Not details. Eric Bergère, art director, journalist and stylist, born in 1960, in a portrait by Terence Donovan in 1988. Bergère styling is perfectly in line with those years: exaggerated and pompous. Obsessive about details: when he didn’t wear the tie, he wore the cache-col, inserted into the neck of the shirt buttoned up to the third button. With the tie he always wore the silky pocket-handkerchief, matched with the tie. The sideburns were still long, last traces of the 70s grooming; the hair instead were in very 80s style, smoothed back with hair gel. In almost 30 years shapes have changed, but in today’s collections we can see the checked moulinex on blazers and the houndstooth on trousers; rarely the paisley prints on ties. But the pocket hankie is still “missing”.

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

The knot is tied. The art of knotting a tie (or a bow-tie, or an ascot): a leit-motif which has been handed down for decades on men’s magazines. Vintage illustrations, picture of models tying a knot in front of a mirror, and the list goes on. One thing is sure and indisputable: a beautiful tie badly knotted becomes an ugly tie. What’s more, there’s to be careful about measures. The tie’s width, that mustn’t be more than 6 cms, and its lenght. The end must touch the upper edge of the belt, it musn’t be longer nor shorter. I prefer the tight knot, thin, with that little cleft that in jargon has a bit scandalous definition, so I don’t mention it on this page! Choose prints, bright colours, knitting than the usual silk; give up, at least for this season, the classic regimental and prefer the micro-prints. Finally, match the tie with suits in the same colour or – on the contrary – break with contrasting colours.

 Great feats. In May 1932 the American aviator Amelia Mary Earhart (1897-1937) carried out a great feat: she flew solo from Terranova Island (Canada) to Londonderry (Northern Ireland) in fourteen hours and fiftysix minutes. The picture of her seems to be an adv campaign shot by Fallai for Armani in the late 80s – early 90s. And she is “very Armani” too: short hair, tie and trousers, “comme des garçons”. This is one of the most suitable looks for women who love wearing men’s clothes or for men with a lean build that prefer a classic but unusual elegance. Sure, the tie can be too wide and old-fashioned. But, considering the great return in menswear of fluid and wide volumes, I’m sure that the tie with a width of at least 8cm will be back soon on the catwalks. The pioneer of the solo non-stop flight across the ocean Amelia Mary Earhart in 1935.