Masculine elegance: how to have style in 2026

Plet’s make Jonathan Bailey. In one of the last Met Galas, in New York, he managed to stand out with the strength of the details. The British actor, charismatic and tormented Lord Anthony in the series Bridgerton, he showed up on the red carpet wearing a white tuxedo with black lapels by Loewe. No bow tie. In its place a maxi-hand-painted floral brooch (it was a peony), pinned on the lapel like a freshly picked flower in an enchanted garden. Just one detail, yet enough to transform an impeccable tuxedo into a style statement.

Men’s fashion: what is elegance?

«A tie, a pocket square, a pair of cufflinks, or a hat, tell a lot about a man’s way of being in the world» explains Gianluca Bauzano, author of the book The eternal style. The accessories of masculine elegancepublished by Marsilio e Cologni Foundation of Artistic Professions. «Because masculine elegance is played out above all in accessories and does not consist in replicating formulas. And the actor represents a new way of interpreting it between formality, contemporaneity and strong personal identity.”

Masculine elegance: how to have style and who to take inspiration from

But for a Bailey who stands out (he was also declared the sexiest in the world for People) what makes all other mere mortals elegant today, in 2026, just as the Milan Men’s Fashion Week (before taking over the helm in Paris)?

There is no shortage of examples. King Charles III was crowned (also) by fashion magazines British for the only principle with which they dress: respect for the English sartorial tradition.

Timothée Chalamet, another actor as Bailey, he redefined the codes of the red carpet by mixing haute couture and androgynous looks (except opting, out of the spotlight, for a very normal coordinated denim look with his girlfriend Kylie Jenner: it recently happened at a New York Knicks game). If we were in the 90s, perhaps he would have laid down the law John John Kennedy (brought back into collective memory recently with the TV series Love Storyy ): the His wardrobe still maintains the status of an absolute and timeless icon, with those loose blazers, soft trousers, loafers worn with ease and caps.

Calascibetta, director of Style Magazine: «A man has style when he follows his instincts»

Alessandro Calascibetta, director of Style Magazine, he has no doubts about the answer to the question: «Elegance is an intangible essence that, when it is there, you recognize. A man has style when he follows his instincts and doesn’t necessarily let himself be influenced by trends.”

For Franz Botré, director of Arbiter, magazine which investigates the gentleman culture in Italy, elegance is first and foremost a matter of education. «I’m talking about manners even before fashion» he explains. «Kindness, culture and courtesy come before the wardrobe. Then comes the ability to build a personal style: a person who knows how to communicate with a tailor, choose a fabric, decide on the cut, the buttons, the construction of the suit. A person who wants something of their own and prefers the classic style, the result of the work of artisans who may be unknown but excellent in their craft.”

The French Revolution and the “Great Renunciation” of sumptuous fashion

It wasn’t always like this. Until the court of the Sun King, in the second half of the 1600smen competed in embroidery, silks, jewelry and red heels. Accessories, like wigs, were tools of power before they were elements of style.

«With the French Revolution, dark suits, more severe lines and a new idea of ​​respectability arrived. Fashion historians have defined this step as the “Great Renunciation”» continues Bauzano. «Men, in practice, they have abandoned the right to be considered beautiful to only be useful, focusing only on micro details.”

Then came Lord Brummel, at the beginning of the 19th century, father of modern dandyism. His philosophy can be summarized in some principles that still sound modern today: to be truly elegant you don’t have to be noticed (Giorgio Armani said: «Elegance is not about being noticed, but about being remembered»). And again: “If people turn to look at you in the street, you are not well dressed but you are overdressed.” A phrase that seems written for social media today.

Matteo Marzotto’s love for pinstripes

For the entrepreneur Matteo Marzotto, president of the MinervaHub Group, «masculine elegance is a subtle balance between who we are and how we choose to present ourselves». More precisely, «it is that style that arises first of all from an inner security. From a sincere relationship with oneself. If a dress makes me uncomfortable, I am uncomfortable.”

A concept that is also reflected in his wardrobe. Marzotto admits to owning over eighty suits accumulated in almost forty years of professional life, many of which are still preserved and worn today. “I know them one by one,” he confesses. “I remember when I had them made and how they make me feel.”

Among all, however, there is an item that he considers a sort of talisman: the blazer. «It is the one that represents me the most also because it is versatile». There is no shortage of pinstripes, which have become a real stylistic signature over the years. «They require personality, but when you feel they are yours they give great satisfaction».

Because, for Marzotto, elegance does not coincide with luxury, nor with formal perfection. «You can spend a fortune and still feel out of place. Or be very elegant with a few well-chosen items».

The elegant man in summer: the rules

And the rules for the summer? Few but clear.

Green light for Bermuda shorts, but not in the cityperhaps combined with a light jacket. No tie on Saturdays. And never short socks: “I just can’t look at that exposed leg,” he observes. The detail matters.