Sophisticated “sleaze”, as we’re calling it, was a central theme in the SS24 menswear shows. In London, Milan and Paris, models often wore loose-fitting shirts cut from drapey silks and sheer fabrics paired with pinstripe suits, and the shortest of shorts finished with a pair of statement sunglasses.

SAINT LAURENT was the main flag bearer, sending a parade of confidently strutting guys with coiffed hair down the runway, showing plenty of chest beneath louche silk shirts. AMI PARIS and Officine Générale, among others, also featured models in dressed-down, moody tailoring, racy shirts and short shorts with plenty of attitude.

It has also translated to the red carpet, with many stars subverting the traditional rules of tailoring by wearing little to nothing underneath. Mr Chris Pine has been ahead of the curve for some time – last year, he stepped out in array of louche looks, including a low-slung T-shirt and suit combo accessorised with a gold necklace and slicked hair at the Guild Producer Awards. Note, too, the black Giuliva Heritage dinner suit with a heavily unbuttoned silk shirt and printed silk bandana he recently wore while promoting Dungeons & Dragons in Paris.

Gen-Z social media pin-up Mr Noah Beck, meanwhile, is also doing the rounds in pec-revealing sheer shirts from the likes of Lanvin. And of course, Mr Harry Styles and Mr Paul Mescal, too, have always felt daring enough to toe the sleaze line, frequently sporting low-slung white vests beneath finely tailored jackets at glitzy events.

How to channel the look in your own real-world wardrobe this season? Note that the lion’s share of the action happens in the shirting department. A plain-coloured, floaty and soft-collared silk shirt is just the ticket, and the styles hailing from Stockholm’s Saman Amel are sensual yet could not read more luxurious.

“They are designed with a one-piece collar, slightly louche and with the softest touch and drape. They can elevate a casual look and add relaxation to more formal attire,” says Mr Dag Granath, the co-founder of Saman Amel. As for how many buttons you should undo, he says that it “all depends on your character,” he says. “Three buttons always work. Two is fine, four is daring.”

Styling is key, here. Take your cues from Pine, Styles and Mescal: silk shirts look best when dressed up with tailoring. Nothing too boxy, though – instead, a jacket that’s long in length and buttons low will lengthen the torso, open up the chest area and make the overall effect more commanding.

In the spirit of balance, try trousers with high-rises and slimming pleats (though flared trousers will amp up the old-school Riviera playboy feel) and ideally made from breathable and lightweight fabrics, such as linen or tropical wool. That said, “mini shorts”, as they’ve been coined post-SS24 show season, can up the risqué factor as demonstrated by Mr Manu Ríos, who was pictured wearing a full look from AMI PARIS last month.

As for achieving Gainsbourg-esque “sleazy” hair, you can “apply four to five pumps of sea salt spray on clean and damp hair and then [go in with] a hairdryer,” says celebrity hairstylist Mr Joe Mills. If you want a glossy look, apply a water-based pomade and “try not to use a brush to finish, as it will make it look too neat and less lived-in”.

Meanwhile, stubble should be kept to “a minimum length of grade one and a maximum length of grade two, and finish with a good amount of beard oil to moisturise the facial hair and skin.”

The finishing touches should include a sleek, unlined loafer or luxe mule for comfort and relaxed elegance. At least three pieces of gold jewellery minimum, please – take a leaf out of Sach’s book with a gold Tank watch, and don’t be without a pendant.

Tinted sunglasses are a must, of course. Jacques Marie Mage has options aplenty. Finally, no sophisticated sleaze look is complete with a splashy, liberally applied fragrance. Le Labo’s Thé Noir 29, which balances woody notes with sharp bergamot, feels appropriately perky, mysterious and seductive – while TOM FORD’s Neroli Portofino was practically tailor-made with Riviera playboys in mind.