A Beginner’s Guide to Italian Men’s Style (Wall Street Journal)
“The first lesson is to get comfortable with clothes that fit the body well. “It isn’t true that a fitted suit will be uncomfortable,” said Dario Spadea Pandolfi, menswear buyer for Milanese department store Excelsior. “Especially if it’s made by a tailor or by hand.” It is time to stop swimming in your suit: Look for a slightly shorter jacket with a trimmer waist, and pants with a tapered, shorter leg—to show off bright socks or a sliver of bare ankle.”
The five Milanese tailors every gentleman should have in his black book (Wall Street Journal)
“These family-run businesses are also all about making you feel good. Each client has his own serial number and a file recording measurements and other critical details. On visits to the atelier, dozens of tailors are on hand to cater to your every need. “A client may come in having put on 10 pounds,” says Mr. Campagna. “This obviously affects the measurements and the cut. But no one wants to be reminded, so you have to imply the fault is on your end.””
How to wear fragrance (Permanent Style)
“Once you spend more than around £80 on 50ml of a perfume, the creator has had free range of the vast majority of the world’s ingredients. This is of course a lot of money, and there is nothing wrong with cheaper ingredients (the simple citrus-and-herb colognes). But the only objective thing to measure in the quality of a perfume is its ingredients, and above this price you’re on safe ground.”
Leather Lifecycle (Oki-ni)
“If you start out with a poor quality or cheaply tanned piece of leather, all the care in the world isn’t going to help you. However, if you know how to recognise good quality leather from the start, you are destined to have a bag, wallet or belt that will last a lifetime.”
Dressing a man is different from dressing a woman (Ivory Tower Style)
“Because I have a generous heart, I am going to suppose that you want your man to look like a well-dressed gentleman, rather than your plaything. Unless your goal is to display your ownership of your companion, as a dog pissing on a tree, you don’t want your man looking like he was dressed by a woman. Take this as your guiding principle. Even though you may privately savor the knowledge that but not for your efforts, your date would take you to a black tie party wearing tennis shoes and a ski jacket, let the other guests believe that you are being escorted by an adult capable of dressing himself. ”