The Pro-Files: Frank Muytjens of J.Crew

Jeff, with Frank Muytjens (head of men's design for J.Crew.)

Clothing is a narrative. A collection of well-placed hints about who you are, where you come from, where you're going. And you? You're someone with places to be. People should be able to know you when you get there.

At least that's how Frank Muytjens sees it. Frank is the head of men's design at J.Crew, where he went after working with Polo. Yet, the Amsterdam native is surprisingly down to earth for being an increasingly recognizable international gentleman in the industry. One of the kindest and most thoughtful heavy-hitters you'll meet.

Muytjens and la presidente, Jenna Lyons, were in the Second City recently to promote both a new men's shop and their fall line. It's a tall order to fly into Chicago to spend less than half a day on Michigan Avenue for a meet-and-greet the many admirers of your work, but no: Frank is as good a listener as he is a thinker.

And it's that kind of careful thought that has allowed the company to reinvent itself into a game-changer. See, the thing about J.Crew is, not so long ago you wouldn't have put it and "classic" next to each other in a sentence. But with Frank and Jenna at the tiller, that's exactly where the company has risen: to a look that's The Great Escape, not Dawson's Creek.

We caught up with Muytjens in the 900 Shops a couple of weeks ago before he and Lyons had to jet back to New York City where, if their current record is any indicator, they'll keep shaking things up.

Midwestyle: You've said before that story is a big motivator for you. How does it influence your creative process? ("It's important that the brands we surround ourselves with tell a story," Muytjens told Esquire last fall.)

Frank Muytjens: Well, you start with an idea.

You craft a story.

You pick a fabric. It's a very organic process. It's the creative struggle. It's always like a fight, but in the best way possible.

MWS: And it's that creative struggle that keeps your attention and enthusiasm.

FM: We're such a well-oiled machine compared to a couple of years ago. We know what fabrics work for us. We still get excited about touching fabrics. It's important to be childlike—to be excited about coming to work every day.

MWS: What about your move toward classic Americana? What are the stories and influences behind that?

FM: It's really all about history. I'm fascinated by what I see in the old movies. Tuxedos from the '30s. Army and Navy uniforms. Workers. The Gold Rush. Those things find their way into our design.

Oh, and here's a quick tip from Frank:

FM: Try denim under a sport coat. It's two basic items, but maybe you didn't think about them together. It's that combination of rugged and formal, vintage and clean. If you mix and match, you get a more modern look, by pairing unexpected things together.

To Frank, Jenna and the rest of the Crew: Thanks for stopping by and incorporating the Midwest into your orbit. Hope to see you here again soon.

Case in point: There goes Cam, being all unexpected again.

J.Crew photos and text by Seth Putnam. Photo editing by Carolina Rodriguez. Triptych by Bethany Jones.

"Re: Fashion" — A Manifesto

"Fashions fade; style is eternal." — Yves Saint Laurent

A word about trends: Don't worry about them too much. Well, let me qualify that: If you can tweak your current closet to be trendy, go for it. Want to pin your collar à la "Boardwalk Empire"? Go for it. Want to roll your trousers so your socks and shoes are a little more visible? Go for it. But don't buy a brand new pair of pants with the cuffs pre-rolled and stitched into place just because it's thing to do this year. That's expensive.

Our style philosophy is this: Invest in a wardrobe that will last, not one that forces you to walk into your local boutique and buy one of everything each season.

Exhibit A: (Boom! Roasted!) The scientific graph above is the result of a thorough and legit studysurvey. Believe it.

The Spectrum of Style is a theme that keeps coming up in our conversations around the Midwestyle office. From Jeff to me to Israel (my brother/ideas man), there's a pretty wide gamut to our personal style sensibilities.

Israel, for instance, lives in a world of relaxed-fit trousers. He rejects rolling up his pants on principle. "It's trendy," he says, like that's a disqualifier. His world is not 'Nam; there are rules. (Like no black with brown under any circumstances.) But when Jeff flounces into the living room leather belt tied around his sportcoat, I draw the line. (Don't worry, fellas, I'm only ribbing you.)

On the "reserved" side of things, you run the risk of being governed by one era's rules and becoming outdated, which is fine if you're this guy, but we're not elderly yet. On the "bleeding edge" side, you can be trail-blazing, but you also have to perpetually splash out cash and update yourself to maintain your runway cred. If staying current with the latest fashion is your hobby, knock yourself out. For me, there are other demands on my wallet.

If you shoot for the middle, you'll be neither too wild nor too tame. Some would say that's boring. I say you'll look put-together, without making a spectacle out of yourself (unless that's your game.) A way to liven things up, a way to keep it interesting, is to embellish the exoskeleton of your ongoing wardrobe. That blazer you bought five years ago will serve you for a long time. Add flourishes: elbow patches, colored thread around button holes, a flower in the lapel. That's how guys like Gay Talese get by with suits they bought 40 years ago. The proof is in the details.

Now, don't get me wrong: Experimenting with your style is important. Try new things. Work with different combinations. The world needs people who will blaze new territory, but I'd prefer to see the most avant-garde of it on the runway—not in my closet.

YSL photo by Carolina Rodriguez.