Ottawa's own menswear blogger Anmar Salman is making waves in the style world with practical advice for professional men navigating the blurry line between office attire and everyday wear.
If you've been scrolling Instagram lately and noticed a surge in neutral tones, clean lines, and expensive-looking basics, you've been watching the quiet luxury trend take hold — and Salman is one of the local voices helping Ottawa men decode it.
What Is Quiet Luxury, Anyway?
Quiet luxury is the anti-logo, anti-flash approach to dressing well. Think tailored trousers in oatmeal or slate, merino wool crewnecks, unstructured blazers, and leather shoes that look like they cost a lot (and sometimes do). The look says "I don't need to prove anything" — which, paradoxically, takes quite a bit of effort to pull off.
For Ottawa professionals juggling in-office days, hybrid schedules, and the occasional client dinner, it's a particularly useful aesthetic. The goal is a wardrobe that moves with you.
Salman's Hybrid Fashion Framework
Salman's approach centres on building a small core of versatile, high-quality pieces rather than chasing trends. A few principles he champions:
Invest in the basics. A well-fitted pair of trousers, a neutral blazer, and two or three quality dress shirts will take you further than a closet full of fast-fashion pieces. In Ottawa's climate — where you're going from a slushy parking lot to a heated boardroom — durability matters as much as looks.
Blur the dress code smartly. Hybrid work means hybrid dressing. Salman recommends pairing tailored pieces with more casual elements — a structured blazer over a clean white crewneck, or dark chinos with a polished loafer — so the outfit reads professional from the waist up and comfortable from the waist down (important if your morning commute involves the Transitway).
Stick to a tight colour palette. Quiet luxury lives in navy, camel, grey, ivory, and black. When everything coordinates, getting dressed is faster and the overall effect is more intentional.
Fit over brand. A $60 blazer that fits perfectly will always outperform a $300 one that doesn't. Salman is a consistent advocate for alterations — a tailor can transform off-the-rack into bespoke-looking.
Why Ottawa Professionals Are Paying Attention
With Kanata North's tech corridor, the federal public service, and a growing number of hybrid-friendly employers, Ottawa's workforce is diverse in its dress code expectations. The quiet luxury framework works precisely because it doesn't scream any one industry — it reads equally well in a government boardroom on Sparks Street or a startup pitch in the Glebe.
Salman's content has resonated locally because he understands that Ottawa isn't Toronto or Montreal — the city has its own pace and its own sensibility. Looking sharp here doesn't mean looking flashy. It means looking put-together, intentional, and like you've given it some thought without overthinking it.
Where to Start
If you're building out a quiet luxury wardrobe in Ottawa, a few local stops are worth exploring: Harry Rosen at Rideau Centre for investment pieces, as well as smaller Glebe and Westboro boutiques for more curated finds. Online, Canadian brands like Frank And Oak and Indochino (for made-to-measure) align well with the aesthetic at accessible price points.
Salman's advice ultimately comes down to this: buy less, choose better, and make sure everything fits.
Source: Ottawa Business Journal via Google News Ottawa Style
