Style Profile - Lino Ieluzzi

Milan is known for its great style, which comes from all of the men in Milan and the amazing stores in the city.  One of those iconic Milan stores shaping the style of the city is Al Bazar.  Not the classic styles of Milan, but instead the Sprezzatura fashion that Milan does so well.  The customers of Al Bazar are shopping the styles, fashion, collection and tailoring of its owner Lino Ieluzzi. 

Lino Ieluzzi is a master of Sprezzatura, color and the double breasted suit.  He wears a wallet or watch chain hanging from his belt.  He buttons his tie into his jacket or leaves it twisted.  He wears a pocket square thrown into the breast pocket stylistically carelessly.  He pairs colors together that few would naturally think work well together.  All and all Ieluzzi's style is careless, but planned; thoughtful, but looks thoughtless; slightly off of center, but classic; artfully disheveled without looking sloppy. 

Lino Ieluzzi pushes the boundaries of style with his personal choices and pushes the boundaries of style for the frequenters of Al Bazar.  Milan is better off with Ieluzzi's style keeping things fresh and un-stuffy.  In fact we are all better off with Lino Ieluzzi and Al Bazar.

Style Profile - Duke of Windsor

The Duke of Windsor might have been one of the best dressed people to ever walk the earth.  He owned the double breasted suit, practically invented the rules to wearing suits, epitomized the idea of permanent style and he collection of suits are highly sought after in auctions.

The Duke of Windsor lived in his suits, except when on the golf course.  His tuxedos were as impressive as his suits.  His suits all fit him perfectly, were all bespoke and all had subtle flairs that are mimicked by designers to this day.  His father was even credited with the reason that no man should ever button the last button on a vest.  This is such a hard and fast rule that the best tailors will often make the vest without a real buttonhole for the last button, since it should never be done.  He certainly let his style be influenced with the ebbs and flows of the tides of fashion and in fact was so unwavering that the fashion of the times was influenced by his permanent stylistic approach.

Style Profile - Tom Wolfe

Tom Wolfe is the master of the white suit.  Few people have ever been able to utilize less color to such a great advantage as Tom Wolfe.  He also made the white suit and lack of color in general such a regular staple of his wardrobe that the addition of any color at all provides an unexpected and elegant pop of color.  If a man wants to wear a white suit impeccably, he should think of Tom Wolfe's example.  Simple and powerful accessories, vibrant colors, expertly tailored and beautifully arranged.  Tom Wolfe the King of the White Suit.

Style Profile - Paul Newman

Paul Newman was the king of a sophisticated style.  He was able to cross from weekend casual to suit & tie and then to motorcycle and car racing without a problem.  He was always very masculine in everything he wore and looked good into his old age.  He was still looked genuine in rugged weekend wear as much as anything else he wore.  Newman's style was classic, male and based on utilizing basic building blocks to make a strong overall wardrobe.

 

He had classically tailored suits, well made boots, utilitarian peacoats and dock appropriate topsiders.  Newman wore the right stylistic elements when they were supposed to be worn.  He never looked out of place or like he tried too hard to find the right outfit.  Everything fit well together, since it was built on basic essentials that every wardrobe should be built around.  He wore white oxford shirts, navy blue ties, rugged work coats, navy double breasted suits and weekend chinos.  And he wore each item when they were supposed to be worn.  He never made the outfits work too hard to fit in.  Essentially he wore the clothes, he never let the clothes wear him.

Style Profile - Fred Astaire

Fred Astaire is one of the greatest dancers of all time, but he was also a great dresser. The thing to note with his dress is the tailoring and cut. No matter the dance move, jump, pirouette or position Astaire was photographed in, his suit always fit him appropriately. The main reason for this was the tailoring. Astaire always opted for bespoke (handmade specifically for his body) suits. He made sure that the suits had range of motion and were not restricting while still holding their form and style.

The only way that Astaire could find clothes that fit with the level of comfort and style he required was going with a suit style called the "Drape". The Drape allows for the fabric of the suit to move with the wearer without being stiff, but it still holds its form. I will go into this style further at a later time, as it is too important to be glossed over. The important thing to note is the range of movement and comfort the suit had, which allowed Astaire to complete his dance moves in sartorial elegance.

It was stated that Astaire would try on a suit and then jump across his tailors office and stop suddenly to see how the suit was fitting. Making sure that it still held its proper form and fit on his figure. I certainly would not find myself jumping across the dressing room in a suit, but idea that I should be able to perform a complicated tap dance routine in my suit is an important lesson. The suit should be worn by the wearer, instead of vice versa and this is accomplished by making sure the suit fits well, is tailored properly and is comfortable. I personally find ill fitting clothes to be uncomfortable, which in turn ruins my day. Keeping this lesson in mind allows for my clothes to have little affect on my mood.

Astaire also was known for being able to wear great hats. Whether it was a top hat, a derby or a fedora, Astaire could accessorize the appropriate hat for the occasion.

Tuxedos were a specialty of Fred Astaire. Few people have ever worn a top hat and tails with the grace and sophistication that Astaire was able to achieve.

He also paired colors well, while there are few pictures of him in color, his mix of colors was well done. Putting together colors and patterns that worked well together without matching. He stuck with color families and complimentary colors but did not color match, except when it came to black and white.