alone sharing the process with my audience) was virtually impossible. This was not going to work.
I believe in full transparency because that is what my blog - and bespoke tailoring - are all about.
It took a couple years of research and testing, but we eventually found a home with a third-generation family-owned tailor shop right in our backyard of Rochester New York. Not only do they hand-make the highest quality garment in America, they also share our visions of transparency, inclusion and personal service delivered online.
Today I am proud to say that we are delivering the finest tailoring (for men and women) available online - hands down. We’ve done personal bespoke fittings for thousands of men and women all over the world, most of whom continue to build their long-term wardrobes with us.
To learn more about our exclusive online-bespoke fitting process check out our How It Works page and read about how we help our customers build versatile capsule wardrobes.
When you’re ready to take the next step, create your very own AOS account.
If you have any questions or want to speak to a stylist, contact us
Looking forward to your fitting!
Yours in style,
Dan Trepanier
Founder/CEO
Dan Trepanier
Founder & CEO
Dan Trepanier
Founder & CEO
As a college senior at Columbia University Dan was named “America’s Best Dressed Real Man” by Esquire magazine (2009), which inspired him to start a website dedicated to menswear and style.
After completing his degree he went back to school to formally study tailoring and menswear design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, where his final collection was selected for display in the college’s museum.
Throughout his studies at Columbia and FIT Dan spent six years apprenticing for a bespoke tailor in NYC, where he eventually became the head stylist, then head fitter.
These experiences lead him to eventually combine the convenience and accessibility of e-commerce with the personal service and handmade quality that - before Articles of Style - could only be found in brick & mortar tailor shops in London and NYC.
When he's not working to grow the AOS brand, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife Karyn and daughter Sofia, as well as proving to these young guys that he can still really hoop.
Westley Dimagbiba
Editorial Director
Westley Dimagbiba
Editorial Director
Wes was born and raised on the lower east side of NYC. His first job was shining shoes as a boy, where he observed how city gentlemen dressed and learned the fundamentals of style. From there he always had a fascination with menswear.
He went on to study Business Management at Brooklyn College and in 2012 he crossed paths with Dan and they hit it off immediately. He became an integral part of "The Style Blogger" (the early days of AOS) and has created some of our most iconic looks. He is widely regarded as one of the most stylish people in the industry, if not the world.
Today Wes manages the AOS blog and social media accounts, in addition to personal styling for men (and women) in NYC. In his free time he is a basketball junkie, a power lifter and a connoisseur of Brooklyn nightlife.
Follow him on instagram @WestleyDimagiba
Morgane Press
Fittings Director
Morgane Press
Fittings Director
Morgane was born in France and raised in both Paris and East Sussex, England. Her fascination for Menswear started at a young age with an admiration for her fathers’ wardrobe of corduroy suits and classic newsboy caps. She went on to study Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins in London and got inspired in the streets of Saville Row and Carnaby street where she first interned, before moving to Paris where she trained as a pattern cutter and tailor.
Nikki Ziehl
Operations Director
Nikki Ziehl
Operations Director
Nikki grew up in central LA and got her first introduction to menswear by chance when her parents caught an Uber ride with a bespoke business owner in DTLA. She worked there for almost two years, learning the basics of entrepreneurship, customer relations, and design. In 2019, she went on to take a summer abroad in London to learn the fundamentals of pattern drafting on Savile Row. Now currently studying at Smith College in Massachusetts, she’s taken a position on our team, coordinating customer service operations as well as helping develop our women’s collection.
Matthew Perez
Head Stylist
Matthew Perez
Head Stylist
Matthew is our in-house Southern Gentlemen and also our head of customer styling. If you have a zoom appointment with AOS, you will likely meet with Matthew - and you are lucky to be in such great hands. He has more than 10 years experience in custom clothing and is one of the finest clothiers in the business. Matthew lives in Atlanta GA with his wife Karlin and two beautiful children. In his free time he enjoys collecting sneakers, building Legos with his kids and slaaapppin da bassss in his band. Rock on!
Alex Crawford
Head Photographer
Alex Crawford
Head Photographer
Alex Crawford - aka Crawdaddy - is the best photographer in the game! Don't @ me.
Alex grew up on a ranch outside of Houston Texas, spending his weekdays shoveling manure and his weekends hunting. He studied photography at Belmont University in Nashville then got his Master’s in Fine Arts at Pratt University in Brooklyn.
He’s a one-of-a-kind talent behind the lens, a workwear icon, and an all-around crafty son of a b*tch.
In his spare time he’s also a highly sought-after freelance photographer. Follow him @AlexCrawfordPhoto and contact him at alex@alexcrawfordphoto.com for shoot inquiries.