We’re deep in the middle of holiday party season, a time of love and cheer, brotherhood amongst men, and, if we’re being real, deadly competition for total sartorial dominance. There’s only person we  want in our corner: Travis Sylvester, the most nattily-dressed man in Brooklyn. Sylvester can be found most weekends behind racks of tweed blazers and corduroy bow ties in his stall at the city’s best market for the classically-minded, The Brooklyn Flea, hawking his wears to celebrities like Danny Glover, Chris Rock, and Seth Rogan (as well as everyday joes like us). Sylvester was kind enough to share some strategic advice–what five things should no gentleman be without this busy party season?
 

The Bow Tie
Bow ties have been big all year: it wasn’t uncommon to see them paired with seersucker shorts and short-sleeved dress shirts in the sweatiest days of summer. Sylvester suggests varying the prints or material for the holidays: golds, reds, or a holiday plaid in a non-traditional material like velvet can give you that extra edge you need to stand out from the hoi-polloi. “A lot of times, bow ties have a stuffy image,” he explains, “but I try to change that. They’re sophisticated and seriously fun. You can have a short-sleeved dress shirt and trunks on and jump in the jacuzzi with a bow tie.” 

Nice Socks
"Never wear boring socks–ever." While socks might seem like a small thing, Sylvester is as emphatic about this as anything else we talk about. Socks are “a statement piece, like ‘what’s going on there?’” he says. Don’t worry about overdoing it: “It’s cool when your socks don’t match anything you have on.”  Indeed, the night we met, he was wearing aqua socks with beige-and black saddle shoes.  

A Tailored Blazer
A well-fitted blazer is a holiday essential. Sylvester likes pieces with “ticker pockets”–small watch pockets above the hip pocket–and a double-vent in the back, which helps them lay flatter on men with trim frames. Take it to your local tailor for the best results.

A Nice Watch
James Bond might want you to buy a $2,000 watch that can tell time underwater, but that’s not really necessary says Sylvester. “Keep it simple,” with a Timex or even a Casio he advises. Just look for one with a leather band and gold or silver face–the smaller the better. “Watches are doing too much stuff these days, ” he says. “It’s like a Swiss Army watch. Just tell the time.”

The Fitted Shirt
“A shirt sets the tone for your whole outfit,” he says. You need one that fits, obviously–no blousing around the waist–but what about color and pattern? He has a few ideas: “With a good white shirt, you can’t lose. But I like to take risks, so I might do a wool or some ginghams, or stripes.” What about the eternal question: tucked or untucked? Sylvester is always tucked, except, he says, at the end of the night. “At the end of the night, my shirt’s untucked and my bow tie’s open.”

Travis Slyvester is at the Brooklyn Flea every weekend, has a bow tie website launching Christmas morning, and can be found on Twitter at @TravtheSplendid