Hello! Welcome to 51 Label Style Talk. In our exclusive series of Style Talk, we bring you menswear aficionados from around the world to share with us their take on menswear and specifically outfit pairing with quality footwear. 

Every feature in Style Talk has been crafted in the featured individual's tone of voice and own words. Completely authentic, completely original.

In our second feature, we have Gerry Nelson from Melbourne, Australia. He's a menswear enthusiast who believes that dressing up does not always involve a suit. He doesn't know anything about this, but we dub him the "Layer Master" whenever we reference his sense of style, #layermaster for @gezzaseyes.

51 Style Talk - Dark Blue Unstructured Sports Coat with Linen Shirt and Linen Trousers paired with Dark Brown Tomlins Leather Casual Low-Top Sneakers

1) Could you please give us a brief introduction of yourself? 

My name is Gerry and I live in Melbourne, Australia which is fortunate to have all four seasons but not particularly extreme versions of them. The exception may be a couple of days of summer each year. Aside from that. it's great for encouraging variety in dressing. I have a job that doesn't require me to wear a suit unless I want to. That gives me the flexibility to dress casually. At the same time, I don't want to look sloppy.. The search for that balance has led to my current style of dressing.

2) What is your style philosophy? 

If I had to describe my style, it would be "dressy without being dressed up". I like clothes that have rich but muted colours and interesting textures. When you have pieces like that, you can combine them in simple but visually interesting ways. There's nothing really special about the way I dress but I hope that it gives people ideas that they can use.

3) What is your one menswear pet peeve?

I'm not impressed with an outfit that looks too contrived. The concept of adding a bit of "sprezzatura" doesn't make sense because it should be coming naturally. To you, it should be completely normal. It's others who might term it as "sprezzatura". YOU have to wear the clothes, not the other way round.

4) With our Tomlins dark brown low-tops, how would you pair them with 3 outfits of your choice?

Outfit #1: Unstructured Sports Coat with Linen Shirt and Trousers

In my first outfit, I paired the sneakers with some linen trousers, a linen shirt and an unstructured sports coat.

51 Style Talk - Dark Blue Unstructured Sports Coat with Checkered Linen Shirt

You could wear something like this on a date or for a place where you need to dress up a little. The brown sneakers complement the dark blue of the jacket and the patches of blue on the shirt.

51 Style Talk - Mustard Linen Trousers with Dark Brown Leather Low-Top Sneakers

I like the idea that these sneakers can be worn year round and I wanted to show them in a summer outfit.

Outfit #2: Layered Blend with Wool Cardigan and Flannel Trousers

My second outfit looks equally good at home or out. The chunky shawl collared cardigan acts as an outerwear. The textures of the cardigan and flannel trousers contrast nicely with the smoothness of the calf leather on the sneakers.

51 Style Talk - Dark Green Shawl Collar Cardigan with Light Grey Flannel Trousers paired with Dark Brown Tomlins Leather Low-Top Sneakers

I chose an oxford shirt for this because it also has a little texture. I like the idea of an outfit that looks visually interesting the closer you look.

51 Style Talk - Dark Green Shawl Collar Cardigan and White Buttoned Down Broadcloth Oxford Shirt

The silhouette is a relaxed one and the sneakers complement the rest of the outfit well.

51 Style Talk - Light Grey Flannel Trousers with Dark Brown Tomlins Leather Low-Top Sneakers

Outfit #3: Textured and Patterned Casual

My final outfit is the most casual but again, there are textures in the top and bottom blocks with a little pattern on the cardigan.

51 Style Talk - Patterned Wool Cardigan with Light Denim Shirt paired with raw denim denim jeans and Dark Brown Tomlins Leather Low-Top Sneakers

51 Style Talk - Patterned Wool Cardigan with Light Denim Shirt

The sneakers pair very well with denim - they are sneakers, after all! Their colour lifts the outfit up a little and gives it the "dressy but not dressed up" vibe. This pair of jeans have sashiko stitching which catches your eye when you get closer to the outfit.

51 Style Talk - Denim Jeans with Sashiko Stitching and Dark Brown Tomlins Leather Low-Top Sneakers

As the jeans get worn more, a pattern will emerge from the stitching together with the interesting fading of the indigo. I love the contrast in the jeans and the brown of the sneakers. This will only get more interesting over time.

5) Final thoughts about our Tomlins dark brown low-tops

I like the Tomlin low top sneakers in brown because they're dressy yet casual at the same time. That fits in with my style philosophy of dressing. I wanted to showcase them in outfits of different formality.