Hey, I Like Your Style! Inside the wardrobe of Sydney-based writer and critic, Michael Sun

“Because I am insane, my personality literally changes once every three months… it is a terrible way to live but an incredible way to dress.”

We know personal style is a journey (I’m looking at you, Tumblr years) and our series Hey, I Like Your Style! dives into the fashion psyche of our favourite creatives. We’re talking the good, the bad and the 2007.

While the internet has made our fashion icons feel closer than ever before, even the most effortless of outfits came from a closet with some (well-dressed) skeletons. Clickable product tags, photo archives and lives chronicled in 30-second clips just don’t tell the full story.

For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.

These are the stories behind the wardrobes, exploring how we develop our personal style. There’s a brilliance behind the way we choose to express ourselves and at FJ, we know every outfit has a story. For this instalment of Hey, I Like Your Style!, we enter the wardrobe of Michael Sun.

A talented writer, critic and designer, Michael spends his days riling up the internet while always striving towards the goal of being the “most esoteric person on the sidewalk”. As a gay teenager growing up in the 2010s, Michael’s style has been shaped by cultural icons of the time (he was both a “Vampire Weekend stan” and a “Lana Del Rey tragic”), as well as his high school English teacher. Now, his wardrobe is a mix of pieces from local labels, eBay finds and hyper-specific graphic T-shirts. Read on to hear about his style journey so far.

Who are you and what do you like to wear?

My name is Michael Sun and I’m a writer and critic based in Sydney. I will wear anything hot, chic, melodramatic or impractical (preferably all four). I need to be the most esoteric person on the sidewalk. I am always too hot or too cold. My feet are constantly in pain.

What has your style evolution looked like? Do you feel like you’ve gained confidence in the way you dress?

Unfortunately, I have always been confident in the way I dress, much to the chagrin of all around me. Looking back at teenage photos is like playing Russian roulette; there is a one in six chance I will be wearing head-to-toe Aztec print. (No further questions.)

Because I am insane, my personality literally changes once every three months. Beliefs I have clung onto for my entire life suddenly lose their lustre. I grow passionless for things that once held infinite promise. It is a terrible way to live but an incredible way to dress. You can divine my fixations at any given time from what I was wearing.

In the early 2010s, I wore exclusively Oxford shirts and chinos: Vampire Weekend stan. In late high school, my wardrobe was suddenly filled with American flag prints: Lana Del Rey tragic. A year later I started dressing in all white and wearing baseball caps at all times: gay, annoying and also bad haircut.

There is one instance where my confidence wavered. I consider it my determinative wound. Like any gay man, my formative friendship at school was with my English teacher. One time I was wearing a pair of patterned socks with something inane printed on them: foxes, strawberries, something of that nature. My English teacher took one withering glance and told me they looked “sooo Topman” (direct quote).

This was the worst moment of my adolescent years. I could handle Ask.fm bullying, schoolyard rumours, general teenage depression. But Topman?! Obviously they were Urban Outfitters. I went home and stared at the ceiling for hours, longing for death. I felt my entire world caving in. Then I went to school the next day, humbled and never wore patterned socks again. She changed my life for the better.

Personal style is a journey. Have you ever felt like you needed to fit into a particular fashion box?

Absolutely. But I like the limitations that certain situations entail. I approach each of my outfits as a costume, and therefore getting dressed is like cosplay. Do I want to look like Gordon Gekko or Matthew Lillard in Hackers? Do I want to go unnoticed or get hate-crimed? Do I want to attract or repulse?

When I have to wear a work-appropriate outfit, I’m in ‘office cosplay’. When I have to see my parents I’m in ‘suburban Australiana cosplay’. When I’m on the train I’m in ‘Lost in Translation cosplay’. I think what I am giving is ‘Scarlett Johansson looking depressed on a Shinkansen’ but actually what I am giving is ‘Chucky on the subway’.

What are the most expensive and least expensive items in your wardrobe?

Most expensive: my Tabi boots, which I bought when I was on exchange in London close to a decade ago. I had applied for a scholarship which came through on the last day of exchange. I literally ran out of class to the Margiela store. They have brought me nothing but podiatric woes ever since.

Least expensive: a pair of bright red opera gloves which cost one dollar on eBay. They rip a little more every time I put them on and now it looks like I’ve been in a punch-up when I wear them. I’m trying to reclaim it as chic: you should see the other guy, etc etc.

What is the most meaningful fashion piece you own?

My blue Wales Bonner x Adidas T-shirt, mostly because my partner keeps stealing it and he looks so good in it. I’m husband-pilled; sue me.

In return, I have stolen two oversized button-downs, multiple pairs of socks and underwear and a tank top. I am aware this is not a fair trade. I’m a princess; sue me.

Who or what influences your style?

In no particular order: Fiona Apple, Hari Nef, Joan of Arc, the Scottish and Irish populaces, greyhounds who match their owners, Detective Conan, Inspector Gadget, Stephen Malkmus, Luca Guadagnino, Claire Denis, Blizzy McGuire, Alex Consani, this Jansson Stegner painting, Addison Rae, finance bros and various friends and enemies.

What fashion piece are you saving for right now?

I’m currently saving to get this printed on a shirt for all the girlies.

What are the wardrobe items you wear on repeat?

My black Bonds singlet. Not the men’s Chesty (nasty, broke, gaslighter) but the women’s Chesty (glamorous, strappy, will always be famous). I wear her almost every day. She is the mother I never had, the sister everybody would want, the friend that everybody deserves. I don’t know a better person.

Who are your favourite local designers?

Alix Higgins (did I mention that I’m gay?). I’ve also been eyeing off Briar Will’s new collection – I literally have them muted on Instagram (sorry) because I know that if I see another post I will be clicking purchase. I think Brendan Plummer is a genius and I love ogling Matea Gluščević’s arcane and fantastical footwear.