Men's Short Hairstyles
Men's Mid-length Hairstyles
Men's Long Hairstyles
Men's Curly Hairstyles
Men's Black & Afro Hairstyles
Celebrity Hairstyles
‘Real’ Men’s Style Icons
As many of you point out without fail or misinformation, the majority of the style icons in our eponymous series suffer from the fatal flaw of being styled by someone other than themselves. Our new ‘Real Icons’ series is set to feature some of the best dressed, and well known, gents in the industry and guaranteed to represent purely original and eclectic style.
Each of these true style icons should be seen as an encouragement for us to follow suit; forming a unique identity based on your own background, jobs, past times and interests. After all, that is what true style is, isn’t it?
Thankfully, there are men with serious style credentials who fit this bill. Whereas in the past, actors, musicians and artists found themselves being the poster boy for many a fashion house or ad campaign, these ‘real’ style icons, which includes the likes of Nick Wooster and Lino Leluzzi, are now known first and foremost for their unique sense of style, and as a result are photographed no matter their location or purpose.
Real Style Icons & Relatable Style
Fashion blogs can been seen as the protagonist of the ‘real’ style icons’ meteoric rise to fame. Blogs have given people without the connections and/or looks, a chance to comment on anything related to fashion – imparting knowledge to the ignorant male keen to learn more. The accessible nature of blogging on the net has undoubtedly played a huge part in encouraging different approaches to dressing and observing that of others, as well as supporting the wider menswear industry with the rise of stylish and knowledgeable men keen to play a part in the future of its development.
Therefore, honest and accessible interviews are available with these everyday icons, and when you couple that with photographs of them with their distinct posture and expression, it makes them far more relatable to us. Sure, many of them, like celebrities, aren’t going to be worrying about the latest increase in energy bills, but at least they live in our world and make their own mistakes.
Furthermore, the likes of Justin O’Shea, Sam Lambert and Angelo Flaccavento look as comfortable as they do impeccably dressed – not because they’re wearing the softest wools, but for the simple fact that they are in their own clothes! These guys are completely at ease when the aforementioned street style cameras click and the videos roll, because they are wearing clothes they want to wear; dress that reflects who they are and by extension, their ideals and standards.
Real vs Celebrity Style Icons
I am sure I am not alone in thinking that celebrity ‘style icons’ should always look great every time they hit the red carpet or attend a pre-arranged publicity event. Likewise, I am sure it is not too much to ask that celebrities, with their unfathomable wealth and resources, can enjoy the luxury of a double breasted velvet jacket from Dolce and Gabbana, with trousers with no break, and a stunning pair of shoes (or slippers) the way that we would if we had that sort of money.
Men with true style easily channel their personality through their clothes – meaning that we never see two truly stylish men dressed exactly the same. The same cannot be said for the majority of celebrities who are dressed by overpaid, over-hyped, demi-celeb stylists:
The Fantastic Four
Below you will find four of my favourite ‘real’ style icons. These faces appear on many blogs and runways, deservedly replacing those green-eyed stylists, and will continue to do so for a number of years to come.
Note: I would also thoroughly recommend you check out our previous style icon articles on Nick Wooster and Lapo Elkann – two men who continue to innovate and push the boundaries of their personal style.
Likewise, spend five minutes watching the superb Sartorialist Dinner video below. Shot for The Sartorialist website, it features many of the industry’s biggest names that you will be seeing grace the pages of FashionBeans over the coming months:
1. Lino Ieluzzi
A sought after subject of photographers world over, Lino is renowned for his double breasted jackets and ties with the number seven sown into them. As an Italian it is no surprise that he has a love of tailoring, preferably separates, and consistently turns out in the most classic pieces menswear has to offer – all perfectly fitted and finished off typically with a sumptuous pair of double monk straps.
Colours tend to be understated with little details providing points of interest.
Inspired By Clothing
- Topman Tmd Grey Textured Print Double Breated Suit Jacket
- Topman Bran Tweed Db Skinny Blazer
- Dunhill Cotton Shirt
- Reiss Gatsby Herringbone Trousers Grey
- Topman Off White Pocket Square
- Royal London Pocket Slim Pocket Watch
- Maison Martin Margiela Double-breasted Camel Coat
- John Lobb William Leather Monk-strap Shoes
- Allsaints Chancery Jacket
2. Sam Lambert
Best known for always wearing a hat as well as a beard, Sam Lambert is the jovial face of smart dressing with a twist. He always imbues his outfits with a little of his personality that, matched with a little sartorial know how, breaks boundaries in a distinctive but not ostentatious way: an enviable combination.
