(Un)dressed to work. Countries more conscious than USA and Europe about environment and energy saving, Japan on top, impose that even in the middle of summer the temperature in offices mustn’t be lower than 26°C. What does it mean in terms of clothing? Considering the amount of men that use to wear suit and tie in offices, I’ll suggest an equally decent dress code without jacket, that allows gentlemen not to suffer for heat during working time. Let’s start from the top: no jacket, so no tie; opt for a shirt, made of popeline (better than linen), or for a (beautiful) polo shirt – please don’t lift the collar – blue, white or green. Elegant loafers with matching socks and light wool trousers. The belt is important to complete the look: avoid black leather (same thing for shoes) and prefer natural crocodile or brown napa leather. The buckle has to be discreet, otherwise without jacket it’ll be noticed for sure.

Nostalgic feeling. This stolen pic by Paolo di Paolo, a kind of ante-litteram Scott Schuman, is from 1960. The man you see in it, half-lying on the raling of the Fontana dei Fiumi in Piazza Navona, is composed in his uncomposure. He is Un-Composed. Probably the jacket is buttoned even if it’s single-breasted (that shouldn’t be buttoned), because otherwise it would dangle, adding more disorder. Probably, if this picture was set today, this man wouldn’t wear anything like this. Try to imagine: unlaced sneakers, baggy sweater, jeans or gym pants. Or shorts. And, of course, instead of the newspaper, he would hold an iPhone or iPad. Don’t you miss that ‘900 style?

We’re so formal. Do we have to expect a back to formal? Yes, we do. The codes will be different, but the suit will be a trend of f/w 2019; so we can say that the most loved style – the classic, indeed – is coming back, again. To understand how fashion is a countinuous series of quotes of itself, we need a quick review: what happened in the 80s? From the street style of the 70s, all about denim, fringes and fitted shirts, the silhouette was redesigned by padded shoulders and lots of colors, lots of excess. Maybe too much. Ten years later the new diktats avoid color and prefer the total black, and slim volumes for jackets, trousers and also ties, that passes from 12cms wide to 4. What happens today: we’re coming from an extreme street-style. Well, now we’re starting to aim for more tidiness and rigor. The first signals? The blazers with visible stitching and a lot of black. Is time to wipe the suit agin. Or to buy a new one.

The art of matching. Selecting the proper accessories that matches your look seems easy, but even a little detail can ruin everything. To reduce the risks, respect the rule that want every accessory, from hat to socks, to be in pendant with the outfit; and no mistakes allowed even concerning the fabrics: there are also rules about matching different materials in the proper way. For example: don’t match cashmere with shearling, yes to shearling with tweed. Rather is better to opt for a complete change of fabric: nylon hat with camelhair coat. But personality is required, as well as for wearing red socks with a blue suit or sneakers with jeans: this is so obvious that the sneakers have to be really, really special. But if you have classic tastes, stay classic: blue with blue and denim only with desert boots.