The Menswear Manifesto

In the name of equality, and because I'm not attending New York fashion week, That's Not My Age has decided it's time to focus on grown-up menswear. But first let's set the record straight, that's not Mr TNMA in the photo, he is very shy, a confirmed atheist who would rather go and wave at the pope than appear on this blog. It's Nicholas Fugler, 50, director of retail at Jermyn Street tailors, New & Lingwood who puts a vexed generation at ease when he says, 'You grow into your style in your forties.'

Though I don't consider myself a menswear expert, I'd like to think that by surreptitiously easing Mr TNMA out of his ageing rocker uniform of baggy Rolling Stones' tour t-shirt and skinny black jeans and into a wardrobe of timeless basics I have a certain first-hand knowledge. But, in order to compose a proper grown-up guide to menswear, I enlisted the help of a couple of style experts of a certain age: Mr James Anderson and Mr Paul Tierney.




And this is what they said:

Do
1. Go more Savile Row than Carnaby Street. Buy good design not cheap shit and choose classic heritage brands.
2. Opt for a clean cut look. You can get away with being scruffy and grubby when you're younger but have to make a bit more effort after 40, or risk looking like a complete loser.
3. Have a range of instant throw-ons in your wardrobe; cotton v-necks, cashmere sweaters, classic 501's/Japanese selvedge jeans, chinos.
4. Buy proper shoes, like a good solid brogue. A shoe made on a last, will last!
5. Be proud to be eccentric but don't end up looking like Jon Snow. A novelty tie does not add character to any outfit.


Don't
1. Worry about what style magazines say, half the people who work for them don't practise what they preach.
2. Avoid short-sleeved shirts, far too company rep.
3. Wear a fleece - it'll add twenty years to your age.
4. Try not to get stuck in a decade, the Top Gun bomber jacket belongs in the eighties.
5. Get preoccupied with seasonal trends. Leave the jaunty man bags and décolletage to Cristiano Ronaldo.


And now for some gratuitous pictures of men who do get it right:









From top: Hamish Bowles, Joe Casely-Hayford, Guy Pierce, Malcolm McClaren, John Malkovich, David Bowie, Jarvis Cocker.


Do you know anyone who needs to follow the menswear manifesto?



Photos
Nicholas Fugler: Fashionistable, Hamish Bowles: The Sartorialist, Joe Casely-Hayford: Lulu Kennedy, Guy Pierce: Daily Mail, Malcolm McClaren Sun-Times, John Malkovich: MySpace, David Bowie: NME, Jarvis Cocker: Eamonn McCabe.