Clayton Tucker is his own man. You know this from his assured manner and his extensive wardrobe, which he wears, first and foremost, for himself. While known far and wide for his good-looking, precisely coordinated clothes, (and underclothes), Tucker says, "The clothes have no value to anybody other than me. They don't appreciate, they depreciate. They're not an investment. I'm only investing in myself."

Soon to be 60, Tucker, of Randallstown, believes, "When you look good you feel good. Just like when your car is washed and cleaned and has a full tank of gas it runs better. It seems like it, anyway."

Tucker, management operations supervisor for the Housing Authority of Baltimore, is indebted to his late mother for his sartorial self-confidence: "She instilled in me the need to look and be the best you can be. That has stayed with me since I was a teen-ager."

How do you stay on top of the trends?

Basically, I read magazines like GQ to see what the other styles are going to be. You can't completely throw out everything and change your style completely. I add to whatever I already have.

What is current fashion wisdom?

All suits are in style right now. Suits with one to five buttons and suits with vents. I try to fit whatever I have into the new styles.

Do you try to wear something different every day?

I have to mostly wear suits since I am an administrator. I want to be able to be flexible enough so people don't pick on the last time I had a certain suit on. That happens when you're noticed for being a dresser.

Where do you shop?

I like my suits made to fit me. They feel better and they hang better. So I go to Haas on Sinclair Lane. And the Shirtery on Druid Park Drive makes the majority of my shirts. I like to wear a lot of exotic shoes, mostly alligator. I get them at Total Male on Monument Street, Dan Brothers on Charles Street and sometimes I go to New York at 47th and Broadway to a place called Phil Cromfields.

Rumor has it you own a lot of suits.

I may own 80 to 100 suits.

Where do you put them?

I had a room built for them, with a window! I have another room downstairs -- two other rooms -- for my jogging suits, top coats and tennis shoes.

How do you maintain an individual style?

My ties are ties you won't see anybody else wearing. And if I go in and see a sweater and there's 15 to 430 of them on the shelf, that's not the sweater I want. I'll buy a sweater they only have one or two of. I buy things that are different and that have style and class.

Everyone has a pinstripe blue or black suit, a gray or a black suit; they're common colors. The key is to get some other kinds of suits you won't see all the time. I'm a firm believer that you can wear whatever you want as long as it's not outrageous.

How do you feel about turning 60?

Getting old is a blessing to me. I don't have a problem with my age. I can change my style, my look. But I can't change my age.

Do you know any snappy dressers? Let us know. Write to Stephanie Shapiro, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore 21278.

Pub Date: 3/11/99