Inspired By Clothing
- Surrey Navy Double Breasted Slim Fit Jacket
- Marc By Marc Jacobs Eduard Slim-fit Plaid Wool Blazer
- Topman Navy Flannel Waistcoat
- Asos Slim Fit Suit Trousers In Fleck Herringbone
- Drakes Printed Wool And Silk-blend Pocket Square
- Reiss Swiss Jaquard Pattern Socks Black
- Brown Classic Newbury Wool Trilby Christys Hats
- Rag & Bone Wool-felt Trilby Hat
- Asos Loafers With Wedge Sole
3. Angelo Flaccavento
He says himself that his “choices have become stricter, but tailoring softer” as he approaches forty. Even so, his style is eclectic in its silhouette, colour and juxtaposition of fabric, but altogether he tends to dress in a quirky fusion of classic style and individual preferences – such as short trousers with a wider hem.
Just like our other real style icons, he is a firm believer in one not looking like he tried to dress to impress.
Inspired By Clothing
- Burberry Brit Grey Tweed Blazer
- Reiss Ledbury Boiled Wool Blazer Navy
- Reiss Sommerville T Pinstripe Formal Trouser Navy
- River Island V Neck Jumper
- Alexander Olch Plaid Woven-wool Bow Tie
- Asos Chambray Bow Tie
- Topman Round Lense Readers
- Topman Merton Oxford Shoe
- Trickers Burgundy Commando Brogue Bourton Shoes
4. Justin O’Shea
Probably the most rebellious dresser out of the four, O’Shea channels a rock ‘n’ roll meets biker vibe that ensures roll-up t-shirts and dark raw denim are staple pieces within his wardrobe.
Facial hair and muted colours play on the darker themes of his attire, and he mixes up casual and formal outfits depending on his mood, rather than his location, which says a lot about the power of the man.
Inspired By Clothing
- Asos Shirt With Polka Dot Print
- Asos T-shirt With Rolled Sleeves
- Reiss Butcher Three Piece Single Button Suit Light Blue
- Topman Charcoal Novak Suit Waistcoat
- Allsaints Stenburg Leather Jacket
- Allsaints Bleeker Iggy Jeans
- Allsaints Spires Blazer
- Boss Black Carlots Monk Shoes
- H By Hudson Smyth Brown Leather Boots
Final Word
These real style icons are the result, as much as they are the means, of a booming interest in the industry. Such men are set to have growing influence on the direction of men’s fashion for the foreseeable future, having already laid the foundations for a more stylish and perceptive menswear community.
It’s safe to say, we are in good hands.
But now I want to hear what you think:
- Are these real style icons the future of the industry?
- Is their style more relatable to you personally than, say, Ryan Gosling?
- Who is your favourite ‘real’ style icon?
- Can anyone now become an overnight style icon?
Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below…
Sabir Peele: Style Profile
Fabio Attanasio: Style Profile
5 Unlikely Men’s Style Icons
Celluloid Style: The Anti-Hero
Back To Top
To me they’re not “Style Icons” but Clowns.
Couldn’t agree more with this. Also, why do so many over-wear their sunglasses. Actually, come to think of it – the eyes are the window to the soul…no wonder they’re covering them up so much.
Lino Ieluzzi is the only style icon here for me. The over the top, overstylised, experimental looks of the rest look daft. Male style should always be about timeless, understated elegance.
I agree Drew, hate these new over the top looks being called style, they look like they’re trying too hard! :(
None of these gents impress me; in fact, some of their outfits look downright silly (esp. those worn by the second dude). Compare them to real style master of past eras, like Steve McQueen, Gregory peck, Cary Grant and they don’t even come close. OK, those are actors and yes perhaps they had stylist dress them, but they did look cool. What about someone like George Best? What about JFK? If you are going to focus on so-call ordinary people, I reckon the guy that writes the Style Blogger, Dan Trepanier, is a superbly dressed man – and he doesn’t look like a clown.
I think what you must remember is that this was a social commentary on the rise of such ‘real’ icons – they are definitely treated as much within the industry, as well as on the blogs and street style sites.
We have featured many celebrities that dress well (check out the style icon category: http://www.fashionbeans.com/category/mens-style-icons/) and the standard response to most of these articles is that – “it’s not impressive, their stylist dresses them / they have so much money how could they not look good”.
We have also featured timeless icons such as JFK, Paul Newman, James Dean etc. previously, so I think this is certainly a relevant counterbalance to those names that are constantly thrown out there, and an article that is acknowledging the new direction of menswear and how the industry has exploded over the past few years.
