The Italian Gentleman

Photography: Andreas Souchis

Editor: Katerina Theocharis

The Italian Gentleman looks flawless and definitely not boring at all.

The Italian Gentleman is chic, cool and radiates an aura of neatness without looking that he tried too much to achieve it.

Hardy Amies once said that “A man should look as if he has bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care and then forgotten all about them”. This is the principle of the Italian style, the well known Sprezzatura, the Italian word for making everything you do seem effortless.

Sprezzatura

Sprezzatura is an Italian word originating from Baldassare Castiglione’s “The Book of Courtier”.

It is defined by the author as “a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it”. In a nutshell, it is described as the art of effortless mastery.

From Day-1, It’s a MAN’s Class’s main concern was to educate its readers about the “rules” of how to dress fittingly. Once you have mastered the rules, it’s time to deconstruct them.

Sprezzatura has to be elegant, adventurous, leisurely and poetic. It does not obey to strict rules and stereotypes. The recipe for a careless, meaningful and free life – just like the Greek Summer, one of my main inspirations.

“A man should look as if he has bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care and then forgotten all about them”

The Italian Style

The Italian style is effortless and leisurely but never looks sloppy.

The Italian Gentleman knows exactly what to do in order to look both relaxed and elegant. He may tie his high-quality handmade silk necktie in an awkward way to look more appealing or he may leave his cuffs unfastened. He may even use some kitsch elements on his outfit. But, whatever he does is balanced and thoughtful.

Just imagine that you want to give your own touch to an overly flawless appearance, that expresses the way you feel and gives you the air of a confident, smartly dressed yet cool guy.

The Italian Gentleman will keep surprising you every single time. Because he knows exactly what to do… And he does it flawlessly!

For me, this is the definition of style. The way of making everything you do seem effortless and flowing.

The Look

My Italian Gentleman inspired look is consisted of a cobalt blue lightweight jacket made of mohair wool, a grey-blue knitted polo shirt, cotton stretch single pleated trousers and a beautiful pair of chamois fringed loafers. I embellished my outfit with a white pocket square with brown details, a beaded bracelet and a beaded keychain.