Ageless Style - Looking good without dressing in high fashion

Photo Telegraph

What is ageless style?

Menswear has seen a move towards ageless style - a look that suits men of all ages, from young to old. This isn’t the same as all ages wearing exactly the same clothes, although it could be. Take the example of a young man who wears his dad’s evening suit. He may (if it fits him) find that the trousers are baggy and have turn-ups, the jacket may be double-breasted with large lapels; all depending when the suit was made. 

However, if he wore a suit with a more modern cut, probably slimmer-cut trousers, with a single-breasted jacket and narrow lapels, the overall impression given wouldn’t be much different, although he’d probably prefer it. For both he would wear a white dress shirt, black bow tie and suitable shoes. 

The overall style is the same, even if the cut of the suits varies slightly. This is ageless style. Men (unlike women) don’t want to be buying a new outfit every time they go to a black tie event; so, for evening wear, they have evolved timeless style.

Ageless style in everyday menswear

I took this photo of a retired cavalry officer at Somerset House during London Fashion Week. He wears a beautifully-tailored coat with velvet collar and a striped shirt and red silk tie. Under the coat (it was chilly) he wears a green quilted waistcoat (maybe vintage Barbour?) [edit - I'm grateful to a reader for telling me that it's probably a British Army issued cold weather quilted liner; a 'Mao' suit].

While not high fashion, it is an extremely stylish outfit that wouldn't be out of place at the fashion shows of Milan, Paris or London. This man has been wearing this style for decades (he had the coat made when he joined the army), so it’s classic and traditional.

Ageless style on the catwalks

In January’s London Collections: Men, the capital’s new and important men’s fashion show, we saw ageless style on the catwalks. Hackett and Richard James’s collections were full of gorgeous tweeds, traditional knitwear, colourful chinos and classic brogues – styles until recently unfashionable, but always stylish. At a Savile Row event at Spencer House (below) young men modelled clothes their fathers would be very comfortable wearing. Quite apart from the obvious question, why were there no grey-haired models, it was good for young men to see how effective a timeless, classic style can be.

Classic menswear style

I’ve used the words classical and traditional several times; it’s those characteristics that make a style ageless. Even those uninterested in clothes look well-dressed and elegant, because the styles have passed the test of time. 

Fashion and style - are they the same?

So, there is also no need to buy the latest clothes  be well-dressed. Fashion is not the same as style. If you dress with style you will look good. This isn’t necessarily the case if you dress fashionably.

Ageless style lasts forever. For me, starting a search for style as an older man, it holds the answer to the vexed question, how should I dress once I’ve reached 40?