I always curious when I read lists announcing "the most stylish men in the world".
It makes me wonder how you quantify the stylishness of an individual.
I'm often asked who I think are the most stylish men and who has inspired me and my style. I often mention Paul Newman and Steve McQueen; I can't believe there is a man alive today that wouldn't have wanted to be either of these inspirational men
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.
For me, those two individuals were and still are the definition of a man. They were incredible actors, but they were also outspoken individuals who weren afraid to speak their minds. They also loved racing cars and bikes, weren afraid to have a few drinks and did a tremendous amount for charity. But first and foremost they were always themselves. Paul Newman once said: me a man without enemies and I will show you a man without character."
But would I call them my style inspirations? No. This may sound confusing, but the more you read about them, the more you learn that they were not actually very interested in style. Apparently Paul Newman once burnt every bit of clothing he had apart from a pair of trousers and a shirt, as he said that this was all he needed. If you delve into the outfits that these guys wore, they were sometimes comical, style-wise, but because of the people they were, with their confidence and inherent coolness, their powerful characters made whatever they wore instantly stylish.
They didn't have stylists, of course, they were utilitarian dressers first and foremost. They dressed themselves in what was required for that specific occasion. When riding a motorcycle or racing a car, they wore a T-shirt and Belstaff or Barbour jacket, as these were the best products at the time. These they matched with racing watches and sunglasses - not because this was a trend, but because these items were the most appropriate for the job. It's only subsequently, and thanks to the association of people like McQueen and Newman, that Belstaff and Barbour jackets, Tag and Rolex watches and Persol sunglasses became style "essentials" for aspirational men.
When it comes to my most stylish men, there are a few criteria that appeal to me.
Firstly, I always wonder whether they are naturally stylish or if they have been styled by someone else. Famous guys obviously have a huge choice of brands and designer clothing available to them and they also have the choice of some of the top stylists in the world if they like to employ their services. Sometimes the two go hand in hand: a well-known man might choose to style himself with the help of a stylist who will source the clothes on his behalf. But for those who go from having awful dress-sense to being style personified overnight, this isn style in my book. It doesn make a person stylish, it simply the work of a great stylist.
Buying expensive clothing isn a shortcut to being stylish either. A stylish man can put a £10 pound T-shirt together with more expensive items if he has a.
Separation of Lanthanides/ Lanthanides and Actinides
I always curious when I read lists announcing the most stylish men .docx
1. I always curious when I read lists announcing "the most stylish
men in the world".
It makes me wonder how you quantify the stylishness of an
individual.
I'm often asked who I think are the most stylish men and who
has inspired me and my style. I often mention Paul Newman and
Steve McQueen; I can't believe there is a man alive today that
wouldn't have wanted to be either of these inspirational men
Paul and Shark Shorts for sale
.
For me, those two individuals were and still are the definition
of a man. They were incredible actors, but they were also
outspoken individuals who weren afraid to speak their minds.
They also loved racing cars and bikes, weren afraid to have a
few drinks and did a tremendous amount for charity. But first
and foremost they were always themselves. Paul Newman once
said: me a man without enemies and I will show you a man
without character."
But would I call them my style inspirations? No. This may
sound confusing, but the more you read about them, the more
you learn that they were not actually very interested in style.
Apparently Paul Newman once burnt every bit of clothing he
had apart from a pair of trousers and a shirt, as he said that this
was all he needed. If you delve into the outfits that these guys
wore, they were sometimes comical, style-wise, but because of
the people they were, with their confidence and inherent
coolness, their powerful characters made whatever they wore
instantly stylish.
They didn't have stylists, of course, they were utilitarian
dressers first and foremost. They dressed themselves in what
was required for that specific occasion. When riding a
motorcycle or racing a car, they wore a T-shirt and Belstaff or
Barbour jacket, as these were the best products at the time.
These they matched with racing watches and sunglasses - not
because this was a trend, but because these items were the most
2. appropriate for the job. It's only subsequently, and thanks to the
association of people like McQueen and Newman, that Belstaff
and Barbour jackets, Tag and Rolex watches and Persol
sunglasses became style "essentials" for aspirational men.
When it comes to my most stylish men, there are a few criteria
that appeal to me.
Firstly, I always wonder whether they are naturally stylish or if
they have been styled by someone else. Famous guys obviously
have a huge choice of brands and designer clothing available to
them and they also have the choice of some of the top stylists in
the world if they like to employ their services. Sometimes the
two go hand in hand: a well-known man might choose to style
himself with the help of a stylist who will source the clothes on
his behalf. But for those who go from having awful dress-sense
to being style personified overnight, this isn style in my book.
It doesn make a person stylish, it simply the work of a great
stylist.
