Cool enough

Pitti

            This foto comes from mister Robert Spangle thousand yard style blog. A place with a lot of great matrial. The gentelman on the foto nailed it, as cool as elegance can get. Whats important, there's no crazy spezz moves, on the down side it had to cost a small fortune

             Lets start whit the classical double breasted camel coat, a traditional outwear for a gentleman. Of course is dubelbrestet because now that's the trend, but thats all classical, it's not any kind of crazy trend. A conservative color but because is its light in opposite to the most dark coats is more on the „statment coat” side. Beautiful fabric a nice slim cut. Hand finishing like butons on the sleeve elevate this classic piece to „modern luxury chic”. Of course working buttons on a overcoat sleeves are a little bit eccentric, but it doesn't matter much. Puting your collar up gives this cool attitude look, specialy on a beautiful piece like this.

            Underneath a navy blazer and a blue shirt as simple as it gets, because simplicity is the name of the game. The are twelve different items here, you can have fun whit two or three but on the rest you must go simple. That includes wearing no tie. Dark blazer creates a strong contrast while the blue shirt highlights the camel coat.

            White pants slim nice cut, simple white pants another quiet statement. Most people avoid them because of practical reasons. He doesn't care about practical thing he care about style, but no crazy pants. White works good with camel, it's on the edge, lighter beige cloud visual blend but camel and white mix nice. White and brown is a special story the smoothness of white contrasts with the texture that brown often have.

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             A pair of berllutis is this sezon must have, here patinated lofers in shades of brown from dark brown to cognac. Again Simple model in classic colors but the finishing makes enormous difference. Wearing shoes from this parisien artisien brand creates the atmosphere of garment thas are art pieces. Bordo socks, a color that matches the shoes but still gets in the category of dark socks aka. normal.

            The scarf is a bold choice, but this type of neckwear is getting more and more fashionable. This may be spring summer 2017 but the foto was taken on pitti uomo immagine and as said before it's different timeline for fashion. Ther is a long and beautiful, but forgotten tradition of wearing rich silk neckwear around european men. Now its consider a little feminine but it has strong masculine roots.

           Cool shades, clubmasters in tortoise, big, practical but at the same time very elegant. Remember that tortoise is an old school material so it works best in classical settings. I wont talk again how i support puting gloves in overcoat front pocket. But look how glasses match the shoes and the gloves, making everything work together nicely. No over accessorising, no crazy colors no forced sprezzatura. Practical accessories, effortless style in beautiful shades of brown.

                                                                                                                                Gaetano

Aristocratic approach

MNSWR MEN: Mr Andrea Raffaelli -

               And again it is the time of the year when we see new fotos from pitti. A place for new ideas and trends in menswear. Place where you can let your self go, fulfill your menswear fantasies, let your inner dandy out. And thats is why most of the pitty looks at unwearable in normal life. So we want to find new ideas and inspiration to upgrade your style from studying looks that work only in this menswear disneyland.

              I pick a photo that's exactly like this. Photo from mnswr.com magazine, so you can click it and see details. Mr Andrea Raffaelli, a fashion bloger chose an aristocratic approach fot this year pitty, and as we see aristocratin aint easy. He also post a photo with someone who seems to be his butler.

              Lets start whit the cane, first tip on using a cane, dont. If your not making for living by impersonating an evil wizard you will found very little occasion to use it. And those will be the same occasions in which wearing a cape in appropriate, visiting an opera, attending a ball at an opera, joining one of those sex cults from stanley kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. And still you're doing it knowing that is little bit of a joke.

               Bold plaids and a fur collar, two interesting trends. But, bold plaids are more „young modern classics” and fur collars are for men going back to the tradition. Two similar but different approaches. Whats important, a beautiful fur collar will make you look rich, and with a beautiful suit, european old money rich.

              Mr Andrea Raffaelli is wearing a navy double breasted jacket from casentino wool. It's a traditional wool from casentino region, quite popular among Pitti boys, and a thick wool tie. Two bold fashion trends put together in a perfect match. Blue is the dominating colour, wool tie works wery good whit casentino wool. even though we have two strong elements they are in a very classical minimalistic form. Shirt in blue and white stripes make it all work perfect. But the pocket square is from a different story color, material, print have nothing in common with rest of the outfit.

