Quite Stylish: Getting Inspired by the Menswear of Frasier

A show with slouchy DBs, abstract ties, sweater vests, and brown separates? I’m listening!

Last year, I wrote an essay on Seinfeld, a show that contains outfits that seem to fit perfectly within the zeitgeist of menswear. If you look through George’s rugged ivy, Kramer’s lido attire, and Jerry’s normcore, you’ll find something to enjoy and perhaps take inspiration from. In fact, quite a few menswear guys watched Seinfeld when it was out; I’m sure a few of them have used it to feel validated in “unconventional” clothing choices that still feel true to classic menswear. It’s probably the most menswear show in existence, even if it really is about nothing.

Despite the show’s ubiquity among menswear heads as a source of inspiration, I always felt left out. As I said in that essay, I never grew up with Seinfeld. I only watched it due to the pandemic (and the fact that it came on Netflix), so my “inspiration” was retroactive. And to be fair, I was never really inspired by the show. Hell, I was never really inspired by media I consumed as a teen or college student. There aren’t many fits to save from 30 Rock, Arrested Development, or Scrubs. I watched them for the humor, not the fashion! My menswear journey was spurred by things I knew had menswear I liked. Gatsby and Gangster Squad started it all, but as time went on, I had gotten most of what I needed from Esquire Man. Of course I was inspired by other things as time went on, like getting grey suits from Yuppies or even the somber British styling in the The Crown, but no outfits came from the a beloved sitcom.

If I had to make a Seinfeld-fashion connection to a sitcom, it would have to be Frasier. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone considering the main characters are DB wearing snobs who like orchestra music and appearing smart (even if they get into the dumbest of shenanigans). I remember seeing a few episodes as a child before binging the series during my freshman year of college, shortly before watching two awful period movies in 2013.

Because of that timing, my style was never fully inspired by Frasier, at least during the formative moments of my menswear journey. Even though I could reference Frasier Crane’s narcissisms (which was even funnier considering my fledgling blog was my “show”), I never found myself wearing anything close to their late 90s sartorial fashion. Young Ethan was already enamored with the Esquire Man’s brown checked jackets, striped spearpoints, and abstract foulard ties. The cut of the Crane Brothers’ suits was nice, but the rather monochromatic and yuppie styling wasn’t exactly what I was after. I was obsessed with the show but not the clothes. And over the years, I must have rewatched the show to completion at least five times; I’ve also simply rewatched my favorite episodes when I’m bored and nothing else is interesting.

It’s amazing to think how my intense love of a show, especially one that has many jokes about being a sartorial-snob, didn’t result in any references in my own clothing. That couldn’t be the case– I love references and inspiration too much! My style is not just about Esquire Man and ivy-trad; there are other elements at play and some of them had to be from Frasier. And you know what, there was!

Upon my latest rewatch of Frasier (I’m slowly taking Isabel through it), I found myself really liking a lot of the attire. Not everything, but more of an appreciation of all the costuming choices made by the Crane Boys (as well as a few other characters).

Both of the Crane brothers are styled impeccably (by their own standards) but retain distinct identities. At first, Frasier dresses a bit 90s trad, using bold striped shirts and ties with sweater vests. In later seasons (when he changed his hair for the better) he wears a lot of tonal looks, pairing a brown jacket with brown (or charcoal grey) trousers and wearing dark solid shirts and accompanying neckwear. It’s a very reserved look that contrasts against Frasier’s pompous personality. And even despite this stuffy demeanor, he still wears brown suits, a look usually relegated to the “country” rather than the city.

Niles differs slightly in that he prefers wearing double-breasted suits almost exclusively, making him look much more Yuppie than his older brother. This is helped by his frequent use of bold striped shirts and abstract ties; it probably made sense to change Frasier’s outfit to something more subdued. Niles just seems to be a pair of P3 or wire frame glasses away from looking like he stepped out of the background of American Psycho.

The iconic thing about this show was how much classic menswear was worn without being too corporate. Unlike the characters in Seinfeld, Frasier and Niles wore suits every day. It was just their thing. Frasier was a radio host and Niles was a psychiatrist, neither of them needed to wear suits (as later episodes would show), but they decided to wear suits because they liked it. They were like me, though perhaps they wouldn’t use the word “hobbyists” like I would. Frasier and Niles seem to believe that all aspects of life has a “look” and that in most cases, they are the best dressed. Sound familiar? 😉

Honestly the plethora of tailored looks (in a silly setting) what makes the costuming of Frasier so well done. Everything the Crane Brothers wear says so much about them. They talk about Saville Row and Italian suits, having a “shoe guy”, Spanish leather belts, and getting the right tie for an outfit. The show even goes out of its way to show that Frasier and Niles have an outfit for every situation, hinging almost on cinematic dressing. I can’t think of any other show that allows for suits, tuxedos, separates, squash attire, bathrobes and dressing gowns, and camping attire all to be so distinct from one another yet remaining true to the characters.

