Style > Fashion > Well-Dressed Couples

Pum Lefebure, 33, and her husband, Jake, 35, Owners of Design Army, a DC graphic-design firm

What is your fashion philosophy?

Pum: We do cutting-edge graphic work, and I think our clients expect us to dress the part. Growing up in Bangkok, where many people have clothes made to measure, I know how important it is to follow your body type regardless of what’s “in.”
Jake: I’m from Pennsylvania, where you don’t have someone making you perfect clothes. I have three simple rules: If it fits, wear it; you have to feel like yourself in clothes; and if it looks fancy, it’s likely not fine fashion.

What’s your favorite thing in your closet?

Pum: I love coats; they make me feel put together. My current favorite is a pale-yellow double-sided leather coat by Maison Martin Margiela that I got on sale.
Jake: Graphic T-shirts from Bangkok’s up-and-coming street artists and jeans make me feel good. But a nice suit makes me feel fantastic.

Where do you like to shop?

Pum: Relish in Georgetown. I know some of the pieces I get there—by Marni, Dries Van Noten, and Junya Watanabe—will be vintage one day.
Jake: That’s good because I just got the bill from Relish.
Pum: But it’s worth it to buy good quality, Jake.
Jake: Okay, Pum.
Pum: Jake doesn’t shop. I shop for him.
Jake: I do like shopping in Thailand when we visit. You can get great inexpensive stuff from street artists.

Do you have a fashion inspiration?

Pum: I admire the Japanese for being so bold in fashion. I can’t pull off the look, but I like how they mix and match.
Jake: The Fonz. I have my dad’s leather jacket from 1972.

What’s your best fashion advice?

Pum: Invest in quality, not quantity. And don’t look like it takes you two hours to get ready.
Jake: Trust your wife; let her dress you. Women know best.

What was your worst fashion disaster?

Pum: I was on a business trip, and my flight was delayed three hours. I had to go straight to a dinner in jeans. Good thing I had a pretty scarf on. But after that, I learned to travel in something stylish.
Jake: I only have fashion issues when Pum is out of town.

What was your biggest splurge?

Pum: That leather coat. And a pair of $800 shoes.
Jake: Prada shoes.

A dream item you’d love to own?

Pum: An amazing piece of jewelry, something I can pass on to my daughter, four-year-old Sophie, one day.
Jake: A motorcycle to match my jacket.