              Gray pants with a blue blazer are like gin and tonic, always works. Beside moments when you need a tuxedo and a bottle of champagne. Pants with a shadow print are a perfect match for a jacket from less formal fabric like casentino wool .

        
              On his head we see a black hat, most men on pitty wear hats this year its a big trend. Most of those hats where from borsalino. As I try not to talk about brands on this blog, there is something that I must say. Borsalino is a very nice italian brand, but please do not refer to your headwear as „this is my borsalino” it make you look like a snob even more than using a cane. On the other hand you can always buy hat from a italian brand called SuperDuper hats. Saying this is my super duper hat sounds much better.

            
            As for suede monks classical shoes that will match almost everything. Socks are more interesting. No crazy colors just gray, but they lighter than shoes and pants. For some people showing socks is mandatory. As you see it can be done in a discreet way. And of course the socks correspond with the tie. A nice trick especially when both accessorize are subtle. 

                                                                                                              Gaetano

Denim which name comes from De Nimes in France.

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           This is another way to wear denim shirt, denim which name comes from De Nimes in France, also known as jeans. From the city of Genoa in north italy, where he produced the first pants with this fabric. Both Nimes and Genoa are port Cities. Despite his French, Italian ancestry it has little in common with elegance. A material which can be used while working on the railways and building America, does not fit elegant man. But fashion says differently so you have to respond.

           Jacket in light beige cotton, used to be standard. Today it have been forgotten for the checks and blues. It is however one of the nicest things that you can wear in summer. This particular jacket is from Isaia one of the best Neapolitan manufacturers. Denim shirt in a very elegant cut with a wide collar that fits perfectly a Neapolitan jacket with so highly ending lapels. Deep indigo creates great contrasts with light beige. Combining jeans shirt in such a cut with this type of jacket will add as much elegance as we lost because it of the jeans. A successful mariage of blue collar casual and Italian vacation.

          Tie resembling a washed bandana fits perfectly for denim, if this tie had a bandana pattern it would be too much. But it is an elegant tie in a very classic design, in the colors of an old bandana. Pocket square fits the tie, stripes are also an effortless reference to bandanas. It's all a little bit sailor. These references occur on a level which does not makes us risk ridiculousness, but enough in order to the viewer's brain subconsciously combined the elements. What is important, pocket square is very well visible on the jacket. White and blue did not die on a beige background. It is worth mentioning the tie is knotted into a thick knot matching big collar and wide lapels. Also the visible amount of pocket square is larger than usual. Bold typical Italian style, Neapolitan. Part of this style is to insert pocket square in the a careless manner, elaborate origami would not fit into jeans.

          No pin in the lapel which is a decoration and at the same time a famous company logo, visually it would not quite fit. Unfortunately, many men would not took out the pin which indicates the enormous price

                                                                                                                                  Gaetano

less formal elegance

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          This is something very cool - wearing a sweatshirt jacket instead of a blazer. Sometimes you just want to put a sweatshirt and a big scarf, but you don’t want to lose elegance. How to look more cool and like a gentleman at the same time? Here we have a good example of such al look by men style blogging celebrity- Filippo Fiora. The first thing that hits our eyes are the colors: khaki pants, a blue plaid shirt, brown tie and brown shoes. Scarf in shades of gray and brown, simple, no complicated patterns. Sweatshirt in cigar is very fashionable, especially when it is made of linen. This is almost monochromatic, broken gently with shirt. Monochromatic often looks strange, and very far from effortless elegance. But colours from the same family with big differences of shades, especially if you go for the classic neutral colours, for example, beige, and brown, will look more natural.

         Sweatshirt is made ​​of linen, a typical material for sport jackets with large buttons (probably from horn or wood). A typical Italian job: sporty, but still chic. Plaid shirts look best under linen. This check is called gingham and is the most elegant one, especially in the white and blue version. Shirts with check this type and size look better with a big collar. Such classic elegant gingham asks for classic large Italian collar.

Tie is simple, selected according to the rule that tie should be a lot darker than the shirt. And the mixing formula: if we have two different paterns they should be in similar size. Principle which I personally believe in only works with ties. So dots on the tie are the size of squares, forming a check on his shirt. Tie does not blend with jacket, although two bronzes contrast is visible. Narrow trousers but not tight, could be a bit longer, because this lenght shortens the length of the legs. Cotton khakis is standard.

