So, you’re looking for style help and have no idea who we are…

Hi, I’m Peter, and that’s Asti.

We specialize in personal rebranding and building capsule wardrobes for men in NYC.

There’s a dozen men’s magazines, Instagram influencers, and Youtube channels out there.

Here’s why we’re different.

21 years in the men’s fashion industry

Before The Essential Man, Peter spent over a decade helping guys look good in a different way: as a menswear designer.

After studying Fashion Design at the prestigious Parsons School of Design, Peter began working for CFDA/GQ Award (think “Oscars of fashion”) winning companies, becoming a specialist in leather jackets before launching his own label.

In 2015, he started The Essential Man, a private personal styling agency after successfully helping his friend in tech dress for a talk.

Asti brings hands-on experience from the world of luxury retail in Soho, where she and Peter first began working together.

We’ve been featured by places like GQ, Esquire, Wall St. Journal, and Forbes as style experts.

(See more of our press here.)

We demystify real style for regular guys

We started The Essential Man because we were annoyed with all the bad style advice men were getting from magazines, blogs, and random influencers.

Our goal is to help guys who just want to look good without spending hours shopping.

Guys who are sick of wasting money on the wrong clothes.

Guys who feel frustrated trying to figure out how things should fit them.

Guys like you.

“Peter is a consummate professional in what he does…he brings humor and a personal touch to men’s styling.”

— Craig Porter, Client

Image via Esquire

Our Style Philosophy

Everyone can look good.

You don’t need to be a 6’1” European model with 8% body fat to look good in clothes. Some of our clients include a 5’1” powerlifter, a 65-year-old retired tech CEO, and a former college basketball athlete. Tall. Short. Lanky. Big. White. Black. Trans. Everyone can improve their style. (See some of my client transformations here.)

We’ve helped digital nomads create capsule wardrobes that fit in their carry-on bags. Just like how most songs are made up of the same 4 chords, you don’t need as many clothes as you think! (Disclaimer: despite our skills, you’ll need more than 4 pieces of clothes.)

You don’t need a lot of clothes to do it.

You don’t need to buy all designer clothes.

We shop for our clients the way we shop for ourselves. We invest more on things we love. For everything we don’t care too much about, like t-shirts and socks, we go entry-level. Great style isn’t about spending the most money.

Great style is simple.

You don’t need to keep up with trends to look good. Most of our clients have never picked up an issue of GQ. There’s a reason why a white tee, jeans, and a leather jacket looks just as cool now as it did in the 1950s. Great style is simple and timeless.

It’s ok to want to look good.

We believe that when you look good, you feel good. And when you feel good, good things happen to you. So why not make yourself feel great every time you get dressed?