The Art of Effortlessness Part I

Why is the collar of his custom bespoke shirt sticking out of his bespoke blazer? What has he attempted to do with the look of his tie? Do these people really know how to dress or are they just plain careless? We notice some people who, at times, have something edgy about their look, everything looks in place, except one item that borders on faux pas. Are they to be shot instantly with your disapproval?
Perhaps not, as they are expressing their sense of effortlessness. But then, isn't not putting an effort just being lazy or simply not bothering with it at all? The answer is NO and that is what differentiates the careless from the effortless.
Effortlessness is one of the cornerstones to express your individuality through dressing. The artistry lies in expressing that nonchalance that has come with enough practice that it becomes a part of your psyche, but yet done in a manner that appears neither pretentious nor ostentatious.
This casual elegance, or 'effortlessness', has come to be known in Italian as 'sprezzatura'. The term was first used by Baldassare Castiglione (1478-1529) in his book called The Book of the Courtier, which turned out be a classical Italian renaissance literature. It was a guide to instruct noblemen on cultivating the mannerisms of elegant style, which would appear unrehearsed and natural in their dressing, dance or speech. The act of it all should appear as being done without any obvious effort and almost thoughtlessly. This was exponentially exercised many centuries later by the infamous Beau Brummel, the arguably archetypal true English gentleman, who would tirelessly attempt to tie his cravat knot in the most natural way to make it appear 'effortless'. The foremost unbroken rule of being a gentleman for them is to avoid affectation and adopting 'sprezzatura' or 'effortlessness' as part of one's natural behaviour.
While both the English and Italians have had luminaries in their history who have subscribed to this school of thought, it has seen resurgence within the past half century mainly among the Italians. They took it a step further by introducing imperfections with the thought that nothing in nature is symmetric and perfection lies in appreciating those natural flaws. Being 'naturally' flawed showed the 'human' side of doing things. This was showcased by the famous Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli, who consciously wore his wristwatch over his shirt cuff. He also championed wearing the back blade of his tie longer than the front. These one-off erroneous details were paired with perfectly formal and often bespoke suits that otherwise ticked all the other boxes of style. These elements also introduced the thought that maybe he was too busy a tycoon to take care of that one oddity or appear a bit more approachable to the normal public. This visual rebellion is to reject appearing elitist whilst dressing up for the occasion. Conscious effort and considerable amount of time is taken by them to appear unconsciously effortless in their actions and dressing.
Today, the global peacocking platform for men where sartorialists converge to display their act of sprezzatura is Pitti Uomo. Effortlessness is worn on the sleeves of their bespoke blazers, custom tailored shirts and handmade custom shoes whilst walking about in this mass congregation of gentlemen displaying their own uncanny sense of sprezzatura.
Should buttons be left undone intentionally in a button-down collar bespoke tailored shirt?
Double breasted bespoke blazers, which are otherwise always meant to be buttoned up, worn flung open to stress on the casualness of the mood?
Leather shoes with white sneaker soles worn with bespoke suits to make one look at ease with an almost 'get out of bed and just slip it all on' attire?
Does this all constitute being effortless? Is sprezzatura to be practised as a new mantra by all gentlemen? Can it be applied to bespoke suits, bespoke blazers, tailored double breasted suits or even bespoke tailored wedding suits for men? How does it differentiate from just wearing casual attire like jeans, T-shirt and sports sneakers?
These are thoughts that we would like to leave you with before we return with another edition of 'The Art of Effortlessness' in our next column.
wknd@khaleejtimes.com
Pawan and Ashish are bespoke tailors at Knights & Lords, a bespoke tailoring house in Dubai. They are inspired by the alchemy of craftsmanship and bespoke tradition aimed at re-designing the wearer's inner architecture. They have learnt the traditional craft of bespoke tailoring from Savile Row, London - considered to be the spiritual home of bespoke tailors even today. www.knightsandlords.ae  
bespoke@knightsandlords.com