I'm grateful to everyone who's been emailing me in response to this series in which I try to identify what style is, in particular for the older man. While it's like trying to grab the soap in the bath, I've heard so many similar thoughts that I feel being able to define the word is nearly within my grasp.
A reader sent me a link to this video trailer for a forthcoming film 'John Simons - A Modernist'. Most older men of style, and many younger, know of John Simons who sell the best of US and UK mod styles. Here some well-known names sing his praises:
The reader who contacted me, Philip Sherwood, added the following comment, with which I totally agree:
"I thought this might be of interest to consider or include when trying to define style. For the older gentleman the roots provided by the English mod mixed with the American preppy look have been used over countless years to provide a backbone of style. As someone in the 60's once stated, the look was based on 'looking good under difficult circumstances.'
Men of a certain age have to realise that they can dress well but to do that they must have an interest in actually wanting to. Now that is a more difficult thing to deal with. It's not just wearing the clothes but how one wears them."
What I take from this is that menswear rarely breaks new ground; classic styles last. But Philip's final comment is important. Many older men take a perverse pleasure in refusing to dress well. I'm not clear what they're worried about, but they can afford to be more confident and adventurous rather than letting age bog them down.
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