Double bind. Timeless flagship of menswear, the double-breasted jacket is a must-have. Everyone has to have at least one for each season Its birth goes back to the XVII century, when it was part of the uniform of the Hussar army: this doesn’t surprise…when we wear a double-breasted suit we’re forced to take on a very erect, martial, posture. The time of its greatest popularity was between the 30s and the late 40s. Then it came back in fashion in the 80s, but longer and with very wide shoulders. Today the shape is more fitted (but the last trend wants it a little more loose than a couple of seasons ago) and shorter. Fashionistas and snobs wear it without tie, with the shirt unbuttoned and a printed silk scarf.

Style that lives through trends. That appreciated vintage touch, that intellectual-retro taste that remains intact. The portrait of the sculptor Mario Ceroli in his studio (above) conveys the idea, a frame that could be both two or forty years old: static in its currentness. The artists of Ceroli’s generation usually don’t follow dynamics and evolutions of fashion in the strict sense, but their style reveals a certain sensitivity and personality. In this case there’s a sporty attitude, even if the details – the denim shirt, buttoned up, and the gun belt – keep us guessing a tendency for order and a high degree of irony, respectively. This week’s style suggestions are for those who aim for wearing something new but that would last and live through evolutions/revolutions “imposed” by fashion.

Summer in Style. We are often tempted, in summer and especially at the seaside, to “relax” our look, running the risk to fall into sloppiness. Pool or beach, luxury hotels with Spa or home, I suggest to you what to avoid. No to slippers, yes to flip-flops or, better, espadrillas. No to baggy bermuda shorts, full of pockets that you’ll fill with every stuff from the iPhone to suntan lotion, with a terrible clunky effect. Briefs costumes are more suitable at the swimming pool and only if you are thin; in other cases opt for shorts (this summer say no to flower prints, we’ve had enough last summer). Polo shirt? Ok. But never rise the collar: it’s not “cool”, it’s coarse. Hand bags, no thanks: choose a matching backpack. And finally, in the evening, at the restaurant: is it so hot not to wear an unlined light (or blue) jacket and a linen shirt? Come on. Goodbye everybody (the column will restart in september) and have a nice holiday. The pool of the Tombolo Resort in Marina di Castagneto Carducci, Livorno (tombolotalasso.it)

The logo, this well-known. Tom Ford even “drew” the G of Gucci on the most intimate part of the model. The sharp journalist Natalia Aspesi didn’t come forward with positive or negative comments, but she declared, lapidary: “Tom Ford has found the G-spot”. But that was an adv. What happens if the mere mortal, not a mannequin or a celebrity, completely primps with logos, randomly and everywhere? “Logoed” garments, especially for men, are fairly dangerous: it’s easy to drift into vulgarity, and to show a lack of personality. A completely different matter when the logo is shown in a moderate way and when it appears only once in the outfit, for example on the belt buckle, or on the briefcase, maybe on a leather or metal bracelet. To sum up, style is recognisable also in sobriety and good taste used to show the “object of desire”. In this case, the logo is welcome. The initials of Louis Vuitton carved in stone (project of Barthélémy & Griño).

Eclecticisms. The dressing gown. Worn in the 18th century in cafes and bistrot, then used only at home, and finally snubbed as a dismal and “ancient” garment in the second half of the 20th century, today it has been reevaluated, becoming a strating point for some collections. The robe de chambre and other recalls to a certain noble home-menswear, like the pajamas’ stripes, are infact on the catwalks: some designers suggest an idea of comfort and beauty linked to the main exponents of dandyism in the past, from Cecil Beaton to Oscar Wilde. This is a trend dedicated to “special” men, with a leading personality and an eclectic and creative cultural depth, that places intimism in consumer fashion. On the right, the cover of the UK magazine “Man and his Clothes” (1936).