My earliest encounter with The Sartorialist was through pictures in a local paper of a New Yorker in shorts who had a striking resemblance to Clark Kent.
Though this snap of Mike via Citizen Couture doesn't come close (we are, after all, well into the Thom Browne era), there is something strong about his outfit that gives off a similar, yet at the same time, very different vibe. Of course there is the preppy check (even if it is unbuttoned and reveals a tank), the thin and simple leather belt embellished with a gold buckle, the schoolboy satchel, and the boyishly folded jeans — all worn, it seems, as part of a uniform. But what makes Mike's ensemble sophisticated are two simple details.
Did you notice how the lighter midtone of the shirt buttons are slanted at different angles? The angles even follow a pattern. The second detail is the glasses: they are actually a little (very slightly) small for his face — small enough, like the buttons, to make all the difference.