Alessandro Giannotti

What is style for a man? What does elegance mean? Who are the real gentlemen? Is style something you can buy?

We will (hardly) try to answer these questions by analyzing examples, anecdotes and manuals.

An impeccable Colin Firth in Kingsman – the Secret Service imparts lessons in elegance to his apprentice: “…being a gentleman is something you can learn”, he says, “It’s not something you were born with”.
Is there a hope for everyone to become a gentleman?

ALESSANDRO GIANNOTTI highlights some rules to follow in his Small manual to elegantly live as a modern man titled Style for Him (Astrea Editions).

So, what is style?

In our future posts we will discuss all the precious suggestions by Alessandro Giannotti for the male wardrobe.

Instead today we will try to sketch out the general concepts of elegance and style.

When it comes to them, our thoughts run to the male and female icons from 40s and 50s movies, like Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. But what is so attractive in elegant people and what drives us to emulate them?

According to Alessandro Giannotti style is DISTINCTION FOR SUBTRACTION; the elegance that shies away from flashiness, sobriety in clothing, gestures and words.

A classy man loves to vanish in the crowd and not to be noticed. Excluding the watchful eyes of those that recognize certain details. His style doesn’t come from a well-cut suit, but from the way he fills it: personality and grace define his soul.

Style is made up of small details: it’s a subtle and never intrusive attention to them; it’s predilection for quality, denial of vulgarity and ostentation.

A stylish man is elegant without being fashionable. He doesn’t follow the designers’ trends, neither any unnatural ideal imposed by other people’s taste. He stands out for his whispered originality and excellence, far beyond any nouvelle vague.

It’s a matter of choices and selection: style may be difficult to define, but you recognize it when you see it.

Are people elegant by birth?

In some cases definitely yes, they were born elegant. In the likely event that you are not one of them, you can always work on it. It’s neither easy nor predictable. You must start from your virtues and vices, learning how to accept and enhance your body shape.

“If you want to be a gentleman you must feel comfortable in your own skin”, that’s what the legendary Colin Firth said to his apprentice.

Wait for the next posts to discover the fundamental pieces that Alessandro Giannotti recommends for a classy wardrobe.

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Bravo Alessandro!