Taking cues from prep’s ongoing renaissance, you could call this one “the Richard Gere” considering the many ways the silver-maned lothario paired an unstructured blazer with washed denim and smart shoes. The beauty here is in the outfit’s versatility. You can go with dark denim, a charcoal-but-almost-black wool blazer and a knit polo shirt, preferably worn while stumbling out of a Los Angeles restaurant to the blast of a paparazzo’s flashbulb. Or lighter-wash jeans paired with a tweed blazer, simple Oxford shirt and a knitted tie for more of that collegiate effect.

“It’s smart without being fussy and can work in almost any situation,” says Chris Black, the New York-based host of the hit podcast How Long Gone, who has recently founded his own brand, Hanover, with a focus on American-made staples. “I wear jeans nearly every day,” he says. “If I can work them into a look that passes for more formal, it’s a win.”

Giving us the rundown on some of his favourite designers to achieve the look, Black lists off blazers from J. Mueser, Saman Amel, The Row and Sid Mashburn; button-down shirts; “a wealth of” ties from Drake’s, Charvet and Ralph Lauren; a croc-print western belt from Noah and side-zip boots by LEMAIRE.

“It is a distinctly American way to dress,” Black says. “Jeans are one of our most recognisable exports and style signifiers. Pairing them with a blazer appeals to me because I am from Atlanta and it feels a touch Southern without going full cowboy cosplay.”

That men like chore jackets isn’t exactly the most innovative bit of fashion intel you’re going to read this year. (At least we’re no longer calling them shackets.) However, how they’re worn has been given an update.

Traditional chore jackets – boxy, easy to wear, with loads of pockets – are now readily available in luxury fabrics such as heavyweight crosta suede, cashmere and merino wools, while brands including The Row, Dries Van Noten, Studio Nicholson and A.PRESSE are all drawing from elements of the blue-collar wardrobe, making refined coverall jackets out of Japanese cotton or carpenter trousers that wear like tailoring.

My favourite chore-jacket champion is the late, great Bill Cunningham, The New York Times’ legendary street-style photographer, who spent decades traversing Manhattan on a rickety bicycle, camera slung over his shoulder or pressed close to his eye. He was rarely seen without a richly patinated bleu de travail, that timeless French chore jacket, with a rumpled Oxford shirt and wide-fit khaki chinos. This was proof that workwear can be both smart and fit for purpose – even if that purpose was taking candid photos of beautifully or eccentrically dressed people.

Something we’ve noticed this year on red carpets and the dim corners of swish bars with flattering lighting is how a host of leading men – and cool guys who are good at wearing clothes – are swapping out their black tie or navy tailoring. In its place, luxury knitwear that can step up as an outfit’s main character.

Josh O’Connor in LOEWE, Paul Mescal in a little cardigan or any other number of big names using a cashmere long-sleeve polo shirt as a comfortable alternative. “Knitwear as outerwear isn’t new,” says the stylist Catherine Hayward. “But it can certainly elevate a look if you choose the right shape and, crucially, the right density.

“Take advantage of ‘the French tuck’ for slimmer knits if your waistline can take it. It’s the half-in, half-out tuck, which can flatter high-waisted, pleat-front trousers. Or, my personal favourite, the chunky, textured shawl-collared cardigan. Impossible to tuck, but if worn with a chambray shirt and knitted tie, it gives satisfying 1970s-era Robert Redford vibes.”