A classical music evening with guest performers

Live jazz music began. The venue was filled with dignified gentlemen in ties and elegant ladies in glamorous cocktail dresses. The dress code, which had been announced beforehand, was "COOL RAKISH." The venue was packed with people dressed in their own unique styles, sipping cocktails and engaging in conversations about fashion.

Among them, one gentleman particularly caught the eye, dressed in a dark navy pinstripe suit, a white button-down shirt, and a small patterned tie. Though it was not a flashy outfit, his style, fit, and even his demeanor were elegant. This gentleman was none other than Mark Cho. He is the co-owner of "The Armory," a men's shop with stores in Hong Kong and New York, and a leader who embodies Asian classic style today. Mark, who was invited as a guest that day, later held a talk show about the secrets to his own styling.


A Liverano Liverano jacket, which he himself loves to wear, is displayed on a mannequin. It's a unique Florence style jacket without front darts, and its characteristic feature is that it beautifully creates a rounded silhouette. Mark says that he paired the glen check jacket with a dark blue chambray shirt and a navy knit vest as a tribute to the Prince of Wales, which features a blue check pattern.

The herringbone tweed jacket next to it was specially made for Mark by Yuhei Yamamoto of Tailor Kade . With patch and flap pockets, its boxy silhouette, embodying American traditional style, looks fresh today. He's also paired it with a chambray shirt, but Mark says he layered a camel waistcoat over it to emphasize the warm tones of the tweed. The combination of denim and suede shoes further enhanced the rugged appeal of the tweed.


"For example, even within the category of navy suits, there are subtle differences in shade, some being more bluish, and others having a purplish tint. Similarly, gray comes in brownish and bluish tones. These are classified as warm and cool tones respectively, but if you rely solely on one type of color for your outfit, it can become monotonous. My approach is to always mix and match while maintaining contrast."

The audience erupted in applause. Matsuo, editor-in-chief of "THE RAKE JAPAN," nodded in agreement and then took the microphone.

"Mark said that he was able to put together this outfit because he had practiced a lot. Today's outfit is a mix of his own clothes and items sold at Isetan Men's. He decided on it in a very short amount of time. Once he determined the right shade of navy, he quickly selected his shirt and tie. I think he chose his own outfit today based on that same principle."

Becoming the hub of Clasico Asia

Becoming the hub of Clasico Asia

On this day, Mark wore a navy pinstripe suit with a hint of purple, and a small patterned tie in burgundy and purple. Having spent much of his childhood in England, it's clear he has a solid foundation in classic attire. After the talk show, as he was chatting with the guests, I asked him, "What do you think about Japanese classic style?"

"I believe that Japanese classic style is not merely an imitation of British or Italian styles, but rather forms its own unique culture. Tailors who trained overseas first acquired their fundamentals in Japan before traveling abroad, and they diligently honed their skills at high-end tailors in those countries. The fact that they can create their own unique styles upon returning to Japan is only possible because of this solid foundation. I believe that a mature tailored style, not simply a new style, has taken root in Japan."

His response was typical of someone well-versed in Japanese tailoring. He himself has close ties with Japanese tailors. RING JACKET , a leading Japanese suit factory, is also carried by The Armoury.


"By the way, it seems you always wear button-down shirts?" I asked, and after thinking for a moment, he replied:

"When I wanted to wear something a little different from what other people were wearing, I thought a long-point shirt would be perfect. These days, everyone's wearing shirts with shorter collar points, like semi-wide collars. But long-point collars tend to stick out. So the button-down collar that fastens the tips of the collar points was just right."

When I mentioned that shirts with tightly fitted collars, such as tab collars and pinhole collars, are currently trending in Japan, he said he loves wearing a tab collar shirt tailored by Tailor Kade . "But you don't see them much in Hong Kong or New York. You don't even see them much in London, which is supposed to be the birthplace of this style. It's great that there's a classic style that's trending uniquely in Japan; it's very proactive."


Matsuo, the organizer of this event and editor-in-chief of "THE RAKE JAPAN," commented on Mark as follows:

"He's currently the number one fashionista in Asia. His wife is Japanese, so he's very knowledgeable about Japan. When you talk to him, you don't feel like he's a foreigner. You even feel like he's half Japanese. And yet, he has the smart and systematic way of thinking of a global gentleman. That's why I think The Armoury has become a store that represents Asian classic style. We at 'THE RAKE JAPAN' also want to play a hub role in conveying Asian classic style."

In the past, men's classic fashion in Asia, including Japan, lagged behind, with Europe and the United States acting as its model. However, nowadays, classic Asian fashion is highly regarded internationally, and a unique culture comparable to that of the great powers is flourishing.

Text: Ikeda Yasuyuki
Photo: Ozawa Tatsuya

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