The clothing also reflects mood. When the Crane Brothers are sad or down on their luck (usually with women), they resort to casual wear like aloha shirts, tee T-shirts, and sneakers. When they’re with new friends, the Cranes dress like them, like Frasier resorting to open collar shirts with Woody or when Niles wears all black when he’s with his hip fling. When they’re acting like themselves, the Cranes wear what is most natural to them: suits and ties. I do think that Frasier rivals Seinfeld (and by extension, Curb) as being the 90s sitcom with men explicitly obsessed with clothing.

Obviously, both Niles and Fraiser aim to be classic with their regular attire, but despite their best efforts, they end up looking dated in the modern day. Now this isn’t a bad thing, as every aesthetic ends up dated in some way and the fashion world today does like referencing the past. What’s funny is that despite all of the 90s nostalgia for Seinfeld, Night Openings, and airport paparazzi pics, Frasier is not something that comes up. In fact, I don’t think many menswear guys would look to Frasier and Niles as outfit inspo. To them, its either too dated or not interesting enough, which are common critiques of classic menswear.

And even within the context of the show, the Crane Brothers are constantly ridiculed for their attire. It’s funny because they would technically be considered “appropriate” for their station and a few of the froufrou things they do, but they still end up sticking out. It’s proof that their status does not excuse their obsessions and idiosyncrasies. Their father Martin, as well as other side male characters like Bulldog or Kenny (as well as the plethora of extras), would show that non-tailoring existed in the world of Frasier. These guys really do serve to show just how odd the Crane Brothers are.

I do wonder how I started to enjoy Frasier’s attire, especially since at first glance, it seems so different than what I typically wear. Was it all festering in my subconscious from watching Frasier years earlier and never adopting what I saw on the screen? Was this a way to back into the 90s nostalgia, just with my own roundabout references? I am i just running out of things to dress like? Is there some aspiration at play? I mean who wouldn’t want to be a local influencer who helps people, wears suits, and lives in a nice apartment full of Eames and Wassily? /s

This was a direct lift. And it looks *good*.

What I do know is that the Crane Brothers have definitely inspired a few of my outfits the past two years. It’s not all the time nor true one-to-one (I definitely don’t like the low buttoning on the jackets or almost any of the tie patterns) , but there are some similarities between the show’s attire and my own. I had already written about somber jacketing but I was already noticing how much I’ve been favoring solid shirts and ties as well as more yuppie combinations with my grey suit. Monochromatic looks in general, a move I seldom did in the past due to my love of separates, were now a regular part of my repertoire thanks to the show. With the inclusion of new outfits below, it seems that that this latest re-watch of the show was inspiring for me to recontextualize garments I’ve already owned and give them new life. When it comes to the others, the Frasier effect seems retroactive, seemingly having always been a part of my arsenals of style moves. I’ll let you figure out which is which. In both cases, it’s about putting my own spin on the attire instead of straight copying. After all, I am not about to buy godawful 90s ties and jackets that are so low buttoning.

The overall vibe that Frasier and Niles have is pretty distinct from the typical Esquire Man, ivy-trad, and the Going Out Look outfits that I typically wear. To be clear, I think that Crane Brothers exude elements from it all of those things without boxing themselves into looking too professional (which you would expect). With their full cuts, monochromatic pairings, and occasional nods to yuppie attire, the outfits on Frasier feel sophisticated, elegant, and intellectual while retaining a bit of slouch. The Frasier fits feel appropriate for a silly, suited lifestyle. It’s definitely conservative, but in a self aware stuffy way. In other words, it feels mature when I dip into looks inspired by the show.

As I begin to cover themes of Occasion for this year, it’s nice to attribute certain “looks” to certain activities. And the looks here do seem to be perfect for reading at your local cafe, going on a nice date, or to air conduct while drinking at home; I’ve even started attending the symphony and going to friends’ art galleries. Of course, in this age, you can wear almost anything to those contexts, but it’s a fun move to do things while being intentionally inspired to dress like Frasier Crane. Maybe this is all just about me getting older and doing the things I’ve always wanted to do. To dress a little stuffy in my silly little life!

Anyway, you can consider this my response to how Seinfeld’s surges of popularity on the regular (I feel like a Seinfeld article pops up in fashion at least once a year) have led to multiple articles on 90s celeb or sitcom style. This makes sense, as modern lookbooks can get too tiring or same-y; we’re in an era of nostalgia. Even Permanent Style showed an appreciation for Richard, Tom Selleck’s character from Friends (another [good] menswear devoid show). It was just time for me to introspect and join in to share about what inspires me.

So enjoy a long list of photos that show a connection between the Crane Boys and me. It’s a loose one, but there are one or two that definitely feel like they’re lifted directly from the show. You tell me if it feels like Frasier.

In fact, the guys and I even discuss Frasier on the Style & Direction podcast! MJ and Spencer have only seen a handful of episodes, but they’ve seen enough to discuss the fashion of the show as well as all the characters. Take a listen below!