We ask the style director of Mr Porter for his top tips and picks for the season

"I've had quite a roundabout way in my career,” says the style director for Mr Porter, Dan May, who envisaged becominga tennis player long before courting fashion. Growing up in South Africa and then schooled just outside London, May graduated from university with a degree in physical education and sports science. “I started my career as a personal trainer and got my foot in the door with a very short stint in modelling,” May recalls. “I eventually went back to school and studied photography.”

He’s since switched to a position behind the lens and has become one of the most sought-after menswear stylists in London. May has taken on projects for labels such as Berluti and Paul Smith, and has dressed celebrities from Bryan Ferry to Jared Leto. May, surprisingly, has almost no rulebook when it comes to styling. “I don’t really have any guidelines other than ‘less is more,’ particularly with menswear.

I tend not to like it when people overdress,” he says. “It’s really all about individual style.” And who should we keep our eyes on in the coming season? “Japanese designers—Sacai, Visvim, Kolor and Remi Relief—they’re having a real moment.”

Find the original story plus Dan May's packing list for any trip in the May 2015 issue of Hong Kong Tatler


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