The sage and distinctly dapper Bill Nighy believes that men over a certain age – say, 24 – should refrain from wearing shorts. Ever. Unless they’re Brad Pitt, which you and I are unquestionably not.
Now, while I don’t quite share the British actor’s tourniquet-tight style strictures, the onset of autumn does bring with it some relief – not only an end to public displays of hairy knees, pasty calves and gnarled toes, but the chance to dress up properly again.
With this new season comes the opportunity to invest in clothes of substance to see us through serious times – heavyweight coats, durable tailoring, double-breasted blazers, ties and thick, old-fashioned knitwear. Such unfrivolous items will mark you out as a man for the long haul – reliable and resourceful but not without flair. They also feed our current appetite for depth and solidity.
So, where to find these life-affirming fashion panaceas? Well, this socio-sartorial trend for dressing up is not a high-street affair. We’re talking about wardrobe cornerstones that should last a lifetime, good performers in cost-per-wear over ten years, say, but requiring careful consideration before purchase.
You could start by looking at structured overcoats, such as Burberry Prorsum’s camel cashmere beauty (£1,495) or the marginally more affordable double-breasted number (£899) from Jaeger’s archive-looting 125 collection. Other fine proponents include Hugo Boss, Tom Ford and Kim Jones at Dunhill.
Advertisement
In suiting terms, double-breasted is back. I know you’ve heard this before, but it’s really happening this time – peaked lapels andall. The best versions come from enduring menswear designers such as Ermenegildo Zegna, Dolce & Gabbana and Giorgio Armani, above left and right. But whether you plump for the DB option or stick with the slimmer silhouette of a single-breasted two or even three-piece lounge suit, just be sure the cloth is in the heavyweight division – say 12oz or more.
Seek out worsteds and gabardines, grey flannels and tweeds, because textured cloth is arguably the defining theme of this movement. The same advice applies to the other great tailoring story of 2009 – the revival of the blazer, exemplified at Lacoste, Etro and Ralph Lauren.
Perhaps the arch exponent of substantial menswear is an old-but-new name from Savile Row. E Tautz, founded in 1867, supplied sporting kit to Edward VII and Winston Churchill, but faded and disappeared in the postwar years. Now it has been revived as a ready-to-wear stablemate of bespoke tailoring company Norton & Sons. Its new collection majors on reassuringly hairy Shetland knits, classically cut flannel suits, Harris tweed jackets and woollen ties, all handmade in the UK. It’s all suitably rugged and long-lasting – just like our beloved British winters.
Lisa Armstrong is away