Hello, male. How changes the perception of “beauty” over time! And with many contraddictions. The fans of the last androgynous skinny trend are usually the same that regret the “real males”, all muscles, moustaches and suntan? The menswear samples are made only for very thin build by now. Size 46, at most 48. Obviously, those so lucky (but is it a real value?) to have this kind of build can consider a purchase in this direction, if they can afford it. The hunks are excluded. How much longer? Will the 80s’ sense of beauty come back? Many hope so. I don’t feel the difference: due to age matters I’ll be ridiculous dressed like David Bowie as well as Burt Reynolds.

Men with the beard. Beard: yes or no? Today we say yes. Like yesterday and the day before, after all. Like in the Seventies, and back to the beginning of the twentieth century. Trends that come and go, that last long, that vanish and then come back. Ladies, if you hate the shiver you feel when a bearderd man kisses you, live with it. Whereas, if you love that sensation of virility that causes redness on your pale complexion, exult. Someone could say that we look “untidy”, that beard makes us look dirty (sometimes it’s true: remember to wash it well, there are specific products), that we look all the same. The same happened, after the 68, with those manes à la Jim Morrison, that today make you exclaim: “Men were much more handsome in the past”. But at that time it was a trend too. And talking about trends in menswear: now that shapes are more loose, you regret that slim-fit trousers that have been in fashion until a couple of seasons ago. When you used to say: “These make your legs look like two toothpicks”. Conclusion: ladies, we can’t please you. You are too ahead of your time, or too capricious. Make up your mind. Clint Eastwood with an armadillo on the set of Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970)

The colour of leather. It was 1971 when a cult-movie came out in cinemas: Shaft. Actually, the main part of this movie’s success is due to its fantastic soundtrack composed by Isaac Hayes (Theme from Shaft). But the protagonist, Richard Roundtree, sheathed in black leather clothes, brought to international fame the afro-american style, inaugurating a current that has lots of addicted still today. Roundtree was even described as “sexier than James Bond and tougher than Bullitt”. If you don’t belong to the large group of the imitators of this mood, the common sense suggests to avoid the total look made of black leather. Opt for black only if you’re able to downplay it. Otherwise, if it has to be leather, choose the shades of brown/beige and remember that there are garments made of suede. That’s finer and lighter than leather. The poster of the movie Shaft by Gordon Parks (1971).

The exception to the rule. Timeless beauty. When elegance and charisma coexist, there’s not much to talk about, the picture talks for itself. Mr Irons, on the set for Style Magazine december 2015, was dressed really…normally: pullover, a scarf, dark jeans. The only almost clashing detail, but typical of the american taste, that belongs to the clichè of a great and a bit capricious actor: pointed boots. It’s ok. They’re ok. But you have to be tall. When I was a boy I often dressed like this, I liked it: a pullover, five-pockets in bleached denim and the above-menioned “camperos”. At eighteen you can wear almost everything. And then I was in perfect harmony with the trends. Jeremy Irons can wear almost everything because he’s a global star! Today the boots under the jeans are honestly outdated. But Irons doesn’t make fashion, he makes movies, he does it well and we like him. Total respect. But if you aren’t him, please, wear a pair of desert boots. Jeremy Irons in a picture by Brigitte Lacombe for Style Magazine.

Beautiful and damned. He’s the “Joe” mentioned by Lou Reed in Walk on the Wild Side. That recites: “Little Joe never once gave it away/ Everybody had to pay and pay/ A hustle here and a hustle there/ New York city is the place where/ They said hey babe, take a walk on the wild side”. We’re talking about Joe Dallesandro, american model and actor, beautiful and damned: around fifty movies to his name, from 1967 to 2002, that didn’t achieve success. But he’s popular. Made famous by Andy Warhol and Paul Morissey, that hired him for his cult-shorts (Flesh and Trash), between the end of the ’60 and the early ’70. And by that Je t’aime moi non plus, that celebrates its 40th anniversary, shot with Jane Birkin. Marked by a borderline way of life, between clubs and the street, today Dallesandro is 67 years old, he has two sons and has been married three times. He’s still beautiful. And his style is still iconic. Joe Dallesandro in the poster of the movie Trash by Paul Morissey (1970).