Flair

Is elegance a prison for ladies only?

Maybe not!  For the English, it is not enough to be well educated to be a part of  the gentlemen’s club’ Being dressed with appropriate garments is a prerequisite to be distinguished.

Even if France is internationally acknowledged as the country of feminine elegance with its ‘Haute-Couture” know-how, the prerogative of  leading masculine style belongs to England. Indeed, the British gentleman dress codes are considered standard throughout the world as the most elegant.

In school English classes, my parents were taught how to spell ”my tailor is rich”; my grandparents also it seems! In my early years this phrase was repeated to me many times before my teacher taught me “Brian is in the Kitchen”!  English teaching techniques may have changed slightly over time, but it seems there must have been generations of tailors in London’s Saville Row who built successful businesses maintaining the British style heritage.

Speak of distinguished gentleman at a socialite’s diner party and people picture  charcoal cloth with fine pin-strips, starched white collars, a bold yet conservative necktie finished with a Windsor knot and Richelieu black shoes. Self-control, rigor and excellence with the maintenance of courage are the values of this eternal fantasy machine. The English gentleman’s style is for men what Chanel is to women, a sign of elegance and distinction. Beyond modernity and scrambling codes of fashion, tradition is not lost.

From Oscar Wilde, George Brummell, Winston Churchill and John Steed to James Bond ;-), the British gentleman is meant to perpetuate the importance of a flawless appearance. Clothing expresses social class and rank through specific time-tested codes which seem immutable.  Today this code is maintained through the media, sometimes even with a competitive and humourous spirit.  In a recent British magazine, GQ (Gentlemen’s Quarterly) ranked the ten best dressed men in 2009, “GQ Best-Dressed Men 2009. “  Yes, it seems today we can even make style a competition!  Fortunately though, maintaining the tradition of style has not removed British humour. On Simon Crompton’s blog  “Permanent Style” you will find everything you need to know about the eternal male and the famous “Rules and how to break them!

On the French side, when we want to describe masculine elegance we generally place a greater focus on charisma than garments.  Actually, historically the French rarely had a need to speak of masculine clothing style preferences since there was only black suits or casuals options. But in 2001, a visionary named Hedi Slimane reinvented the codes of masculine garments for Dior and with it, revolutionised the look of the fussy man. He created a style which aroused both the desire of men and women. He renewed the distinguished man from his old rags. He shrank the ties, made new sleek jacket cuts, skimpy coats, shirts, suits and even influenced the male body shape with the new iconic long thin man. No doubt, that sense of perfection was debatable for more than one man, though the result was that any eye could recognize the lucky ones who were wearing Hedi’s trademark. At that time, France had found its role model for men’s clothing. Since he left the brand in 2007, France is getting lost again.

What remains now to describe the Frenchman’s style?

Is Vincent Cassel’s look, as seen for La Nuit de L’Homme by Yves St Laurent, an option to enhance the French style ranks?  Can the distinguished French couture once again transcend the masculine chic worldwide as it shines on the world of smart women?

Simon Crompton’s blog : Permanent Style