Marcello Mastroianni

 Marcello Mastroianni

Why He’s A Style Icon

There is always so much emphasis on style, colour and gratuitous detailing in men’s clothing that it can be easy to forget about the most important element of a garment — its cut. Fit is everything in menswear. It isn’t about the fabric, the designer label or how much cash you had to drop to get your hands on it. The fact of the matter is, when clothing fits properly, everything else just falls into place. Perhaps that’s why Italians like Marcello Mastroianni are the best style icons: they never focus on labels. Clothes simply need to fit, so that if they found their way on a body other than your own, they wouldn’t look quite right.

Marcello Mastroianni is the quintessential example of the sartorial Italian; he was dressed to perfection without ever looking overly styled. It should be no surprise that an actor who had leading roles in films with names like La dolce vita (The Sweet Life) and Pret-a-Porter (Ready-to-Wear) was able to walk the walk when it came to dressing. And indeed, he did it with a well-deserved swagger. A simple black suit, white French-cuffed shirt and black necktie were all he needed to look devastatingly dapper in every situation. Mastroianni’s best moment, however, had little to do with tailored clothing. His lead role in Federico Fellini’s autobiographical metafilm Otto e mezzo (8 ½) featured him wearing dark, chunky rectangular sunglasses. The somewhat Bono-esque shades were so forward that it almost looked out of place. But that’s the bravado of Italian style, and in a nutshell, it is Mastroianni’s commentary on fashion: It doesn’t matter what you wear, only how you wear it.

Dress The  Mastroianni Way

Emulating Marcello Mastroianni’s sense of style may at first glance seem rather easy, but finding clothes that fit correctly takes time and effort. Too many men are guilty of buy-without-try. Making a clothing purchase based on the size you think you are without giving it a test drive in the fitting room is the fastest way t0 building a wardrobe that is a complete disaster. Every garment is unique and fits differently based on where it was made, its fabric content and ultimately its construction. A size 40 regular suit from Armani doesn’t fit the same way as one from Zegna or Hugo Boss, and there may even be slight variations within each designer’s label. The same is true in sportswear for everything from T-shirts to jeans. Once you find something that fits like a glove, don’t be afraid to replicate it and buy it in every colour and style. Creating something that is almost like a personal uniform can help anchor your look and develop a foundation from which to grow and experiment. Marcello Mastroianni understood this cardinal rule of men’s dress. A basic black suit in the most flattering of cuts, a French-cuffed dress shirt and a simple black tie can be your everyday go-to look for the office. If you lead a more relaxed lifestyle, swap the suit trousers for a pair of refined, slim-cut denim. Jeans may not be exactly how Mastroianni would have done things, but he would certainly agree that having clothes that fit and wearing them with confidence is the only way to truly get a taste of la dolce vita.Get the designer glasses online