We have also featured Nick Wooster and Lapo Elkann previously, who dress very similar to the 4 above, and they have gone down extremely well with most readers. Not to mention the Sprezzatura article becoming one of our most iconic this year – again, a piece that had a more alternative/breaking boundaries feel to it.
Whether you love or hate their style, you are of course entitled to your own opinion – so why not throw out some alternative names you would like to see covered?
Completely agree with Dan Trepanier as well, has been on our radar for a long time and will definitely be covered at some point.
Tell me, that Lino guy, are those suit jackets that he wears separately to the matching trousers? They don’t look like blazers or sports coats.
I find it extremely difficult to believe there is ever an appropriate occasion to wear a bow tie, they just make an otherwise smartly dressed person look like an idiot?
Except, you know, black tie events, when it’s de rigeur.
But yes okay out on the street it’s abhorrent.
The best bit of all of this is the suggestion that some of these people ‘look like they are not dressing to impress’, or not trying to look cool. In fact, I think most people think they very much have tried, too hard, and look like absolute victims.
SO TRUE I LOL, they obviously try WAY to hard. no.1 just looks like a rich italian Godfather stereotype, no.2 although he is try hard to the death puts out some interesting outfits. no.3 looks really weird and insecure, and no.4 looks like he takes little children for a ride.
Out of all the real style icons i would say Nick Wooster seems the most legit, but the real style icons are the ones we see everyday in the street .
And I suppose it’s you who decides if it’s credible or not, right? If you’re unhappy with what’s been wrote I’m pretty sure constructive criticism would be the best way to improve content both for the writer and the reader. Instead of just writing a degrading comment behind an anonymous intial.
idk any style icons, i dont even know about the top designer brands ect i just buy what looks and feels good and i complement the same, im slowly reinventing my style but whenever i realise im taking longer to get ready to go out i always try to make the process more streamlined in order to make sure my style doesn’t get in the way of my life.
Time is money so if you spend either too much time or money or both getting yourself ready you are sacrificing too much and therefore are trying too hard, like these guys, that’s the point I was trying to make.
Wow, lots of commenters stuck in the past… Get over yourselves! Why even go on a fashion website if you are taking all your cues from the fashion of 20+ years ago?
The intro to the article talks about UNIQUE style – not carbon copies and pastiches of others. While I wouldn’t necessarily wear all the outfits pictured, I do find them interesting and am able to draw inspiration from them; I think that is the point of this article! Someone wearing tried and tested, copied clothing could hardly be described as an “icon”.
These are real cool and well dressed gentlemen. My favourite famous person and i know this isn’t going to go down too well, but i have always admired how Johnny Depp dresses he seems to exude style not that i would dress like him but he seems to pull off anything he wears. Not everyone will agree with this i know. Thanks
You’re not alone Lee: http://www.fashionbeans.com/2011/style-icon-johnny-depp/
You just reminded me of that article, he has great style, i really like his use of a pocket watch.
I guess it all depends on your own interpretation of what ‘style’ means for you. As such personally I’d be inclined to call 2-4 ‘fashion’ icons. I’d suggest that we all take cues from the past to varying degrees. It’s an interesting and divisive debate. In all fairness regardless of how the overall look appeals to my own sensibilities, I do admire that they each seem to have their own signature item. It is true that you can always find inspiration.
Their environment certainly helps their personal style. It’s very difficult to pull off spezzatura when you live in Basingstoke.
I can’t believe people here can even have the audacity to pretend these people are not among the most stylish on our planet.
I remember seeing Justin O’shea wearing double monkstraps MONTHS before the hype hit our world.
The Woost is king. And if you don’t agree, that’s cool, but you’re just plain wrong. Whether it’s dressing himself, or the incredible things he’s done for J C Penny, Park & Bond or GILTman, he’s always killing it.
I love this article, its a great insight into real style, fashion and individuality. Well done, it’s excellent.
This is elegant, well-thought out dressing at its finest, each combined with their own individual style and character. Sam Lambert is my favourite for me. These guys don’t look like clowns at all. It was only a few months ago that Vivienne Westwood said that disposable fashion had killed Britain’s style, not a bad shout I would say. The icons the others talk of are stylish, its true. But there’s something that separates the real icons from the Ewan McGreggors and Mick Jaggers of this world.
It is interesting to see the diversity of opinions here, but as Ben pointed out, this article was simply a commentary on the rise of these guys where I included a little introduction to four of my favourite style icons; more in depth articles on similar people will break down their style and personality in more depth at a later date.
