THE JOURNAL
Photograph by Mr Szymon Brzóska/The Style Stalker
Menswear is in a state of undress. While the utility trend is all about technical fabrics, multi-pocketed outerwear and wearing as many clothes as possible, there’s another school of thought bubbling away in men’s fashion that is a little more, well, deshabille.
In the same way a good piece of music happens in the pauses rather than the notes, an outfit in high summer is best punctuated not by the presence of clothing, but by the absence of it. Don’t get it twisted, though – we’re not about to start an OnlyFans.
The fact is there’s a singular pleasure in unbuttoning your shirt. Not just unbuttoning to loosen a tie, but a little lower when the sun is out. Yes, you may be a collar aficionado (in which case, read our guide here), but now it’s summer, it might be time to switch it up a notch.
In many ways, this is an antidote to the glut of tailoring around now. “Suiting’s great, but stick a shirt and tie with it and you look like… Well, you look old,” says menswear stylist and serial sternum-bearer Mr Tom Stubbs. “Showing skin is about subverting or breaking or refreshing tailoring. A shirt and tie just say ‘conformist member of the board of school governors’, whereas a satin shirt unbuttoned to the sternum is a lot more fun. I’m more interested in channelling David Johansen from the New York Dolls than I am Steve McQueen.”
The vogue for trussing yourself up to the chin with cufflinks, ties and buttons is dated, then, and cleavage is in. Below, we’ve compiled a posse of skin-heavy outfits that show you how it’s done.
01.
Amply accessorise
Photograph by Ms Marie-Paola Bertrand-Hillion/Press Association Images
Mr Luka Sabbat was referred to in a Vogue article as a “millennial model/muse”. The 23-year-old’s own website states “I don’t believe in titles, I believe you do what you want and find the right people who share your vision.” Which is fine. What Sabbat is clearly good at, though, is wearing clothes. Above, he sports an undone Louis Vuitton shirt with a lapel-like collar, his bare chest covered by four, five, is that six necklaces? An excessive amount of bling under any other circumstances, but when there’s this much skin on show, it works.
Get the look
02.
Flash your tats
Photograph by Mr Adam Katz Sinding
As tattoos have become wholly mainstream over the past decade (you’d be hard pushed to find a celebrity under 40 who hasn’t been inked up at least once), there are now lots of fashion opportunities to showcase that you’ve been under the gun. Showing what’s on your skin can be as much about personal expression as the clothes you wear. The gent above channels a vintage Californian charm by wearing a white bowling shirt with a white vest peeking out, but the look wouldn’t be complete without all that ink. It’s certainly not for everyone, but we reckon if you’ve got it, flaunt it.
Get the look
03.
Dress up, then unbutton
Photograph by Mr Szymon Brzóska/The Style Stalker
If it’s now become fashionable to get one’s chest out, the moustachioed style icon Mr Ben Cobb should claim at least some of the responsibility. The man about town has turned getting his chest out into an art form and excels in wearing tailored Sir Mick Jagger-esque get-ups that are smart, sophisticated and the right side of sleazy. A lesson Cobb can teach us all is that getting dressed to the nines is all well and good, but making everything relaxed by undoing a few buttons is the key to looking truly at ease.
Get the look
04.
Hit snooze
Photograph by Mr Szymon Brzóska/The Style Stalker
No, this man isn’t sleepwalking. It’s been happening among braver members of the street-style set for a while now, but wearing pyjamas outside is a real – and increasingly acceptable – thing. It makes sense, what with pyjamas often being silk or rendered in ornate prints, and they make a surprisingly sophisticated change from sweatpants. Plus, they’re perfect for summer. If you are not quite brave enough for a full look, wear the shirt with a pair of tailored trousers instead.
Get the look
05.
If you’re not ready to bare all
Photograph by Mr Daniel Bruno Grandl/Blaublut Edition
What if I want to channel a loose, laid-back look without getting my tatas out? We get it, not everyone wants to show their chest carpet, or lack thereof. While we admit this has a charmingly louche feeling when done well, we also concede that it’s much more straightforward simply to add a plain white T-shirt underneath (or black with a Balenciaga logo if you’re like the guy on the left) and you can remain relaxed and summer-ready without having to bare so much as a forearm.