Sprezzatura in a Suit

I used to work at a high-end custom suit tailor. The inspiration for there style was heavily influenced by European traditional style, specifically stemming from British and Italian tailoring. When I first started I noticed that the staff broke traditional style rules I had already learned. The small blade on their ties were too long, the buttons on their button down cuffs weren't always done up, or their sleeve buttons on their suits were undone.

Assuming my coworkers knew better than I did, I questioned my manager on his smaller tie blade being longer than his big tie blade. His response was gibberish to me: "sprezzatura". Exspressa-what?

After explaining the word's Italian origins, my manager proceeded to explain one of the most fascinating concepts of dressing well that went far beyond the concept of appearance. His smaller tie blade was longer than the bigger one to signal nonchalance. The company that I worked for had a philosophy that the purpose of dressing well was not to appear superior. To them, a man dresses well to prove himself as a well-rounded individual who doesn't require an obsessive amount of effort to have a respectable appearance. Subtle signs of missed details or broken rules express a sense of effortlessness and prove that a man who dresses with sprezzatura knows more about life than how to dress well.

After the discussion with my manager, I studied different European style bloggers to better understand the meaning of the word. I realized sprezzatura is not just a way to dress but a way of life. Beginning with the Renaissance and the rediscovery of the divine individual, people found a new love for learning complicated concepts and discussing them eloquently and effortlessly. People who sought to live with sprezzatura were what we would call a "jack of all trades." Someone who embodies sprezzatura is continually learning and sharing their skills humbly and casually with those they come in contact with.

How can you live with sprezzatura? Start with the way you dress. Research the rules. For both males and females, there are rules associated with the composition of an outfit that are worth knowing. Once you know the rules, break them. Do it casually and with subtleness. After that, find another subject that intrigues you and casually study it. It only takes a touch of sprezzatura before you realize what you are capable of.