To the uninitiated, the word “separates” may be an odd one. In a style context, you may think it refers to clothing that has, for some unknown crime, been banished from polite wardrobe society, condemned never to be matched with a pair of trousers or shirt again. But to fashion people, “separates” has a straightforward meaning: it refers to mixing up your tailoring. Quite useful, really. Mastering the art of separates means you can buy a suit and wear its components (jacket, trousers, waistcoat) as part of countless different outfits, on various occasions. Not only does this approach tie in with today’s multifaceted approach to smart dressing, and the decreased need for a full suit in professional and social situations, it also gives you more bang for your buck. And with autumn underway, the weather has never been more appropriate for busting out tweed jackets, hats, wool trousers and more.

We can’t be sure, but we’d wager that this man has read a lot of Hergé and has thought, “I would like to look like I am about to make Tintin’s day worse”. But one thing is undeniable: he looks incredible. He has clearly interpreted that famous advice from Ms Coco Chanel: “before leaving the house look in the mirror and take one thing off” as “before leaving the house put everything you have in your wardrobe on all at the same time, then take one thing off”. If we followed this rule, most of us would come a cropper. But not this chap, who is clearly seasoned in the art of layering. We count five of them (if you consider a tie and/or a hat as a layer, and anyway, if we can deduce anything about this man from a picture alone he is almost certainly wearing a vest) and yet he doesn’t look particularly hot or at all bothered, nor does he look overdressed. The trick here is careful selection of complementary shades – warm greens, beige, browns, a dash of blue. Light, delicate layers (see: the draping overcoat), and a blend of smart – tie, blazer – with the less formal slouchy chinos.

“Separates, but make it fashion!”, is not what this guy said in his head when he was getting ready, nor has anyone ever said, ever, until now. But you get the idea. If you’re a little more contemporary minded with your wardrobe, but still want to get some tailoring (and a double-breasted jacket to boot) into your life, planting a black beret atop your head is an easy way to immediately bring the vibe sharply into “fashion” rather than “style”. But one striking accessory a look does not make. Keep the idea going using the failsafe philosophy of Ms Rei Kawakubo et al, and add some more black. Big overcoat, check, big scarf, check. But let us not forget the contrasting lightweight trousers here – which he may well have borrowed from a cricketer – that are essential in tying the look together.

No shade to the actual man in this picture of course, but he reminds us of the guy – Hugo, his name is definitely Hugo – on the university campus who by day walks around smoking performative rollies and by night corners women at parties to explain books that neither of them have read. “You a fan of Ulysses? Not a bad read. Yeah. Prefer the Russians myself. You into Solzhenitsyn? Too heavy for most people. Not me. You got any more of that red? Sorry what was your name again?” He seems older than everyone else and no one knows what course he is studying. But what they do know is that he is a prime example of how to mix tailoring into your outfit in the most casual way possible. In fact, this so laid-back it is less an approach to dressing and more “I just slipped on a corduroy jacket because I couldn’t find my coat”. Anyway, it works. Listen to our man here and contrast as much as possible (light, bright jeans; heavy, dark jacket) and add a scarf to break things up. “Oh, this old thing? Picked it up backpacking in Nepal.”

To the man on the left: how can you be that well-dressed yet also look like you give amazing hugs? Not only is this a pleasing example of smart yet warm, unpretentious style, he is also giving us a lesson in colour coordination. Perhaps he chose his outfit via sophisticated algorithm rather than, like the rest of us, trial and error. Maybe he has created code that has mastered the harmony of colour, texture and pattern to such precision and sophistication that it runs the risk of becoming self-learning and – true to Mr Elon Musk’s strawberry-picker AI apocalypse scenario – subsequently destroying humanity in its quest to create lovely outfits. Maybe. But we digress. The other takeaways here are: if you’re going super smart with your jacket and only slightly contrasting with your trousers, choose a compatible but noticeably different colour for your underlayer. And ditch the tie. Note that his rollneck is just on the right side of loose and laid-back.

You do not need a master’s degree in styling or a wardrobe with an infinite combination of layers, accessories, colours and textures to mix up your tailoring. And this chap is a fine, and rather indignant-looking, example. Maybe you need to wear a suit and tie, but think the matching trousers make you look like an oversized school boy. Perhaps you wore the only suit you own yesterday at the wedding and you need to mix things up the next day for the awkward dinner thing no one ever really wants to go to. Well, this look is your answer. Pair your smart, slightly unstructured, peak-lapel jacket with some slightly contrasting trousers (blues and greys are always your friend). Slip on a shirt with a subtle pattern and go mad with your tie. Done.

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