I’ll be the first to admit that fashion is not exactly a passion of mine. It barely registers most days, to be honest. As long as what I’m wearing is clean and appropriate for the weather, chances are I’m good. Sure, I have my favorite shirts that make it into the rotation more often than others, but it’s not like I pore over GQ or anything.
Still, I have to hand it to this guy: he doesn’t go halfway with his fashion sense, and it works for him.
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If you saw Zack Pinsent strolling down the street of his native Brighton in the U.K., you might think he had just left the set of a Jane Austen movie.
But that’s just Zack being Zack. He lives the Sense & Sensibility life every day. Even though he looks like a time-traveler drawn from 200 years ago, a walking anachronism, Zack is living the life he wants to live — in historical clothes.
In fact, 25-year-old Zack hasn’t sullied his body with modern clothing in more than a decade.
As he told the BBC, he had a ceremonial burning for his last pair of jeans when he was 14, and he never looked back. Every day, he dons his knee-high socks and his waistcoat and top hat, just like a proper 19th century gent.
Zack’s obsession with wearing duds from the days of yore started early.
When he was a teenager, he and his family discovered a box of his great-grandfather’s old clothing. Young Zack tried the period pieces on and found that they fit him well, both inside and out. “I’ve never felt more happy with just wearing what I’m wearing as a form of self-expression,” he said.
He says that although it might seem strange, the old, old school gear gives him confidence.
“I’ve never had the wish to dress normally,” he said. “I did that for so many years and I hated it, so what’s the point of returning, once evolved. Wearing what I wear, it makes me feel 10 feet high. You know, it’s spectacular, it’s a huge confidence builder.”
Since historical clothing doesn’t exactly sit on store shelves, Zack learned to make his own clothes.
He researches, designs, and sews all of his outfits, with some of them taking up to a year to get just right.
Of course, Zack does get some looks when he’s out and about.
“People might go, ‘Oh, that’s strange.’ It is strange. If I enjoy what I’m doing, why should I change?” he said.
“The response is almost completely positive, and genuinely lovely,” he told Metro. “And it isn’t just a Brighton thing, I’ve been all over the world and people are inquisitive and appreciative.”
Strutting his stuff in public has another effect for Zack as well.
Because he makes his own clothing, it sort of made sense for him to make nice duds for others as well, so that’s his business now. When he goes for a stroll, he’s really modeling his wares. Zack will tailor clothes for men or women, using styles from the 1660s to the 1920s.
“Seeing the joy on someone’s face when they’ve got something which is made for them for maybe the first time in their life and it fits them and they’re happy in it — there’s no better feeling,” he said.
Somewhat oddly, Zack also has a loyal following online.
His Instagram page has more than 145,000 followers, and between that and his business website , he gets orders from around the globe, as well as some adoring fan art.
It just goes to show that living your best life, even if it’s all about cravats and capes, can really pay off.
