Will Brian Wilsey get his wish this year and take top prize on Nob Hill Gazette’s Best Dressed list?

As he jokingly mentioned to Catherine Bigelow this month, “I want to unseat Geoff Callan as the Nob Hill Gazette’s 2008 Best Dressed Man in San Francisco. To achieve that designation, I need to be more visible — which brings me to my second goal. I will spend more time campaigning for that title at the Balboa Café. Two nights a week is simply not enough; if I don’t up that to four, I’m just not making a strong enough effort.”

While his style lacks a certain flair (he is, after all, a straight guy) I must say he’s made considerable progress over time, and just might make it to the top. Here he is in 2005, with Kim:

As you can see, the hair was uninspired, and the 9-5 suit was clearly not right for what appeared to be a cocktail hour affair.

But jump ahead to early 2007, and you see that he’s become a dashing gentleman type. It is hard, though, to judge a man’s style when he’s in black tie. I mean, it’s a uniform, there’s not much that could go wrong. What really matters is how he dresses when he doesn’t have any rules to follow.

But that brings us to the most recent photo of Brian, taken just a few weeks ago at the Golden Gate Club. What a change! Notice the longer, more casual hair that we’ve been seeing all over town, from Trevor Traina to Joel Goodrich. (Could it be that “the Gavin” is no longer in style?) It takes ten years off his face. And while the tie is off, giving him a more athletic look, he doesn’t look sloppy.

I don’t know if Brian’s new look qualifies him for Best Dressed 2008, but we’ll have to leave that for the Nob Hill Gazette gals to decide (here are the reader’s picks for last year). Do you think he’ll make it this time, or should he spend less time at the Balboa Cafe and more time at Neimans?

• Photos: Drew Altizer [drewaltizer.com]