         I will never understand the idea of ​​a scarf in the summer, but if you choose such accessory make sure that it is masculine and is simple with no crazy colours. Over accessorizing is unmanly, so a scarf always adds chic but we need an excuse to wear it. I guess that in in Italy in the end of April, sometimes is windy and chilly in the evenings. But apparently not as much, to wear socks. In any case, it is a very nice scarf, adding simple elegance to the look.

        Shoes: classic derby, nothing exceptional - shoes for walking which every man should have. The best solution to this attire is less obvious than loafers. Moreover Hermes bag is in the color that matches the rest. Close up and you can you can see that the leather has a texture, thanks to it fits with linen and cotton. Glasses with tortoise-shell - the only good choice for such an outfit.

 
                                                                                                                             Gaetano

So, how to mix ?

          Autumn is back again we will have to wear more layers. Warm autumn clothes often in a beautiful patterns. Wool plaid jackets, plaid flannel shirts, sweaters, coats. This means patterns mixing, The internet right now is full of photos signed masters of patterns mixing. You can get an impression that the more the better. The truth is that with more patterns, you get a better chance to look like a clown.

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         There are also often repeated two basic principles of mixing, i.e., “if one wears similar patterns they need to be a different size, if one wear different patterns they should be similar in size”. It is a really good approach when you want to match your tie to a shirt or a jacket, and that's it. Firstly, the concept of size can be very not clear, all the Prince of wales checks for example, what you see in the picture on the coat. do we count this as a big cause the pattern is big or small because of the details in the parts where the lines meet. And stripes, the thickness of the stripes or spaced between them is what counts ? The idea of ​​the checks density does not make it clear.

          So how to mix ? We must remember not only about the size but also the types of designs, some go together well, others do not. About the colors, completely different rules will apply to a jacket in the white and blue gingham plaid different for yellow and brown version. In addition to colors are shades and intensity of patterns. The shadow plaid is another story. Meaning is important if your suit says "business" and shirt says "lumberjack" you better be a sawmill owner. This same pattern behave differently on a shirt and differently on the jacket. You should also be aware of the level of eccentricity you can afford.
 
         Pictured is an example of a successful mix. The key is simplicity at both the general level and detail. It is simple situation tie, shirt, jacket, coat, handkerchief in his pocket. Zero extravagance classically and simply dressed man. If you mix three different patterns doing it in a form as simple as possible even minimalist. This way we get a fresh modern look that's easy to lost when we reach for the patterns from grandfathers closet

           At the level of details also simplicity. Shirt in white and blue with yellow accents pretty but at the same time ordinary in its form. Navy stripe suit in as simple as it gets, standard part of a male wardrobe. This is a very natural pattern for suits. Coat in gray shadow plaid is a little more sophisticated, but the form is still simple, one color game whit shades of gray. Navy silk tie and blue cotton handkerchief, accessories as easy as as it gets. This simple accessorasing is something which is necessary to note. Colors, as well as fabrics that have been used

          We have, however, a serious problem. Check shirt even so toned down does nothing fitt typical business suit. Such shirts can be worn with jeans. And for such suits, shirts should be smooth and elegant . From what I understand, gentlemen who did this dressup run a successful business, tailoring made ​​to measure shirts. As you can see they know what they are doing. Plain navy silk tie makes that shirt seems more elegant. A simple cotton handkerchiefs instead pocket square makes the suit looks more casual. So that two elements with a completely different story create a harmonious whole.

 
                                                                                                                       Gaetano

Spezzatura wanted dead or alive

          Recently I saw a lot of guys trying to be sprezz, and most of them seems not to understand the concept. So button-down your collars buckle up your monk straps because it's gonna be a rough raid.


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        In general sprezzatura mean that you have class and style and you’re a well-dressed gentleman. That your class and style are effortless, and that's the nonchalant factor. You don't get up at six a.m. to get an extra hour with the mirror, you just dress up. You don’t put much more work and time that the guy wearing an old budweiser T-shirt, but even then people are turning heads because you look great. The concept of sprezzatura is that the class and style are natural for you like breathing. And its strongly visible that you don’t put special effort, this is your everyday look. The most basic way of it is showing that you don't care about the rules, and you dress the way you want. Maybe you a rebel, maybe you're comfortable the way…Maybe you were in a rush and dress up in 2 minutes, does not matter. You look like a well-dressed gentleman.

