At the last Oscar gala, the actor Timothee Chalamet wore a two-piece suit designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, from the house Louis Vuitton. The detail? Shirtless and bare-chested, the latest trend for men. But that’s not all, her jacket was a black bullfighter and the accessory, a necklace with a Cartier signature jaguar pendant. At the other end of the red carpet, the Colombian singer Sebastian Yatradid the same with a pastel pink suit of Moschino.
Male styling surpasses itself, while the most exclusive firms in the world compete with the global audience with unforeseen agreements, as in the case of Dior with Paris Saint Germain (PSG), which last August presented Leo Messi dressed in one of his impeccable suits.
Men are becoming more and more demanding luxury brands they reinvent themselves to satisfy them. Here, a group of experts explains what the premium style of today and what are the labels that the rich and famous of the world choose.
industrial luxury vs. craft
According to the Argentine tailor Nicholas Zaffora: “When we talk about clothes and quality, what comes to mind are tailor shops and not jean brands like G-Star War that I love, but it’s something else.” And he adds: “If I had to make a ranking I wouldn’t talk about Gucci or Prada because they are industrial luxury. Things are well done, they have exclusive genres, but there is no craftsman behind it. The one who understands looks for more than a store. Luxury brands and large logos are first born generic and then, in any case, they become artisanal”.
For his part, the textile businessman Gustavo Noca, director of INTEX, a company dedicated to men’s and women’s shirts, brings a different perspective in relation to luxury. “Within the menswear industry, what is interesting is to see the transformation that men had from functionality and aesthetics, how we went from Brioni to Nike. The casual style took a position that he had never had in the last 60 years. Luxury ceased to be a tailored three-piece ambo, to become ‘sneakers’ (sneakers),” he explains.
From Barcelona, Ramón Pique Sanz, author of the book “Clothing and Protocol” and tailor for Ermenegildo Zegna for more than 42 years, is categorical: man has lost style. “Unfortunately in the aspect of clothing we have gone backwards. No matter the dress as before. And it is not an economic problem, but of taste. Nowadays you can dress well at very moderate prices in stores like Zara or Massimo Dutti, which make products at good prices”. When asked what good taste is, he replies: “It is knowing how to combine clothes and colors and that they are not really crazy.”
For his part, the stylist Alejandro Luciani, in charge of the image of several local stars, analyzes the masculine styling proposed by the world’s leading brands in terms of marketing: “With their campaigns; Dior, Vuitton and Gucci seek to lower the age level of their clients. Influencers like Timothée Chalamet or Harry Style are the best thing that could happen to them. They encourage men to do something else.” But, explains Luciani, that’s not all, because there are also new brands with exorbitant prices emerging on the market: “Rapper Kanye West’s Yeezy Mafia brand is a success in sneakers and casual clothing. Kim Kardashian’s ex-partner is the ultimate men’s trend and even collaborated with Balenciaga and Adidas. Their products sell out in hours. And let’s not even talk about skirts for men! One of the lovers is the actor Oscar Isaac, who went to the last Met Gala with a pleated skirt by Thom Browne below the knee with his wife, the screenwriter Elvira Lind, dressed in a pantsuit”, he concludes.
premium labels
A selection of labels that have been and are chosen by the most elegant men in the world, can provide relevant information about what luxury men’s clothing of all time means. Here, five iconic proposals.
Berluti: Berluti is one of the world’s most exclusive footwear brands that later diversified into clothing. Its history dates back to 1895, when Alessandro Berluti began making shoes that were on the feet of James de Rothschild, Frank Sinatra, Robert de Niro and even Andy Warhol. Although Berluti has belonged to the luxury conglomerate LVMH since 1993, the reins remain in the hands of the founding family. The brand conceives each pair of shoes as a true work of art. The stores are distributed in the main capitals of the world but its headquarters are in Paris, at 31 Rue Marbeuf. How much do authentic Berluti cost? The values scale from 800 euros.
Briony: Founded in 1945, Brioni was born in Rome, at the hands of Nazareno Fonticoli, its main tailor together with his business partner Gaetano Savini. This house is considered the most exclusive tailor shop on the planet. Their “savoir-faire” It is based on the concept of “bespoke” or, what is the same, that each client chooses every last detail of their suit. In 1985, Brioni founded the “School of Alta Sartoria”, with the aim of transmitting Brioni’s tailoring method. Among his faithful followers is former US President Donald Trump. According to an article published by the newspaper El País, the businessman has been wearing Brioni suits since at least 2004. And he even acknowledged in the book “Trump: Think Like a Billionaire”, that the brand lent him suits for his reality TV show. “The newbie”. The detail did not go unnoticed in the United States where he was criticized for not betting on a national firm. For his part, the Spanish textile millionaire Amancio Ortega (owner of Zara) acknowledged wearing Brioni suits. James Bond, played by Pierce Brosnan, wore his tailoring and Tom Cruise wore a Brioni tuxedo at the premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick.” A “ready to wear” suit starts at US$ 5,000. Values are multiplied in made-to-measure garments.
Stefano Ricci. Founded in 1972 in Fiesole, just outside Florence, the Italian tailoring brand Stefano Ricci has dressed celebrities such as Andrea Bocelli, Morgan Freeman and Tom Cruise, and even Nelson Mandela. Speaking to the AFP Agency, Niccolo Ricci, son of the founder; he stated: “We have discovered that there is no price limit if the customer recognizes that it is a high-quality product.” The brand, which only manufactures in Italy, is the product of the passion of Stefano Ricci, its founder, for ties. The price of a suit? From 4,500 euros and between 200 and 400 euros a tie.
Ermenegildo Zegna. It is one of the world’s largest producers of fine fabrics and the largest menswear firm in the luxury industry. The firm, which is still in the hands of the founding family, was born towards the end of the 19th century, when Michelangelo Zegna, a watchmaker by trade, began weaving wool in Trivero, in northern Italy. In 1910, Ermenegildo, the youngest of his ten children, took over the looms and founded Lanificio Zegna, at the age of eighteen, with the help of his brothers Edoardo and Mario. A Zegna suit forrêt-à–wear It costs around 3,000 euros, but the values scale in custom orders.
Polo Ralph Lauren: Founded in New York in 1967, it is one of the most resonant brands in the world. Its creator and alma mater is Ralph Rueben Lifshitz, the fourth and last child of a marriage of Jewish immigrants who was born in the New York Bronx in 1939. According to the Spanish version of Vogue Magazine: “Little Ralph was clear about it. When someone asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he answered without blinking: a millionaire. With one of the hundred most important fortunes in the United States, he began his business designing handmade ties, a little wider than those used at the time. The rest is history, Polo Ralph Lauren is chosen by figures from all over the world. One of its famous brand ambassadors is the Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras, face of the Polo Red Intense fragrance.
types of tailoring
“Ready-to-wear” o ready to use: It is what you see in the windows. It is designed for many people, with the same size.
“Mmake your measure” or made to measure: The garment is personalized, with industrial techniques.
“Bespoke”: Made to measure and by hand, a job that only tailors do.
-María Ezcurra is a journalist specializing in Luxury Marketing and Communication.
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