03 Patrick Grant, 44
Designer and owner of E Tautz
“When I was younger I spent a long time mucking about with fashion. I was fanatical about style and different looks from a very young age and I tried all sorts of things. In hindsight some of it came off great and some was plain awful, but that’s a rite of passage in itself.
“I think you become more aware of true style as you grow up. That’s partly because stylish people provide a treasure trove of cues, which the more attentive among us pick up on. It could be the way Prince Charles ties his tie knot, or maybe the way my ex- girlfriend’s brother wore his Air Jordans. All of these things seep into the subconscious.
“When you distil these cues, they become the essence of your own style. Individually they might not be new, but together it becomes you. It’s your uniform. Nurturing that kind of personal style is also a simpler, better way to live, and it’s something that’s of great importance to me. Disposable fashion is a global curse – it has nothing to do with style.”
“The one thing style is categorically not is ‘ fashion’. Fashion comes and goes but style is always there. Fashion is about frocks; it’s for the ladies. That might sound terrible, but it’s true.
“That’s not to say that you shouldn’t change the way you look as you feel like it. In fact, you have to keep moving it on, otherwise fashion catches up with you. But fashion lasts just a season. You can go back to the older style when fashion is done with it.
“I don’t have a problem with flamboyance, but you have to stay on the right side of it. The reality is that most stylish menswear hasn’t changed in the past 50 years. That’s important to recognise in a time of clothing overload. Everyone is ‘ fashionable’ now, theoretically. But that’s not the same as having style.”
05 Mark Powell, 56 Tailor and founder of Mark Powell
“Men need to stop wearing overly tailored suits. A tight jacket doesn’t become a man out of his twenties – when you can see the fabric pulling, any sense of grace is lost. A well-cut suit with a bit of length looks more elegant.
“The mistake many men make is wearing a suit like a set of overalls. There needs to be flair. It’s accessorising: even an expensive suit won’t look as good without a nice hanky in the pocket, or the right shoes. The suit has to be well-cut, obviously, but it’s the details that matter.
“A plain wool suit is a solid starting point. You don’t want a tie with a big knot – I use a schoolboy knot. Then you want a tie pin and a pocket square that coordinates with your tie. We’ve had to accept trainers with suits, which is something that I think can work. But I can’t get on board with brands who have no sportswear heritage making recreational shoes. Go to the people who do it best.”
06 Richard James, 72 Tailor and founder of Richard James
“Style is the indefinable realisation that you’ve got something right. That’s what I’ve learned. I’m not convinced by the old cliché that it all comes from within, because I’ve seen on many occasions in the 25 years we’ve been on Savile Row that, with a little help, it can be arrived at through forethought and practice.
“Of course, a select few can – and do – stumble upon so-called style by accident. But men tend to grow into their clothes and the effect that the right suit can have on a man’s posture and bearing is as remarkable today as it was in the days of knights and armour.
“The ‘right’ suit, however, is a crucial and sometimes elusive thing. That’s what you’ve got to realise and it’s what ultimately separates the truly stylish from the professional shoppers. The right suit is a different thing for different men. You need to hunt it down and work with the help of a good tailor to find it. The end result is priceless.”