Photo courtesy of Edward Preble
College is a great time to experiment with new fashion styles, but often, certain conventions dominate the campus. If you’re walking across the Unispan, most of the T-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants, jeans, tank tops and other clothes students wear all blend together, simply because one expects them.
As a result, it comes as a surprise for many students when freshman Edward Preble walks past them in his three-piece suit and fedora, carrying a brown briefcase.
Preble’s interest in vintage clothing started young. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, to immigrant parents, Preble’s fashion choice has always been a subject of interest for those around him.
“I would go to school in loafers, and all the kids would call me Grandpa shoes, but I didn’t mind too much,” Preble said.
However, Preble’s interest in the vintage aesthetic is not confined to suits and ties. His passion is singing jazz music, specifically the slow, crooning style of such singers such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bing Crosby. Although he may bear the resemblance of the legendary Sinatra with his combed-back hair and a fedora atop his head, Preble’s goal is to be his own performer.
“I’m trying to find my own voice, my own sound, because I don’t want people coming up to me and saying,… ‘“You’re like Sinatra; you’re like an impersonator,’” Preble said.
Preble’s distinguished look and musical talent have earned him a sizable following on TikTok, with about 30 thousand followers and tens of thousands of views on many of his posts. Dressed in his customary suit and tie, he mainly records short covers of jazz songs.
When recording his music, Preble stays consistent with his image. Instead of the foam soundproofing that most modern singers and musicians use for recording, Preble prefers wood paneling for the warmer, resonant tone it creates. He also performs and records with a classic ribbon microphone, the type that crooners in the ‘40s and ‘50s used. Lastly, Preble refrains from using autotune to keep true to his style. “I want there to be little mistakes [to] keep it human,” Preble said.
In addition to covers of older songs, Preble hopes to do more interpretations of modern pop music through the lens of jazz. “You can change up the lyrics, change up the tempo, and you can make it your own, and that’s what I love about it,” Preble said.
Despite the perceived connection between his style and song, Preble distinguishes the two as totally separate from each other.
“My appearance is actually not related to music at all. Even if I didn’t do music, I would [still] wear this at the same time,” Preble said.
Even though he may be the only Hofstra student who wears a suit every day, Preble is not alone in his appreciation for the vintage aesthetic. Around the world, those who dress in the style of the ‘40s and ‘50s have formed a small but connected community.
“A lot of people around the globe, and especially in New York, dress old-fashioned,” Preble said.
Preble commonly encounters misconceptions from others about the way he and others who share his interests dress. For instance, people often equate old-fashioned attire with support for the beliefs of the past. “A lot of people like to throw things around like we’re racist or believe in segregation, we wanna go back to those times, but the term we like to use is … ‘vintage vibes, not vintage values,’” Preble said.
Now, as a student at Hofstra, Preble plans to harness his talents to pursue a career in music performance. He hopes to eventually join a jazz band, continue learning and improving, and make his own way in the world of jazz music. “I hope to gauge a lot of information from professors, do a lot of performances here on campus, and better myself as a person,” Preble said.
