Rollnecks at the ready for November’s eveningwear masterclass, led by Messrs Henry Cavill and Tom Hughes.

Velvet jackets, rollneck sweaters and Gucci loafers feature heavily in this month’s best-dressed list. It can only mean one thing: party season is upon us once more. Below, we’ve selected eight men who navigated November’s gauntlet of galas, parties and premieres in style. Think of this as your party-season primer: an easy pictorial guide for how to dress for the festive period, without a colourful paper hat or novelty sweater in sight.

Mr Henry Cavill was a walking billboard for charitable causes at a Justice League photocall in London. On his chest, a flash of red poppy, the official symbol of the Royal British Legion, whose annual fundraising drive takes place in early November to coincide with Remembrance Day. On his upper lip, a moustache, the official symbol of Movember, a month-long event in which men are encouraged to grow moustaches as a way of raising awareness of men’s health issues. Thus amply accessorised, the Superman actor made the sensible decision to keep the rest of his outfit muted: black Oxfords, a pair of roomy, navy pleated trousers and a fine-gauge rollneck sweater. It’s simple, the colours work and it flatters his superhero-buff physique. What’s not to like?

If you’ve ever walked into a restaurant and come face-to-face with your ex, then spare a thought for Mr Harry Styles. When the pop-rock heartthrob performed at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai this November, he did so in front of not one, not two, but three of his old flames. Still, at least he was dressed well. If you’re going to bump into an ex (or three), you really want your clothes to say: “You know what? I’m actually doing fine without you.” Dressing in head-to-toe, straight-off-the-runway Gucci, as Mr Styles is doing here, is a surefire way of getting this message across. This was a tame look by his normal standards; perhaps a reflection of the fact that, for the first time in his career, he wasn’t the main focus of attention on stage.

This November saw the long-awaited launch of MR PORTER’s very own brand, Mr P. To mark the occasion, we transformed a four-storey townhouse in London’s Primrose Hill neighbourhood into the venue for a “house party”, stocked it with a variety of cold cuts and seafood courtesy of The Clove Club (above, left) and invited a few of our friends along to celebrate. Among the attendees was a man who has appeared in The Journal not once but twice, Mr Tom Hughes, who looked dashing in a houndstooth-checked virgin wool coat and a rollneck sweater from the brand’s debut collection. We provided the clothes, of course. And he does look good. Even if we do say so ourselves.

Here’s Mr Matt Smith looking suitably regal at the premiere of season two of The Crown, the lavish Netflix drama about the British royal family. This will be the last time he plays the role of Prince Philip; season three will see him abdicating his position in favour of an as-yet unnamed successor, who will star alongside Ms Olivia Colman’s Queen Elizabeth II. It’ll be a shame to see him go, if only because his red carpet appearances in support of the show have provided us with some of our sartorial highlights of the last couple of years. This razor-sharp double-breasted suit is a case in point. You’ll have to press your nose up against the screen to fully admire the accessories: a forest-green grenadine tie and silver tie bar, a puff of patterned pocket square and a pair of high-shine Derbies in a shade of oxblood so deep it’s almost – but not quite – black. As ever, the devil is in the details. No wonder he scored a Burberry campaign.

November is gala season in New York, when the city’s venerable art institutions roll out the red carpet and open their doors to the great and good from the worlds of fashion, music and Hollywood. The two-night, Dior-sponsored Guggenheim International Gala was a highlight of the calendar, and a highlight of the gala itself was Mr Dave Franco. After last month’s early deployment of the velvet jacket (see: Messrs Christoph Waltz and Timothée Chalomet in October’s On The Town), the party season was officially underway. Mr Franco duly doubled down, arriving in a double-breasted suit – Dior, naturally – that offered up vast swathes of the plush, napped fabric. On the runway, this particular suit was styled with old-school, Vans-style sneakers and skin-tight leather gloves. Mr Franco toned it down considerably, sticking with black Oxfords and leaving the leather gloves at home. A wise decision.

Mr Hugh Jackman arrived to this November’s Bambi Awards dressed like he knew that he was going to win. Arrogant? Never: he actually did know that he was going to win. The recipients of Germany’s oldest media awards are announced well in advance of the ceremony itself, so there was never any doubt in his mind that he’d end the night clutching a statuette. One of the benefits of having essentially already won is that you’re free to go all-out with the eveningwear, and Mr Jackman duly did: his purple velvet tuxedo jacket (from Ralph Lauren Purple Label) was the perfect choice for the evening’s leading man. Dress like the winner you know you are, Mr Jackson.

Professional model Mr Jacey Elthalion fixes the camera with his best “blue steel” in this shot, which was captured at an evening hosted by Paul Smith and The Gentleman’s Journal in London earlier this month. Allow us to draw your attention away from his chiseled features for just for a moment, though, as we take you through what is a very nicely put-together outfit indeed. There’s plenty of texture on display here, between the butter-smooth leather of the bomber jacket, the Prince of Wales-checked fabric of the trousers and the napped suede of the desert boots, while the colours – chocolate brown, charcoal, grey and black – are the sort that can’t fail to go together. As for the rollneck sweater, we make that the third one this month. Do we detect a trend?

A casual affair from tennis fan Mr Douglas Booth, who we last spotted in the Polo Ralph Lauren VIP suite at this summer’s Wimbledon Championships. Lacoste was the brand sponsor of the VIP lounge at this year’s ATP World Tour Finals, and so Mr Booth took the opportunity to step out in a crocodile-branded bomber jacket to cheer on Mr Grigor Dimitrov as he secured the title. As for the rest of the outfit – a simple marl-grey sweatshirt, black jeans and beaten-up, Stan Smith-style tennis sneakers – it all spoke of a man who wasn’t there to have his photo taken, and was actually more interested in watching the tennis, thanks. Which, when you think about it, makes it all the more impressive that he managed to look this good.

The men featured in this story are not associated with and do not endorse MR PORTER or the products shown