Facing the style. “A well-cut suit makes you look thinner, taller and sexier” word of sir Paul Smith, a real expert of menstyle. Menstyle, one word that contains the emanation of what a man would like to be and own. The Style. One Style. One, because it changes depending on the person. But, overall, a Universal Style exists, and it refers indeed to the suit, that can even modify and improve the corporeality better than a plastic surgeon and has the power of adding an appeal that is not possible to reach otherwise. Fashion trends are almost a negligible detail; there’s the year of the narrow lapels, then the year of the peaked lapels, like in the 40s: here the proportions come into play. If you are short, the width of the “peak” worsen the situation, for example. Tricks that men have learnt to consider. I don’t think we still need the columns that teach how to tie a tie. We’re much sharper than in the past. Or not? We are, come on.

Epochal choices. Today we talk about the importance and added value of accessories, that dignify (or mortify) the look. Shirts, ties, and then shoes, socks, watches, bags, briefcases, hats. Everything can, if matched in the proper way with the outerwear, make us look a little more special. Today is very easy, due to the extraordinary supply of products. But at the same time it’s easier to make mistakes, exactly because the supply is really wide. The “decades of elegance”, like the 30s or the 40s, had rules about shapes and lenghts, fabrics and collars, and everything else: so it was hard to fail. Today, while enhancing the individual personality, there could be the possibility of provoking confusion (and making a mess of bad matchings). The secret stays in coherence. Dandy, eccentric, conformist, traditionalist, pop, unconventional: everything is permitted, as long as you are focused on the style you decide to adopt. Right, a 1935 adv of Arrow shirts.

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).

Tie, yes or no?. Blazer and shirt, without pullover. And without tie. Claudio Antonioli, owner of one of the most fashionable boutiques in Milan, has proclaimed the “farewell to the tie”. Some jobs need the tie and other don’t. Some men love it (the main part of them) and other hate it (“It’s too tight, it’s annoying, it makes me feel uncomfortable). So give voice to the trendsetters like Antonioli but, for equal conditions, listen to those who think different: me, for example. The jacket worn with the shirt, but without the tie, suits very few men. If you belong to the “no-ties” side, have at least the caution to wear the shirt completely buttoned. Or, absurdly: wear it unbuttoned to the breastbone, even if you take the risk to look like a naff, especially if you have a hairy chest. In doubt, cover the shirt with a beautiful sweater made of light wool or, indeed, wear the tie. The American rockstar Michael Stipe in a picture of Ron Galella.

Sexy situation. The gestures of male sensuality are much less than those made, on purpose or not, by women. Our sexy-situations can be counted on one hand, let’s use them! First situation, the business meeting: the way we cross the legs. Of course we can’t twist them à la Parietti style; so let’s put the ankle on the knee (but pay attention not to show the sole to the person sitting beside you, especially if she’s a lady), with the hand on the calf.  Freetime situation, for example on the beach: many women think we’re more attractive bare-chested wearing a pair of jeans, than wearing a swimming suit. And don’t mind if the legs remain white. Home situations: we have two of them. The shaving: it seems that seeing us with the face full of foam, focused in front of the mirror, drives them crazy. Last but not least: the tie, wearing a tie, knotting a tie. In several movies it is done before wearing the trousers, but the risk is to have a too short, or too long, tie. Man-to-man: wear the trousers before, and then knot the tie. Ph. from the website themenissue.com