When it comes to effortless Parisian style, few men do it better than Mr Pierre Mahéo. He’s the founder and designer of Officine Generale, a brand known for mixing that captivating French nonchalance with brilliant fabrics and clever design nous. His pain et beurre is effortlessly stylish clothes that can be worn on almost any occasion.

A fine idea, then, to ask him something that’s been on all of our minds lately: how best to wear a casual suit? Any man who is adept at dressing himself should have a few smart basics on rotation in his wardrobe, with a few ideas of how to wear them best.

“We always propose our Officine Generale suits as separates,” Mr Mahéo says. “Many of our customers only wear the jacket, for instance, and some only buy the pants. I always advise to buy both, however, as it gives you a lot of options to play with.”

With that in mind, we asked Mr Mahéo for a few tips on how he wears his own suits. He took to the streets of Paris to show us.

“When I saw the fabric swatch from one of our Japanese mills last year, it was love at first sight. I’ve never seen this version of hickory stripe in dark denim and brown before, and it was obvious to me that I had to make a chore jacket out of it. Wear it, wash it, it will age beautifully.”

“I really like the chambray shirt with the beige linen and cotton. This Japanese selvedge chambray shirt is particularly special for me, being that it is one the first products that I designed when I started the brand eight years ago. I still wear it with same pleasure as I did as if it were its first outing.”

“The band collar shirt is one of my favourite styles for spring, especially in this Japanese lightweight seersucker. It’s super breathable and soft.”

“The Theo quilted jacket has been with me for all my past trips (when we were able to travel), it is such a comfortable and easy piece to wear. A casual quilted jacket like this works great with a white shirt and chinos.”

“Navy and beige has always been a man’s favourite combo, especially in Paris. The Leon jacket is, for me, a nonchalant version of a double-breasted jacket, reinforced here by the patch pockets and notch lapels.”