I would certainly agree with and extend Tomos’ reference to VW saying disposable fashion has killed style the world over, which is something I will be touching on soon. The rise of these ‘real’ style icons is reminiscent of the revolutionary 60s where most men were already smartly dressed (something I pray fashion will continue to endorse), but a select few cultures/people were leading the way in terms of new ideas and new rules being established which set a new precedent in terms of fashion and style. Maybe the sticking point is how most of society at the moment doesn’t value tailoring as much as they do casual clothing, hence the shock at some of these guys uniquely tailored looks that break boundaries that some men didn’t even realised existed, but that is debatable.
I see people like those mentioned in the article, and certainly others too, redefining menswear as we know it, advocating a recognition of style that has endured the decades and the (growing) need for something truly original.
I think this is a great article, plain and simple. Great examples of some men who really know how to dress and who push the boat in terms of mens fashion! Really looking forward to more articles like this.
Different Strokes for different folks, but you would probably think differently once you have walked a mile in their shoes. These men actually ‘wear’ their own clothes and still wear them 10-15 years later. Nothing is as timeless as a well-made suit that you can still wear 20 years later, something Lino knows very well. Even Angelo, who looks a bit on the odd side, knows what he’s wearing will outlast any fashion fad later on. Certain styles always come back into fashion When I get into my 40′s, I hope to have a closet full of great clothes that I know will last me well into geezerhood so I wouldn’t have to bother with shopping.
What’s with all that crazy facial hair?? And some years from now I’m sure will be laughing and ashamed at the same time about the “shrink trousers” phenomena of early ’10s fashion
Hi I really think that none of these guys are iconic , the have a style but its there own ,Lino going for the 1980′s pimp from an Italian subtitle film , Sam displaying a certain depression era oxfam chic , Angelo plumping for borderline psychopathic Rabbi theme and Justin looking like he’s just walked of the stage at Scarface the musical , Some people are different some people try to be different and as is the case with these guys, some people try too hard to be different , you surely cant be described as looking comfortable in your own clothes if you look like your jacket is so tight you cant move your arms
remember ,
A man should look as if he has bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care and then forgotten all about them. (Hardy Amies )
These guys are also not “real” individuals either, because many of them are editors for large fashion magazines or fashion company, and have many perks. Some might even have wardrobe budgets. PS the people saying they look like clowns are probably retarded and do not understand fashion, and are probably poorly dressed individuals.
I must say there are some extremely childish responses to this article. particularly from our friend ‘Adil Safir’ above, not to be rude or point fingers. Men’s fashion is all about interesting touches, individuality and moving forward; I find people who close their minds to change in such a way to be unbelievably ignorant. May I remind everyone that just a few years ago, men everywhere turned their nose up at the mere thought of skinny trousers/jeans? Men who wore them were referred to as ‘camp/gay’ and people said they looked ‘silly’. I think it’s time for people to grow up, stop following the last opinion they heard, use their eyes and think for themselves.
Not to be rude or pointing any fingers, ‘Efosa’ you were being rude and id like your finger out of my face. Please understand that i have no problem with individuality, i dont follow trends religiously and the only regular source of fashion advice is from fashionbeans. So i dont “close my mind” and im not “stuck in the past” as ‘Pin Money’ and im definitely not using an anonymus title ‘Vegas’, that’s my real name!
Im a student of tailoring in the fashion department of my college so i see many different people and most of the students including myself have their own individual style, nobody is just seen wearing all the latest trends or even the same outfit everyday (maybe a similar style). My style is progressive day by day and sometimes i do take cues from the past and thiers nothing wrong with that.
My point is that you can be as individual as you like just try not to spend too much time getting ready and avoid glorifying these people (including Beckham) because they could have just put on a pair of monk straps because they had them lying around and wanted to try them into an outfit, so see what you can find rather than buying a pair of £350 shoes just because some guy in a picture once wore them with no socks and ‘baggy’ 1940′s fit trousers.
These guys arent even that individual, they are copying stereotypes and mish-mashing them up like Justin here, a mix of 80′s villians henchman/ paedophile/ biker or maybe just drive by paedophile idk, and the rest are just pure stereotype like the Godfather as Lino and preppy style for the other two.
Above all these people just look vain, like they have too much time to spare and the ‘satoriallist dinner’ they had seemed like an elitist show of pomp and vanity for the people who could afford to spend an extravagant amount of money on clothes, and yes i do shop at charity shops.
I also still believe that skinny jeans are ‘camp/gay’ and so i dont wear them myself because they are too revealing for my liking and they also do not constitute as “timeless style” by any measure.