Buying expensive clothing isn a shortcut to being stylish either.
A stylish man can put a £10 pound T-shirt together with more
expensive items if he has a good eye. His entire outfit might be
made up of non-designer clothes, and he will still look sharper
than a guy wearing an outfit five times the price if he has his
own well defined sense of style.
It often the small details that can make a huge difference and
set the men apart from the boys, from the colour of a watch
strap to a man's shoes. Being individual and not caring about
what other people think is important to me when thinking about
personal style, rather than following trends or the crowd.
Perhaps style is in the eye of the beholder, but for me it's a
blend of knowing how to dress to suit your own shape and
personality, individualism, confidence and character. On that
basis, here (in no particular order) are my top five most stylish
men.
Lapo Elkann
Lapo Elkann (Photo: Rex Features)
Elkann is the grandson of former Fiat chairman Gianna Agnelli
3. (a style icon in his own right). He is an entrepreneur and has
worked with Fiat and Ferrari, and although often named as one
of the most stylish men in the world, I'm sure most men
probably won't know of him. Lapo's style is always based
around Italian tailoring and flair. He is never underdressed for
any occasion, he doesn't follow trends or 'styling rules he goes
against the grain and puts together textures, patterns and
colours that basically shouldn work, but they do. Everything is
carefully thought through; the width of the lapel, the socks, the
shoes, the eyewear. It certainly isn't conservative, but I think
that the brilliance of his style. He clearly doesn't care about
what other people think, he dresses for himself, he's an
individual. I had the pleasure of meeting him in Milan last year.
We talked about cars, not fashion, and he was a true gentlemen.
Compared to him, I felt rather underdressed.
Harold Tillman
Harold Tillman pictured with Samantha Cameron in 2012
(Photo: AP)
Harold Tillamn is an English entrepreneur and investor and
until September 2012 he was also the Chair of the British
Fashion Council. For me, Harold is the definition of a true
British gentleman. If you want to know how to make tailoring
work for any occasion then Harold is the man you should
research. I cannot imagine there is a man in the world that
wears or styles a suit better than him; not even Prince Charles
(who is another style icon of mine). Again, it the detail that
matters to him; the right tie with the right collar; the right shoes
for the suit. I met Harold many times and there isn one occasion
that I have seen him wearing anything out of place. He wears
British tailoring like no other man can. He also has a great car
collection!
Ryan Gosling
Evan Rachel Wood and Ryan Gosling in The Ides of March
Ryan Gosling may work with a stylist, I don know, but he has
that old-school Hollywood look, charm, talent and charisma that
is often missing from today world and it this that gives him
4. individualism. His effortlessness in how he dresses makes
anything he wears instantly stylish, just like McQueen and
Newman. He looks great in suits and often he's quite daring
with them, but actually it his casual style that I admire the most.
It looks effortlessly strung together, but if you look closely, he
knows what works for him - T shirts are always low crew necks,
his sunglasses and shoes are always impeccably stylish,
everything is thought through and he is always well groomed.
James Dean
James Dean (Photo: EPA)
You might ask how I can have James Dean on here when I not
included Paul Newman, McQueen or Cary Grant. Well, James
Dean was around for so little time before his tragic death, but in
that short time gave us so many iconic images and styles that I
think if he was around today, he would surely be known as the
most stylish man ever. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think James
Dean cared and thought about his style, from the deep V-necks
and his driving gloves, to the sunglasses and full length coats in
that iconic Dennis Stock shot of him in NYC in 1955. Of
course, he also loved driving, owned a car collection, and loved
racing his Porsche. Maybe I biased - there seems to be a pattern
emerging here!
Andreas Kronthaler
Andreas Kronthaler with his wife Vivienne Westwood (Photos:
Rex Features/AP)
Andreas is Design Director and husband of Vivienne Westwood.
I interviewed him for my Style App and I have to say out of all
the people I have met, he has been my biggest inspiration. He
doesn't hold back with his opinions and is brave to state his
thoughts honestly; probably held by many, but perhaps spoken
by few. He told me once that when he goes on holiday or on a
business trip he carries a few outfits, just in case anyone is
wearing anything similar to him. I suppose you can't get any
more individual than that! But apart from being a true
individual with his style, he ticks many other boxes. He takes a
lot of creativity from tailoring, often separating suits, mixing
5. with T shirts or with denim. His attention to detail is
impressive; he mixes vintage and contemporary designs better
than anyone I know but for me, his biggest appeal is that he is a
true gentlemen. He never shouts about his achievements, of
which there are many, one being that in style terms he is one of
the most forward-thinking men in the world. There just one
problem: I don't think he has a car collection.