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 Today the boots under the jeans are honestly outdated.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).

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.

British College. The illustration by J. C. Leyendecker (right) conveys the features and the codes of a timeless style, from the British campuses: the first signs of men’s fashion of the 20th century. The drawing is of 1929, and it was the adv campaign of the Interwoven hosiery factory. I’ve already written about the importance of socks. As you can see, even our forerunners were very careful about details. Look at the rest of the look: apart from the pipe (I haven’t seen one for decades), it is in accordance with the taste of several modern brands, that propose the eternal college style in sweater or blazer version and the wide trousers with turn-ups. And finally the slippers. That, horrible for some and gorgeous for others, are the number-one-accessory in the list of fashionistas. Right, an illustration of J.C Leyendecker for Interwoven (1929)

Zoot suit. The “Zoot suit” was a suit with exaggerated proportions, with very high waist trousers, often matched with Borsalino hats, that in the 40s became popular in the Afro-American, Chicane and Italian communities in the States. It was prohibited during the Second World War because it required much more fabric to be made than a normal suit. Well, this kind of suit is actually too much. But the current season offers suggestions that are similar to that baggy and soft silhouette: look at the collections of Armani, Pilati for Zegna Couture, Elbaz/Ossendrijver for Lanvin, Andrea Pompilio, Sergio Colantuoni for Caruso and Andrea Incontri. This trend is successful, is elegant, is charming. If you’re a bit short, opt for only a wide and enveloping piece. And the rest of the look has to be regular-fitting and not -viceversa-  very slim. Man wearing a zoot suit in Chicago, Illinois, in the Fourties.