The Significance of Insignificant Details

I have a deep love for the Italian principle of "sprezzatura," a disheveled elegance where effort is put into dressing as if one's style is effortless. Delightfully paradoxical, sprezzatura is shown different ways by different practitioners, the most notable in my mind being the late Gianni Agnelli, whose contributions to style may have even been greater than his contributions to the Italian car industry when he was the man behind Fiat (I know this is arguable: for the purposes of this article, my opinion should be regarded as fact).

Agnelli was famous for leaving a random cuff button undone on his suit sleeves; for wearing his watch on the outside of his shirt cuff; for a slightly askew tie knot, and he displayed these quirks with brilliance. Many photos of him can be found on the wonderful web, so in the interest of not infringing on another's copyright, I'll let you do a search.

I love seeing others who appreciate this stylistic approach, and wanted to showcase a few examples today!

This is my friend Ron Freeman. He's the diretor of Uptown Charlotte, a magazine publication that is establishing a presence in Charlotte, NC. I am always impressed with Ron's sense of style. This look combines English and Italian influence with perfection. A couple of things that jump out at me are the conservative English cut of the tweed sportcoat offset by the punch of the bright orange Hermes foulard ("carelessly" piled in nonetheless), which is definitely far from conservative. The zipper-neck jumper under the sportcoat is a decidedly Italian compliment to this look. The distressed yet still meticulously maintained boots that peek out from beneath a well tailored pair of jeans anchor the ensemble. And look at the drape of the jeans! They fall atop the boots' uppers just as one would expect from a far dressier pair of trousers.

Ron's putting the care and attention into casual dress that one would hope for from anyone wearing a suit. Superb.This is... (ahem) myself. I wanted a slim-cut black suit, but didn't want to look like a hitman or an undertaker when wearing it. I opted for a suit with a faint red and white pinstriping. On an evening that begged for a minimalist outfit, I changed one button on this gingham check button-down to a red button to pick up the pinstriping. When the jacket is buttoned, this button is not visible. When unbuttoned, few will notice the different colored button. Hopefully, however, those who do notice will appreciate the touch.

Thank you for tuning in today, and as always, feel free to submit your own photos for inclusion on this blog!

Cheers!

-Paul