        Sprezzatura is not a fashion or a style and certainly not a list of moves, thinking that unbuttoned collar is Sprezz is totally wrong. Traditional way of thinking about fashion doesn't work for Sprezzatura. It's more of an attitude, not a set of particular rules. That’s why there cannot be a set of trick, it's different for everybody. Class and style, personalization plus the nonchalance factor. Sprezz manifest itself differently for different people, so you can't look for spezz moves on tumblr and use them. This is against the principal of effortless, you end up looking like a peacock. Or even worse because a lot of these things look stupid when you make a "sprezz swag", like the unbutton button-down collar. In best case scenario you look like you trying too hard. There is no way to start being sprezz in one day. I see a lot of gents who barely adopted elegance and they are trying to look like Gianni Agnelli. I don't mean I was born with it. It took me time to understand that sprezz is something that grows on your style like moss. You can't just go sprezz, so stop trying .

       Seriously it's not difficult to look good when you try. But when you don't care, and people point you out as an example of elegance that's something. That's the achievement you looking for. You have to to learn kung fu. You have to forget kung fu. Then you will be kung fu, sort of a thing.

     Here are a few things about attitude

1. Stop trying, is the best thing you can do.
2. Instead focus on dressing well and being yourself.
3. Be practical and logical in the way you dress.
4. Don't overthink your style.
5. Do not overwork your style.
6. Dress the way that makes you feel good physically and psychically.
7. Your not on the catwalk, and the whole world is not looking. You're not getting married today.
8. Put yourself a limit, max five minutes against the mirror. Just joking...
9. Experiment, have fun, try new trends.
10. Trends are propositions from with you can pick to upgrade your style. Not an obligation
11. You have to actualize your style, pick the trends you like. Even if you won't go for the “trend of the year” it doesn't matter.
12. More or less sprezz doesn't makes you a better dressed person. Sprezz is a natural side effect of being well dressed, not the other way.
13. Sprezzatura is not a contest, not in live not on tumblr. If you think otherwise read it again this time slowly..
    
     
                                                                                                                           Gaetano

“actor who stole the show”

           For a long time I was looking for pictures that will let me write stories about “actor who stole the show” and how to deal with it. Robert Frederick
       
           It is a nice plaid jacket, plaids are different depending on the color, size, pattern, density, some are easy to wear, others are more difficult. One in the picture does not belong to the most difficult kind, fine pattern and traditional colors. However, it is intensive enough for the whole attire. Blazer is the largest surface that we wear, so this is a lot colorful plaid. Do we have a place for something more? There are two ways, some prefer textures mixing. But this very popular idea, is also very difficult. Much simpler way is to focus on one element. Saying difficult, I mean executing the standards of classic elegance, as they are currently interpreted. In other words, look good and not weird.

           Not so long ago minimalism, was the rule, and even though now we are going in the opposite direction we are still far from rococo. So, the first concept is worth knowing. Gentleman in the picture is wearing a very cool and trendy jacket, gives its all the attention. The rest is not important. Of course shirt, tie and scarf are very nice and carefully selected, but they only create a frame for the jacket. This way he uses more of the jacket potential, and more potential of the plaid jacket trend. He demonstrate this trend very smoothly, not looking like a fashion (for italian menswear) victim. Do one thing but do it good idea.

         Everything is matched to the jacket. Beige shirt in this shade fits well with jacket in beige and brown. But contrast between the jacket and the shirt is too low so these need to be separate with something. This is the role of the scarf. Neutral, gray herringbone very well fulfills its functions and does not distract. Tie plain, wool grayish beige. A silk tie would not be visible on the shirt. The difference in fabrics and textures makes the tie and shirt a successful set, despite the close colors. Again, tie does not fight with the jacket for attention, instead highlights it. Fabric from which the tie is made also compliments the jacket. Plain pocket square is a good choice, wearing heavy patterned pocket square with plaid jackets is like inflicting self-injury. A good example of two trends that are very difficult to mix. Pocket square must be contrasting, otherwise is not visible. Here in the contrast is achieved thanks to the lack of patterns, and a difference in shades. Jeans is something that rarely appears on this type of pictures. A very casual thing, of course straight cut and no holes or strange stitching.

         At the end it is worth noting that. This is a well-knotted tie. This is how they do it in Italy, and it is the only correct way for now.

 
                                                                                                                       Gaetano