There's no such thing as an ugly man...style for older and middle-aged men

'There's no such thing as an ugly woman, only a lazy one', is one of those phrases that has been attributed to almost anyone you can think of; Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Ali Mahdavi, Helena Rubinstein. Even Ovid said something similar (but in Latin, of course). Thus proving that nobody (except perhaps Winston Churchill) ever had an original word to say about anything.

Whoever said this could have equally applied it to men. There's much more to attractiveness than physical beauty. As a man, I am attracted far less to the sterile good looks of female models and celebrities than to those women whose character and experience show in their faces and bearing. I suspect that the same principle applies to most women when they are attracted to a man. The cocky trying-too-hard young stud is not necessarily going to win the lady's heart over the man who, while not classically good looking, has an obvious aura of style and confidence.

If I'm right, there is hope for us all. But how can we show our character, age, demeanour in ways that have an impact? It takes work; laziness will not achieve a result. I'm totally unable to identify what makes an attractive man, but I'm beginning to see how the older and middle-aged man can use personal style to stand out, whatever his looks.

To illustrate my point, here are a few images I've used on the blog over the last year. What is it that makes these men stand out in a crowd? You can decide and adopt any inspiration you find. But don't try too hard, that becomes self-defeating.

The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist

Rose Callahan