Our friends at DETAILS put together another great Rules of Style with Consuelo Castiglioni, the forward thinking creative director of Marni. As I have said before, these types of Q&As are hard to do in an interesting manner, but DETAILS is on a roll. Some of my favorite bits from Ms. Castiglioni:
5. Shoes define the kind of man you are. They should never be too trendy or showy but lean toward the classic. There are a lot of ugly shoes out there, and they can ruin even the most sophisticated attire.
8. Men can carry bags as long as they are masculine, like a tote or an attaché case. Look for a sturdy canvas or handsome leather one, maybe with a raw finish. A bag should be functional and practical.
9. Clothes don’t necessarily render a man sexy–his attitude and his nature do. For me, someone who is not classically handsome but has a lot of charm is more attractive than a really good-looking guy with no personality.
RE: Rule 1.
“A man has to discover his own taste and then base his sartorial decisions on that—you shouldn’t buy something because you saw it on TV. You need to feel at ease in your clothes or you risk being a bit ridiculous.”
I don’t think men’s fashion is driven by what’s seen on TV (at least beyond the hip-hop and rock set). We’re more utilitarian.
http://newdandyism.com/
The J.Crew catalog never lets me down!
Amen on the shoes. Nothing completely ruins a look quite like the latest crazy otto tootsie plohound looking shoe