ISSUE 27

IN SEARCH OF CHARACTER AND CRAFT‍

This issue tackles the very soul of menswear. To be, or not to be, a gentleman, as defined by expert tailoring, character and behaviour.

The menswear collections for SS26 presented us with so many conundrums and possibilities. There were characters at Gucci, in fact an entire Famiglia; and a multitude came from JW Anderson’s debut at Dior. He said, “I was trying to work out what these characters would be together, as a new radical.”

We love the idea of being a new radical. What is new radical? Perhaps, in part, it is things that are old being newly subverted such as the dandy, plus a slew of preppy codes driven by a wave of nostalgia for Ralph Lauren. Mr Lauren has long defined this genre of dressing: a cable knit sweater, with a blazer and chinos, a button-down shirt all buttoned up. We are remembering The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook: The First Guide to What Really Matters in Life, written in 1982 by Ann Barr and Peter York. It nailed the era, defining ‘proper’ posh people and their uniforms, from pearls to the perfect Barbour. There is a sense of the Sloane this season. At Prada, the 2026 gentleman is a youthful Ranger, easy, owning it, lightly tailored.

After the loss of Mr Armani last year, his design fluidity, especially that of the late Eighties, has rippled through the season too, and so we invited the fabulous Stenmark brothers to explore Giorgio Armani.

It’s a time to flex the radical and revel in surprising, with a killer combination of polish and impeccable craftsmanship. Presentation, gentleman.

@10magazineaustralia

Above cover: Dario wears Bottega Veneta, photographed by Stefano Galuzzi and styled by Tanya Jones.